Things To Do in Pucon

You'll find shops everywhere in Pucón, but the best are on Fresia Street. Most sell some variation of adventure gear, wool sweaters and scarves, carvings, or jewelry from boutique designers. There's also an excellent artisanal market at Alderate between Fresia and Ansorena (daily 10am-7pm) with several dozen small independent shops featuring handcrafted items -- not the mass produced things you get in other Chilean shops -- of surprisingly high quality. Brand names are not at all lost in Pucón though: North Face, Lacoste, Jack Wolfskin, and Crocs all have shops here.

If you're staying in Pucón longer than a few days and you'd like to learn a little of the local lingo, try Language Pucón, Uruguay 306 (tel. 45/444967; www.languagepucon.com), which offers short but effective courses and home-stay opportunities. They also have a good book exchange in English and German.

Pucón's casino, Enjoy Pucón (tel. 45/550000), can be found at Ansorena 121 and boasts three gaming rooms, the largest of which has slot machines. There's a good bar above their Aura restaurant here as well that appeals to all ages, and the place is open very late. For bars, El Bosque, O'Higgins 524 (tel./fax 45/444025; closed Mon), is a popular local hangout that is open from 6pm until around 3am, and has Internet access and a good fusion-cuisine menu. Mamas & Tapas, O'Higgins 597 (tel./fax 45/449002), is a bar serving snacks and food; it has long been one of the most popular bars in Pucón. It gets packed in the summer and has excellent music, including DJs during peak season. Also try the rooftop patio at Entre 3 (tel. 45/442032), at the corner of O'Higgins and Arauco, where on warm summer nights the people-watching in the street below is as good as it gets.