Valparaíso & Viña del Mar

A World Heritage hill city of colorful houses on the Pacific, with century-old funiculars and graffiti-lined alleys, next to the beaches of Viña del Mar and the wineries of the Casablanca Valley.

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar are two neighboring cities on Chile's central Pacific coast, about 120 km from the capital Santiago, 1.5–2 hours by bus. Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the largest port on South America's Pacific coast, and the city spreads from a narrow strip of flat land by the sea up more than 40 hills; its historic port district was added to the World Heritage List in 2003. Highlights: ride the century-old funiculars built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries up and down the hills; see colorful houses and graffiti in the alleys of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción; visit Neruda's house La Sebastiana and the open-air museum; look over the port from Paseo 21 de Mayo; and take a small boat around the harbor. To the north, Viña del Mar is Chile's best-known seaside resort, with the Flower Clock, the seafront avenue, Castillo Wulff, Palacio Vergara, Palacio Rioja and the moai statue outside the Fonck Museum; farther north are Reñaca Beach, the Concón dunes and Concón's seafood empanadas. Day trips from the area include the Casablanca Valley wineries to the southeast, and Isla Negra, Neruda's favorite house, about 80 km to the south. The climate is Mediterranean: December–February is sunny and dry, when the beaches are busiest; the water stays cool all year because of a cold current; winter, June–August, is rainy, with temperatures of about 8–15°C. The New Year's Eve fireworks over the port on December 31 are among the largest in South America, so book accommodation months ahead. Between the two cities you can take the Merval metro train or a bus, about 15–20 minutes. We suggest 2–3 days. Notes: there is a risk of robbery on the flat streets of Valparaíso's port area and in remote hillside alleys, so do not walk into alleys alone after dark and keep phones and cameras out of sight; funiculars are often out of service for maintenance, so check before setting out.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries