Valparaíso
Hotels in Valparaíso- Code:VS
- Type:region
- Native name:Valparaíso Region
- Population:1.9M (2024)
- Area:16,396 km²
- Elevation:312 m
- Capital:Valparaíso
Introduction
The Valparaíso Region, on Chile's central coast near Santiago, pairs one of South America's most characterful cities with beach resorts, a cool-climate wine valley and the country's central Pacific shore.
Overview
The Valparaíso Region wraps Chile's central coast just west of Santiago, and its undisputed star is the city of Valparaíso itself — a steep, ramshackle, gloriously colourful port that tumbles down forty-odd hills (cerros) to a working harbour, its houses painted every shade and its streets a maze of staircases, alleys and viewpoints. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, “Valpo” is a city of poets, sailors and artists, reached up its hills by a set of antique funicular elevators (ascensores) and covered, more than almost anywhere, in vivid street art and murals. Bohemian, romantic and a little chaotic, it was beloved of the Nobel poet Pablo Neruda, whose hillside home La Sebastiana is now a museum with one of the city's best views. Right next door, in complete contrast, lies Viña del Mar — the “Garden City,” a manicured resort of beaches, parks, a famous flower clock, a casino and a big annual music festival, the holiday playground of the central coast. The region's shoreline continues through beach and surf towns — Reñaca, the dunes and seafood of Concón, the artists' village of Isla Negra (home to Neruda's most atmospheric house above the sea), and Algarrobo. Inland, between the coast and Santiago, the cool, fog-touched Casablanca Valley has become one of Chile's premier wine regions, famous for crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a walkable wine route of cellar doors and restaurants. (The region also administers Chile's far-flung Pacific territories, including Easter Island and the Juan Fernández Islands, though these are distant destinations of their own.) Close to Santiago — Valparaíso is about 90 minutes by road — the region makes an easy and rewarding trip, at its best in the warm months from November to March for the coast, with the wine valley rewarding year-round.
Discover Valparaíso
Valparaíso is one of South America's most captivating cities — a UNESCO World Heritage port that spills down a ring of steep hills to the sea in a glorious jumble of brightly painted houses, corrugated iron and tangled streets. The two most atmospheric hills, Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, are a maze of pastel mansions, boutique hotels, cafés, viewpoints and some of the best street art in the world, the murals covering walls, stairways and whole buildings. The city's historic funicular elevators (ascensores) — creaking wooden cars that haul you up the slopes — are an experience in themselves, several over a century old. Down in the flat “Plan” by the harbour lie the old port, the naval and maritime history, and the bustle of a working city. Bohemian, poetic and faded-grand, Valparaíso rewards aimless wandering up and down its hills, with the home of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana, offering both insight into the poet and a sweeping view over the rooftops to the bay.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Valparaíso's UNESCO hills, funiculars, world-class street art and Neruda's La Sebastiana.
The Garden City's beaches, flower clock and casino, and the dunes and seafood of Concón.
The cool-climate wine route of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir near the coast.
The poet's atmospheric seaside house at Isla Negra and the central-coast resort towns.
Frequently asked questions
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