Viña del Mar travel guide

Nine kilometres northeast of Valparaíso via the Avenida España, which runs along a narrow belt between the shore and precipitous cliffs, is Viña del Mar, one of South America’s leading seaside resorts. Viña is also famous throughout Chile for its annual international music festival, during which the attention of the entire country is focused on the city; the festival used to bring in some top performers from all over Latin America, but this is no longer the case. In fact, neither the festival nor Viña itself are as wonderful as Chileans like to make out. This is the only place in Chile where road signs are in English as well as Spanish and much of the city feels like suburban North America. That said, with pleasant beaches and shady parks, Viña is a pleasant enough city to visit, especially if you have some pesos to burn, and makes an interesting contrast to nearby Valparaíso.

The older part of Viña del Mar is situated on the banks of a creek, the Marga Marga, which is crossed by bridges. Around Plaza Vergara and the smaller Plaza Sucre are the Teatro Municipal (1930) and the exclusive Club de Viña, built in 1910. It’s a private club, but sometimes hosts public concerts and events. The municipally owned Quinta Vergara, formerly the residence of the shipping entrepreneur Francisco Alvarez, lies two blocks further south. The superb grounds include a double avenue of palm trees and encompass a children’s playground and a large outdoor amphitheatre where the music festival takes place in February; it also hosts concerts and events throughout the year. Also here is the Palacio Vergara, which houses the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Academia de Bellas Artes. You can take a tour of the city in a horse-drawn carriage from the Plaza Vergara for around US$30 depending on the length of the trip.

Calle Libertad runs north from Plaza Vergara, lined with banks, offices and shops. West of the plaza, on a headland overlooking the sea, is Cerro Castillo, the president’s summer palace; its gardens can be visited. North of the centre are the main town's beaches, Acapulco and Las Salinas, while south of Cerro Castillo is another popular beach at Caleta Abarca.

North of Viña strung along the coast are several smaller settlements. Reñaca, now a suburb of Viña del Mar, is a well-to-do resort with extensive beaches, while further north, Maitencillo and Zapallar are fashionable seaside destinations, overflowing with tourists in summer. In between are the fishing towns of Concón, famous for its seafood, and Horcón, where horses are still used to tow the fishing boats onto land....read more