Viña del Mar

Although the two cities sit cheek-by-jowl on the Chilean coast, Valpo and Viña, as they are normally referred to by Chileans, are very different.

While Valparaiso expanded organically, its streets curving with the contours of the hillside, Viña del Mar follows the traditional grid-like street plan seen in most Chilean cities.

That reflects the ordered manner in which the city was created, divided into blocks from the hacienda which once occupied much of what is today downtown Viña.

While Valparaiso has always been a working city, its citizens looking for business opportunities deriving from its important port, since early on its history, Viña has been synonymous with relaxation and entertainment in the minds of Chileans.

Not only with its attractive beaches (although the powerful currants of the Pacific make its unsafe bathe here) but also the huge array of restaurants, hotels and bars as well as the casino, founded more than seventy five years ago.

The Viña del Mar song festival, which takes place every February in the Quinta Vergara amphitheatre, is the highlight of Chile's show biz year.

Nominally a weeklong song contest for unknown composers and singers from all over South America in the categories of pop and folk, it is today better known for the Latin and global music stars it attracts.

Foreign stars that have appeared in recent years include Tom Jones, Toto and Franz Ferdinand.

But the seven-day media circus is also well-known for attracting a host of less well-known comedians, models and starlets all hoping to seize a piece of the limelight.

Don´t miss in Viña del Mar
Quinta Vergara and the Fine Arts Museum

This beautiful park, just two blocks from Viña del Mar´s main square, is a refreshing break from the bustling downtown traffic and crowded beaches of summer.

Built on the site of a traditional Chilean hacienda, the property was bought in the middle of the nineteenth century by a rich businessman for his wife, an amateur botanist, who proceeded to fill the grounds with a huge range of rare plants and trees.

In the middle of this park sits Palacio Vergara, a Venetian-style palace built early last century which today serves at the city's Fine Arts Museum.

The museum has a range of Chilean and European works, including paintings by Rubens, Poussin and Tintoretto.

Viña´s Castles
A rocky headland jutting into the sea is the spectacular setting for Castillo Wulff, a neo-Gothic house complete with spires and turrets.

Built a century ago for a major nitrates and coal magnate, the building is one of a number of architectural curios that populate the city.

Around the corner is the reloj de flores or flower clock, designed in flowerbeds on the main entrance to the city from Valparaiso.

And at the top of the hill, the government keeps the Cerro Castillo presidential palace, where newly elected presidents traditionally the night before being sworn in at the congress in Valparaiso and also a useful hideaway from political sniping in Santiago.

Viña beautiful city / Chile

The city of Viña del Mar, with its privileged location in the Chilean central coast, is without doubts the place with the largest amount of tourist in the country.

During the fall - spring seasons the "Ciudad Jardín" offers the richness of its architectural heritage, parks, enogastronomy, traditional recreational centres and the well-known beauty of its coastal adge.

In Viña del Mar and its surrounding areas, it is amazinly combined a wide variety of attractiveness, turning it into a city with exceptional charac-teristics to be visited in any season of the year. There are many places to spend the time. Just in Viñe this tiem will be an unforgattable memory.

Places & Museums

Architectural and Cultural Heritage. The city of Viña del Mar has a rich and beautiful architecture, witness of a distingguished past of palaces and mansions.
This historical heritage is reflected in magnificent buildings of style, nowadays, mainly transformed into museums opened to visitors.

· Fonck Museum
· Vergara Palace
· Viña del Mar Parish Church
· Municipal Theater
· Carrasco Palace
· Wulff Castle
· Rioja Palace

Gambling & Fun

The wide variety of recreational activities which characterizes the city makes it entertaining during the whole year.

· Sporting Club
· Sausalito Stadium
· Higuerillas Yatch Club
· Dog Contest in the Quinta Vergara
· Swimming pool in the Sausalito small lake
· Golf in the Granadilla Country Club
· Motorboat contest in Sausalito small lake
· New amphitheater in the Quinta Vergara
· Viña del Mar International Song Festival

Enogastronomy

Due to its International Tourist Center category, the city has a wide variety of first level gastronomic offers. There is a huge amount of restaurants specialized on international and Chilean typical food, specially sea food, pasta and meat, where is also possible to taste the vineyard area well-known by the wine quality inside and outside the country.

Beaches & Coastal Edge

Furthermore the intense summer activities on the beaches of Viña del Mar, the city offers an extensive coastal edge with amazing landscapes to admire during a quiet walk or to enjoy unforgettable long walks through its beautiful beaches.

Parks & Green Areas

Also known as "Ciudad Jardín". Viña del Mar has always been characterized by the well cared beauty of its green areas in the urban environment. Along with gar-dens and squares, large parks are located in the city as exceptional natural attractions.

· Botanic Gardens
· Sausalito Small Lake
· Los Heroes Square
· San Martin Park
· Quinta Vergara Park
· Flower Clcok
· Mexico Square
· Seaside Road to Con Con
· J.F. Vergara Square