It was one of the nicer places we visited in Chile, a very artsy type of city which is nice. We found that the receptions at hostels have varried hours- sometimes you have to wait an hour just for someone to show up to tell you there are no vacancies. You won't go hungry-or thirsty. There are a variety of cafe's all over and big supermarket chains as well. You can bus from here to Santiago and Mendoza easily. We got here from La Serena. The murals around town are pretty amazing. We found the accomodation near the bus station a little dodgy and opted to get on a bus into town.

Known as the “Garden City”, Viña del Mar is considered the tourist capital of Chile, due to its strategic geographical location, very close to the capital of the country. Seat of the International Song Festival, Viña del Mar lies 120 kilometers from Santiago along Route 68 and 9 kilometers away from Valparaíso along the coastline road. From Argentina, this magnificent seaside destination is reached through Los Libertadores International Pass.

One of the best ways of seeing Valparaíso is through its funiculars. These constructions scattered around the entire natural amphitheater surrounding the city enable people to admire the huge bay and the strong contrast of the houses painted in shocking colors from the heights. From up there, eyes usually stop on the horizon that dies into the Pacific Ocean.

There are twenty-two funiculars in Valparaíso. Here we present the main features of the most emblematic ones, whether for their history, their names or maybe because they are usually mentioned in poems or songs that refer to this particular city. We recommend that you tour around Valparaíso with all your senses by using the funiculars. It will be an unforgettable experience.

Don't miss a visit to La Sebastiana, one of Pablo Neruda's three ever-interesting houses.

, was very interesting old town on west coast of Chile

i absolutely LOVE this city! it´s not only beautiful but authentic and colorful. go to the Neruda museum (one of the poet´s 3 houses in Chile) and enjoy the view of the ocean from Neruda´s bedroom. some of his most interesting collections are there as well. the city is also a heaven for sea-food lovers. i am not one of them and even i loved the fish! Valparaiso is just amazing!