Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Valparaiso is a hill-top port city on Chile's Pacific coast, UNESCO-listed for its historic quarter, and Vina del Mar is its neighbouring garden-and-beach resort. Both lie in the Valparaiso Region, outside the Metropolitana region, about 120 km west of Santiago. Coaches run about 1 hour 45 minutes from Terminal Alameda, Pajaritos or Los Heroes with Turbus and Pullman Bus, leaving every 10-15 minutes at about CLP 5,000-10,000 each way. Drivers take Ruta 68, about 1.5 hours without traffic, and full-day tours from Santiago are also available. The Valparaiso terminal is a short walk from the port, and the funicular lifts (ascensores), costing about CLP 300-500, climb to Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion. Visitors start at Plaza Sotomayor, near the port, then ride a funicular up to the hills to see street art, colourful houses and lookouts over the bay. Walking the cerros involves steep streets and stairs. Vina del Mar, a short bus or Metro (Merval) ride along the coast, offers its gardens, beaches, the Quinta Vergara park and seaside promenades. A workable day arc is an early coach, a morning on the Valparaiso hills with lunch at a hillside restaurant serving seafood, an afternoon ride to Vina del Mar for the gardens and the shoreline, and a return coach in the early evening. The best window is October to April, when the weather is warm and the sea is pleasant. Coastal fog can cover the hills in the morning, and winter is cool and damp. Weekends are busy, so weekdays are calmer. Comfortable shoes are essential, and visitors should watch their belongings in crowded areas.