Considered Chile’s Riviera and premiere seaside resort Viňa del Mar, or Viňa for short, boasts attractions such as waterfront hotels, sports facilities and golf courses, beautiful parks and gardens, a lively nightlife and access to some of Chile’s more recently developed beach towns.

Originally founded by Spanish conquistadores as one of two large haciendas, Viňa del Mar was officially authorized as a city independent of the large seaport city of Valparaiso just to the south in May of 1878. The city’s economic development was assured by the establishment of a sugar refinery, the arrival of Lever & Murphy, a large British company, and the establishment of military installations and naval facilities. First opened on December 31, 1930, Viňa del Mar’s casino established the city’s appeal to upper-class Chileans and tourists, marking the city’s character to date.

Despite a number of sleek and modern buildings and hotels, Viňa’s character is essentially determined by its charming colonial houses which are best viewed from the romantic setting of a traditional horse-drawn carriage, known as Victoria.

Home to a large number of parks and gardens, as its reputation as the Garden City promises, Viňa is also known for the annual Viňa festival, an international song festival in February, its famous and dazzlingly beautiful historical buildings such as the Palacio Rioja and Quinta Vergara, the Fonck Museum of Archaeology and Natural History, home to the only Easter Island Muai on South America’s mainland as well as many more attractions. Make this beautiful city your stepping stone into your Chile experience!