Viña del Mar
People come for the sea breeze, but sometimes stay for the empanadas sold by a guy named Pablo near the big flower clock. The beach is always somewhere in your peripheral vision, whether you planned it or not. Locals will tell you to walk the long promenade until your shoes get sandy, but nobody mentions the flock of street dogs who follow you like you’re part of a secret parade. For travel destination popular things to do or visit, you might end up at the castle, or maybe just at a food stall arguing about which ice cream counts as the real deal. It’s a city where you can lose your hat to the wind and find it again at a seafood stall. And if you ask about the best hotel in Viña del Mar, you’ll get five different answers, none of them the same, but all with the promise of a good story behind the mattress.
Local weather in Chile
SPRING
mild & temperate
SUMMER
warm & sunny
AUTUMN
mild & temperate
WINTER
mild & temperate
Accommodations in Viña del Mar
Discover the best accommodations for Viña del Mar and start planning your holiday.
Longer stays in Viña del Mar: best hotel experiences and unexpected things to do
The best hotel in Viña del Mar might be the one where the doorman calls you by your first name, or maybe the one where the breakfast has more types of bread than you have fingers. Some travelers swear by the ones with a rooftop view, but my cousin once spent a week in a place with a leaky shower and still claims it was the greatest sleep of his life. For travel destination popular things to do or visit, there’s a casino where you can lose your coins to a singing slot machine, and a botanical garden where the ducks look at you as if you owe them rent. Don’t skip the Quinta Vergara park, unless you dislike trees with more history than your family photo album.
If you’re hunting for unusual stories, try the local elevator, which moves so slowly you’ll have time to memorize the list of ice cream flavors at the bottom. Take a walk through the city at dawn; you might spot a group of musicians rehearsing before anyone else is awake, or a fisherman who claims he once caught a fish the size of a school bus, but only on Thursdays. The best hotel in Viña del Mar could be waiting just around the next corner, or maybe you got off the bus one stop too early—either way, you’ll find something worth the detour, even if your shoes end up with sand in every crevice (happens everytime, trust me).
Other cities around Chile
These popular destinations have a lot to offer for you next holiday or city break.
