Valparaiso & Central Coast Resorts

• Send to:

  Your name:

  Your email:

  Note:
  Email
• Print
• Bookmark + Share

Once the most important port in all of South America—full of globe-trotting European residents and their riches—this city long served as the Continent’s glamorous link to the rest of the world. When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, Valparaíso lost its status as an international power but retained the air of its regal past. Locals (known as porteños)— an incongruous mix of artists, sailors, and students—still gather at the same century-old bars, and Edwardian villas and Art Nouveau palaces balance on hilltops. Citywide restoration efforts are now rescuing crumbling landmarks; historic houses are being transformed into sophisticated restaurants; and notable galleries are heralding the work of native talent.