Valparaiso, or Valpo for short, is the country's leading port and is located a mere 120 km NW of Santiago. The hills, covered with brightly colored houses, funiculars (ascending railways), and innumerable stairways, make it one of the most picturesque cities in Chile.
It has a large open-air
market Sunday afternoons on Avenida Argentina, the divided main road
into town from Santiago. The bustling port grew to maturity during the
1840's as demand for Chilean wheat and other products soared during the
California Gold Rush. However, Valpo´s bustling port business declined
notably with the opening of the Panama Canal which drastically reduced
shipping traffic around Cape Horn. Valparaíso's congested downtown
and port areas still recall its 19th-century heyday, with numerous architectural
landmarks, but the city's real character resides in its hillside neighborhoods,
reached by ascensores (funiculars) that climb the steep slopes. Nobel
Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda maintained a house on the Pacific coast
nearby called Isla Negra. It is the most popular nearby excursion from
Valparaiso and currently houses a museum dedicated to the poet´s
maritime memorabilia. Although misleading, Isla Negra is not an island. |
||||
 |
Hotel Puerta de Alcala |  |
||
|
||||
| General Info Nice four star hotel located in the center of the city, closed to all the attractions and turists places of the city of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. |
||||
 |
||||
| Accomodation Service Restaurant, bar, conference room, cable TV, direct dial phone, frigobar. |
||||
|
||||
Prices |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
|
||||
|
Hotel Prat | |
||
|
||||
| General Info Downtown. Hotel with large, airy rooms. A good traditional colonial style hotel. |
||||
|
||||
| Accomodation Service Restaurant, bar, laundry, TV, money exchange, tours. |
||||
|
||||
Prices |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
