Viña del Mar is a breath of sea air for those living in Santiago. Head to the buss terminal early in the morning and buy a ticket on the spot for one of the multiple 2 hour bus trips to this famous seaport. My lovely Chilean and I jumped at the opportunity to take an Australian friend to visit the place.
Its sleepy atmosphere for a large town is a nice parallel to the rough sticks of the sailor's town, Valparaíso, the town with which it merges. The wide streets, several of which are boarded by palm trees, turn into narrow, calles with dark shadows. Our favourite Italian restaurant, Panzoni, can also be found in Viña del Mar. We made sure to stop at the quintessential picada for comida buena, bonita y borata (good, beautiful and cheap food). Its charming decor is very reminiscent of old Italian grandmother's country home, with the walls covered with retro Italian memorabilia and the tables covered with cute chequered-print table clothes, which perfectly suit the painted red and green retro chairs. The menu mostly offers homemade pasta with basic homemade sauces, which is only too fitting for a restaurant that is actually the front room of someone's house.
Viña del Mar was founded by the native Changos tribe who originally inhabited the coast of Peru down to the coast of the Atacama in Chile. The Spanish then decided to develop the land into a town separate to that of Valparaíso and it became a tourist attraction after the construction of the casino as well as a number of beachside hotels. The town was also one of the four cities to host the 1962 Football World Cup. As Valparaíso is enchanting in its heritage appeal, Viña del Mar is relaxing with its beach town vibes, although the water is always too cold to swim in unless you're brave.
The three of us walked down the main strip of shops and cafés, past the plaza where horses and carriages wait to take you for a ride, through to the garden clock and along the coast to sit on the sand and watch the huge, grey battleships sail off into the distance. When the waves began to lap up the shore and we had seen all the artisan market stalls, we took the bus back to Santiago.
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