Valparaiso - attractions

Valparaiso is an amazing city, in which the contradictory character of Latin America is fully revealed. Therefore, the question of what to see in Valparaiso, there can not be an unambiguous answer. Worthy of attention is the urban architecture with an unusual twist, colorful painting of houses, mostly wooden, and numerous graffiti on them. The abundance of museums, interesting squares and squares, beautiful descents to the sea through narrow streets that can be crossed by cable cars. In the city there are several information kiosks, in the Sotomayor square and in the Anibal Pinto square, where you can learn everything about Valparaiso, attractions and the shortest way to them.

Main Attractions Valparaiso

To visit Valparaiso and not ride a cable car is like going to Venice and not riding a gondola. The first funicular called Artillery was built in the distant 1883, and it is still in the process of exploitation. Currently, there are about 15 cable cars, all of them are listed in the list of national monuments of Chile . Be sure to visit the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Naval History, they are considered one of the best museums in the country. City squares are an ideal place for meetings, especially the most romantic one, Victoria Square, with a cathedral and a fountain with statues symbolizing the seasons. By the way, if you see an old trolleybus - do not be surprised: in this amazing city trolley buses, issued in 1948-1952, are still used.

Other attractions

Residents of Valparaiso love to call the central square of Sotomayor the sea heart of the city. It is adorned with a monument to Admiral Arturo Prat and other sailors who died in the battle of Iquique in 1879. The monument was erected in 1886, almost after the end of the war, under the monument is arranged a mausoleum. Opposite the monument is the building of the headquarters of the Navy of Chile.

The mansion of La Sebastian belonged to the famous Chilean prose writer Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). The writer was distinguished by an incomprehensible passion for the sea, he built a semblance of the captain's bridge on the top floor of his house, and placed inside the house exhibits brought by friends from all over the world. In this collection there were sets of Italian dishes, all kinds of sea charts, ancient stained-glass windows and even items raised from sunken ships. The interior paintings of the mansion are made in the form of a map of Patagonia, and the windows offer a magnificent view of the coast and the bay.

The Church of La Matrix is located in the center of the city, surrounded by paved streets and houses of the late 19th century. The first church was built by the Spanish colonists in 1559 for the inhabitants of the then small village and crews of ships entering the port. In 1578 the building was burned by the pirates of Francis Drake, after which a new temple was erected. Later, the church was destroyed more than once by earthquakes. The construction of this church was completed in 1842. An elegant building of white stone with a beautiful facade is made in the style of classicism, but in large adobe walls and a pointed roof, the Creole style of the 18th century can be seen.