Valparaiso and Viña del Mar (Vineyard of the Sea) are the two seaports linked to Santiago de Chile. Valparaiso is the older port, now secondary in all but history and tradition. This colorful port was once the property of Great Britain. In the 1850s, Valparaiso hosted tens of thousands of travelers to the 1849 California gold fields who paused here for provisions and rest after traversing the Straits of Magellan. There are still working funiculars (small, cliffside cable cars) that have been in place for over 100 years.

Viña del Mar is the modern resort. Despite the great beaches, the water is never warm enough for comfortable bathing. In fact, there are no suitably warm beaches anywhere on Chile's 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers.)