Viña del Mar is better known as the garden city, where the beach and urban life mix in one place. Here we will tell you the story that gave life to one of the most famous tourist cities of our country.

How was this city born on the shores of one of the most extensive oceans in the world?

Viña del Mar was a huge hacienda and one of the most important in the central area. One of the first owners planted a vineyard (here comes his name) that remained for a long time until it was destroyed by a storm in 1827.

Already in the eighteenth century, the haciendas were acquired by a renowned Portuguese merchant named Francisco Alvares. He toured the area and looked after these fields as his greatest jewel. But after his death, they passed into the hands of his wife, who parceló the territory and began the process of urbanization that gave life to the great cities we know today: Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Reñaca and Concón.

But in 1906 the terrible earthquake that hit the Port of Valparaíso took place. With a hundred dead and many houses damaged, the wealthiest families moved to live in Viña del Mar and built their own houses with elegant facades.

Later, the presidential palace of Cerro Castillo, the Municipal Theater, the Casino and the waterfront that was joining these great cities giving life to what we know today, was built.

If you are traveling in Chile and want to know Viña del Mar, we recommend our full day tour from Santiago, where you will be told the history of these coastal cities that represent a very important tourist focus in Chile.

Live the experience