Valparaiso is one of the best places to visit on a tour of Chile. Valparaiso is a charming port city, considered one of Chile’s best beach towns. Before the construction of the Panama Canal, the “Jewel of the Pacific” was Valparaiso. Though its commercial shipping is no longer what it was, the colorful houses are as inviting as ever, and the city remains full of artists and romantic couples. It has a very bohemian flair nowadays, with colorful street murals all over the city. Stroll the boardwalk past abandoned passenger trains converted into cafes, visit Pablo Neruda’s house, and don’t leave without sampling the local seafood, sopa marina. It’s the perfect escape from the busyness of Santiago is the charming UNESCO World Heritage site and town of Valparaiso, which was once the most important port in western South America.