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Time Zone: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from second Sunday in October to second Saturday in March).

Currency: Chilean Peso (peso) = 100 centavos.

Language: Spanish; English is widely spoken.

Sightseeing: Valparaíso is a thriving maritime city and Chile’s main port. It is built on 42 hills and one of the best ways to appreciate its beautiful location on the Pacific Coast is to take a ride in one of the 15 funicular lifts which climb the hills; each mirador (look-out post) offers visitors stunning views of the crystal waters of the bay and the snow-capped mountains in the background. The historic hill districts of Concepción and Alegre display strong Germanic and British influences from the European traders that once inhabited the city. Here the steep, narrow, cobbled streets are crammed with colourful European-style houses, cultural museums – such as the Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) – and Lutheran and Anglican churches. Valparaíso is also known for its lively bar scene and many of the buildings are illuminated at night. Viña del Mar, located 10km (six miles) from Valparaíso, is Chile’s most fashionable seaside resort and is commonly referred to as the Garden City, due to the many banana and palm trees dotted around the shady boulevards and colonial mansions. Chile’s botanical gardens are also located here and there are fine white-sand beaches.

Shopping: Textiles such as colourful handwoven ponchos, vicuna rugs and copper work. Also Chilean stones such as lapis lazuli, jade, amethyst, agate and onyx. Muelle Prat, the city’s recently renovated pier, is home to a colourful market.

Eating Out: National dishes include empanada (a combination of meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry), humitas (seasoned corn paste, wrapped in corn husks and boiled), cazuela de ave (soup with rice, vegetables, chicken and herbs), bife a lo pobre (steak with french fries, onions and eggs) and parrillada (selection of meat grilled over hot coals). As Valparaíso is a port, there is a wide variety of seafood on offer, such as huge lobsters, abalone, sea urchins, clams, prawns and giant choros (mussels). Chile is also famous for its wine. Other alcoholic drinks to try are pisco (a powerful liqueur distilled from grapes after wine pressing), sweet brown chicha (also made from grapes) and aguardiente, which is similar to brandy.