Valparaiso

Chile's most culturally vibrant city cascades down 42 steep hills to the Pacific Ocean, connected by 15 funicular elevators (ascensores), some over 100 years old. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso was South America's most important Pacific port in the 19th century and the continent's first to receive a stock exchange and fire brigade. Pablo Neruda's hillside home, La Sebastiana, is now a beloved museum.