Vina del Mar

Vina del Mar grew from the 1870s as the seaside resort for Santiago and Valparaiso money, laid out with gardens, palms and mansions, and it still works that way - long beaches, a casino from 1930, and a summer population several times the resident one. Its Festival Internacional de la Cancion, held each February in the Quinta Vergara amphitheatre since 1960, is the largest music festival in Latin America by audience and is broadcast across the continent; the crowd's reputation for turning on performers is part of the event's folklore. In the Fonck museum garden stands a genuine moai brought from Easter Island, one of the few outside the island.

What you actually see

• A resort laid out from the 1870s - gardens, palms and mansions.
• The February song festival - the largest in Latin America by audience.
• A casino from 1930 - on the seafront.
• A genuine moai - in the Fonck museum garden.

When to go

Year round; February for the festival, when the city is full. A full day.

Honest expectations

The beaches are cold - this is the Humboldt current - and swimming is bracing at best. February prices and crowds are extreme. The seafront is high-rise. Removal of the moai from Rapa Nui is a live issue for the island community.

Nearby

Valparaiso is next door; Renaca and Concon are north along the coast.