Plaza Sotomayor

Valparaíso

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Plaza Sotomayor is dominated by the palatial blue-colored Edificio Armada de Chile. In the middle of the square lies the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique, a subterranean mausoleum paying tribute to Chile's naval martyrs.

The Aduana Nacional (Customs House) and Estación Puerto, the terminal for commuter trains, are also nearby. The plaza has a helpful tourist kiosk and a tacky handicrafts market, the Feria de Artesanía. Muelle Prat, the pier at the foot of Plaza Sotomayor, is a lively place on weekends, and also the prime point for crane- and container-spotting.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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    Casa de Isla Negra

    28.05 MILES

    The spectacular setting on a windswept ocean headland makes it easy to understand why Isla Negra was Pablo Neruda’s favorite house. Built by the poet when…

  • La Sebastiana? Pablo Neruda House Museum

    La Sebastiana

    1.15 MILES

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  • An interior view from the old jail building in Valparaiso Cultural Park.

    Parque Cultural de Valparaíso

    0.56 MILES

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  • The Botanical gardens of Viña del Mar, Chile.

    Jardín Botánico Nacional

    7.5 MILES

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  • Palm tree at Valparaiso Naval and Maritime Museum

    Museo Marítimo Nacional

    0.45 MILES

    Cannons still stand ready outside this naval museum. Much space is devoted to Chile's victory in the 19th-century War of the Pacific. Other exhibits…

  • Vendors and buyers at Mercado Cardonal, ValparaIso, Chile

    Mercado Cardonal

    1.31 MILES

    As colorful as Valparaíso's trademark houses – and built almost as high – are the fruit and vegetable displays in the Mercado Cardonal, bordered by Yungay…

  • Parque Quinta Vergara

    Parque Quinta Vergara

    4.35 MILES

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  • Cementerios 1 & 2

    Cementerios 1 & 2

    0.59 MILES

    The city's most illustrious, influential and infamous residents rest in peace in Cementerios 1 and 2, where the tombs look like ornate mini alaces. Nearby…

View more attractions

Nearby Valparaíso attractions

3. Ascensor El Peral

0.09 MILES

The recently revamped Ascensor El Peral starts from near the Tribunales (Law Courts) just off Plaza Sotomayor and continues to Cerro Alegre, home to the…

4. Museo de Bellas Artes

0.14 MILES

The rambling art nouveau building at the western end of Cerro Alegre is called Palacio Baburizza; it houses the Museo de Bellas Artes, which has a decent…

5. Reloj Turri

0.18 MILES

Where Prat and Cochrane converge to become Esmeralda, the Edificio Turri narrows to the width of its namesake clock tower, the Reloj Turri. This is one of…

6. Barrio El Puerto

0.19 MILES

In the west of El Plan, Barrio El Puerto (the port neighborhood) has the twin honors of being the oldest part of Valparaíso and the most run-down…

7. Mercado Puerto

0.19 MILES

Long defunct (and home to a pack of street cats), El Puerto's beautifully restored food market should be open again by the time you read this.

8. Ascensor Concepción

0.21 MILES

The city's oldest funicular, Ascensor Concepción takes you to Paseo Gervasoni, at the lower end of Cerro Concepción. Built in 1883, it originally ran on…