Chile's third largest city, Valparaíso, is nestled between the sea and the coastal mountain range about 112 kilometers northwest of Santiago and makes for an excellent day trip. As popular for its many old cobbled streets and unique architecture as it is for its lovely harbor and beaches, the city offers a great deal to see and do. Many tourist attractions focus on the country's rich maritime heritage, including Lord Cochrane's Museum, in a lovely colonial home built in 1842, and the superb Naval and Maritime Museum with its displays dealing with the War of the Pacific of 1879 between Chile and allied Peru and Bolivia, with particular emphasis on the contributions of Chile's war heroes. A related attraction is the Ironclad Huáscar in the Port of Talcahuano some 600 kilometers south of Santiago. Talcahuano's beautiful harbor - home to Chile's navy - is the base for this immaculately restored historic vessel built in 1865 in Britain and one of the only surviving such battleships of her kind.
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