Reloj de Flores

Working clock built into a hillside garden — the unofficial symbol of the city

The Reloj de Flores sits at the southern entrance to Viña, just where Avenida España meets the seafront after coming up from Valparaíso. It is a giant working clock set into a hillside lawn, the numerals picked out in bedding plants that get replaced as the seasons change.

It is the most photographed thing in the city, and you will see schoolchildren on tour buses, honeymooners, and the occasional film crew posing in front of it. The clock keeps reasonable time. If you arrive by metro from Valparaíso you will pass it on your right as the line emerges from the tunnel.

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The flower clock was built in 1962 for the FIFA World Cup, when Viña hosted some of the matches and wanted a memorable landmark for visiting fans. The mechanism came from Switzerland; the flower face is replanted three or four times a year.

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