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Just about an hour and a half outside of Chile’s capitol city, Valparaiso sits proudly along the Pacific coast as one of Chile’s most historically and culturally significant towns, making an excellent option for a day trip.
Prior to the creation of the Panama Canal, the port city was a crucial port of call for commercial shipping. These days it mainly caters to ships that are too large to fit through the canal, but the historic quarter of the city became a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 and plays host to an explosion of colorful street art.
The city itself is built on 42 hills (or so the tourist material claims) and as a result, the narrow winding streets can take some effort to maneuver. While there are several functioning funiculars that are available for a small fee, there was a strike on the day that I was visiting, so I resigned myself to getting my steps in.
Though the whole city feels as though it’s halfway up a mountain, Mirador del Cerro Artilleria is a great place to stop for panoramic views of the city- get to counting those 42 hills.
The easiest place to begin a visit to Valparaíso is Plaza Sotomayor. The busy square is home to the Chilean Naval Headquarters, which faces out to the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique- a naval engagement in the late 1800s that resulted in the sinking of Chile’s ship. There are often markets that take place in this area, which draw in large crowds- make sure to keep an eye on your personal belongings!
While the plaza was nice enough, it was a bit boring compared to the colorful streets in and around the Concepción and Alegre Hills neighborhoods. Everywhere we looked, there was a beautiful mural, a unique boutique hotel, or a cute looking restaurant! A blank wall seemed like nothing other than an invitation for an aspiring artist. Our guide mentioned that homeowners would commonly hire an artist they liked to fill up a blank space on their property, rather than risk a piece they didn’t like on their home. This results in a proliferation of huge and well thought out murals rather than slapdash tags.
We spent some time just wandering around the streets to explore all of the beautiful art.
In addition to its street art, Valparaiso has an assortment of art galleries and local craft shops. We ducked into a silversmith’s shop and I made off with these gorgeous bronze earrings. I was still struggling my currency conversions so early into the trip, but it turned out to come to 15USD! I should have gotten a few more!
As in much of South America, the streets had their own population of stray dogs. Don’t worry- they’re all well taken care of by the community. It was difficult to resist giving them a pat as I passed by!
The huge hills sloping into the port make a really beautiful stacked effect with the houses, especially with all of the color. It reminded me a bit of the hills of San Francisco- sometimes the slope was so steep that the front door and the back door of a house could be on entirely different floors!
Don’t forget to make a stop at La Sebastiana Museo de Pablo Neruda. Once the home of the Nobel Prize Winning poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda, the residence has been converted into a museum of the man’s personal effects and excellent views of the city.
On the way home from Valparaiso, we made a pit stop at Emiliana Organic Vineyards in Casablanca Valley which is just about halfway between Valparaiso and Santiago. I made a post about it here, and I highly recommend that you book a vineyard tour if you’ve got the time- they’re doing some really interesting things with bio-dynamic agriculture!
Although it’s possible to take public transportation to Valparaiso from Santiago, I’d recommend going with a tour group. The city is becoming increasingly tourist-friendly, but there’s not all too much in terms of a frame of reference for what you’re looking at. Some of the murals mixed in the city are actually done by famous artists. Without a guide, I think I would have been a little lost- both contextually and maybe even a little bit physically!
If you’re looking for ideas for your own trip to Valparaiso, I recommend checking out one of these tour options:
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