Chile · August 2025
Overview
Valparaíso, or "Valpo", feels like no other city in South America. Colourful houses are stacked on more than 40 hills above a working port, connected by stairs, alleys and old wooden funiculars, and almost every wall has a mural. It is chaotic and a bit run-down, and plenty of the graffiti isn't art, but that's part of its character. Keep in mind that it's a city to walk slowly, up and down, so bring comfortable shoes.
The bay was home to the Chango fishing people when Spanish captain Juan de Saavedra arrived in 1536. For almost three centuries it was a small port, until independence and the 19th century turned it into the most important harbour on the Pacific coast of South America, a compulsory stop for ships sailing around Cape Horn. British, German, Italian and French merchants built banks, mansions and churches on the hills, and the city had the first stock exchange in Chile and El Mercurio de Valparaíso, founded in 1827 and the oldest Spanish-language newspaper still in circulation. The funiculars were built from 1883 so people could reach their homes on the hills. A huge earthquake in 1906 and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 ended the golden age, and the city slowly declined. In 2003 its historic quarter became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and since 1990 the National Congress meets here. Fires are a constant threat on the hills; the one in April 2014 destroyed nearly 3,000 homes.
How long to stay: 2 days (one full day at least).
Last updated: October 2026
Quick Facts
Location
On the Pacific coast, 120 km northwest of Santiago. It runs straight into Viña del Mar, so the two cities feel like one, linked by a coastal train.
Budget
Per person, per day, in Chilean pesos (October 2026).
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | CLP 15,000–22,000 (dorm) | CLP 50,000–80,000 | CLP 130,000+ (boutique hotel) |
| Food | CLP 15,000 | CLP 30,000 | CLP 60,000+ |
| Transport | CLP 4,000 (funiculars, buses) | CLP 8,000 | CLP 20,000 |
| Activities | CLP 5,000 | CLP 20,000 | CLP 45,000 |
| Daily total | about CLP 40,000 | about CLP 110,000 | about CLP 250,000 |
A chorrillana (fries topped with beef, onions and fried eggs, a Valparaíso invention) for two costs about CLP 12,000–16,000.
Things to Do
The two hills at the heart of the UNESCO area, settled by British and German families in the 19th century. Today they are full of cafés, boutique hotels and murals, with the Paseo Gervasoni and Paseo Atkinson viewpoints, the Anglican St Paul's Church (1858) and the Lutheran church (1897). Free tip-based walking tours start at Plaza Sotomayor every day.
Price: free · Time needed: half a day · Tip: go up with the Reina Victoria or El Peral funicular and walk down the stairs.
About 30 funiculars were built between 1883 and 1932; fewer than ten work today, most of them now run by the city after years of restoration. The most useful are Artillería (1893, to Paseo 21 de Mayo), El Peral (1902, to Paseo Yugoslavo and Palacio Baburizza) and Reina Victoria (1902, to Cerro Alegre). Ascensor Polanco (1915) is the most unusual: a real vertical lift that you reach through a 150 m tunnel, a national monument.
Price: CLP 1,000 per ride for foreign tourists (residents pay much less) · Tip: carry small notes and coins.
Pablo Neruda bought this unfinished house on Cerro Florida in 1959 with two friends and inaugurated it on 18 September 1961. It has five narrow floors, each with a view of the bay, and he used to watch the New Year's fireworks from the top. It is smaller and more personal than his other houses.
Price: about CLP 10,000 for foreigners, with audio guide · Hours: closed Monday · Time needed: 1 hour.
An open-air museum of about 20 murals on Cerro Bellavista, painted from 1992 by Chilean artists, including Roberto Matta. Follow the signs on the stairs and streets below La Sebastiana.
Price: free · Tip: combine it with La Sebastiana and walk down.
The square is dominated by the Navy headquarters and the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique, where naval hero Arturo Prat, who died in the 1879 Battle of Iquique, is buried. From Muelle Prat, the pier in front, small boats take you around the bay to see navy ships, container cranes and sea lions.
Price: boat tour about CLP 5,000 for 30 minutes · Tip: agree on the price before you get on.
The Artillería funicular takes you up to this promenade, with one of the best views of the working port. The Naval and Maritime Museum, in the old naval school next to it, tells the story of the Chilean navy and the 1879 War of the Pacific.
Price: promenade free, museum small fee · Hours: museum closed Monday.
An art nouveau mansion from 1916 on Cerro Alegre, built for Croatian-born nitrate businessman Pascual Baburizza. Today it holds the city's fine arts museum, and its terrace is one of the best viewpoints.
Price: small fee for foreigners · Hours: closed Monday.
Valparaíso has some of the oldest trolleybuses still running in the world, with vehicles from the 1940s and 1950s, declared a national monument in 2003. Keep in mind that service has been interrupted at times, so ask locally if they are running.
Price: like a regular bus ticket, cash.
"Año Nuevo en el Mar" is the biggest fireworks show in South America, launched from barges along the bay from Valparaíso to Viña. Over a million people come.
Tip: book accommodation months ahead; prices triple for that night.
Transit Tips
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From Santiago: Turbus and Pullman buses leave Terminal Alameda every 15 minutes to the Valparaíso bus terminal (about 1.5 to 2 hours, about CLP 4,000–7,000). From the airport, there are direct buses too.
From Viña del Mar: the Merval coastal train (15 to 20 minutes) or any bus along the coast.
Walking + funiculars: the best way to see the hills.
Micros (buses): pay cash to the driver; the ones marked "Plan" run along the flat lower city.
Colectivos: shared taxis with fixed routes, cash only, cheap for going up hills.
Uber, Cabify and DiDi: they work well and are useful at night.
Keep in mind that pickpocketing and phone snatching are common around the port, Plaza Echaurren and the bus terminal. Stay on Cerro Alegre or Concepción and avoid walking the lower streets alone late at night. Even in summer, the coastal fog makes the evenings cold, so bring a jacket.
Helpful Words
A few basics in Spanish can make everyday conversations much easier.
Where to Stay
Plan & Book
Explore accommodation options and open hotel details directly from the map.
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