If anyone asks “did you go to the city with all the colored houses?” they’re talking about Valparaíso, the third largest metropolitan area in Chile and one of the most important and busiest ports in South America. Valparaíso sits about 75 miles northwest of Santiago. There’s a few ways to get here from Santiago. An hourly bus service from Santiago to Valparaíso is offered from the Terminal Alameda or the Pajaritos metro station; they’re inexpensive but get crowded in the summer. You can also rent a car, which is what we did, but take caution – the streets of Valparaíso are crazy. Prepare for sudden lane changes, lots of honking, bus side-swiping, and developing general anxiety disorder. Oh, and red lights at 2am when there’s no traffic is a “suggestion.” Should you drive, however, there is underground parking at both Bellavista Plaza and Plaza Sotomayor. Look for a blue square with a white “E” in it – this indicates parking.
If you do drive, you will find yourself in the middle of true crime history – does the name Joran van der Sloot ring a bell? He is known mainly for his alleged (yet, uncharged) role in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005. Five years later, he murdered Stephany Flores Ramírez in Peru and fled to Chile. He was later apprehended with the help of Chilean law enforcement on Highway 68 near a town called Curacaví between the Chilean coast and Santiago. He is currently serving a 28 year prison term in a Peruvian prison. If you drive from Santiago to Valparaíso, your route will take you down Highway 68 and past Curacaví.
Despite being a port city, Valparaíso is not considered a “beach town,” and reminds you more of a big city than a quaint coastal town. Valparaíso is made up of over a quarter dozen hills that slope and wind together like a labyrinth. The cute colorful houses dot the hills like a big rainbow, with buses and cars weaving in out of the tiny alcoves and alleyways.
Important Note: Your Map App will not work well here – the streets are too windy and disjointed for the map to accurately tell where you are. Snag yourself a real map at the Tourist Information Office of Valparaíso at Plaza Sotomayor 233
The houses are one of the coolest parts of Valparaíso – if you look closely, you’ll notice many of them are made from corrugated metal. This metal came from the different shipping containers that lost their use at the Valparaíso port. The port used to be the busiest and largest port in South America until the Panama Canal opened. It has since declined from that status, but still functions as an essential part of Chile’s economy.
We spent one day in Valparaíso but you could also extend it out to two. We elected to stay at Casa Thomas Somerscales, a mansion that perches itself between El Peral and Reina Victoria at San Enrique 444, offering some of the best views of both the city itself and the ocean. There’s only about 8 rooms, so book early. Expect to pay around 79,000 CLP a night. We were incredibly impressed with not only how adorable and posh the place was, but with the owner. He was incredibly kind and accommodating, even getting up early before breakfast was typically served to make us coffee and a full, multi-course breakfast . He helped us navigate our map and make sure we got where we needed to go. The little mansion is clean and homey, with gorgeous rooms, antique furniture and a small roof-top deck that gives you wonderful views of the city.
Valparaíso is best explored on foot, and we highly recommend checking it out via a walking tour. First, check out Plaza Sotomayor, a major gateway to the port. The plaza houses the headquarters of the Chilean navy as well as the Museo del Sitio, which shows off numerous artifacts from Valparaíso’s port history. Be sure too to check out the Monumento del los Héroes de Iquique, honoring heroes of the War of the Pacific.
As far as walking tours go, you can’t beat “Tours 4 Tips,” a completely free walking tour that leaves from Plaza Sotomayor every day at 10am and again at 3pm. You’ll know its them because their guides are dressed like “Where’s Waldo” with the red and white striped shirts. The tour is three hours and takes you all over Valparaíso while giving you a thorough and comprehensive overview of the city’s history. While the tour is free, be prepared to pay a generous tip, usually a minimum of 10,000 CLP. Trust us, it’s worth it.
Tips4Tours in Valparaíso offers three tour options; from their website:
Valparaíso Highlights: This 3 hour walking tour from port to high hills will help you find your feet and lose your mind as you discover the Heritage Site of Valparaíso.
Valparaíso Offbeat: If you think Valparaíso isn’t an extraordinary city then you ain’t see nothing yet. This tour is about places and people that only locals can show you.
Valparaíso Neruda’s Perspective: This walking tour is perfect if you want to know more about Pablo Nerdua’s life.
If you have limited time in Valparaíso and aren’t particularly or specifically interested in Pablo Neruda, we recommend the Valparaíso Highlights tour. It takes you from the port to the hills – you get to experience all the different neighborhoods, ride a local bus, and learn all about the history of this awesome city.
The tour starts out at the port, where the guides treat you to a run down of Valparaíso’s 19th century history known as the “Golden Era.” Valparaíso came alive after Chile’s independence from Spain in 1818, where it evolved into the top port for the Chilean navy and became a frontrunner in international trading.
Valparaíso’s catapult into trading stardom earned itself numerous immigrants from all over the world including Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Large neighborhoods of exclusively speaking German immigrants popped up around Valparaíso. This flux of immigration transformed Valparaíso into somewhat of a melting pot, which eventually included English football, a French catholic school, and the first non-catholic cemetery in Chile.
After seeing the historical funiculars, you’ll hop on a bus that will weave you in and out of the windy maze of streets with some awesome views.
After departing the bus, your Wally guide will take you through the wealthy hills of Cerro Algre and Concepcion. As you wind around, you’ll visit the first non-catholic cemetery in Chile, Cementerio de Disidentes O Panteon Protestantes, and the Valparaíso Cultural Center.
Cementerio de Disidentes O Panteon Protestantes, or “Dissidents Cemetery,” was created in 1825 by a British consul to ensure there was a plot for Protestants to be buried. Before this cemetery was built, “dissidents”- those not beholden to the Catholic faith – were either buried on the Playa Ancha hill, in the fort of Cordillera hill, or just simply tossed into the ocean. Up until religious discrimination was dissalowed in Chile, the Dissidents Cemetery served as a special place for non-Catholic families from all over Chile to bury their loved ones. It’s gorgeous and meaningful and now stands as not only a cemetery for all God-fearing Chileans, but also as a Chilean National Monument.
Near the cemetery is the new Valparaíso Cultural Center and Park or Parque Cultural de Valparaíso, which used to be a jail (you can still sort of tell). The transformation from jail to cultural center is breathtaking – the outside still has the skeleton of the white washed jail walls and small windows, but all of that is overshadowed by the new architecture inside, beautiful glass walls, rich and well-maintained gardens, and a sunny soccer field surrounded by gorgeous murals in what used to be the prison exercise yards. Today, you can take art classes, check out art exhibits, and see live theater and dance performances at the cultural center.
At this point, I want to introduce you to my new friend. Starting at the cemtery, this adorable pup started following us around. Like other places around the world we’ve visited, Valparaíso had it’s share of stray dogs. I was happy to learn that Valparaíso treats them pretty well, all things considering, but it still pulled at my heart strings. This little guy followed us all through the raminder of the tour. I was scared for him and wanted to find his owner. The guide didn’t seem to be too concerned, so I kept my eye on him with the cars and gave him some of my snacks. He trotted along following us. He looked happy and healthy (and had a collar on) but I couldn’t figure out where he belonged. He followed us for so long I was worried he had lost his human.
My new friend joined us on the next leg of the tour, which took us down all the winding streets to check out the tons of graffiti filled walls. I’ve never been one to equate graffiti with art, however, Valparaíso changed my mind. The art was incredible and whoever spent the significant time painting it clearly had a lot of talent and passion. The graffiti is so prevalent and beautiful that Valparaíso offers tours that exclusively show you the street art. You’d be hard pressed to find an area of wall that doesn’t have paintings on it. If you’re from an area where graffiti is not viewed as an art form, don’t let this deter you from visiting Valparaíso. The graffiti is just different – I even pause to call it graffiti – and it truly is an intricate part of the culture and history of the city.
Back to our friend. We had now meandered down almost to where we started and my new friend was still with us. One of our last stops was an adorable little elementary school. It was bordered by high red fences and had a mosaic tile border around the sidewalk. The kids were outside playing and running around. My new friend ran right through the side of the gate and plopped down in the courtyard near the kids. We quickly learned that this pup lived nearby with his human and visited these kids every day. It melted my heart.
For dinner, check out Café Turri, seated at the top of Ascensor Concepción at Templeman 147. The restaurant is a 19th century mansion with incredible views of Valparaíso and the port. The food has a slight french-ness to it, but you’ll find some great local fares as well along with a bomb dot com wine list. Be sure to make reservations and make them early – while the views are great, there are limited numbers of tables with them. The best seats are outside on the terrace along the railing. Also, don’t peruse your menu for just food – check out the advertisements for local concerts, art shows, and events around town.
If you have time (and are lucky enough), head down Templeman towards the water and curve to the left onto Paseo Gervasoni on Cerro Concepción. This is one of the most beautiful views of the port area and is dotted with tons of talented artists during the day. We were there in the evening, and met one of Cerro Concepción’s strongholds; he was there late and about to close up shop when I saw his paintings. He was incredibly talented and fiercely proud of his city. I felt very honored to take home one of his pieces of art.
Happy Valparaíso travels! Stay tuned for San Pedro de Atacama!