By air
Santiago (SCL), ~1.5 h by road
South America · Chile
Valparaíso, Chile
Colourful hills, funiculars and street art
Getting there
Best time to visit
October to April — sunny months
Don't miss
Cerro Alegre
Cerro Concepción
La Sebastiana
The Ascensor Artillería
Things to do
Riding the funiculars
Street-art walks
Pablo Neruda's La Sebastiana
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Draceane · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Walking shoes for the steep hills
A quieter corner
Cerro Bellavista's open-air museum of murals
Questions travellers ask
When is Valparaíso at its best?
October to April, the sunny months. Wear walking shoes — the hills are steep.
How long does it take to reach Valparaíso from the airport?
Fly into Santiago (SCL), then it's about 1.5 h by road.
What should I do in Valparaíso?
Ride the funiculars, join a street-art walk and visit Pablo Neruda's La Sebastiana. Cerro Alegre, Cerro Concepción and the Ascensor Artillería complete the list.
Where can I see murals in Valparaíso?
Cerro Bellavista's open-air museum of murals. Afterwards, try chorrillana or seafood empanadas.
About Valparaíso
- Coastal
- Hills
Where it is
Valparaíso is a port city in central Chile, capital of the Valparaíso region, built around a Pacific bay and up dozens of steep hillsides, about 120 km north-west of Santiago by road.
History
The Spanish founded Valparaíso in the 16th century, and after independence it became a favourite stopover for ships rounding Cape Horn, with thriving British and German merchant communities. Its golden age ended after the 1906 earthquake and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and its historic quarter became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
People
Porteños, as Valparaíso's people are known, speak Spanish; the city is a university town and the seat of Chile's National Congress and its navy. Its hillside neighbourhoods are known for painters, musicians and muralists, and the cueca, Chile's national dance, is danced at its fiestas.
Known for
- The funiculars, or ascensores
- Street art on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción
- Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana
- New Year's Eve fireworks over the bay
- Seafood in the port's restaurants
Did you know?
As many as 28 funiculars have served Valparaíso's hills since the first, the Ascensor Concepción, opened in 1883, driven by steam; several still run today.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.