Daytrip to Valparaiso
A street in Valparaiso
Colour. UNESCO. Views of the ocean. Culture and art. What more could you want from a city?
Taking a bus from Santiago (just under 2 hours each way) I ventured out to the lovely city of Valparaiso for the day before leaving Chile.
Several streets within the city are protected by UNESCO, which is both a blessing and curse to some extent. It protects the city from getting changed into new buildings too much. On the other hand, the city has a poor electrical setup and often has fires. When some buildings are destroyed the owners can’t afford to rebuild it with all the original materials. Some buildings are left for years and years in a state of ruin.
UNESCO protected building – fire damaged for 10 years
Otherwise the city is full of colourful houses and stairs. From painted corrugated iron exteriors to graffiti murals, each building has its own character.
Graffiti in Valparaiso
Graffiti in Valparaiso
Graffiti in Valparaiso
The city if filled with stairs and funicular as the buildings extend up into the hills and on top of each other. This means each time to move a level up in the city, the views of the port and ocean get even more fantastic.
Mural stairs in Valparaiso
Funicular in Valparaiso
Valparaiso is definitely worth at least a day visit. However, if you can spare the time a night or two would be even better to enjoy the scenery over meals and drinks.
Interesting shots, especially of the mural stairs. Valparaiso has been added to my list for whenever I get to visit Chile. 🙂
Nice! It’s well worth the visit!
Before several people told me that they loved Santiago, Valpariso was the only city I wanted to see in Chile (other than Easter Island). Did you do a graffiti tour, or just wander around on your own?
-Amanda
I did a proper walking tour and then took a bus and wandered around for the rest of the afternoon – would have been good to stay a night there though!