We spent 3 days in the atmospheric city of Valparaíso. This vibrant port city, with its colourful buildings tumbling down the hills towards the ocean, its murals and historic funicular railways is an excellent place to spent a few days exploring.
How to get to Valparaíso
There are a number of bus companies operating the 75 mile route between Santiago and Valparaíso. We went with pullmanbus, which runs regular services throughout the day (around 60+ services daily). The journey takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes and an Executive Seat costs CLP 2950 (around £2.50) each way.
Getting Around Valparaíso
Valparaíso is built on the side of a hill (or several hills to be precise), so sightseeing involves a fair amount of climbing. However, one of the fun parts of visiting the city is to ride on the funicular railways which run up and down the various hills.
Where to stay in Valparaíso
We love a quirky hotel. In Valparaíso, we couldn’t resist staying at Hotel Winebox; a hotel manufactured from shipping containers. It is innovatively constructed and beautifully decorated. In addition, it offers great views from the rooms and rooftop bar/restaurant. However, it’s worth noting that shipping containers aren’t very soundproof!
Valparaíso in 3 Days Itinerary
| Day 1 | Bus to Valparaíso Accommodation – Hotel Winebox La Sebastiana Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox |
| Day 2 | Ascensor Espírito Santo Museo a Cielo Abierto Reloj Turri Ascenscor el Peral Palacio Baburizza Plaza Sotomayor Navy Building Monument to the Heroes Train to Viña del Mar Castillo Wulff Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox |
| Day 3 | Parque Cultural Cementerio No 2 Bus to Santiago |
Valparaíso Day 1
Today, we head to the Pacific coast. Due to issues with credit cards being cloned, our original plan to spend a few days driving up the coast in a hire car has been changed to two nights in the port of Valparaíso. We receive a message from the hotel warning of a gang that has been targeting hire cars, puncturing a tyre then robbing you while you change the wheel. We tell them not to worry, we were robbed before we reached the hiring of the car stage!
Bus to Valparaíso
We didn’t reserve bus tickets in advance in order to avoid using our last bank card unnecessarily. When we reach the bus station, the first two buses are full and we have to wait 40 minutes. It’s 500 pesos to use the station toilet, so I sit with my legs crossed waiting for our bus to arrive. I’m relieved to discover that the bus is modern, clean and punctual with comfy allocated seating. And a toilet!
Accommodation – Hotel Winebox
Once in Valparaíso, we walk the short distance to our accommodation; Hotel Winebox. It’s built from 25 shipping containers, most of the décor is construction from recycled pallets, bottles, barrels etc. And everywhere is covered in murals. It’s very cool. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the city with great views both from the balcony and the rooftop bar where they serve their own wine.
Once we’re checked in, we walk up the hill (in Valparaíso it’s all about hills – and steps) to La Sebastiana, stopping several times along the way to admire the prolific street art.
La Sebastiana
La Sebastiana is the home of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Neruda had this house built on five levels overlooking the city and bay, designed with a nautical theme.
We take an audio tour of the house, which is very interesting.
Valparaíso is a fascinating place; spreading up a series of hills overlooking the ocean; a mixture of industrial port and colonial buildings mixed with slums – and there are murals everywhere. It’s dirty and chaotic, but also alluring. Neruda sums it up in his ode to the city that he loved:
VALPARAÍSO,
what an absurdity
you are,
how crazy:
a crazy port.
What a head
of disheveled
hills,
that you never finish
combing.
La Sebastiana is open daily from 10 am until least 6 pm. Entry costs CLP 9,500 (around £7.80).
Drinks and dinner at Hotel Winebox
We walk to the supermarket to get some dinner. It’s not far, but it’s all downhill. Which, of course, means it’s all uphill (including 285 steps) with the shopping.
Once we have caught our breath, we spend the evening eating roast chicken and drinking Chilean wine on our balcony overlooking the city, whilst watching the sun set over the bay.
Valparaíso Day 2
I wanted to love quirky little Hotel Winebox, but to be honest, shipping containers aren’t very soundproof, so we had a restless night of traffic, barking dogs and plumbing noises. However, they redeem themselves at breakfast with fruit salad, smashed avocado, poached egg and fresh orange juice.
We spend the morning wandering round Valparaíso with no specific plan other than a combination of murals and funicular railways.
Ascensor Espírito Santo
We walk down our hill (Cerro Florida) then take the Ascensor Espírito Santo up the next hill (Cerro Bellavista) to the Museo a Cielo Abierto.
The Ascensor Espírito Santo is open daily from 7 am until 9.30 pm. A ticket costs CLP 100 (around £0.08).
Museo a Cielo Abierto
The Museo a Cielo Abierto (Museum of the Open Sky) is an area which my guidebook says is adorned with colourful murals.
Unfortunately, the museum and Lonely Planet are both in need of some updating. It’s sad to see how dilapidated the area has become, making it both ugly yet somehow beautiful at the same time.
Reloj Turri
We descend once again and pass the Reloj Turri, an iconic 1920s clock on the side of a rather narrow building.
Ascensor el Peral
The short but steep Ascensor el Peral takes you up Cerro Alegre, home to the Palacio Baburizza.
The Ascensor el Peral runs daily between 7 am and 10 pm and costs CLP 100.
Palacio Baburizza
Palacio Baburizza is an art nouveau chalet built in 1916 for a wealthy businessman. It is now an art gallery.
The Palacio is an interesting building with stained glass, wrought iron and an intriguing marble shower. The building outclasses the art it contains. But there is a great view across the city and port to the neighbouring town of Viña del Mar.
The Palace is open between Tuesday and Sunday from 10 am until 6 pm (7 pm in summer). Entry for foreigners costs CLP 4,000 (around £3.30) and includes an audio guide.
Plaza Sotomayor
We take the Ascensor back down to Plaza Sotomayor. This bustling plaza has souvenir stalls, street musicians etc, all watched over by the Naval building.
Naval Building
The imposing blue Naval Building, or Edificio Armada de Chile, to give it its official title, dominates the Plaza.
Monument to the Heroes
The Monument to the Heroes is another imposing edifice. It honours Chile’s naval heroes.
Train to Viña del Mar
After a brief detour to the port, because the old man loves a boat, we take the train 5 miles along the coast to Viña del Mar. The train is clean and modern and runs every 10 minutes or so along the ocean front. The fare costs 600 CLP (around £0.50) each way each way. It is a pleasant journey which passes tree lined beaches packed with people and pelicans.
Castillo Wulff
We walk along the coast of the resort town of Viña del Mar, past the Castillo Wulff, another house of a wealthy businessman. It was built in 1906 to look like a castle with a bridge to a tower overhanging the rocks beneath.
It is not currently possible to visit the castle, so we have to make do with the city’s other main attraction; a floral clock. It’s surrounded by people dressed as Disney characters, superheroes and a rather scary tree man.
Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox
We catch a train back to Valparaíso, buy some empanadas and a bottle of Viñamar wine to commemorate our trip. Then we climb the 285 steps back up to our hotel. Most of me has loved our time in Valparaíso. My calves not included.
Valparaíso Day 3
Parque Cultural
It’s our last morning in Valparaíso and we decide to walk to the Parque Cultural. according to Lonely Planet it’s the city’s No 2 attraction and, I quote; “has a little bit of everything the thinking traveler could ask for. There are excellent murals in the old exercise yards, rotating arts exhibits, live theater and dance and… other intellectually stimulating events.”
Meanwhile, back in the real world, after a steep 30 minute walk, we find ourselves in a yard surrounded by concrete and filled with stray dogs. We take a wander round looking at some of the art work.
Cementerio No 2
We return, via a shortcut through Cementerio No 2, which isn’t a shortcut because we get lost and end up back where we started. The rich and famous of Valparaiso are buried here and in Cementerio No 1.
Then it’s up Cerro Florida’s 285 stairs for the last time. The park was a bit of an anti climax but at least we got a good workout, and got to admire plenty of street art along the way.
Bus to Santiago
We check out and walk to the bus station. This time we only have to wait two minutes for a bus and return to Santiago watching the Baywatch movie. The plot is so simple that even I can follow it with my ever so basic Spanish!
- Trip taken: February 2019
- Updated: March 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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