Chile is truly an amazing country. Nature, in and of itself, offers a myriad different possibilities from the Atacama Desert and the salt lakes in the north to the fjords and glaciers down in Patagonia. But Chile’s urban areas offer some incredible sights and experiences. And Valparaíso may take the cake as its character is quite unique. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage site!
Valparaíso sits by the sea but it does not have the almost unmanageable scale of Rio. It is old (founded in 1536) but does not have the colonial feel of cities like Old San Juan or central Lima. And though it is large (the greater Valparaiso metro area is Chile’s second largest) and a center of portuary activity, it is not an economic center like Santiago is. It faces the ocean but it is not where tourists go for their summer beach vacation – that would be neighboring Viña del Mar. However, what makes Valpo, as it is referred to in Chile, so great is the charm it has which is a combination of its setting and that it has not been spoilt by becoming a megalopolis.
Out to sea
Valparaíso is surrounded by hills and exploring the city is not just exploring sea-level Valpo but exploring its hills. But before going up those hills, the best thing to do is to admire Valpo’s lay of the land by taking a boat tour in the harbor.
The boat taking us to cruise the harbor
Sea lion enjoying the summer day
Looking back at the town and hills of Valpo (notice a funicular in the center of the photo)
National Congress (on the left) sits in Valparaiso, not Santiago, the actual capital of Chile
View across the harbor back towards the center of the city
Up the hills
Valpo is quite famous for the funiculars (or ascensores) that help move people up and down its famous hills. The oldest funicular was built in 1883 and it is still in service. Many of these funiculars are an experience onto themselves with very unique stories and some are considered national monuments.
One of Valparaiso’s famous funiculars (Ascensor Cordillera) – we didn’t take this one
When we went, we were advised by some locals to keep an eye out as we went up to the hills as not all areas above are equally safe for people who look like tourists. We took the advice and went up making sure we were aware of our surroundings.
For the sake of the experience, we climbed the stairs…
… and this cat had a similar, if different, approach to going up.
A house perched on one of the hills looks mighty precarious to me… one lil tremor and…
We were rewarded not only with views of the city and sea below, but also by some neat architecture in the hill we visited.
View from one of Valpo’s hills towards some of the other hills (spot the funicular on this pic!)
View from one of Valpo’s hills towards the harbor
House up in one of the hills
Another great sample of the neat architecture around
And then back at sea level
All this being said and done, I just enjoyed walking aimlessly through the city. Here are some of the images from our exploring “sea-level” Valpo.
Charming “booth” for a pay phone
A mess of utility cables… who knows how many legally set up!
A side street (Cochrane) that was not as interesting (they deserve to show up on a website too!)
Street scene
Street scene at Plaza Echaurren
Navy Building in Plaza Sotomayor
Monument to the Heroes of Iquique (war memorial) in Plaza Sotomayor
Dog laying in the middle of the street (right below where the bus shows)
My favorite souvenir from my year in Chile is a wood carving depicting one of the stairs and funiculars of this charming city. A great reminder in my every day of this unique town!
Great shots. Funny, I saw a similar monstrosity utilty pole in Tel Aviv that looked equally scary. The funicular looks quite unique. Not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. Great pics
Thanks, Karl. You wonder how many of those lines are actually being billed for electricity!
I would love to visit Chile one day – loved these photos, Raul!
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Lots of places to explore in Chile, Mrs O!
Oh… I’ve climbed stairs “just for the sake of the experience”. It was in Genoa with my daughter… we laughed so hard we almost fell down the stairs. but the view and the memory were well worth it.
Mary Anne, I always like to go up for the views anywhere I go. The memories you and your daughter built will always be with you!
That cat! and those stairs! too funny! looks like a very cool place- i see the need for the funiculars! Great views from the top!
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Lola, we laughed when we sat the cat. Clearly easier to move up those rails than climb the stairs!
Ohhh, I loved Valparaiso! But, I had barely any time there and it was winter and overcast. Still I fell in love and this is reminding me to go back and spend more time there. I’d love to see it in the summer. Also, funiculars scare me to death!!!
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Erin, I have an Irish whiskey and clove recipe that will take care of that fear!
Try going summer – and then head to the beach of Zapallar further south!
Becoming familiar with a city from the water is a great idea, an orientation of sorts. I really like your architecture photos. The colonial style is always interesting to me. Some beautiful buildings in Valpo!
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Yes, Francesca, it was neat to see it from afar and have that perspective before setting off to explore!
What a beautiful city and a great set of photos. Some of those inclines are quite precarious. I am not sure I would want to ride up those funiculars. I think I will leave that track to the cats.
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Raul, I was really pleased to read your article about Valparaiso and especially enjoyed the photographs. I was in that lovely city decades ago for the Presidential inauguration in 1988. I was traveling with a US official delegation and so we saw very little of the city, just a quick in and out trip, but what I did see was pretty cool. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Cindy! You were in Chile for a very historic moment in their modern history – how incredible!
I almost visited Chile when I was in Argentina, but probably would have gone only to Santiago anyway. I need to visit the country and when I do, Valparaiso will be on the itinerary. I mean, it has hills, right? LOVE that! Great shots, and that dog brings memories of Ecuador – dogs were everywhere! 🙂
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