Valparaiso

A bus ride from Santiago to Valparaiso can be done in about 1 1/2 hour. For me it was easy to find a bus at the otherwise chaotic bus station. My taxi driver dropped me off the opposite side of the road, so I had to cross a fairly busy road with my suitcase, but when I walked into the nearest office, the first thing I saw was an announcement for buses to Valparaiso. I had not purchased or booked a ticket up front, as buses are running regularly, and after a short while in the queue, I had a ticket for a bus that would depart 5 minutes later.

The trip goes through a hilly terrain with vineyards and industry, so a mixed experience. Apart from a pick up at another bus station in Santiago it was a non-stop trip.

In Valparaiso, it is only along the coast the city is flat otherwise you have to get UP. The city is built on a number of high hills and in the center of the city, where it is very steep, fortunately, there are a number of cablecars – as the locals call “ascensors” – to help getting up and down. I stayed right next to one of these and they are widely used by both tourists and locals.

The town is colorful and has many beautiful squares. A few old colonial houses and the poet and politician Pablo Neruda lived in the city, his very special house is today opened as a museum. Viña del Mar

Staying up on the hills means that you can have a great view of the harbor and maybe see the whole bay, with views all the way to Viña del Mar. The neighboring city which is a bit bigger than Valparaiso and for tourists the place where you go for a beach holiday. Hotels and apartment buildings are build side by side along the coast.

A trip along the coast past Viña del Mar to Concón and, for example, to the Aconcagua River, where there is a large wetland with lots of birds, is highly recommended. All along the coast there are many places with amazing scenery.

Grafiti

Valparaiso went through an economically bad period after the Panama Channel was opened due to far fewer ships in the port. Still serving as a port city today for industry and cruise ships, the city is also known as an educational city with many universities and a city of great culture and with many artists. The latter appears clearly in the streets, here graffiti has a completely different dimension than the tags you see every where else. It is worth the visit to walk around the winding and narrow cobbled streets and study the many beautiful and fun wall paintings.

Summary

Valparaiso is a beautiful and different city. The week I was there was Tango week, so in the evening people were dancing tango just outside my windows. In one square in the city you could get instructions for free. There were many tourists, but in early February it seemed far from crowded.

There are places in the city where you should not go and you have to take care of your belongings. Less than a week after I lost my bags in Santiago, I was exposed to another trick. This time I won, but there are many poor people where stealing from others are their main job and they a good and very experienced. Fortunately, they did not harm me except for the tomatosauce, and although I think about it, I don’t want it to overshadow the many many positive experiences.

Link to Valparaiso Photos