Street Art & Hills Tour
Murals, ascensores and viewpoints of the cerros.
Overview
Why visit Valparaíso
Before the Panama Canal, Valparaíso was the busiest port on South America's Pacific coast. Sailors from everywhere left their mark — colourful zinc-clad houses stacked on 45 hills, historic funicular elevators called ascensores, and a bohemian culture that persists.
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an open-air gallery: murals cover staircases, walls and houses across Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, the two postcard hills of cafés, viewpoints and little museums. La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's quirky hilltop house-museum, looks over the bay.
Valpo keeps a working port's grit beneath the paint — fish markets, sailors' bars, harbour tours — and its New Year's Eve fireworks over the bay are the biggest in South America. Neighbouring Viña del Mar supplies the beaches.
Things to do
Top things to book in Valparaíso
Popular tours and tickets. Compare prices and book ahead to skip the lines.
Neruda's La Sebastiana
The poet's hilltop house plus harbour views.
Harbour Boat Tour
See the hills from the water among the seals.
Casablanca Wine Valley
Taste cool-climate wines between Valpo and Santiago.
Plan your trip
Compare prices for Valparaíso
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Side by side in Valparaíso
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Fun facts
Things you didn't know about Valparaíso
- 01
45 Hills Of Color
The city climbs 45 cerros, each a distinct neighbourhood of painted houses.
- 02
The Oldest Funiculars
Ascensores — hillside elevators — have carried residents uphill since 1883.
- 03
Neruda'S House
Pablo Neruda's five-storey hideaway La Sebastiana is now a museum of his collections.
- 04
A UNESCO Port
The historic quarter is UNESCO-listed for its intact 19th-century port cityscape.
- 05
South America'S Biggest Fireworks
New Year's Eve on the bay draws over a million spectators.
- 06
Street Art Capital
Legal murals turned whole hillsides into South America's most famous street-art destination.
- 07
A Port That Once Ruled
Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships rounding the Horn made Valpo rich.
- 08
The Jewel Of The Pacific
Chileans call it 'Valpo' — and Pablo Neruda wrote odes to it.
- 09
Graffiti On Everything
Even staircases and bus shelters get painted — the city embraces it.
- 10
Ascensor Legacy
Of 30 original funiculars, about a dozen still creak up the hills for a few coins.
Random Valparaíso fact
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FAQ
Quick answers about Valparaíso
Where is Valparaíso located?
Valparaíso is in Chile, in South America.
What is the population of Valparaíso?
The greater Valparaíso area is home to about 1,000,000 people.
What is Valparaíso famous for?
Chile's 'Jewel of the Pacific' climbs 45 hills in a riot of painted houses, rickety funiculars and some of the best street art in South America.
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