Valparaiso Travel Guide
Travel to Valparaiso - Beautiful city of old-world charm
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Draped over the hills that surround a wide bay is the old port city of Valparaiso. This picturesque city is known for its colourful houses that cling to the edges of these steep hills and the mechanical lifts that carry people to the tops of them. The country's most memorable city, Valparaíso appears to be stuck firmly in the Victorian era.
Valparaíso was chosen as the new Spanish colony's port in 1542 and was founded by Pedro de Valdivia to serve Santiago. Unlike the port city of Callao in Peru, it never achieved great wealth due to the restrictions placed on it by the Spanish Crown. Earthquakes have left us little of colonial Valparaíso, but it wasn't until the 1800's, after independence, that the city began to boom and we can see the results today.
Located en route to Europe, and owing to a copper and silver boom, the port became ever more active. Excellent economic management saw the city boom yet further and foreign businessmen, particularly the British, flocked to the city to trade. It became the powerhouse of the country, surpassing Santiago, to become the most developed city.
But things took a turn for the worse in 1906. A massive earthquake stuck, killing 2000 people and levelling a large part of the city. When the Panama canal opened, giving shipping a quicker route, the wealth dried up completely.
Today the city has a run-down feel and is a shadow of its former self. This makes it all the more interesting though, Victorian-era buildings that appear unkempt are also appear stuck in time. Along the coastal shelf that sits between the still-operating port and the hills with their decaying mansions, runs Calle Prat (Prat street), down which overhead cables power electric tram-buses.
Up on the steep hills, a labyrinth of streets criss-cross each other in a rather disorderly fashion around mansions dating back to the city's heyday – ancient looking ascensores, carry people up and down.
Occupying the northern end of the wide bay and seamlessly joined to Valparaíso is the modern suburb of Viña del Mar. It's a stark contrast to Victorian-looking Valparaíso, but a pleasant one. Clean and friendly, it is Chile's largest and best known summer beach resort and home to the continent's largest annual music festival.
Attractions in Valparaiso
Los Ascensores – Ancient looking funicular lifts dating back to the city's heyday still ferry people up and down the steep hills.
Museo Naval – Paintings, photos, weapons, uniforms and equipment of Chile's navy through the ages.
Muelle Prat – The only stretch of the port open to the public with a replica of the Spanish ship El Santiaguillo.
Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre – Two of more than a dozen hills have photogenic rambling mazes of streets, brightly painted houses and decaying aristocratic mansions.
Viña del Mar – The largest and most popular beach resort in the country and home to the continent's largest annual music festival.
And don’t miss the grand Condor Monument, known locally as “el Pollo” (the chicken)!
Relaxing
Spend a day on the beach in Viña del Mar.
Getting Around
Local buses run between Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. Locations within the two cities are all within walking distance.
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