Are you looking for the best things to do in Valparaiso Chile for your Valparaiso itinerary? Lucky for you, I have spent quite some time there and I am about to share everything you need to know.
If you’re planning a trip to Chile, there are probably two cities you’ll visit: Santiago and Valparaíso. Chile’s famous industrial port city offers a different slice of life in Chile. Unlike the ultra-urban and modern capital city of Santiago, Valparaíso is more gritty, grimy, and definitely more colorful.
Like San Francisco, it has Pacific weather, and it’s not uncommon to see the marine layer moving to and from the shore. Cultural immersion is as easy as turning into the bar on the corner or strolling through the markets.
If you’re planning a trip to Chile and on the fence about spending a few days in ‘Valpo,’ here’s what you need to know. Read on for suggestions about the things to do in Valparaiso, plus a suggested itinerary for 3 days in Valparaíso. Read on to learn everything you need to plan your trip!
The Best Things Do In Valparaíso
What you will enjoy about Valparaíso is that it’s a city that feels lived in. It’s not glamorous, it’s not clean – it’s a place where local Chileans (they’re called Porteños) are living and working and enjoying nights drinking wine on their terraces while the dogs bark across the city.
That said, that means there aren’t a lot of “traditional” sights or experiences in Valparaíso. Wandering, strolling, and dining at your leisure are all perfectly reasonable ways to spend time in Valparaíso – and are, in fact, among the top things to do in Valparaíso.
Nonetheless, if you’re still keen to know what sights there are, here’s a short list of the best things to do in Valparaiso
Ride the funiculars
Arguably the most distinct experience you can have in Valparaíso, the funiculars that ascend and descend some of the city’s most steep hills are fun to ride even if you’re not headed anywhere in particular. There’s no question that these funiculars are a must-do on any Valparaiso itinerary.
There are 7-16 funiculars in Valparaíso in operation at any time (some are undergoing renovation), and all are open to the public.
I recommend this Valparaiso 4-Hour Tour by Van and Funincular activity if you’re interested in going on a tour of the city that includes a Funincular ride. The tour walks you through the history of Valparaiso, where you’ll also learn about the “Golden Age” of the city before the Panama Canal was built while visiting all the best Valparaiso attractions.
Admire the street art
Valparaíso is world-renowned for its street art – and it’s literally everywhere. From the main buildings and streets to every small alley, you can find colorful art that includes almost every topic and theme.
Street art is technically illegal in Valparaíso, but as you’ll see, that makes no difference. You can wander at will to discover art in whatever area you’re in or visit the neighborhoods of Cerro Alegre and Bellavista, which are some of the most artfully populated places.
I recommend Valparaiso: Full-Day Private Tour with Funicular Ride if you want to experience more of the art and cultural scene. On the private tour, you’ll tour Viña del Mar, including an arts & crafts market visit. The tour also visits Reñaca Beach, La Sebastiana Museum House, and the arts & crafts market near Cerro Concepcion.
Take a (free) Walking Tour
If you want a bit more guidance on street art, one of the best ways to see the best art is by taking a walking tour. Most walking tours are free or for donation.
They’re usually led by a guide in a striped white-and-red shirt, giving you the sense you’re following Waldo to his favorite spots in the city – which is why they call their guides “Wallys!”
Tours are typically 2.5-3 hours long and visit some of the most famous neighborhoods, like Cerro Alegre. You will need to climb some hills or stairs, so be sure to wear good walking shoes. Free Tour Valparaiso is one of the most popular options. You can find more information about it on the official Free Tour Valparaiso website.
The free walking tours can get a little crowded and busy at times. So, you can also book a paid walking tour for a more laid-back experience. I recommend this Valparaiso 3-Hour Walking Tour. The tour includes two Funicular rides, 1 trolley ticket, and a bilingual guide.
Take a photo of Puerta Roja de Valparaiso (Valparaiso’s Red Door)
Puerta Roja Valparaiso is a red door in the city that has really gained a lot of attention and is now actually one of the most recognizable spots in the city.
The Red Door is located near Cerro Concepcion, and La Puerta Roja de Valparaiso is actually just the door to a local cooking class. However, it’s easily one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in the city.
If you end up doing a walking tour or an art tour, they’ll likely walk past the Puerta Roja Valparaiso, so you’ll have a chance for your own photo.
This Authentic Valparaiso: Street Art, Funiculars, and Port City tour is another excellent art-focused walking tour of Valparaiso. While The Red Door is certainly iconic, there’s endless beauty on basically every street of the city. An authentic city tour can help you find all those hidden gems.
Visit La Sebastiana
La Sebastiana is the seaside home of Chile’s famed poet Pablo Neruda. Like La Chascona in Santiago, La Sebastiana is unusual in design and style, and exists as a museum now. La Sebastiana is located near the apex of the Bellavista neighborhood and hill, so you can expect to climb a bit to get there.
The museum is open to limited guests on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s best to arrive early in the morning for the fewest crowds and best views of the city.
Cerro Cárcel (Prison Hill)
There are exactly 42 hills in Valparaiso, and Cerro Carcel (Prison Hill) has one of the most interesting histories. If you only have time to explore one hill and neighborhood, I highly recommend this one.
It was named Prison Hill as it once housed the oldest public prison in the city. You can now visit the Ex-Prison Cultural Center on the hill, which is very fascinating. This is also where San Sebastiana is located, so you can easily explore the hill and the ex-prison center after visiting one of Pablo Neruda’s houses.
Visit the nearby Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar is located right next door to Valparaiso. It’s a popular holiday destination for Chileans, and many wealthy families from Santiago own a holiday home there. When temperatures are soaring in Santiago, they move to Viña del Mar where the ocean breeze makes the temperatures way more bearable.
The main attraction here is the beach. Locals love spending time there, although coming from Sardinia I wouldn’t say this is the kind of place where you spend hours in the sun or swimming in the sea (it’s way too cold for that). Yet it’s a nice place for a picnic and to simply relax.
Viña del Mar is also home to a multitude of museums. One of the most famous ones is the Museo Fonck. Outside you’ll find a Moai coming from Rapa Nui. Inside, there’s an interesting exhibit of archeological finds.
Finally, make sure to stop for a photo at the Reloj de Flores, probably the most famous attraction in Viña del Mar.
Wander around Valparaiso fish market
No trip to Valparaiso would ever be complete without a stroll through the fish market. If you love fish and seafood you’ll be in for a treat as there are all sorts of things that you can buy and cook at home, but there are plenty of small plates you can taste on the spot (ie ceviche).
The market is open every day. It’s located on Valparaiso’s waterfront and the area can get extremely busy, so make sure to keep an eye on your belongings. It’s also a nice place for a stroll to admire marine life – when I visited, I spotted lots of sea lions right on the shore.
Day-Trip to Cachagua & Horcón
If you want to explore the surrounding area without wine tasting, a day trip to Cachagua and Horcón is a good option. You’ll need to rent a car to make this trip, but there are rental agencies in central Valparaíso, including near the central bus station.
It’s a 1.5-hour drive from Valparaíso to the small city of Cachagua, passing through neighboring ritzy Viña del Mar and extended coastal countryside. Cachagua is most known for its offshore island, also called Cachagua. There, you’ll find one of the few places near the populated cities of Chile where you can see penguins. Yep, penguins!
You can walk up the 5-kilometer (3-mile) rough trail along the coast. That gives you great views of the island and the coastline. If you’re lucky, you can see otters or seals playing in the waterway between the mainland and the island.
On the way back to Valparaíso from Cachagua, make a detour to visit the small coastal town of Horcón. While Horcón is mostly ideal as a less urban seaside getaway, there’s one sight that is worth the time to visit: the Puente de los Deseos (Bridge of Wishes).
This short bridge-to-nowhere (literally, it goes from the mainland to a small rock) is covered completely with colorful ribbons. Each ribbon has a wish, hope, or dream written upon it. It’s obviously Instagram-worthy, but it’s also a beautiful spot to feel connected to fellow humanity.
Wine tasting
There are more vineyards than I can possibly remember near Valparaiso, and it goes without saying that one of the best things to do in Valparaiso is a wine tasting experience.
Head over to Casablanca Valley to look for the best vineyards that also offer wine tasting experiences. You can take a bus from Valparaiso to Casablanca and then get an Uber or a taxi to explore the wineries, or rent a car and drive yourself (the roads are actually in great conditions in this part of the country).
When I visited Valparaiso last February I opted to go to Bodega Re as it’s one of the best known in the Casablanca Valley and I was impressed with their wines. I tried a white and then several reds (my personal favorites). I especially liked their unusual blends.
Terrace Dining
Honestly, one of the best things to do in Valparaíso isn’t an organized experience or tour. It’s not a specific sight. It’s just this thing you’d do every day if you lived in Valparaíso: dining on the terraces, admiring the view.
Wander until you find a restaurant with a great view and a nearby restaurant. Some of the tallest, popular hills will offer you the most and best options. Ask for a table on the terrace. Order a Pisco sour and the catch of the day. ¡Buon provecho!
Spend a day at the Beach
Valparaiso isn’t particularly known for beautiful tropical beaches, but there are some good ones nearby.
One of the most popular places near Valparaiso for beaches is Concón. There are two main beaches here: Playa Amarilla and Playa La Boca. Playa La Boca is actually a black-sand beach, so it’s a little unique.
Playa Reñaca is another popular place to enjoy the sand and sun. This is also where a lot of locals go for surfing, so it can be fun to sit on the beach and watch the surfers if the ocean permits.
Visit the Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History (Museo de Historia Natural de Valparaíso) is another great place to visit in Valparaiso. It is a typical natural history museum, complete with animals on the wall, educational displays, and seasonal events and exhibitions.
However, it’s a particularly nice place if the weather is bad and you want to spend some time indoors or you are traveling with the family. It’s also the place to learn more about the environment, history, and animals in the Chile region.
The museum is located in downtown Valparaiso, right next to Plaza de la Victoria.
A Great Valparaiso In 3 Days Itinerary
How many days in Valparaiso is enough? I always recommend at least three days, so you have time to explore the beautiful city, its surroundings, without being in too much of a rush.
Now that you have all the details about the unmissable Valparaiso things to do, it’s time to put them together for the perfect Valparaiso itinerary. Here’s how to make the most of 3 days in Valparaíso.
Day 1: Arrive from Santiago & Explore Cerro Alegre
A morning bus from Santiago will deposit you in Valparaíso by midday. This gives you plenty of time to drop your bags at your hotel or Airbnb and then explore on your own until sunset.
On your first day, the best place to go is Cerro Alegre, the epicenter of street art and activity for visitors to Valparaíso.
Make your first funicular ride aboard Concepción or Reina Victoria, depending on which side of the hill you’re approaching from. Then you can wander up and down the hill, through the colorful alleyways – especially Galvez – until you’re hungry.
Enjoy dinner on the terrace at Hotel Fauna, my top-recommended restaurant in Valparaíso. Enjoy the view, and a glass of their Pisco Fauna, a house recipe Pisco Sour.
Day 2: Walking Tour & Visiting Bellavista
While there are walking tours in the afternoon, I recommend booking one in the morning. The 10:00 a.m. “offbeat” Valparaíso walking tour I found (but didn’t go on) is a 2.5—to 3-hour tour offered by donation.
On the tour, you’ll see Cerro Alegre’s colorful streets, which will help you get oriented to Valparaíso’s quirkier side. If you want a more traditional walking tour, the same company offers a Valparaíso highlights walking tour every day at 3:00 p.m.
In the afternoon, ascend Espiritu Santo to the Bellavista hill and neighborhood. This is one of the nicer neighborhoods, and you’ll notice this as you ascend to the top of the hill.
After all, it’s called bella vista (beautiful view). You can end the day with an extended dinner and drinks at Oda Pacífico before making your way home.
Day 3: Day Trip to Cachagua or Casablanca Valley
While I’m always a bit hesitant to recommend a day trip when you’re on a short trip to a specific city, I do think that people love seeing the surrounding region, and Valparaíso specifically has some really distinct Chilean day trip options.
In the above section about the best things to do in Valparaíso Chile, I’ve detailed the Casablanca Valley wine-tasting and penguin-hiking itinerary in Cachagua, so refer to that section if you’re interested in either of these.
In the evening, you can catch a late bus back to Santiago or stay another night in Valparaíso. Since buses run so frequently, you can even wait to decide after you’ve finished your wine tasting or spent the day hiking along the coast!
Practical Information To Plan Your Trip To Valparaiso
The best time to visit Valparaíso
Valparaíso is located on the Pacific Coast, so its weather is somehow similar to that of San Francisco – at least as fall approaches as when I was visiting.
You will often experience the marine layer sitting out above the ocean during the morning and evening, and at times, a mild fog or low cloud will cover the city, keeping it chilly and humid.
The best months to visit Valparaíso are October to February, the late spring and summer months. In early September and late March, cooler weather will likely persist, with fewer chances of sunny and warm days.
How to get to Valparaíso from Santiago
The distance from Santiago to Valparaiso is 120 km (75 miles). It takes an hour and a half to drive there, though the bus may take a little longer.
The easiest way to get to Valparaiso is by bus via Santiago.
Buses from Santiago to Valparaíso depart regularly from Pajaritos station and go all the way to Rodoviario bus station, from where you will have to take a taxi to reach your accommodation.
Getting Around Valparaíso
For a city of hills, you might wonder about your options for traveling around the city. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to get around Valparaíso.
BY PUBLIC TRANSIT: There are two primary transit options in Valparaíso: buses and funiculars (discussed above). Buses only run along the flat roads at the base of Valparaíso’s many hills, along the waterfront. There are buses everywhere within the city center as well as the surrounding communities. They are mostly used by locals going to and from work and are affordable.
OTHER TRANSIT OPTIONS: If you’re physically able, walking is the best way to get around Valparaíso. However, be aware that there are exceptionally steep hills in some parts of the city. That said, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of reaching a great viewpoint of Valparaíso from a stairwell or steep alleyway. Make sure to pack a pair of very comfortable shoes as the streets can be a bit uneven!
Where to stay in Valparaíso
There is no shortage of good accommodation options in Valparaíso. Things to consider when picking a place to stay are the location – especially how steep the hill you’ll have to climb to get there; and the view – a room with a view is certainly recommended. Having said so, here are a few good places to stay:
LA GALERIA—A good bed and breakfast with comfortable (albeit small) rooms. One of the best things about this little B&B is the location. It’s right in the center of the town. All the best tourist attractions are right within reach.
FAUNA HOTEL—One of the most budget-friendly options that’s connected to Viña del Mar. There is a restaurant with a terrace and great views. The rooms are also very nice and cozy.
Further Readings
Are you planning a trip to Chile? Make sure to read my other posts!
- 21 Incredible Places To Visit In Chile
- 22 Fun Things To Do In Santiago, Chile
- A Complete Guide To San Pedro De Atacama
This post was written by Valerie Stimac Bailey of Valerie & Valise. Valerie grew up in Alaska, so it’s no surprise she loves sharing stories from there and the rest of the American West. On her blog, you can find resources to have unforgettable experiences throughout the western U.S. including California, Hawaii, and yes, The Last Frontier.
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