After the trip to Easter Island we had a five day stopover in Santiago worked into our award ticket. We had hoped to spend about half that time in Santiago and the other half in Valparaíso. Unfortunately, the Easter holiday spoiled those plans. The man at our guesthouse in Santiago warned us of the difficulties associated with getting there and back again. He said it wasn’t uncommon for the bus ride to take upwards of 5 hours when it is normally under two. We took his advice and made a day trip out there on the Tuesday before Easter. Getting from Santiago to Valpo was a quick and easy process. A short trip on the Santiago metro followed by a 1 hour and 45 minute ride. Weather was cloudy and gloomy when we arrived around 10AM but that slowly burned off during the day.
Valparaíso is a stunning city. The surrounding hills drop steeply to the water’s edge where there is a busy shipping port and a naval base. The hillsides are covered in houses of all colors that are seemingly stacked one on top of another. Many of the slopes are steep enough that funiculars, many of which date from the 1900′s, are needed to hoist tourists and locals up and down the hills.
We passed most of the day by wandering around the city, riding the funiculars, and enjoying the spectacular views of the harbour. The neighborhood of Cerro Concepción, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was particularly beautiful. We also found a huge variety of street art in Valpo. Even more than we found back in Buenos Aires. A few people responded positively to my Buenos Aires graffiti post so we made it a point to snap lots of photos to capture Valpo’s street art scene. Hope you enjoy! Next up, Santiago.
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