After leaving Santiago we headed to Valparaiso. We were expecting a ‘nice’, quiet, pretty seaside village. What we got was a very gritty, quirky town with amazing graffiti and a working port. It was fantastic; Chile’s version of Brighton and one of my favourite towns so far.
Our favourite way to explore a new city; a free walking tour! We went with ‘Free Tour Valparaiso’, who meet at 10am / 3pm each day in Plaza Anibal Pinto. Our guide provided a great and entertaining walk around the city. Colourful houses made it such a photogenic place. Everything about Valparaiso is very cool; they have funiculars dating back to the 1800s and when you don’t want to take a funicular there are slides all over the place to get you downhill!
We learnt a lot about the history of the port, the food and why Valpo is now home to Congress. We also learnt that only two of the hills in the town are recommended for tourists to explore, so don’t end up in the wrong place, especially at night.
Despite the laid-back nature there are a lot of places to visit; Pablo Neruda’s home, the art museum and Maritime museum. Take note, we stupidly planned our sightseeing for a Monday but now realise that the majority of Chile’s tourist attractions are closed on Monday’s!
We swapped our plans for a walk along the seafront to upscale Vina del Mar, but on the way it started to rain. We abandoned our walk to Vina del Mar and took shelter; Starbucks magically appeared in front of us.
Establishments such as this as usually a big no-no for our budget but when I say raining I mean, REALLY RAINING! So, we spent the afternoon planning the next part of our trip and drinking honey lattes. Not very cultural. Although, I do need to know where we have honey lattes in the UK?! We love them.
Small downsides of Valpo; the accommodation is pretty pricey (as is all of Chile!), although we did find a lovely hostel named ‘Recuerdos de la Familia’. It has a shared kitchen, which can keep costs down a little. Also, although there are many bars in the town it is not really the ‘done thing’ to sit and drink without food. We searched for a while for this kind of establishment but it doesn’t seem to exist!
Valpo is perfect for your photos, arty and chilled. Don’t miss it off of your itinerary and repeat after me; We Are Not Hippies, We Are Happies!
