Valparaíso, Chile: The Colorful City Built on Hills

A city built on hills

One of the things I remember most about my trip to Chile was the 2-hour drive from Santiago toward the coast. We were heading to Viña del Mar and passed through Valparaíso, a city that looked unlike anywhere I had been before. Valparaiso is a major port city and cultural capital in central Chile.

The first thing that caught my attention was the landscape. Valparaíso is built around a series of steep hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and colorful houses seem to climb right up the slopes. From the road, I could see homes stacked one above another, creating a fascinating patchwork of colors. I kept thinking: “how in the world did they build that?”

Navigating steep hills

Valparaíso is known for its colorful architecture, street art, and historic funiculars (cable railway), which help residents and visitors navigate the city’s steep hills. These old elevators, or “ascensores”, have become one of the city’s most recognizable features and I had a chance to experience a ride to the top and back down the hill.

Port city Valparaiso

The city has long been an important port. During the 19th century, before the Panama Canal opened, ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific often passed around the southern tip of South America, making Valparaíso an important stop along the route. The city serves as the headquarters for the Chilean Navy and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was a bit chilly for me, but I had to get a picture of the port.

Today, Valparaíso has a creative, bohemian personality. Walk through its hillside neighborhoods and you’ll find brightly painted buildings, murals, colorful stairways, cafés, and plenty of street art. Even ordinary walls can become works of art. The famous Chilean poet and Nobel prize winner Pablo Neruda once lived in this city and his home “La Sebastiana” is now a museum.

I wish I had known more about Valparaíso when I visited. At the time, I was simply fascinated by the view from the car window!

After passing through Valparaíso, we continued to Viña del Mar, a coastal resort city known for its beaches, gardens, and seaside atmosphere. It was a wonderful contrast to Santiago and gave us a chance to experience another side of Chile. Be sure to come back for that adventure!

Looking back, that road trip is one of those travel memories that has stayed with me—not because we checked a long list of tourist attractions (it was really only one of 4 items), but because of the unexpected things I noticed along the way.  Sometimes it’s the view from a car window that you remember years later.  (I once won the price of Best photographer from the car, hahaha)

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