Valparaiso

Valparaiso is Chile's bohemian, poetic and gloriously chaotic port city, a UNESCO gem where a jumble of brightly painted houses tumbles down steep hills to the Pacific. A labyrinth of winding alleys, staircases and lookouts, splashed everywhere with vivid, world-famous street art and murals, it is linked by a network of creaking historic funiculars, or ascensores. Once a great port, it inspired the poet Pablo Neruda and retains a raffish, artistic, faded grandeur.

History

The first identifiable people of the bay were the Picunche, farmers, and in 1536 the Santiaguillo, a supply ship for Diego de Almagro's expedition, arrived under Juan de Saavedra, who named the place after his native village of Valparaíso de Arriba. Through the colonial period it stayed a small village with a few houses and a church, attacked by Francis Drake in 1578 and by Richard Hawkins in 1594. In 1810 a merchant built the first pier in Chile, and land reclaimed from the sea now forms the commercial centre; after independence in 1818 it became the main harbour of the Chilean navy and a favourite stop for ships rounding South America, supplying the California gold rush and drawing immigrants from Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy, while the British community, settled on Cerro Alegre, prospered between the 1820s and 1920s (Wikipedia, Valparaíso).

What you'll find

• The painted hills - the brightly coloured houses tumbling to the sea.
• The street art - the vivid murals covering the alleys and stairways.
• The funiculars - the historic ascensores climbing the hills.
• La Sebastiana - the poet Pablo Neruda's quirky house museum.

When to go

October to April, the warmer months, for the best weather; the hills of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion are the most charming and art-covered to explore on foot. New Year brings a famous fireworks display over the bay.

Things to know

It is a working port city, and the tourist life - the cafes, galleries and painted stairways - is concentrated on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion. It is steep and best on foot. Its faded, chaotic charm is not for everyone, but many find it captivating.

Nearby

The resort of Vina del Mar, the Casablanca wine valley and Santiago are close.

Key facts