Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, and the Chilean Coast

With one of us in recovery from our excursions in Chillan, we needed a relaxing break on the coast. We headed to Valparaiso, a colorful coastal Chilean city surrounded by mountains. Valpo is a port city and it's close neighbor, Viña de Mar, is a gorgeous beach town. We spent our first full day exporing Valpo and all it's magical splendor. Like the infamous La Boca in Buenos Aires, Valpo's hills are covered by brightly colored houses and it's port is full of strikingly colored boats, rafts, and battleships!

"The hills are alive.."

We walked the coast and the feria artesanal near the port. From the port we headed up to explore the surrounding hills. Back in the day, Valpo built local elevators to easily transport people up and down the various hills that surround the city. These funiculars are cheap and still used by locals and tourists alike. We took the ride up and got a glimpse of Valpo's real charm. Like it's houses and ships, the colorful theme continues with elaborate graffiti through the narrow slanting streets and various never-ending staircases. Although a bit run down, Valpo's unique and classic architecture mixed with it's modern graffiti street murals, make for an eclectic atmosphere. We walked the town's plazas, boutiques and art fairs until we could walk no longer.


Beauties at the port
Art al fresco

The next day we headed to Viña del Mar to explore the beaches. We were really hoping to rent a moto and provide ourselves with a self-guided tour on wheels, but unfortunately motos are not common place and we had no such luck. Viña was beautiful, touristy, and a classic resorty beach town. It sports Vaplo's old school elegance (just a bit more well-maintained), with the luxury of sandy white beaches rather than a ship-filled port.


Viña's Playas

We explored the town and the beach, and when we couldn't find a single affordable place to eat, we hit up the local Pizza Hut for a little taste of home! Delicious!Spent after another full day on foot, we returned home to Valpo to plan our next adventure!