Revived: August 25, 2026 (Published: April 16, 2017)

Travelling to Valparaíso fulfilled my childhood dream: flying over the Andes. Instead of Santiago de Chile, this pulsating harbour city stole my heart.

Colourful, vibrant, artsy, edgy, quirky, rough… you quickly run out of adjectives to describe Valparaíso. Spread over steep hills (cerros) overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this city is known as the Jewel of the Pacific – but also for its rampant crime rate.

On the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2003, in the past decades Valparaíso has attracted countless artists, creatives and cultural entrepreneurs to dwell on its panoramic hills. No wonder the city seduced me in a second. Although the amount of stray dogs broke my heart. Their sad eyes still haunt me.

After our day trip to Valparaíso with Scandinavian wine professionals (thanks to Winestate and Miguel Torres Chile for amazing time in the country!), I was craving more. Therefore, I returned to Valpo for my remaining solo days in Chile, confident to navigate between the cerros without a map.

1. BE ATTENTIVE WITH THE CERROS

An emblematic feature of Valparaíso are its wooden, squeaky elevators (funiculars). They take you from sea level to the hills (cerros). Before going up, check carefully which elevator goes to which hill. Many cerros are no-go zones.

If you pick the wrong elevator, you probably need to come back down to the plateau. Since the funicular network was reduced, some cerros remained aloof from others. The narrow pedestrian lanes connecting them are perfect for pickpockets.

Choosing the wrong elevator on the plateau, I ended up on an obscure-looking square where the locals told me to leave immediately. Still a newbie in Valpo, I decided to listen to them.

Beside funiculars, you can move around by Valpo trolleybuses that are the oldest still-functioning trolleybuses in the world. Modern buses are more efficient and the network is comprehensive, but not all slopes are reachable. And I prefer getting to know places on foot.

During my Valparaíso walks, the locals warned me several times about going further up on the hills. Having read stories of Valpo becoming the most dangerous city in Chile, I developed a true respect for their protective attitude.

However, with common sense and by keeping a low profile one can explore this magnificent city. Just avoid getting into the maze of upper Valparaíso hills and alleys – unless you have someone local with you.

2. DON’T LET CAB DRIVERS FOOL YOU

This applies to many cities, but what happened to me in Valparaíso is a glaring example. After messing up with the elevators upon my return to the city, I opted for a taxi.

A local guy advised me to grab an unofficial taxi and even negotiated the rate with the driver to 500 pesos. The recommended official fare for that distance would have been 1,500–2,500 pesos.

In the end, the bill was more than tenfold. But with limited understanding of Spanish, heavy suitcase and not knowing much of the city yet, what can you do?

It is true that many streets in Valpo are one-way and zigzag, so even short distances by car may take time. Nevertheless, my street-savvy solo traveller image suffered a severe blow due to this cab driver.

3. FALL IN LOVE WITH CERRO ALEGRE AND CERRO CONCEPCIÓN

These beautiful cerros are pretty safe and easy to reach from the plateau. If you wish to walk in peace while enjoying nice restaurants, cafés and bars, Alegre and Concepción are great cerros to explore and hang out in – in daylight. You can marvel at stunning graffitis and artisan boutiques in refurbished surroundings.

Based on my observations from Santiago, Curicó and Valparaíso, Chile isn’t as cheap as neighbouring Argentina. But it wasn’t hard to find a decently priced room in Valpo only a day before my arrival.

The location of Punto Cerro (I doubt that Diego still rents rooms as he had plans of selling the house and moving to France) was perfect. Nice streets of Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre were just a stone’s throw away whilst the rooftop terrace offered stunning views to the harbour and hills.

4. SEAFOOD & DESSERT AT CAFÉ TURRI

Thanks to its coastal location, Valparaíso is a heaven for seafood lovers. I had ceviche every day, and the fish was as fresh as it can get. There were various interpretations of this traditionally Peruvian dish in the restaurants, which made eating a lot of fun!

Oozing the charm of the old days, Café Turri offered wonderful views to the Pacific and a nice wine list. Popular for afternoon tea and cakes, Turri has a pretty sophisticated menu that has creative dishes for every taste.

I still savour the memory of that squid lasagne with scallops and succulent pork fillet in raspberry sauce. Not to forget splendid meringue, fruit compote and butterscotch dessert (in the main photo of this post).

During the lunch at Turri, warm breeze caressed the coastline and the sea shimmered in every shade of blue. Even the waiter that first seemed distant ended up cracking jokes with us.

Suddenly a big laughter wafted from the table next to us. A bunch of bikers! Easy to approach, we ended up chatting to one of them.

His name was Santiago.

Café Turri
Templeman 147, Cerro Concepción
Mon-Thu 10:30–18, Fri 10:30–18:30, Sat 10:30–19:30, Sun 10:30–17:30
Tel: (56) 9 8951 2224 or book here

Restaurante Café Vinilo
Almirante Montt 448, Cerro Alegre
Mon-Thu 12:30–00:30, Fri-Sat 11:30–02:00, Sun 12:30–00:30
Tel: (56) 3 2223 0665

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5. PREPARE FOR CAPRICIOUS WEATHER

The morning mist in Valparaíso can be extremely thick and the weather surprisingly chilly until late afternoon. The nights, too, were colder than one would expect in autumn (I visited the city in the end of March), and the winds can be nasty. Even though Valpo is nothing like the Azores where the weather changes constantly, be prepared to dress in layers.

If you are short of time, take the elevator up to Cerro Artillería hill just before sunset. The view to the huge harbour is spectacular! Next to the funicular there are traditional wooden kiosks selling handmade jewelry, other arts & crafts and delicatessen.

To catch a glimpse of slightly shady neighbourhoods, neglected parks, poverty and drug problems, go a bit deeper into this cerro. I went, nothing happened, but in the evening Diego was not content hearing that.

6. EXPLORE GREATER VALPARAÍSO AREA

If you want a break from Valparaíso’s edginess, catch a bus to adjacent Viña del Mar. Neat, nice, modern and safe, this popular beach city is favoured by many Chileans living elsewhere.

In my opinion, Viña offers enough to do for a day but lacks the whimsical charm of Valparaíso. On the other hand, I can easily understand everyone who prefers Viña over Valpo.

I felt much more at home with another touristic hotspot, ConCón, that lies 15 kilometres North of Valparaíso. For rugged coastal landscapes, flocks of pelicans and sunbathing seals, this is the place to be.

ConCón attracts sun-lovers and outdoor people to walk on its dunes while offering excellent surfing possibilities. I will definitely come back one day.

7. DINNER OVERLOOKING THE SEA

My last evening in Valparaíso was so cold that I spent it near Diego’s place. For the dinner, he suggested me La Concepción, one of the finest and best-known restaurants in the city, with a big terrace with terrific views to the Pacific.

To my surprise, La Concepción had 50 labels on the wine list but very few by the glass. As if the waiter read my thoughts, he suggested that I order a bottle and pack the rest of it in a doggy-bag.

Made of local ingredients, the food was tasty and the service attentive to the smallest detail. As the evening got colder, they brought me two woollen blankets so that I could continue dining outside.

The first half of Maycas del Limari Chardonnay went down with my seafood dinner. The remaining half of the bottle would travel to Santiago the following day. Lucky me, I managed to find one remaining ticket for the main stand of Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos where Chile’s national football team encountered Argentina.

La Concepción
Papudo 541, Cerro Concepción
Tue-Fri 12:30–20:00, Sat 12–20:30, Sun 12–17
Tel: (56) 9 5791 7232 or book here

 

UPDATE (2026): The restaurants mentioned in this post are still open but with less hours per day than in 2016. Valparaíso, in general, is a city where you need to be even more attentive today. The crime rate is now higher, so avoid walking around when it gets dark, and do not go to the lesser-known uphill cerros. On a wider scale, as well, the crime rate in Chile has increased – yet by Latin American standards the country is still relatively safe. The UK Foreign Office advises to exercise particular caution in Chile.

 

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Getting to know Valparaíso wouldn’t have been possible without Miguel Torres Chile and Winestate (the Torres importer in Finland) who invited me for an interesting work trip to Chile. Muchas gracías! A day trip to Valpo was a part of our program, and after the group left back to Finland, I stayed there (and in Santiago) solo.