Valparaiso is a city I have been wanting to visit for years. I had heard that it is a city filled with colorful houses and street art everywhere. Y’all know I love both of those things so it was high on my list of places to visit during my time in South America. Lucky for me it was a short bus ride from Santiago so was able to visit it soon after arriving. I made my way there and it didn’t disappoint. Yes I arrived and the weather was not that great. It was dark and gray with no sign of sun and was that way on my first two days there. I didn’t allow that to deter me from wandering the city. On the third day though the sun finally came out and everything looked even more amazing. I ended up spending 5 days there and each day discovered a different reason to fall in love with it.
Valparaiso is so beautiful perched on hills with many stair alleys and cobblestone streets. Exploring it was like being lost in a maze with no beginning or end that you can walk around in for hours and gaze at the bright colored homes and all the street art. When you are out wandering through Valparaiso it feels like all streets lead to one an other in one way or another. I would walk around and end up were I was a few minutes ago, but through a different way. It truly was like a maze to explore and not mention a great work out with the streets going up and down at every turn. The city is so photogenic I ended up taking hundreds of photos, but think these will give you a glimpse of what Valparaiso is like.
—One of the views of Valparaiso. If you look closely you can see walls covered with street art below.—
—The Fischer Alley. This is where my hostel was located. It was quite the climb every day, but the color made it worth it.—
—The streets of Valparaiso.—
—USE THE BIKE—
—A back alley in Valparaiso.—
—Cute door + cute window + cute street art = perfection.—
—I think this is a mural of Mapuches. They are the biggest group of indigenous people in Chile.—
—Be faboulous.—
—Street art by the group Un Kolor Distinto. They have a unique style that can be found all over Valparaiso.—
—Un Kolor Distinto.—
—Un Kolor Distinto.—
—The largest mural in Valparaiso by Un Kolor Distinto.—
—Un Kolor Distinto.—
—This is by far my favorite house. I love the blue and the Siamese Cat just makes it amazing.—
—Oh Valparaiso… you are stunning!!!—
These photos honestly don’t do it justice, but think they do capture a bit of Valparaiso’s uniqueness.
What do you think? Is this a city you would like to visit too?
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Great photos!! Yeah looks good there..
Absolutely fabulous photos Jaime. So charming and very unique! Hope to hear more about the people, food, etc. Would love to visit.
Thank you so much Susan!!! Yes it’s so beautiful and just unique.
Thanks Bernie!
Jaime, these photos are stunning! There is an app called UrbaColors that let’s you geo-tag street art. I have never used it, but it might be of interest to you! I am glad you are blogging again. I can’t wait to make it out to South America someday!
Thank you so much Isabel. Yeah have lots of stories to share already. Just have to find the time to write them. Been moving so fast and so busy, but no worries… will be writing. I will check out that app. Thanks for the tip.
I’m a huge street art fan and Valparaiso has been on my mind for a while! And now I can see why – it looks incredible, like a street art paradise! I’d love it big time for sure! I went to South America for the first time last year and I was really impressed by the street art scene there, especially in Buenos Aires!
I so understand why Valparaiso is on your mind Kami. Was on my for years too. Yeah it’s just a street art paradise. Seriously so much and around every corner. It’s amazing how some cities just embrace it and let it be part of the culture. I am going to BA soon and have heard it has amazing street art too. Can’t wait!!!
I am just catching up with all your South America posts – I didn’t know you were updating the blog again! Just saw your Facebook update about it. Valparaiso has such great street art, love all the photos. Recognize some pieces that were already there when I visited two years ago, but there’s also lots of new stuff.
OMG hey Dani, yes I am updating my blog but very very slow… I have learned to enjoy the road more and worry less about my blog and well that is why I am so far behind. Hope all is well… and we can catch up soon.