10 reasons why you should travel to Valparaiso instead of Santiago

Chile is one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the world. Every year, millions of tourists visit Chile, thanks to its fine beaches, fascinating mountains, wild forests, and unique cuisine. Before they travel to Chile, many tourists ask several questions: Is it safe to travel to Chile? Where to travel in Chile? When is the best time to travel to Chile? Statistics show that the most visited city in Chile is Santiago, the capital city. However, Santiago has been a quite touristy place, which has become very overcrowded, polluted, noisy, and expensive due to the vast number of visitors. In this blog, we will talk about travel to Valparaiso, which is another excellent and marvellous tourist destination in Chile. We will elaborate on the fantastic things about Valparaiso that will make you change your mind and travel from Santiago to Valparaiso. During your trip, you will also have a chance to travel to Patagonia Chile, which will be an additional focus of this article.

1. Cerro Alegre

Valparaiso is very famous for its numerous hills and endless stairs. Alleys, passages, and stairs among the hills give the city of Valparaiso a fascinating view. Cerro Alegre is a mysterious hill that holds its unique place in Valparaiso's overall architecture. It is simply amazing to see an ancient hill in the middle of the highly urbanized city. The amazingly colourful street art, modern infrastructure, and vibrant city life surround the city of Valparaiso. A human-made elevator will take you very close to the top, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. We recommend you climb up the Cerro Alegre when the Valparaiso weather is nice. You should definitely consider a nice walk around the Cerro Alegre during your travel to Chile.

2. Into Latin America's wild nature

Many travel enthusiasts, who love to explore wild nature, have dreamed of travel to Patagonia Chile. You can easily travel to Patagonia Chile from Valparaiso in several hours. Valparaiso is geographically close to Patagonia's wild steppes, forests, and hills. Unique flora and fauna, fascinating natural resources, rivers, and wild nature are great features of Patagonia. Diving into the wonders of wild nature will be an unforgettable experience for you. The best time to travel to Chile can be summertime when Patagonia has the wildest nature. Wildlife, flora, and fauna become alive during the summer season.

3. So many graffiti and street art

You will be astounded by the variety and number of graffiti on the walls of Valparaiso city. Excellent drawings, writings, and pictures are almost on every wall of the town. Walking by and admiring the endless street art is like watching your most favourite show that never bores you. Valparaiso can be the city with the most graffiti and street art in the world. Funny sentences, attractive images, and exciting facts on the samples of street art will make your travel to Valparaiso unforgettable. You can capture instagrammable photos of literally thousands of graffiti during the trip around Valparaiso. You should travel from Santiago to Valparaiso if you want to make your Chile journey more colourful, funny, and memorable. You will hardly find amazing street art like these in any other city in Chile.

4. Getting around Valparaiso by funicular

Using funicular as public transport is a fantastic experience. If the city has a great panoramic view, then an excellent funicular tour is a must-have. Funicular in Valparaiso is quite affordable that will not cause any trouble for your budget. While moving along the hills by funicular, you will have the chance to photograph dozens of amazing views. Especially when the Valparaiso weather is sunny, the funicular tour will be very convenient. At the end of the tour, you will be able to see almost all Valparaiso from the top. The funicular tour is unique to Valparaiso in Chile that is hardly available in other cities. Also, as a mode of public transport, the funicular is very user-friendly. The funicular will carry you to the desired destination very quickly, without causing any inconvenience because the signs and lines of funicular are straightforward and easy to understand. However, the lines of public transit in Santiago are quite challenging to understand and use.

5. Boat trip in the harbour

When the Valparaiso weather is nice, you should take a boat trip to the harbour. The boat in this part of the city is not used for public transportation. Local tourism agencies organize boat trips in order to show the visitors around. During the boat trip, you will see Valparaiso's fantastic architecture, colourful buildings, skyscrapers, mountains, and fascinating urban infrastructure from faraway. Valparaiso harbour is a historic spot that has been used by local merchants to import and export products. Today you can still see the ancient elements from the Middle Ages while taking a tour around the harbour. The most impressive old features can be colourful metals that people used to protect their houses from the wind, storms, and ocean waves. Boat trips around the harbour will be one of the most unforgettable moments of your travel to Chile.

6. The safest city in Chile

Many travellers want to know before they come to Chile: Is it safe to travel to Chile? Where to travel in Chile? Due to the political protests, some cities, including Santiago, can be unsafe. During political protests, a lot of people gather together, causing a lot of noise. The protests mainly occur in Santiago, the capital city, where significant political developments happen. However, in Valparaiso, protests rarely happen. Valparaiso is a much more quiet and safe city, where it is tourist-friendly all the time. You can even consider Valparaiso as the safest city in Chile. It is better to travel from Santiago to Valparaiso when the noises and mild violence of protests disturb you. You will get a perfectly safe and quiet city where you can enjoy exploring new architecture and culture.

7. Old trolleybus tour

Would you like to ride on the oldest trolleybus in the world? Valparaiso is home to the oldest trolleybus, which was made in the 1930-1940s. The Chilean government considers Valparaiso's old trolleybus as a national monument. You can also use a trolleybus as a means of public transport. Getting around Valparaiso via trolleybus will be a fantastic experience for you. Also, the ticket for the trolleybus is very affordable and pocket-friendly. For very little money, you will travel to many places in this beautiful city with a trolleybus. Riding on an old trolleybus is a must-have experience at least once in a lifetime.

8. Mountain biking trail

Mountain biking is one of the most entertaining activities that you can enjoy in Valparaiso. The best time to travel to Chile is when the weather is sunny and dry because you can bike up to the mountain through trails. You can rent convenient bikes in perfect condition from the hotels and rental services. Biking is a great sport that will make you feel refreshed and happy during your time in Valparaiso. You can join group biking trips where you will travel a lot and come back. Mountain biking can be tiring, but it will definitely be fun. Biking will allow you to stay in shape and make a lot of new friends from different nationalities. Mountain biking is unique to Valparaiso because this town has excellent trails for bicycles. People have ridden a bike through these rails for decades. Mountain biking in Valparaiso is a must-try that you should not miss.   

9. Iglesia de la Matriz

Iglesia de la Matriz, a national monument of Chile, is located in the heart of Valparaiso. This church has great historical significance. Because Iglesia de la Matriz perfectly represents the architectural styles of the 16th century. Old houses and cobblestone streets surround the ancient church. The magical panoramic view of the church and its neighbourhood will amaze you from far away when you approach. The local community regularly organizes religious meetings and prayers in Iglesia de la Matriz. Regardless of your religious belonging, you can attend the events at church and network with local people. Both the exterior and interior of Iglesia de la Matriz are amazingly picturesque. You will definitely enjoy your time in Iglesia de la Matriz.  

10. Charming coloured houses

The colourful houses of Valparaiso are so original and unique. Valparaiso was historically a port city, where there were intense storms along the coastlines. When the ocean waves were spoiling the houses on the shore, local people found a way to protect the walls from rusting. The water-resistant colours became very famous among residents for their quality, charm, and durability. Therefore, the local people of Valparaiso, who lived along the coastlines, all painted their houses in various colours. You can hardly find colourful places like these in Santiago. You should travel to Valparaiso in order to admire the beautiful colourful houses along the shore of the ocean. You will capture great instagrammable moments while driving by the homes.

A quick recap of this article

In this blog, we have answered the following questions: Is it safe to travel to Chile? Where to travel in Chile? We later elaborated on the reasons why you should travel to the second-largest city in Chile. Overall, Valparaiso is a great tourism destination, thanks to its ancient history, fascinating architecture, and natural treasures.