My Day in Valparaíso

One weekend I didn't have much to do, so I decided on a whim to go to Valparaíso. I'd picked up a leaflet a couple of weeks earlier about a company called Tours4Tips who give walking tours in different cities in Chile. I liked the sound of the "Highlights of Valparaíso" tour that takes place every afternoon, so off I went!

The bus was quiet and comfortable, and the journey only took about an hour and a half. The ticket was cheap too. One drawback is that the bus station is quite a way out from the city centre, a couple of kilometres away from the Plaza Sotomayor, where the tour starts from. However I enjoyed walking through the city, seeing different sights on my way in...

When I arrived in the Plaza Sotomayor, I was impressed by how big and grand it was.

The first thing we did on the tour was to go to the harbour at the end of the square. Here we learned about the history of Valparaíso as one of the most important ports in South America.

Then we took a ride of one of Valparaíso's famous funicular railways. The views were great, and it reminded me of the film "The Motorcycle Diaries" which I watched at university last year, and which was partly set here.

At the top, there were many opportunities to take photos. There was also a really nice gift shop which I made the most of!

I also met this adorable poorly dog! Just like in Santiago, there are a lot of street dogs in Valparaíso. However, there are kennels left out for them and they are well looked after. But it still makes me sad that they don't have a home to go to and a human to love them!

Most of the tour took place around Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, the two most touristic areas of the city. This is where you can find a lot of the amazing street art there is here. I really enjoyed looking at all the paintings on the walls and stairs. It actually reminded me a bit of Bristol, so I felt quite at home.

And at the end of the tour, there were more great views over the city and the ocean.

For me, the tour was a great and authentic way to explore Valpo (as they call it here). It was also nice that we got free homemade alfajores (chocolate biscuits filled with dulce de leche) halfway through the tour, and an alcoholic drink at the end! As the name Tours4Tips suggests, you don't have to pay for the tour, but you're encouraged to give a tip at the end if you had a good time. I think it's a good system, and I was very happy to give a decent-sized tip.

I actually felt a bit sad that I'd booked a return bus ticket for that day, as I would really have liked to have stayed a bit longer in Valpo. It's definitely one of my favourite places I've been to on my Year Abroad. However, I will certainly try to go back there during the last two months I've got left in Chile. There's another walking tour which takes place every morning - this one is to see the less touristic attractions of the city. So that's what I have planned for next time!