Valparaiso – New Year’s Eve in the Chilean port city

The Chilean port city of Valparaiso is located a good 100 kilometers west of Santiago de Chile on the Pacific Ocean. Valparaiso is considered the cultural center of Chile and UNESCO declared the historic city center with buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries a World Heritage Site in 2003. Before we traveled from Santiago to Patagonia, I wanted to take the opportunity for a detour to “Valpo” (as the Chileans say). This is a particularly good idea over New Year’s Eve, as the fireworks in the Bay of Valparaiso are one of the New Year’s Eve highlights in South America.

Valparaiso – the colorful port city

While Santiago de Chile has a very clear structure with its geometric city layout, Valparaiso is pure chaos at first glance. In the 19th century, the city developed from an insignificant town on the Pacific Ocean to a thriving port city. And this without the structural development being based on any form of a basic town plan. Today, Valparaiso is “proliferating” over 40 hills – so-called “cerros”. The higher up the buildings, the poorer the conditions of the population living there. In contrast to Santiago, the social gap between rich and poor is clearly perceptible in Valparaiso. You’ll notice it at the latest when you take a trip to the neighboring port city of Viña del Mar. Viña is considered “sophisticated”. Valparaiso, on the other hand, is a motley potpourri that I couldn’t fully grasp in the two days we were there. If you are out and about in Valparaiso, you should exercise a healthy dose of caution and not march all over the place. There are definitely neighborhoods that are better avoided after dark. And don’t let the expensive camera dangle in front of your belly of prosperity for all to see. If you are aware of this, then nothing stands in the way of an extensive stroll through Valparaiso. Most of us were on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion. The metres of altitude between the hills can be overcome with the historic “Ascensores”. Originally, 26 inclined lifts provided access to the hilly area. Eight of them are still in operation today. These include the Ascensor Reina Victoria, which opens up Cerro Alegre. The ride on one of these lifts costs 100 Chilean pesos. Alternatively, the altitude can of course also be overcome with various steps. In addition to the hilly terrain, the brightly painted houses and the numerous street works of art are a trademark of Valparaiso. The city resembles an open-air museum. No street is complete without street art – some of it by well-known Chilean and international artists. We just drifted through the alleys and were inspired by the colorful atmosphere.

The only pity is that the historic building fabric is sometimes treated very carelessly. Many private individuals also lack the money to renovate/renovate their buildings according to UNESCO guidelines. Valparaiso is not yet on the red list, but it seems unclear whether the port city will be able to maintain its World Heritage status in the long term.

New Year’s Eve in Valparaiso

The New Year is ushered in in the Bay of Valparaiso with a 20-minute coordinated fireworks display by the four port cities of Valparaiso, Viña, Renaca and Concon. Shortly before midnight, everyone flocks to the waterfront to toast the New Year with friends and then admire the fireworks. Since I’m not a fan of large crowds, we watched the fireworks from the closed “Errazuriz” waterfront. Most of the people gathered at the Hotel Ibis, as the view of the harbour basin is particularly good there. Next time, I would probably rather look for a place on the elevated “Esmeralda”. From there you have the coordinated four fireworks in your field of vision. The final bouquet of the fireworks is also the prelude to the “real” New Year’s Eve party. Chileans celebrate loudly in the alleys until the early hours of the morning.

Practical tips for your trip to Valparaiso

Journey:

From the Alameda terminal in Santiago de Chile, both Pullman and Turbus buses run regularly to Valparaiso. We bought the tickets the day before departure directly at the terminal (for New Year’s Eve it is best to reserve the tickets earlier online via recorrido.cl). The journey takes about 1.5 to two hours (as long as there is no breakdown and you have to wait for a new bus – it happened to us on the way back). We paid 15,400 Chilean pesos per person for the tickets (return). The ticket price is probably cheaper on normal weekdays than around New Year’s Eve.

Out and about in the city:

The city center of Valparaiso is best explored on foot. For the journey from the bus terminal to the historic city centre or for a trip to Viña, we can recommend the “Micros”. For the ride from the terminal to Bellavista station, we paid 300 Chilean pesos per person. The trip to Viña costs around 400 Chilean pesos. You can check the connections on Google Maps. There it shows you very well which lines go to your desired destination.

To dos

As in Santiago, we also took part in a free walking tour in Valparaiso. Otherwise, just stroll through Cerro Allegre and Cerro Concepción. In my opinion, if there is enough time, the detour to Viña is worth it just to experience the contrast of the two neighboring cities.

Restaurant Recommendations:

We had two very good breakfasts. On the first of January – one of the only restaurants that was already open in the morning – at Le Petit Quer (Papudo 566).

And my favorite for really good coffee: Cafe Astillero (Cumming 01).

If you’re in the mood for pizza, you should make a detour to Malandrino (Almirante Montt 532). In addition to the delicious pizzas, we liked the nice secluded backyard.

Accommodation:

We stayed in a good location at the foot of Cerro Alegre in Casa Violeta Limon in an apartment with kitchen and bathroom. The apartment is oriented towards the street and relatively ring-listening (which was especially noticeable on New Year’s Eve). Otherwise, it met our expectations. For New Year’s Eve, the earlier you book the better. The city is almost fully booked on New Year’s Eve and prices skyrocket accordingly. On our stroll through the city, we also noticed the Hotel Fauna directly above the Ascensor Reina Victoria. The hotel made a casual impression and offers a great rooftop terrace with panoramic views over the city center.