Valparaíso travel guide

History

Founded in 1542, Valparaíso became, in the colonial period, a small port used for trade with Peru. It was raided at least seven times during the colonial era by pirates and corsairs, including Drake. The city prospered from Independence more than any other Chilean town. It was used in the 19th century by commercial agents from Europe and the US as their trading base in the southern Pacific and became a major international banking centre as well as the key port for shipping between the northern Pacific and Cape Horn. Until the 1840s, the journey from the port to El Almendral (site of the congress and the old road to Santiago) took several hours and passed over wild hills but, as the city’s wealth and importance grew, part of the original bay was filled in, creating the modern day El Plan. Fine buildings were erected here, including several banks, South America’s first stock exchange and offices of El Mercurio, the world’s oldest newspaper in the Spanish language, first printed in 1827 and still in publication. (The impressive Mercurio building, built in 1900, stands on the site of a famous pirates’ cave.) Wealthy European merchants began to populate Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre in this period, building churches and fine mansions in every conceivable architectural style.

The city’s decline was the result of two factors: the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and the breakdown in world trade during the depression in the 1930s. Further decline followed the development of a container port in San Antonio, the shift of banks to Santiago and the move of the middle classes to nearby Viña del Mar. Recently money has been pumped in through UNESCO, the Inter-American Development bank and to some extent tourism, and the city is slowly being restored to its former splendour.

Little of the city’s colonial past survived the pirates, tempests, fires and earthquakes, but a remnant of the old colonial city can be found in the hollow known as El Puerto, grouped round the low-built stucco church of La Matriz. Very few wooden buildings predate the devastating earthquake of 1906, which was followed by a series of fires.

Getting around

You should never have to wait more than 30 seconds to travel anywhere within El Plan (between Plaza Aduana and Avenida Argentina): buses along Pedro Montt are cheap but slow; Errázuriz buses are faster. Valparaíso is the only city in Chile still to have trolleybuses; they are mostly Swiss and from the 1950s. They ply the length of El Plan and cost the same as a local bus fare. Buses to Cerro Alegre and the top of Cerro Concepción leave from calle Chacabuco, behind the bus terminal (No 607) or Avenida Argentina (No 514). Bus 612, popularly known as the ‘O’, links the hills of Valparaíso from Avenida Argentina all along the Avenida Alemania, down to the port and around the coast to Playa Ancha. Catching it is a sightseeing tour in itself. Taxis and colectivos usually wait around at the bottom of each cerro; otherwise, you can use the ascensores (funicular railways). If you are going to Viña or one of the nearby towns to the north, catch a micro from Errázuriz or Brasil; colectivos to Viña leave from the same place. Taxis serving a particular cerro do not use their meters but are generally reasonable and, if there are three or four of you, sharing a taxi can be cheaper than taking a colectivo. Taxis from the bus terminal are metered and can be quite expensive.

Ins and outs

Getting there

There are inter-urban buses to Valparaíso from every major Chilean city (even including connections through to Punta Arenas), and it makes an interesting change to most travellers’ itineraries to get a bus to Valparaíso instead of Santiago. Valparaíso also has international connections to Mendoza, Córdoba, Buenos Aires and as far as Rio de Janeiro. Valparaíso can also be reached relatively easy by public transport from Santiago’s airport.

Security

Robbery is an occasional problem in El Puerto and around the ascensores on Avenida Argentina. The upper outskirts of town, as well as Cerro Cordillera, while offering amazing views, are not the safest of places. The poorer and rougher districts tend to be those furthest from the centre. Also be aware that Calle Chacabuco (on which some hotels are located) is the pickup point for local rent boys. Keep your personal items secure keep your camera in a bag or rucksack, only taking it out when you want to take a photo. Beware of the mustard trick .

Valparaíso

Air

Santiago airport is 1½ hrs away. A taxi will cost around US$95. To get to Valparaíso from the airport by public transport take the airport bus going to Santiago and get off at the Pajaritos station on the outskirts of the city, from where there are direct buses to Valparaíso and Viña. The total journey time is around 2 hrs, cost about US$10 per person. LanChile, Esmeralda 1048, T600-562 2000, http://www.lan.com.

Ascensores

Half of Valparaíso’s ascensores are municipally run and very cheap at US$0.20 per journey; the privately run ascensores can charge up to 3 times more. Sometimes you pay on entrance, sometimes on exit.

Bus

Buses and trolley buses, US$0.50 within El Plan, US$0.65 to the cerros. There are plenty of buses between the long-distance terminal and Plaza Sotomayor.

Local

An excellent and incredibly frequent bus and colectivo service from Plaza Aduana, passes along Av Errázuriz to Viña del Mar, 20 mins, $0.80. Buses serving Lago Peñuelas, Isla Negra and San Antonio leave every 30 mins from the main terminal, US$5.

Long distance

The terminal is at Pedro Montt y Rawson, 1 block from Av Argentina. To Santiago, frequent, 1¾ hrs, US$6-8; shop around for the best prices, book return in advance on long weekends and other public holidays. There are also daily services to the following destinations: to Chillán, 7 hrs, US$16; to Concepción, 8 hrs, US$17; to Pucón, 12 hrs, US$22-35; to Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt, 14 hrs, US$25-44; to La Serena, 7 hrs, US$14-28; to Antofagasta, 17 hrs, US$40-60; to San Pedro de Atacama, 24 hrs, US$50-75; to Arica, 30 hrs, US$50-75. La Porteña and Intercomunal run several buses daily north leaving from the Plaza Victoria to Pichidangui and Los Vilos, Intercomunal continuing on to Illapel and Salamanca, although it may be easier to catch any bus to La Calera from Errázuriz/ Brasil (every few minutes) and make a connection there.

To Argentina

To Mendoza, 5 companies, 8 hrs, US$17, leaving early morning. Also overnight service summer only, Pluma, continuing on Tue, Fri and Sun to Buenos Aires, Florianopolis, São Paulo and Rio. To Córdoba, Tas Choapa, daily, US$55.

Car

Car hire from Automecánica Colón, Colón 2581, T032-225 6529, www.automecanica colon.cl; Suzuval, Colón 2537, T032-225 5505, http://www.suzuval.cl; many more options in Viña.

Ferry

Taxi

Colectivos, which pickup and set down passengers anywhere en route, operate along the same routes as buses and offer a cheap and quick form of transport. Taxis are more expensive than Santiago.

Train

Regular service on Merval, the Valparaíso metropolitan line, to Viña del Mar, every 10 mins, 15 mins, US$0.70, and on to Quilpué and Limache. A special card is needed to travel, which can be purchased at any station.

Banks

Banks open 0900-1400, closed on Sat; many Redbanc ATMs on Prat, also one in the bus terminal; best exchange rates from Marin Orrego, 3rd floor of the stock exchange building, Prat y Urriola, only changes US$ and euro cash; for other currencies, there are several casas de cambio along Prat and Esmeralda.

Consulates

Argentina, Blanco 890, of 204, T032-221 3691; Belgium, Prat 827, piso 12, T032-221 3494; Bolivia, Serrano 579, T032-225 9906; Brazil, Blanco 951, piso 2, T032-221 7856; Denmark, Errázuriz 940, T032-226 8379; Ecuador, Blanco Encalada 1623, of 1740, T032-222 2167; Germany, Blanco 1215, of 1102, T032-225 6749; Norway, Freire 657, T032-225 2219; Panama, Blanco 1623, of 1103, T032-22 13592; Peru, Errázuriz 1178, of 71, T032-225 3403; Spain, Brasil 1589, piso 2, T032-221 4466; Sweden, Errázuriz 940, T032-225 0305; UK, Blanco 1199, piso 5, T/F032-221 3063.

Internet

There are dozens, scattered all over El Plan; in Cerro Alegre, on Templeman y Urriola.

Language schools

Escuela Español Interactivo, Elias 571, Cerro Carcel, http://www.interactive-spanish.cl; Natalislang, Plaza de la Justicia 45, piso 6, El Plan, T032-246 9936, http://www.natalislang.com.

Laundry

Las Heras 554, good and cheap.

Medical services

Hospital Van Buren, Colón y San Ignacio, El Plan, T032-220 4000, public hospital, for emergencies. Most private hospitals are in Viña del Mar.

Post office

North side of Pedro Montt, between San Ignacio and Bolívar. Also on Prat, east of the Plaza Sotomayor.

Telephone

There are cheap call centres all over the plan and a couple on cerros Alegre and Concepción.