Valparaiso feels like the quirky and cute little sister of grown up and dull Santiago. It’s not as clean, as efficient or as large as Santiago, but it surely makes up in charm and looks. I was wooed within the hour of the city and felt reminded of Porto and Guanajuato with the houses climbing hills and the staircases in the city.

Getting there

If you travel in Chile, plenty of busses will take you to Valparaiso.

For travellers coming in from Santiago, you need to go to metro station Pajaritos. The outbound busses (and the bus for the airport) depart at the South side of the station (inbound North side). Busses for Valparaiso leave frequently (every 15min or so). This is also where you should change if you travel to/from the airport.

You can visit Valparaiso on a layover in Santiago if you have at least 6h to spend (better 7h).

Getting around

Walking is fine. If you are on a tight schedule I would take a bus from the main bus station to Puerto and explore from there.

Notes

• If you want to have a bit of beach vacation, nearby Vina del Mar should be a nice
• Personally, I would skip Santiago and only do Valparaiso.
• If you are returning from Easter Island you can do this on a day trip and then take the next flight out of Santiago in the evening.