3 Days in Valparaíso Itinerary: UNESCO Hills, Neruda, Viña del Mar & Casablanca

Three days in Valparaíso give you time to explore the painted alleys and funiculars of the UNESCO hills at an unhurried pace, step inside Pablo Neruda's hillside home, experience the working port, and ride the coastal train to Viña del Mar and the Concón sand dunes or taste cool-climate wines in the Casablanca Valley.

Day 1: Plaza Sotomayor, Harbour Cruise, Cerro Alegre & Cerro Concepción

• 09:30, Plaza Sotomayor & Muelle Prat Harbour Boat Tour: Begin on Plaza Sotomayor in front of the 1910 Chilean Navy headquarters and the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique. Walk to Muelle Prat and board a traditional wooden lancha for a 30-minute harbour cruise past naval frigates, container ships, and sea lions, viewing the full amphitheatre of forty-two hills from the water.
• 11:15, Ascensor El Peral, Paseo Yugoslavo & Palacio Baburizza: Ride the 1902 Ascensor El Peral up to Paseo Yugoslavo on Cerro Alegre and tour the 1916 Art Nouveau Palacio Baburizza (Fine Arts Museum).
• 13:30, Cerro Concepción Balconies, Churches & Street Art Walk: After a hillside seafood lunch, follow Pasaje Bavestrello, Calle Templeman, the 1858 Saint Paul's Anglican Church, Paseo Atkinson, the Piano Staircase (Pasaje Beethoven), Paseo Gervasoni, and mural-lined Pasaje Gálvez, descending on the 1883 Ascensor Concepción or 1902 Ascensor Reina Victoria.

Day 2: Mercado El Cardonal, Cerro Bellavista, La Sebastiana & Cerro Artillería

• 09:30, 1952 Pullman Trolleybus & Mercado El Cardonal (1912): Board a vintage green-and-cream Trolebús along Avenida Pedro Montt to the two-storey 1912 Mercado El Cardonal.
• 11:00, Museo a Cielo Abierto & Pablo Neruda's La Sebastiana: Ride the 1911 Ascensor Espíritu Santo to Cerro Bellavista to walk the twenty open-air murals of the Museo a Cielo Abierto, then continue uphill to Cerro Florida to tour La Sebastiana with its audio guide.
• 15:30, Cerro Artillería, Paseo 21 de Mayo & Evening Chorrillana: Head to the western end of the bay and take the 1893 Ascensor Artillería up to Paseo 21 de Mayo and the Museo Marítimo Nacional for the widest view of the harbour, finishing the evening sharing a classic chorrillana porteña at J. Cruz M.

Day 3 Morning: EFE Coastal Train to Viña del Mar & Museo Fonck

Board the EFE Tren Limache-Puerto at Estación Puerto for a 15-minute coastal ride to Viña del Mar. Photograph the 1962 Reloj de Flores, walk across the glass bridge of the 1906 Castillo Wulff above the crashing waves, and visit Museo Fonck to stand face to face with an authentic basalt Moai statue from Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

Day 3 Afternoon: Dunas de Concón Sunset or Casablanca Wine Route

Continue north along the rocky coast to eat fresh seafood empanadas in Concón and watch sunset from the Dunas de Concón, or spend the afternoon tasting Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the Casablanca Valley on your way back toward Santiago.