Valparaiso is a colorful city in every sense of the word. Of all the countries and cities I’ve visited, it is truly the most unique. Most noteworthy is Valparaiso’s graffiti.
Now, I’ll be honest…
Valparaiso isn’t necessarily glamorous. Trash often lines the streets, stray dogs roam the city and become your companion, and protests involving tear gas aren’t necessarily an infrequent occurrence.
But that’s exactly what makes Valparaiso memorable and one-of-a-kind. A trip to Valparaiso is one you’ll never forget.
Part of what makes this city so beautiful and inspiring is the art that always surrounds you, specifically the graffiti.
I’ve never seen so much graffiti in one place. I’ve also never seen such high-quality graffiti before.
To give you a taste of what it’s like, here are enough photos to do a little virtual tour of the street art. But keep in mind, this is hardly a fraction of the graffiti in Valparaiso. It’s seriously EVERYWHERE!
To get the full experience, you’ll of course have to go see it for yourself, and I absolutely recommend adding Chile to your travel bucket list. Maybe these photos with a few of my favorite pieces will help convince you to go!
If you are planning a trip to Valparaiso and want to see this graffiti, my best tip is to explore the city and see what you find. A lot of the best street art is hidden all over town and it can be hard to track down specific ones.
So, don’t be afraid to get lost in the hills of Valparaiso and leave it to chance what you end up discovering! Just be sure to be mindful of your belongings because Valparaiso is known for pick-pockets. So try to avoid keeping any electronics or valuables in sight.
If you want to see my ultimate Chile travel guide full of tips from locals, check it out here! I always like to know what locals recommend and where they like to go, so I’ve included all that good stuff in my guide.
One last tip about Chile: as much as I love the people there, Chileans can be super hard to understand! Their Spanish is almost like a language of its own. They’ve even made entire dictionaries containing “Chilenismos” (all of their made up slang). If you want to learn the most important words and phrases, check out my post about Chilean Spanish here. Or consider buying a Chilenismos dictionary like this one.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of the graffiti! Have you ever seen anything like it?