Valparaiso and Viña del Mar: street art and beach

I made it to Valparaiso early the next morning. I was excited for this stop as I'd heard great things about this city. When I found my hostel, I was greeted by a hostel guest that I'd apparently woken up (sorry!) as the staff member on duty had popped out! I spent the morning pottering around the city, getting lost in all the little lanes and stair wells just taking it in before heading to the square for the afternoon Tours 4 Tips walking tour.

I think this was my favourite walking tour I've done. They cover both historical significance of Valparaiso and the more contemporary street art scene. We heard about different artists, symbols in their work, we even met one of the artists, the art really makes the city special. It's such an integral part of the city that artists move there for the art and opportunities there.

We were told about the Terremoto drink, a white wine based concoction, with additional grenadine and pineapple ice cream for extra sweetness. Terremoto means earthquake in Spanish, and it is named that way because people apparently walk like there's an earthquake happening, after they've drunk it. I can neither confirm nor deny the truth in that...

I made the mistake of staying only one night in Valparaiso and had booked a night in Viña del Mar, the seaside city which is really only half an hour away. If I did it over again, I would stay in Valpo and commute to Viña for the beach. It's not that Viña isn't nice, it is, but it's also a city built as a holiday beach destination, so it lacks the charm that fills Valparaiso. The beaches were lovely though.