Valparaíso street art and funicular tour UNESCO heritage

Funiculars, murals, and the layered history of a working port city

This guided tour of Valparaíso covers the city's UNESCO heritage neighborhoods—Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre—using two historic funiculars to climb the hills where you'll see street art, colonial architecture, and viewpoints over the port. The guide explains the Spanish, English, German, French and Croatian heritage woven into the streets, and entrance fees to the lifts plus artisanal alfajores are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Valparaíso's history and culture

• View port dynamics
• Learn history at Sotomayor Square
• See Chilean Navy building
• Discover history of elevators
• Access Yugoslav Walk
• View Baburizza Palace exterior
• Learn history of Cruise House
• Enjoy murals, stairs, and street music
• Explore Paseo-Mirador Gervasoni and Lukas Museum
• Learn about Cerro and Elevator Concepción
• View old English houses in UNESCO zone
• Learn history of Atkinson Promenade
• See Lutheran Church history
• Explore German School, Anglican Church, and Paseo Pierre Lotti
• View Cerro Alegre's cafes and restaurants
• Visit Templeman Staircase
• Enjoy graffiti, restaurants, galleries, and bars
• Visit Queen Victoria Elevator and learn history

The Experience

The tour starts at Plaza Sotomayor, where the guide walks you through the port dynamics and the history of the buildings anchoring the square, including the Chilean Navy headquarters. From there you'll ride the El Peral funicular up the hillside—one of Valparaíso's original elevators—and learn how these cable cars became essential to the city's layout. The Yugoslav Walk follows, then an exterior view of the Baburizza Palace and the story of the Cruise House that shaped the neighborhood.

On Cerro Concepción, the second hill, you'll see the English residents' colonial houses that earned the zone its UNESCO designation, walk the Atkinson Promenade, and visit the Templeman Staircase. The Concepción funicular carries you back down—another piece of the city's 19th-century infrastructure. Between the two hills, Paseo Gervasoni opens onto murals, painted stairs, art galleries and street musicians; the guide explains the Lukas Museum and the viewpoint's role in the neighborhood. You'll also pass the German School, the Anglican Church and the Lutheran Church, each marking a different wave of settlement.

Cerro Alegre, the third neighborhood, fills with cafés, ice cream parlors, restaurants, galleries, bars and craft shops. The tour ends with the Queen Victoria elevator and time to explore the graffiti, food and artisan options on your own. Artisanal alfajores come with the tour, and the guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese or French depending on your group.

What’s included

• Entrance to the Concepción and El Peral funiculars.
• artisanal alfajores.
• a live guide in your choice of English, Spanish, Portuguese or French.
• stops at Plaza Sotomayor, the Baburizza Palace, Paseo Gervasoni, the Templeman Staircase and viewpoints over the port and neighborhoods.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Still Travelling

Is this one for you?Book the shared tour if you're traveling alone or want to meet other visitors exploring the city; choose the private tour if your group wants the guide's full attention and the flexibility to linger at any stop without keeping others waiting.

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Top questions

What are the funiculars in Valparaíso and why do we ride them on this tour?

The Concepción and El Peral funiculars are historic cable-car elevators built in the 19th century to carry residents up the steep hillsides. You ride both as part of the tour to reach the neighborhoods and to learn how they became central to how the city grew vertically.

Which neighborhoods does the tour visit and what makes them UNESCO heritage sites?

The tour covers Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre, where colonial-era houses built by English, German, French and Croatian residents remain intact. These neighborhoods were declared UNESCO heritage zones because the architecture and street layout preserve the city's multicultural history from the 19th century onward.

What's included in the tour price?

Entrance fees to both funiculars and artisanal alfajores are included. The guide is also included; you choose English, Spanish, Portuguese or French when you book.

How long does the tour take and what's the pace like?

The tour runs two hours and is suitable for all fitness levels. You'll walk the neighborhoods and ride the funiculars, with stops at viewpoints and landmarks where the guide explains the history and architecture.

Can I book this as a private tour or does it run in a group?

You can choose between a shared tour with other travelers or a private tour for your group when you book. Both follow the same route and include the same stops.