Most compact
Cerro Concepción
Stairs and lanes
- HighlightsFischer, Piano stairs
- Way upConcepción lift
- PaceSlow and steep
Choose your stop
A street art tour in Valparaiso, wall by wall
Valparaiso Tour: Street Art, Funiculars & Port (6 pax)
★ 4.8 · 243 guest ratings
Map of 45 stops
Valparaíso and the coast, pin by pin
Pick a route and tap a pin or a stop: you get its note and a Google Maps link.
Painted steps rising from Urriola street into Cerro Concepción.
Google MapsSteps that carry the painted message about unity, at the edge of Cerro Alegre.
Google MapsA narrow stair beside the Fischer steps lettered with lines from a Calle 13 song.
Google MapsA narrow lane of murals with cafés and craft shops.
Google MapsStepped Templeman street, painted from bottom to top and home to the famous hippies line.
Google MapsSteps painted as piano keys in Pasaje Beethoven, beside the Lutheran church.
Google MapsUpper station of the Reina Victoria lift, with a wooden footbridge and street art all around.
Google MapsThe lift up to Cerro Bellavista, whose top exit leads to the Open Sky Museum.
Google MapsThe circuit of murals on Cerro Bellavista known as the Open Sky Museum.
Google MapsPlaza de los Poetas, a pause on the way between the murals and La Sebastiana.
Google MapsPablo Neruda's house museum, with views over the whole bay.
Google Maps
Chile's main international airport, west of central Santiago; official transport counters wait at the exit of Terminal 2.
Google MapsOne of the Santiago bus terminals with frequent departures for the coast.
Google MapsAnother Santiago terminal the tourism board names for Valparaíso buses, beside the coastal highway.
Google MapsThe first of the two trunk toll plazas on Route 68, where cars pay the posted toll.
Google MapsWine and olive oil country on the way west; the day tour stops in this valley for a tasting.
Google MapsThe second trunk toll plaza and tunnel, on the climb out of the Curacaví valley.
Google MapsThe town at the heart of the Casablanca wine valley, roughly midway along the highway.
Google MapsValparaíso's intercity bus terminal, across from the Congress building.
Google MapsThe western end of the Limache-Puerto train, a short walk from Plaza Sotomayor.
Google MapsThe Viña del Mar stop on the same line, for the beaches and the Flower Clock.
Google Maps
Lower station of the Concepción lift on Calle Prat, the oldest in the city.
Google MapsLower station of the Reina Victoria lift on Calle Elías, below Paseo Dimalow.
Google MapsLower station of the El Peral lift on Plaza de la Justicia, the classic way up to Paseo Yugoslavo.
Google MapsThe second-oldest lift in the city, in the old port quarter.
Google MapsThe lift that climbs a side ravine, the only one with no sea view.
Google MapsThe lift up to Cerro Bellavista, whose top exit leads to the Open Sky Museum.
Google MapsThe first lift with an electric motor, from Avenida España up to a viewpoint.
Google MapsThe only vertical lift, reached through a tunnel; temporarily closed.
Google MapsThe longest-running ride up to Paseo 21 de Mayo; temporarily closed.
Google Maps
The civic square of the port, with the monument to the heroes of Iquique.
Google MapsThe pier for the short boat rides around the bay.
Google MapsLower station of the El Peral lift on Plaza de la Justicia, the classic way up to Paseo Yugoslavo.
Google MapsThe Fine Arts Museum in a palace on Paseo Yugoslavo.
Google MapsA narrow lane of murals with cafés and craft shops.
Google MapsPainted steps rising from Urriola street into Cerro Concepción.
Google MapsUpper station of the Reina Victoria lift, with a wooden footbridge and street art all around.
Google MapsSteps painted as piano keys in Pasaje Beethoven, beside the Lutheran church.
Google MapsThe Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross, one of the landmarks of the European-built hills.
Google MapsA cobbled balcony of colorful 19th-century facades above the city.
Google MapsThe viewpoint at the top of the Concepción lift, busy on New Year's Eve.
Google MapsLower station of the Concepción lift on Calle Prat, the oldest in the city.
Google MapsA busy square in the flat city below Cerro Concepción, near the Reina Victoria lift.
Google Maps
Boutique hotels, restaurants and galleries along the funicular hill.
Google MapsThe neighboring hill of viewpoints, churches and guesthouses.
Google MapsMurals, Neruda's house and small hostels above the Plaza Victoria side of the city.
Google MapsViña del Mar's floral clock, a classic first stop in the Garden City.
Google MapsThe seaside castle on the rocks between Viña and Caleta Abarca.
Google MapsViña del Mar's busiest beach resort, with ceviche restaurants and nightlife.
Google MapsThe rocky headland at Concón, a stop on the day tour from Santiago.
Google MapsThe islet off Cachagua that protects colonies of Humboldt penguins.
Google MapsNeruda's house museum on the Poets' Coast, where he and Matilde Urrutia are buried.
Google MapsThe town at the heart of the Casablanca wine valley, roughly midway along the highway.
Google Maps
Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors
A street art tour in Valparaiso climbs painted stairs, threads narrow lanes and ends among murals made by famous Chilean painters. Here is where the famous walls are, who made them and how to see them.
Editorial team, valparaisotour.com · Updated November 11, 2026 · ~7 min read
Why the walls of this port are painted
Chile's tourism board says the murals have made Valparaíso the capital of street art in Chile, and the city's own tourism office goes further, calling it the Chilean capital of graffiti and a museum under the open sky.5,6 Walk any of the central hills and you will see why: stairs, doors, retaining walls and whole house fronts are covered in color, and new pieces appear every season.
The painting suits the place. Houses here are built up steep slopes, so their walls face the street at odd angles and every staircase becomes a long vertical canvas. Corrugated iron, a common building material on the hills, takes paint well and looks dull without it. Artists from Chile and abroad treat the whole city as a gallery that never closes, and residents often invite them to paint a wall.
Nothing here is permanent. The tourism board puts it plainly: artistic interventions in Valparaíso are born and die all the time.7 A mural you saw in a photo last year may now be covered by a new one, or faded by sun and sea air. That is part of the pleasure of a street art tour in Valparaiso, so expect surprises rather than a fixed list of works.
Walls to find
The famous pieces and where they are
| Piece | Hill | Street | Look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fischer stairs | Concepción | Urriola | Colored steps up to Gálvez3 |
| Calle 13 stairs | Concepción | Beside Fischer | Song lyrics on each step13 |
| Apolo stairs | Alegre edge | Urriola | A message about unity15 |
| Grandmother mural | Alegre | Almirante Montt | A huge face at a corner19 |
| Templeman stairs | Alegre | Templeman | The hippies line20 |
| Piano stairs | Concepción | Pasaje Beethoven | Keys by the Lutheran church17 |
| Open Sky Museum | Bellavista | Near Ferrari | Murals by famous painters4 |
Locations from the tourism board and the city's tourism office; murals change, so check the map pins on the day.7
Cerro Concepción: stairs that speak
The tourism board's own street art route starts at the Fischer stairs, which climb from Urriola street and join Gálvez Alley.3 Beside them a narrower stair carries the lyrics of the Calle 13 song Latinoamérica, one line per step.13 Gálvez itself is a lane of murals, with small shops selling coffee, ice cream and crafts, so it makes a natural first pause.14
Across Urriola, the Apolo stairs mark the edge of Cerro Alegre and carry the message Que la unidad sea tu prioridad, let unity be your priority.15 The city's tourism office credits it to the graffiti artists Maxi Zamora, Analía Hertz and Stefanya Murall.16 It is one of the clearest examples of how the walls here speak to the people who climb past them every day.
Higher up, the Piano stairs in Pasaje Beethoven sit beside the Lutheran church, each step painted as a piano key.17 Guillermo Rojas, known as Atonal, first painted them on 11 November 2011.12 The tourism board suggests coming early in the day, because by afternoon groups queue to photograph each other walking down the keys.18
Walls through time
How the city became a gallery
1969
Open Sky Museum born
A project to brighten the city on Cerro Bellavista.8
Early 1990s
The masters return
Matta, Antúnez, Bru and Martner join the revival.9
1992
Murals dated
The tourism board dates the hillside murals here.10
2003
World Heritage
UNESCO lists the historic port.11
2011
Piano stairs painted
Atonal paints the keys in Pasaje Beethoven.12
Cerro Alegre: the grandmother and the happy hippies
On Almirante Montt street, Cerro Alegre's best-known mural shows a grandmother watching the city from the corner of a house, painted by the French duo Ella & Pitr.19 She is huge, gentle and a little sad, and she looks out over the rooftops as if keeping an eye on everyone below. Look up as you climb the street, or you will walk right past her.
Templeman street is less a street than a long run of stairs, climbing several blocks through Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre to Plazuela San Luis.23 Its steps carry the famous line We are not hippies, we are happies, painted by an art collective based in the United Kingdom.20 Expect to wait your turn for a photo here.
Beyond these headline pieces, the city's tourism office lists murals and works along Templeman, Bavestrello, San Enrique and Almirante Montt, and every one of those streets rewards a slow walk.24 Turn into side passages, look behind gates and up at gables, and you will find small paste-ups, stencils and tiled numbers that never make the guidebooks but give the hill its character.
Plan your walls
How should you see the street art?
Pick by time and how much story you want.
If I am short on time and want the icons
Concepción stairs on your own
Fischer, Gálvez and the Piano stairs sit close together.3,17
If I want to know who painted what
A guided street art walk
Local guides explain the meaning and history of each mural.21
If I love classic Chilean painting
The Open Sky Museum
Matta and Antúnez are among its painters.9
If I want art and Neruda together
Bellavista by the Espíritu Santo lift
Its exit leads to the murals, with La Sebastiana uphill.22
Hill by hill
Which hill for which kind of art
Grandmother mural
Cerro Alegre
Big murals
- HighlightsAlmirante Montt, Templeman
- Way upEl Peral lift
- PaceCafés between walls
Famous painters
Cerro Bellavista
Open Sky Museum
- HighlightsOpen Sky Museum
- Way upEspíritu Santo lift
- NearbyLa Sebastiana
The Open Sky Museum on Cerro Bellavista
Cerro Bellavista holds a collection of a different kind. The city describes the Open Sky Museum as a circuit of murals that turned the neighborhood into a large open-air gallery.4 The project was born in 1969 with a mission to brighten the look of the city.8 It is a public gallery in the truest sense: there is no gate, no ticket and no closing time.
The project came back to life at the start of the 1990s, when dozens of artists joined in, Roberto Matta, Nemesio Antúnez, Roser Bru and María Martner among them.9 The tourism board describes the result as a collection of 20 murals dating back to 1992, painted along the hillside.10 These are works by some of the biggest names in Chilean art, painted straight onto homes.
The easiest way up is the Espíritu Santo lift from Calle Aldunate, whose top exit leads to the museum.22 From there, follow Ferrari street uphill: the Santa Lucía stairs show Valparaíso landscapes in mosaic, and the stairs around Plaza de los Poetas carry mosaics and sculptures in tribute to Pablo Neruda, whose house stands just above.59,60
Prefer a guide?
Price a street art walk for your group
Compare guided walks through the painted hills.
Compare 3 alternatives
Price a street art walk for your group
Compare guided walks through the painted hills.
- Street art and lifts2 hours · per person, from $46
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View - Open sky gallery walk3 hours · per person, from $40
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View - Must-see sights walk3 hours · per person, from $31
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View
All amounts are from-prices on GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. Exact prices are shown at booking.
Taking photos with respect
Most murals sit on the walls of homes, and people live behind them. Photograph from the street, keep doorways clear and do not climb on steps, railings or roofs for a better angle. If someone is sitting on their own stairs, ask before you include them in a picture or simply wait. A smile and a greeting go a long way on the hills.
Light changes everything. Morning sun lights the walls that face the bay, while late afternoon warms the colors on the higher streets. The tourism board's tip about coming early to the Piano stairs applies to the other famous staircases too, as tour groups arrive later in the day.18 On a gray coastal morning the colors look softer, which suits close-up shots of details.
Keep your phone in your hand only while you shoot, and keep bags closed. The tourism board reminds visitors that Valparaíso is a city to walk but to stay aware of belongings, which matters most in busy photo spots.58 Wear shoes with grip: the stairs are steep, worn and sometimes wet from sea mist, and you will climb many of them.
Video
Valparaíso and its street art
Sondreskjelvik on YouTube · Video data is requested only when you tap play.
Its beautiful murals have made Valparaíso the indisputable capital of street art in Chile.
Ready to walk
Street art walk checklist
Bring3
On the hills3
With a guide or on your own
A graffiti tour in Valparaiso with a guide adds names, meanings and the stories of the crews behind the work. The city's tourism office notes that guided street art routes led by local artists explain the meaning and history behind each mural.21 It is the quickest way to learn the difference between a commissioned mural and a tag, and why some walls change every month.
A well-reviewed guided walk lasts 2 hours, starts beside the 2 cannons of Muelle Prat and passes El Peral, Paseo Yugoslavo, Pasaje Gálvez, Paseo Gervasoni and the Piano stairs, from $46. Another 3-hour small-group walk adds a lift ride and the open sky gallery, limited to 10 people, from $40.
On your own, the pins above mark the main stairs and lanes, and seeing them costs nothing: the tourism board points out that the street art of these hills is free.2 A good loop is Fischer, Gálvez, the Apolo stairs, Templeman, the Piano stairs and Paseo Dimalow, then a ride to Cerro Bellavista for the Open Sky Museum and La Sebastiana.
Riding between the galleries
The hills are steep, and the funiculars turn a tiring climb into part of the show. Reina Victoria rises from Calle Elías and lets you out at Paseo Dimalow, where a wooden footbridge looks over the coast and murals wrap the houses around it.48,36 It is the most direct way from the flat city into the painted heart of Cerro Alegre.
El Peral, from Plaza de Justicia beside Plaza Sotomayor, lands you on Paseo Yugoslavo next to the fine arts palace, a short walk from the Apolo stairs and Almirante Montt.34 For Cerro Bellavista, the Espíritu Santo lift does the hard part of the climb in seconds and leaves you at the start of the Open Sky Museum.22
Have coins ready: card payment is often refused at the lifts, as the tourism board notes, with a fare of CLP 1,000 per ride for visitors from abroad.57,61 Any Valparaiso street art walking tour, guided or not, leans on these lifts. Ride up and walk down: the painted stairs are best seen as you descend, with the bay opening in front of you, and going downhill saves your legs for the next hill.
FAQ
Quick questions get quick answers.
Where is the best street art in Valparaíso?
Concepción, Alegre and Bellavista.
The tourism board names these hills as the epicenter of the city's street art, with the Open Sky Museum on Bellavista.1
Do I need to pay to see the murals?
No, they are on the street.
The tourism board notes that the street art in these neighborhoods can be seen for free.2
What is the Open Sky Museum?
Who painted the Piano stairs?
Guillermo Rojas, known as Atonal.
He first painted them on 11 November 2011, in Pasaje Beethoven beside the Lutheran church.12
What time of day suits photos of the stairs?
Early in the day.
The tourism board advises coming early, as groups queue for photos in the afternoon.18
How long does a guided street art walk take?
About 2 to 3 hours.
One well-reviewed walk lasts 2 hours; a small-group walk with the open sky gallery lasts 3 hours.
Sources
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Learn about street art in Santiago and Valparaiso: six unmissable stops ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Learn about street art in Santiago and Valparaiso: six unmissable stops ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Street Art Route in Valparaiso ↩
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Cerro Bellavista y Cerro Florida ↩
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- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Street Art Route in Valparaiso ↩
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- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Escalera Templeman ↩
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- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Espiritu Santo ↩
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- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · How to get around Chile
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- Ruta 68 a la costa (Route 68 concessionaire, Ministry of Public Works concession) · Tarifas 2026 Concesion Ruta 68 a la costa (toll table image on the tariffs page)
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Casablanca Valley
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Valparaiso Funicular Route: 2-Day Itinerary
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- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · How to get around Chile
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Plaza Sotomayor
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Paseos en Lancha Muelle Prat
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) El Peral ↩
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- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Paseo Dimalow ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Cerro Alegre and Concepcion
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Mirador paseo Atkinson
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Mirador paseo Gervasoni
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Concepcion
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Plaza de los Poetas
- Fundacion Pablo Neruda · Casa Museo La Sebastiana
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Cordillera
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) San Agustin
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Baron
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor Polanco
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Artilleria
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Ascensor (funicular) Reina Victoria ↩
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Cerro Alegre y Cerro Concepcion
- Valpoturistico, Tourism Department of the Municipality of Valparaiso · Cerro Bellavista y Cerro Florida
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · What to Do in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar: 7 Must-Sees
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · What to Do in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar: 7 Must-Sees
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Renaca
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Isla Negra
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Penguin Island
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Valparaiso Funicular Route: 2-Day Itinerary ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Valparaiso Funicular Route: 2-Day Itinerary ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Valparaiso Funicular Route: 2-Day Itinerary ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Street Art Route in Valparaiso ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · Street Art Route in Valparaiso ↩
- Sernatur, Chile Travel (official tourism site of Chile) · What to Do in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar: 7 Must-Sees ↩
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