Estimated walking time: Approximately 2 hours.
How to get here: You can walk up the Pasteur Stairway to Valparaíso Foundation headquarters. The stairway is located behind the Ripley Department Store in the Plaza Victoria. Otherwise, take the Espíritu Santo Funicular elevator or take a taxi from the Plazuela Ecuador to Foundation headquarters.
Degree of Difficulty: The most complicated spur of this section is the three block uphill climb from the Open Air Museum to Pablo Neruda’s museum home, La Sebastiana. Very steep.
Tourist Infrastructure: El Gato Tuerto, with its spectacular terrace, eclectic fusion cuisine, and boutique wine list, is one of the city’s finest restaurants. The Valparaíso Foundation also features a stained glass workshop, an arts and crafts store, and good bathrooms. You may be tired from the climb to La Sebastiana, but once you get there you’ll find more good bathrooms, and excellent gift shop, and a cute, tiny café.
Open Air Museum 
Between Ferrari and Pateur Streets you will find more than twenty contemporary murals, come by art students, and others by the most renowned painters Chile has produced in the 20th century. To complement the public art, the Valparaíso Foundation restored the facades of 23 homes in the neighborhood, converting this section of Bellavista Hill into one of the most photographed spectacles in the city. The trail will wend you by several of the mist interesting murals include those of Roberto Matta, Roser Bru, and Nemesio Antunez.
Espíritu Santo Elevator
One of the more dilapidated funiculars, the station house nonetheless opens up to show the Open Air Museum and the brightly painted houses restored by the Valparaíso Foundation, converting this spot into one of the most prettiest panoramas the city has to offer. The elevator was designed by Federico Page, who also built the Polanco Elevator, in 1904.
The restoration and painting of this neighborhood was undertaken by the Valparaíso Foundation with a grant from the World Monuments Fund. Twenty three families participated. Eighty eight design students from the University of Valparaíso competed to design the color schemes.
Statue of Christ the Redemptor
In front of Randolf and Bernardo Ramos there is a statue of Christ that towers over the city, sculpted by Eduardo Provoste in 1904. The other two figures represent Popes Leo XIII and Pius IX. From this point you will wind down a stairway, past the fantastic Nemesio Antunez mural, arriving finally at Ferrari Street.
Ferrari Street
This is considered Valparaíso’s steepest major street. Most cars climb in first gear. About half way up the street you will find the Santa Margarita stairway, and if you are adventurous, this makes a nice alternative route to La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda’s home.
La Sebastiana 
The Valparaíso home of Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda is Valparaíso’s most visited shrine. Neruda is considered the world’s most widely read poet since Shakespeare. Thousands of literary pilgrims flock here every year to visit the home that exemplified his love affair with Valparaíso. The Neruda Foundation hosts literary and cultural events, art exhibits, a cafeteria, and a fine gift shop. The plaza makes a wonderful place to rest and admire your arrival at the summit of Bellavista Hill.
Neruda loved Valparaíso. He purchased this house in 1961 and inaugurated it on Independence Day (September 18th). This would be the place where the bard hosted his famous parties for local eccentric and Chile’s cultural elite. The house feels like a series of tiny ships galleys, with tight stairways and lots of round ship windows. In his writing room you’ll find a life size photo of Neruda’s hero, Walt Withman, and a sink. Neruda always believed in washing his hands, as a purification ritual, before writing. The name Sebastiana refers to the architect Sebastián Collao, who edified several important homes in the neighborhood, including a red brick castle you can see from Neruda’s bedroom.
Plaza Mena to Prefecto Lazo Street
The route doubles back toward the Mena Square, and then heads down toward Prefecto Lazo Street. The name Mena evokes mixed emotions in this neighborhood. Nicholas Mena was a wealthy landowner who developed the upper part of Florida Hill in the mid to late 19th century. He installed irrigation systems that he used to operate a small brewery and ice factory on the hill. His efforts modernized this neighborhood, and for years, he was considered a respected patron. He even created a small reservoir, which he used to supply water to neighboring Yungay Hill.
Then in the winter of 1888, on August 11th, a flood overflowed the dike and the reservoir caved in. A huge wall of water swept down the ravine, killing 57 and injuring 300.
In an attempt to purge the evil memory of his father’s misfortune, Nicholas Mena’s only son, Marcelo, donated the family fortune to create medical treatment centers. The Mena Foundation operates in the old family estate, just above La Sebastiana, at the corner of Ferrari Street and Avenida Alemania.
Following Mena Street, we pass the house 504. In this house lived a famous author of soap operas, Arturo Moya Grau. He started his career as a radio show host in Valparaíso, but eventually transformed Chilean culture when he penned, “The Step Mother,” Chile’s first prime time soap opera. Finally, by cutting through the Julianita Stairway, we access Prefecto Lazo, in front of the Florida Funicular. This adorable street of brightly painted ginger bread homes stands out as a delightful surprise to unsuspecting urban tourists.
Florida Elevator
Built in 1906, this is one of Valparaíso’s most photographed funiculars, due to an exquisite pedestrian footbridge that crosses over the funicular path. Thousands of blossoming wildflowers accompany the short ride. If you don’t want to ride down, Murillo Street is an attractive alternative, offering great views and crossing over the previously mentioned footbridge.
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