Valparaiso

Valparaiso - darkometer rating : 1 - A port city in central Chile , that is also the main base of the country's navy. As such it shares part of the dark history of the Pinochet dictatorship years. Furthermore, there are various "haunted houses" and morbid stories of murderers to keep the dark-minded visitor entertained. Apart from that Valparaiso is also arguably Chile's prettiest city, well worth a detour. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: Valparaiso's most distinctive feature may be the retro funiculars ('ascensores') that connect so many hilltop neighbourhoods with the lower-lying parts of town, but for the dark tourist the hill that is most significant is one of those without such an amenity, so one has to walk up, namely up Cerro Carcel , or 'prison mount'. En route you'll find that Valparaiso is a city of the most elaborate graffiti art – just keep your eyes open. Many the graffiti murals are truly amazing. You don't get that level of graffiti quality any more in Europe or the US . As the name suggests, on top of Cerro Carcel towers Valparaiso's old prison – and this could have been a prime dark tourism attraction, but unfortunately this chance has been squandered. The former prison, which was also used to incarcerate political prisoners during the Pinochet dictatorship, had been closed in 1999 and become a grass-roots cultural centre, called Parque Cultural Ex-Carcel. Former cells were used as workshops, graffiti brightened up the walls, concerts were held, and former inmates conducted guided tours of the complex. In 2008, the government closed the complex and subsequently proceeded to turn the place into a more "official" cultural centre.