Chile

Santiago, Valparaiso, Vina Del Mar

Santiago, Chile

Day Activities

Free Walking Tour

I recommend doing this first, it will give you a taste of what is around and get you oriented to the city. After this you can choose what you want to do.

Tours leave everyday at 10 am or 3 pm. No advance booking is needed.

The tour lasts ~4 hours (not including time there and back)

Tour guides work for tips, they suggest $5.000 ($10 USD), I think that's a little high, I usually give $3.000 ($6)

Meeting point for tours are in front of the Cathedral of Santiago (metro station Plaza de Armas, line 5. Just look for our guides wearning red FREE TOUR T-shirt.

http://freetoursantiago.cl/portada.html

Santa Lucia

Light hike in the center of the city, has a great look out point at the top. You can find it on a map, its walking distance from Bellas Artes metro stop or you can get on the metro and get out at Santa Lucia stop. Here is the link. Total, at a relaxed pace, would take 1-2 hours.

San Cristobal Hill

This is another well known hike. It is about 4 hours I believe. I have never done it. If we are hiking the rest of the trip I would skip this one, but it is a great view. Here is the link. I heard at the top they even conduct mass at the top of the hill outside, which sounds amazing.

Food

The food here is not fantastic for Latin America in my opinion. Speaking to one of the locals he described it to be as ‘unrefined’. There are some

…But if you are in Santiago, Chile I would try ‘The Clinic’ which is a great bar right next to the two hostels with pretty good food. The drink you want to try is the ‘Terremotto’. It means earthquake. 2-3 of those and you are done. They are made with wine, liquor, and pineapple ice cream.

Tiramisu is another well known spot that I have not been to yet, but is supposed to have good pizza. If you are on a budget you can buy stuff at the ‘Lider’ (grocery store) around the corner from the hostel and they have a full kitchen in the basement. There is also a sandwich place when you exit the Andes Hostel and make a right upon exiting and an immediate right on the next street at the end of the block (corner of Merced and Mosqueto). There is a bakery named Melinka on that same street that is really good as well.

Valparaiso/Vina Del Mar (not in Santiago)

These are two small cities right next to one another. You can go to either one, but if you are going for a day, you should pick one. Valparaiso is more artsy, Vina is more about the beach. If you stay a night you can do both, see a tour of Valparaiso one day and beach of Vina the other.

Take the metro to the “Universidad de Santiago” stop. Immediately when you get out you will be in or next to the bus station. You go to the “Pullman” or “Turbus” counters and ask for a bus ticket toValparaiso or Vina del Mar. The tickets are cheaper round trip. Cost is about $1.900-5.500 pesos each way ($4-11 USD), 5.500 at high season. I would book a round trip ticket. You choose the date, time, and seat. You can choose to leave the return ticket ‘open’, ‘abierto’ and take the return ticket to the window and just reserve it when you return. The benefits of doing that are being open to things ‘coming up’ as there are a number of buses, the negative is on busy weekends you may have to wait a while to get an out going bus.

Valparaiso

A little town built on the hill. It used to be the main port of Chile, and still transfers cargo, but is not as busy. Its known for its street art/graffiti. Its a little dirty from all the local dogs, but I like the feel of the town and if you stay a night I would stay in a hostel here. Its more low key and artsy than a party central. Once you get out of the bus station there are little buses that go past that you can take for 400 pesos to the central area of Valparaiso. I would get on one of those and ask if they go to ‘Plaza Anibal Pinto’. Make sure you ask them where to get out.

One of the best restaurants is ‘Pasta e Vino’ (a little pricy, but great). A great hostel that has a light breakfast and is very clean is La Colombina. There are many hostels, but the owner is nice, its small, has breakfast, and takes credit cards. Only issue is that it is a little cold and its not a large hostel so its not very social.

If you are looking for a cheap and good place to eat there is a little restaurant called ‘Mi Casa’ (25 Cumming, Valparaíso, Valparaíso Region, Chile) that has a green sign that you can see from the statue in Plaza Anibal Pinto. I have not been there, but I heard the lunch deal is great. Flat fee for food, side, and a drink.

I would take the walking tour before you do anything else. Same deal as before.

Tour starts everyday from 10 am or 3 pm

No advance booking is needed.

Tour is ~3 hours

Meeting Point:

Plaza Anibal Pinto. Just look for our guides wearing red FREE TOUR T-shirt

http://www.freetourvalparaiso.cl/portada.html

From Plaza Anibal Pinto you can also take the bus for 400-600 pesos to Vina Del Mar. It is a 20 minute bus ride away.

Another site here is the house of Pablo Neruda. You need to take a taxi there and back (negotiate before hand, should only be 1.500 pesos ($3) each way). There is an extrance fee. Its all the way up the hill. He is a famous poet, among other things.

Vina Del Mar

This is the more wealthy town in the area and as you move up north the towns are beautiful but the area is more expensive and gets nicer as you go north toward Renaca. You go here to eat seafood, relax on the beach, see the dunes (a bus ride further up), go out (I have not gone out here) and potentially see animals (I walked the coast slightly north of Vina Del Mar and saw seals and a pinguin. Really cool.).

If you take the bus here from Valparaiso you should get off near the circle of grass that says “Vina del Mar” near the Sheraton Hotel (Armada de Chile 15, Viña del Mar 2520000, Viña del Mar, Chile). Its right at the point where the bus turns in-land instead of following the coast.

If you take the bus from Santiago directly here you will be in town that is walking distance (10-15 minutes) from the coast area and the circle of grass that says “Vina del Mar” near the Sheraton. Once you walk to the circle there is a bus stop right near there where the buses continue to drive up the coast towards Renaca. You can take one of these buses up the coast and get out at one of the beaches. You can also take it all the way to the ‘sand dunes’. I have not been to the sand dunes, but I have heard they are cool. Ask the buses where they are going. The one that hugs the coast will take you to the beach (I believe to Renaca) and the one to the Sand dunes has a different destination, but you catch both from the grass circle. It coasts about 400-600 pesos to go up the coast on the bus. There are buses driving back all the time.

Just remember if you took a bus from Valparaiso and want to go to the beach north of Vina Del Mar you have to get out at the grass circle and take a different bus up the coast.

There is a cafe called Le Bistrot Merci (Quinta 11, 2571503, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso,Valparaíso, Chile) that is supposed to be really good as well. I did an event there, but never ate there.

Hostels

Andes-Hostel

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Andes-Hostel/Santiago/16290

I always stay here, its pretty good and very social, they take credit cards, its central, and they have breakfast. This hostel has a bunch of tourist information and social events.

La-Casona-Hostel

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/La-Casona-Hostel/Santiago/78074

Around the corner is this one, I don’t know if they include the same amenities, but they have a mixed dorm for ~$20 USD and the hostel is cleaner and newer

They are both central and around the corner from each other. They are in a safe place and you get off at the Bellas Artes metro stop.

If you don’t like any of those check out http://www.hostelworld.com/, there are alot of hostels to choose from. Don’t book just yet, I am going to ask some of my friends as it gets closer.

Travel from Airport to Chile

There are two options, one is cheaper, but requires a little more work ☺

(1) TransVip (cost = ~6.200 Pesos, $12-13 USD)

There is a little counter on the right after you go through customs, after the money exchange (look for the “TransVip” logo. You can purchase the ticket there with your credit card. They give you a slip and you exit the airport and go to door 4 I believe, the “transvip” people are there and they will put you in a car to be dropped off at your destination.

(2) Centropuerto (cost = ~2.200 Pesos, $4-5 USD)

Exit the airport (though customs, past the money exchange, Transvip, all the taxis trying to give you a ride). Walk to the right when exiting (Transvip and shared vans will be in front of you or to the right) and look for a coach bus that is blue and says “Centropuerto” in yellow letters on the side. You can buy a ticket when boarding, its ~$1.500 ($3 USD) for one-way (ida) and ~$2.600 ($5 USD) for round trip. I usually get a round trip and keep it in my wallet for my return. (You have to pay in Chilean pesos).

The bus has a number of stops. You can get off at “Pajaritos” (which is one of the first stops) or “Los Heroes”. Either one you can get off and get on the metro. When you get on the metro you have to go to the teller (or the automated machine) and get a “Bip” card (its the equivalent of a ‘Charlie’ card in Boston or ‘Metro’ card in NYC). You pay for the card and charge it. I would put about $2.000-3.000 pesos ($4-6 USD) on it as it is between 600-700 pesos per ride. You use this card over and over. The tellers and machines only take cash.

(3) Taxi, don’t do that, they rip you off, cost = 15.000-16.000 pesos ~$30 USD (if they rip you off its $40 USD)

Be careful when you ask for prices because you ask and they say “quince” or “15", they mean “15.000", not “15". They also call “1.000 chilean pesos” a “luca”, so they may say “quince luca”