One day in Valpariso, Chile before our March 10th cruise to LA

[whitewings1]

We fly to Santiago after spending a few days in Rio. First night we stay at an airport hotel due to late arrival. On March 9th we want an early transfer to Valpariso area and will stay overnight. Want ideas of the best way to spend this very limited time. Thanks.

[skynight]

We fly to Santiago after spending a few days in Rio. First night we stay at an airport hotel due to late arrival. On March 9th we want an early transfer to Valpariso area and will stay overnight. Want ideas of the best way to spend this very limited time. Thanks.

 

Assume you are staying at a hotel in Valparaiso. The city is very hilly, but we like to walk. When we were there in March of this year we:

Took the funicular to the top of the hills

Had a pisco sour at a cafe overhanging a cliff with great views of the harbor

Walked around an outside market at the top of the hills (short walk from the Funicular)

Took a tour over to Vina del Mar a very beautiful resort town. It will be the end of the season so it should not be crowded on March 9.

Toured further north from Vina del Mar to the next town. Had lunch at a wonderful fish restaurant right on the water. This coastal area is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. If you can make contact with a private tour guide to take you around the cost would be worth it. We had a friend who lives there take us around.

You will need a little local currency. We bought US$25 worth. I guess you can get it at the airport. They don't accept US $. They do take credit cards. The drive from Santiago to Val. is about 2 hours.

[Bowie MeMe]

I would recommend Chris from Chileanjourney dot cl. He and his driver took us on a great tour of Valpo with the wonderful old elevators (so cool to look down on your ship!!! from the craft market at the top level). We also enjoyed the beautiful drive to Vin del Mar and lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beautiful water. We wanted to go to Easter Island but it didn't happen so Chris suggested going through the Chilean Museum of Ancient Cultures (that's not the right name but it is the Museum with the head out front :). Valpo is really beautiful and we enjoyed it. We also went up to the ski area and could have gone to a winery but that does not interest us. I would stay in Valpo rather than Santiago.

[HDS]

In March 2012 we debarked Silversea Explorer at 9am, suitcases laden with Antactic gear and had time to kill before we embarked Celbrity Infinity at the other end of the dock late afternoon the same day.

Months earlier we had (email) arranged a car, driver and guide through Christian the Van Man. My priorities were specific: safe storage for our luggage, unlimited time at Pablo Neruda's house, a funicular, ATM, personal shopping at a supermarket, lunch, an introduction to the rest of Valparaiso and return to the dock for two non-Spanish speakers. I confirmed (email) two days before and received reply. It cost about $150 for two, pay driver cash at the end. Lunch extra.

With two cruise ships in harbour, Christian's services were over stretched. At pick-up our driver, who had no English, found a translator to assure us that an English speaking guide would join us ASAP, meanwhile the driver would take us to the funicular and markets. An English speaker from Christian's office rang the car’s mobile to reassure us and the rather nervous driver.

Our short notice guide met us mid morning. She had resigned her job as an English teacher and we were her first venture as a guide. She was more petrified than nervous, keen to draft us to Vina del Mar where she lived but our driver made our program clear (NO Vina del Mar). She translated his extensive knowledge of Valparaiso. I hope she has since read a tourist guide to Valparaiso and learnt a little about the city.

In summary, our driver was excellent and handled a potentially bad situation well. Our guide was inexperienced. We achieved all our objectives: luggage was safe in the trunk, Nerudas’s house delightful, views from hilltops spectacular, funicular operating, seafood lunch super, pesos, wine and toothpaste found at the supermarket. The terrace houses are quaint and the drive through the windy narrow streets showed the skills of our driver.

Don't have the firm’s contacts on this computer, it's Christianmontenegro@............ Suggest googling Christian the Van Man or a search on this board where he has many fans and one determined critic whom he failed to collect.

One note of caution, people we met later on Infinity had been warned about exploring Valparaiso on their own by the host at their small hotel. Other hotel guests had been robbed in the street. There are definite tourist no-go areas.

[1982CruzStart]

We used Juan Carlos Gonzalez for a tour and transfer to Valparaiso in late March this year. He picked us up at the airport (but can as easily do a hotel pickup in Santiago), stopped at a couple of wineries on our way and he dropped us at our hotel in Val. He picked us up the next morning and we did a wonderful walking tour of Val and then a driving tour around the area including Vina del Mar, a stop at a local restaurant for lunch and drop off at our ship. If you are into wine I suggest you stop at one or two wineries. He will set up a tour to suit your wants and needs.

He was great and we had a wonderful pre-cruise tour. I highly recommend him. He can be contacted at jcgonzalez65@hotmail dot com.

Enjoy your trip. :D

[whitewings1]

Thank you for the suggestions.

We were thinking of leaving Santiago early in the morning, about 8am, so we could have a full day in the Valpariso area. If we do that we will not be able to visit any wineries en route, as it would be too early. I expect we could ask the driver to drop us off at the hotel and then take us to a couple of wineries and have lunch Are there many wineries nearby to Valpariso?

[1982CruzStart]

Thank you for the suggestions.

We were thinking of leaving Santiago early in the morning, about 8am, so we could have a full day in the Valpariso area. If we do that we will not be able to visit any wineries en route, as it would be too early. I expect we could ask the driver to drop us off at the hotel and then take us to a couple of wineries and have lunch Are there many wineries nearby to Valpariso?

 

The trip is only 2 hours and i am trying to remember how long it took us to get to Valparaiso after the winery stops. Seems to me we were over half way there when we stopped for lunch and the wine tasting. Once i posted i realized you said you wanted to leave early so winery stops might not be possible because of the time though your suggestion might just work. We really enjoy wine tastings so i would take a winery stop over a tour of Vina Del Mar as it is really just a modern city. A drive along the ocean to see the beach area and past the Easter Island head would have been enough for me. Don't miss a walking tour of Valparaiso.

I recommend contacting Juan Carlos and see what he can do for you. We paid cash on the day, no deposit required ahead of time. He is much more than just a driver, a great tour guide.

[houtbay]

Thank you for the suggestions.

We were thinking of leaving Santiago early in the morning, about 8am, so we could have a full day in the Valpariso area. If we do that we will not be able to visit any wineries en route, as it would be too early. I expect we could ask the driver to drop us off at the hotel and then take us to a couple of wineries and have lunch Are there many wineries nearby to Valpariso?

 

With only one day to see Valparaiso I suggest you head there direct. There is so much to see and enjoy. One day is almost too little time.

[whitewings1]

Yes, we are thinking it's best to get to Valpariso as early as possible and spend the day there - Looks so interesting. Since we live in California we really don't need to do wineries en route as they wouldn't be much different to Central Valley or Napa. We now need to decide if we should do the Tour for Tips around Valpo which is walking, or if we should have a driven tour.

Thanks for all the responses.