Days in Buenos Aires and Santiago

[Almondtree]

We are booked for 2/15/08 on Celebrity so have plenty of time but just wondering if anyone has an insight on how many days one should plan to do in B.A. pre-cruise and Santiago post-cruise. Obviously one could stay for weeks in either but just as a sort of guideline to get a good flavor for each. I was thinking of 2-1/2 days in B.A. and one in Santiago but frankly I really have no clue.

Also, if anyone has any good guides to suggest in either city. NOt sure of my ports yet. I really need to study up.

 

Does anyone know how far the ship docks from the city in B.A.? I know it's kind of far in Santiago but don't know anything about B.A.

 

Thanks

[crazy4cruisn]

You are right in the city of Buenos Aires; Santiago is about 1 1/2 hours from Valparaiso. We had an excellent guide who met us at port in Buenos Aires. She was Anna who worked for Carlos www.privatetours.com.ar e-mail info@privatetours.com.ar. I wish we had had a longer time there but were docked for just a day. We had a complete city tour and a wonderful lunch in La Boca with tango show. We went one day early to Santiago. I think one day was long enough there unless you want to spend more time in Valparaiso. Also, we were very tired when we arrived and could really have used the day extra to revive! It was a wonderful trip and Buenos Aires was a favorite port!

[Almondtree]

Thanks for the information. It really helped. I will check out the tour guide information.

[dileep]

Make sure you take the ime to visit Iguazu Falls. Everything I know about the Celebrity cruise in in my cruise notes posted on this board in Feb 2006.

[Benita]

The dock in Buenos Aires is not far from the downtown area - depending on where you are staying, it is a quick and cheap cab ride. Save time for shopping - the dollar is very strong against the peso and the quality of leather goods is wonderful. Make sure you see a tango show. There are some excellent restaurants there - I can give some suggestions, if you like.

If you have time, a day trip to the Pampas, to see the gauchos is fun, as well as a boat ride on the Tigre Delta.

The area around the Ricoleta cemetary (where Evita is buried) has lots of atmosphere and great handicraft markets.

If you can, spend about three days there.

[SelectSys]

I would definately stay longer in BA as it is one of my favorite cities. Santiago is OK, but I would prefer to go the lake district for an extended stay.

[Marie-Claude]

We were on a SA cruise in February 07, and I would say that 3 days in Buenos Aires gives you enough time to do quite a bit - as per previous posters' recommendation, plan a tango show for one evening. The city has many neighborhoods that are worth seeing. Make sure to do it with a guide to get the most out of it. Reserve a bit of time for shopping. A day in the Pampas at a Gaucho Ranch is also fun. We appreciated seeing the country side and this interesting way of life.

 

As for Santiago, we spent the day of debarkation (flights are late at night) and from what I gather from talking to friends who stayed longer, this seemed enough for Santiago. However, we didn't see much of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. So if I had to do it again, I would spend the day of debarkation in the Valparaiso area, sleep there, and do the vineyards and city of Santiago the next day.

 

My two cents!!

MC

[terpla]

The way my schedule is working out is one day of rest after our flight in

Santiago the next day sightseeing and third day on to Valparaiso for a tour before we embark. Post cruise will be one night in Iguazu fall,1 full day in Buenos Aires to see the sights,and a guacho ranch and a second day to shop in the day and see a tango show at night and the 3rd. day to take our flight home. Do we need one more day in Buenos Aires or should this do it.

[jjmmcc]

I just came off a Santiago to Buenos Aries cruise so I was reversed of your plans. However, here is what happened to me.

 

We were scheduled to leave for Santiago via Dallas (doesn't matter where we were headed that day) on Feb 1. However, a freak snow storm hit Dallas and canceled all flights. We then attempted to fly through Miami but would have a 12 hour layover (it was super bowl weekend) and could not find any hotel rooms. We held fast and found a flight through LAX the next day, so spent the night in LA and lost a day in Santiago. But I'm sure happy we had a three day lead to our cruise.

 

My point is, flights can be canceled so it's better to have more days up front to cover a lost day.

 

As far as the two cities, I would spend more time in Buenos Aries. Whatever you do, see Igusazu Falls. It requires a plane trip to reach but it's worth the effort and price. (Our travel agent told us to get a visa for Brazil which we did not need.) I would do both the catwalk and the boat trip to see the falls and stay at the Sheraton which is the only hotel inside the part and all rooms have a spectacular view of the falls. It is in the middle of a rain forest, so be prepared for heat. Don't worry about the rain, you will get wet no matter what, so plan the boat trip for the day you arrive and the catwalk the next morning. We booked through our cruise line and they did an excellent job coordinating all the particulars. Plus they stored our luggage as we were only able to take a carry on and one piece of checked luggage. I'd recommend only a carryon and a swim suit and appropriate shoes.

 

I didn't have the right clothes (only a swim suit, but no shorts to wear or water proof shoes) and found the shops at the hotel (outside and lower level) to have just what I needed for a minimal cost. I wish I had some swimmer's goggles, so I could see through the mist under the falls.

 

Once back at Buenos Aries, we used the full two days left to explore and shop. Consider that you can get on the ship between 11 and 1, I wouldn't count the embarkation day as one of the days you have in Buenos Aries.

 

When you disembark at Valparaiso, you have a choice of Vina del Mar or Santiago. We met people that stayed at Vina del Mar and they said it was okay but not noteworthy. I felt the same way about Santiago. Personally, I could have missed it altogether and if I was doing this trip again I would go Buenos Aries to Santiago and head straight for the airport at disembarkation and put all my extra time and money up front in Buenos Aries.

 

One of the hard things is to know when to buy souvenirs. In Santiago, there was a cultural craft fair called Pueblito Las Dominicos that had many shops representing Chilean crafts from around the country. The prices and selections were quite good and I wish I had bought more there, as I did not find many places to equal their price and selection. Also, I passed on some nice alpaca items available in Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco, they only got more expensive the further south we went. Overall, I wasn't disappointed with the selections available in Buenos Aries but there were things I wish I bought earlier in the trip. I frankly was not impressed with any of the leather items available in either Chile or Argentina, but then we were in Italy and Spain just two summers ago.

 

Have a nice trip!

[Boopsie]

We just came back from Santiago and Buenos Aires. We spent 4 nights in Santiago at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Loved Santiago and the Ritz Carlton but 4 nights was too long. I would suggest 2 or 3 at most. We had a wonderful driver through the Ritz Carlton Hotel. He also works on his own. His name is Marcello and his email is: malosa66@gmail.com. He speaks good English and is a great driver and very knowledgeable. We spent more time in Buenos Aires and loved it. Our wonderful guides there were Claudio and Lorena--can't say enough good things about them. Email is: info@transfersinargentina.com. Bought lovely leather jackets at Bettina Rizzi shop on Paraguay Street. Have fun!