How far is Vina del Mar from Valparaiso?

[canadagal]

I'm wondering if we will have time to tour Vina del Mar after checking into our cruiseship in Valparaiso. We don't leave port until 11:00 p.m. I heard that there is not much to see and do in the port of Valparaiso but that Vina is lovely. Would it be practical to take a cab to Vina?

Thanks,

Pat

[englishlee]

Depends on what time you check-in Pat. Vina del Mar is only a short taxi ride away, we had a late lunch there on the way to the ship en-route from Santiago.

 

Bear in mind that sometimes (always?) the ship docks some way from the cruise terminal building and so you'll be taken to and from the ship by shuttle bus, so you need to allow enough time for this.

 

We hired a guide / driver to deliver us to the port from Santiago, so that we could visit some vineyards (and partake of some winetasting !) on the way. We also had lunch at at oceanfront seafood restaurant in Vina Del Mar before being taken on short sightseeing tour of Valparaiso (which I thought more interesting than Vina).

[batoryfirst]

Englishlee - which vineyards did you tour and which was the favorite? I have read here that we should have lunch at the Indomita Vineyard. I have contacted one guide and he had us going to about 4 vineyards on our way to our hotel in Vina from Santiago. I think that's a bit much especially since not all of our group has any interest in wine at all. I'd appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

 

Nancy

[canadagal]

Thank-you EnglishLee for your insights! Greatly appreciated. Nice to know that Valparaiso is interesting and that I have a wrong impression of it. I did a google search and found out that it's a world heritage site so it must be full of history. Also, good to know that Vina is only a short taxi ride away. Our ship is in port till almost midnight so I'm sure we will have plenty of time to visit both.

Pat

[dfb]

Pat, We had a really good day with a walking tour in Valparaiso and we were glad we opted for it over some of our other choices there. Here is a link to our blog entry for the day. Debbie

http://journals.aol.com/dfriia/circle-south-america-2008-aboard/entries/2008/01/22/day-18---january-21-2008---valparaiso-chile/1763

[canadagal]

Wow! What a wonderful blog Debbie. You had such a marvelous day and now I can't wait to see Valparaiso. Thank-you for sharing your experience. by the way, I love the Mariner, she's my favorite Regent ship but we are on the SS Shadow this time for something different.

Pat

[englishlee]

Sorry everyone, but I haven't logged on for a few days.

 

Nancy, I can't recall the names of the vineyards, after trying 4 wines at each I'm surprised that I can remember actually being there ! 4 vineyards would be far too many unless you miss out Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso, even then I think it would be too much to truly enjoy. Also bear in mind that each vineyard charges for their wine tasting (the amount varies).

 

Actually Nancy, whilst writing this missive I realised that I had a bottle of wine in my wine rack from one of the vineyards we visited. It was Vinedos Organicos Emiliana and as the name suggests is an Organic vineyard - very interesting, quite small, but good quality wines.

 

Whatever you do have fun !

[englishlee]

Nancy

 

Just spoken to my wife, she tells me that the other vineyard we visited was

Casas Del Bosque (link below)

 

http://www.casasdelbosque.cl/english/index.html

 

Excellent place, very classy and looked like a good venue for lunch (we ate at Vina Del Mar). Also the tour itself was more comprehensive than the organic vineyard (and I think cheaper). In any case I can recommend both as they were very different.