Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso Day Trip from Santiago

Santiago, Chile

Spend a day exploring the coastal towns of Central Chile on a leisurely day trip from Santiago. Travel through wine country, before arriving in the 'Garden City' of Vina del Mar. Continue on to the bohemian town of Valparaiso and visit Pablo Neruda Museum before heading back to Santiago after a day of relaxed sightseeing.

Depart for the central coast traveling through the valleys of Curacavi and Casablanca. The latter is known for its recent success as a wine producing area.

Continue to the coast and visit the beach area of Renaca and the town of Vina del Mar, known as the Garden City for its pretty parks and flower lined streets. Visit the Gaming Casino and the coastal road.

In the afternoon continue to the picturesque port of Valparaiso built in the 16th-century on a total of 43 hills which are reached by narrow windy streets, staircases and a series of lifts (funiculars). This area has been declared by UNESCO as patrimony of humanity due to its eclectic architecture and urban development.

You may wish to visit the Pablo Neruda Museum which contains some of the poets collections, specifically related to the sea. The Museum is situated on one of the hills overlooking the bay offering fantastic sea views.

At the end of the day you have the choice to return to Santiago with the group, or stay in Valparaiso for a little longer making your own way back to the city at your leisure.

USD $99.99

Review by: Douglas Welch	April 2012
Thank you for a really good experience. From the moment we were picked up at our hotel, we enjoyed being treated as special. Our Guide was professional and very knowledgeable and we had a great day. We would recommend the tour to anyone wanting a good value for money experience.

Review by: Sandra K	February 2012
Our tour guide Maria was not too informative unless asked and then she was great! Definately worth the trip and was only 4 of us - even better value!

Review by: Dennis M	January 2012
Well worth doing. Not enough time over on the coast to see everything. Excellent guide.

Review by: GUSTAVO B	January 2012
The trip worth it a lot, but without our tour guy like Gonzalo is not the same thing. This guy is very knowledgeable about the culture and history of Chile. Great experience!

Review by: BRIAN L	December 2011
The tour was quite enjoyable and comprehensive. We spent a little too much time in Valparaiso and not quite enough in Vino Del Mar which is an attractive town. One thing I did not appreciate was the lunch stop at an expensive restaurant where a simple sandwich was not on the menu.

Review by: Valentina M	December 2011
The tour was very rushed. There was practically no time for sightseeing. wine testing was not offered at all. Bad value for money.

Review by: LEVO	November 2011
The trip itself covered all that was mentioned in the outline. The process of calling the local tour operator and trying to organize for pickup was somehow cumbersome. I was surprised to see that we were the only participants of the tour. Se we like had a private tour in a nice jeep car. Our tour operator Jackie Aliste gave excellent information about the country and local interesting facts. We stopped at many points of interest. Overall an excllent trip worth taking.

Review by: Sylvia M	October 2011
Pablo, our guide, was excellent.

Review by: David D	August 2011
The tour guide was very good. However, we did not find the visit as outstanding as expected.

Review by: TERRY W	June 2011
-We loved our trip to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso._br/_ Our guide (Pablo) was delightful, giving us much information about the region and it´s people._br/_ He gave us plenty of time to look at various attractions. The restaurant he took us to, (original Chilean food) was delicious._br/_ I would certainly advise taking this trip. Janice and Terry,

Review by: Luis Felipe M	May 2011
We Had a great time. Our guide, Pablo, was knowledgeable and very accommodating. We did this tour on May 1, which is labour day in Chile and many things were closed or restrained because of the manifestations, but Pablo managed to show us the history and all the important sights in these curious places. Very recommended !

Review by: G C	April 2011
Great tour, excellent guide. We were the only tourists that day and Pablo (the guide) spared no effort to make us feel good. Highly recommended.

Review by: Ernest Cordell A	April 2011
The guide was extremely knowledgeable about the Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar areas. We had a group consisting of Spaniash speaking, Portuguese speaking and English speaking people. The guide effectively communicated all points of interest to all of us.

Review by: James H	March 2011
This was a great trip with a very knowledgeable guide. The lunch was pricey - but good. My only complaint was that we didn't stop at a vineyard as the web site states. When I mentioned it I was told that it does'nt state it on my receipt - however the receipt only showed the title - not the itinerary. Anyway, clicking on the link, does state stopping at a vineyard and sampling product.

Review by: Sofia T	March 2011
An interesting day trip. There is really not much to see at Valparaiso, its just an old, run down town, but the beach at Del Mar was worth the visit.

Review by: Glenn T. V	March 2011
We had a pleasant day touring Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. A lot of territory was covered. Would recommend.

Review by: Pamela E	February 2011
Pablo did an excellent job. He knew the area very well. He was familiar with the sreets. It was interesting to see the low cost housing on the hills in comparison to Vina Del Mar. The restaurant for lunch was very good. We enjoyed the winery stop and seeing the Easter Island statue.

Review by: Warren S	December 2010
Viator made it very easy to book our tour. Marcelo was a very engaging tour guide. The trip south to Vina Del Mar and then to Valparaiso was long (about 1 1/2 hours each way), but the sites were very nice, Marcelo spoke a lot to us about the history of the country as well as local history, and we made some very nice stops along the way at various places, to walk around and see sites, shop, have lunch, etc. Overall we would recommend this tour.

Review by: Robert C	November 2010
The day tour was very good. Maribelle the guide was great an enhanced the tour. It was nice to get out of Santiago and see the coast. Valparaiso was seemed more authentic than Vina Del Mar but only in the way that it was less upmarket and did not seem 'stuck up'. The only negative I can point out on this tour was the restaurant we went to. Nearly all the tour buses stop here. It is called Castillo Del Mar. If you look in Trip Advisor, it is ranked near the bottom for restaurants in the area. I would request to eat somewhere else if given the opportunity. If you have to eat here, I would only get a main. I made the mistake of ordering the scallops as a starter then getting lobster for my main dish. Both were woeful. he service at the start was fine however gets progressively worse, especially when it starts to fill up as they seemed short staffed.

Review by: Reinaldo	November 2010
The trip was nice. The city of Valparaiso is not that good. Viña del Mar is OK.

Review by: Michelle K	November 2010
The trip to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso was fantastic. My husband and I both enjoyed the relaxing day trip. Our host and driver were great company and were very helpful. The day went superbly and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves enough to comfortably fall asleep in our transport on the way back to the hotel. The service pick-up and drop off were very timely too.

Review by: Veronique A	October 2010
no problem, nice views and good organization ofthe trip

Review by: Candace A	September 2010
This was a pleasant drive and we stopped at a number of places to take pictures. The guide was very knowledgeable. In one day, it is not possible to get an in depth look at both places. We had a good lunch at a restaurant by the sea in Valparaiso that served both seafood and Chilean dishes. We stopped to take pictures of vineyards, but did not stop at a winery as advertised.

Review by: ANDREW Z	August 2010
beautiful places, nice tour

Review by: Rudy K, Canada	February 2010
Good day trip to the coast of Chile! The guide was quite informative and knowledgeable about Chile and Valparaiso in general. It was a private tour, we did get to do our own thing when there was an opportunity. I was hoping for more freedom to dictate timings. This in no way reflects negatively on the tour or guide!

Review by: Frank S, United States of America	January 2010
In spite of the heavy traffic going to Valparaiso for the New Year's Eve fireworks and the congestion in town the trip was wonderful and our guide and driver were able to adjust to the traffic situation nicely. The tour operator arranged with us the day before to leave an hour early and that was helpful considering the traffic. The restaurant used for the lunch was crowded and the service there a bit slow, but the food was excellent. I don't fault Viator for that every place in town was packed!

Review by: Nancy L, United States of America	December 2009
Slightly overpriced tour. Basically paid for the ride there. Places were beautiful and worth visiting. Did not like the lunch place we were brought to and forced to eat at. Other than that, it was a good way to spend the day.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	November 2009
The guide was wonderful. He was knowledgeable, friendly and overall fun. The only thing we would change would be where we had lunch. The recommended restaurant was not very appealing.

Review by: Joelle T, United States of America	December 2008
Fantastic trip, tour operators were the VERY BEST! I will book with your company again in the future.

Review by: Susan C, Canada	December 2008
Thoroughly enjoyable introduction to Chile. Would definitely recommend this tour to others.

Review by: Mark K, United States of America	November 2008
Outstanding, extremely informed guide a great experience. Valparaiso is a must-do side trip from Santiago.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2008
If you only have a day the trip is worth doing. Disappointments were misled by NOT being able to enter the Nedura Museum admission listed as included in the price and no choice in lunch restaurant resulting in an overpriced lunch. However, the guide was very nice and knowledgeable of the tour sites.

Review by: Chris A	April 2008
The tour guide was excellent, but there were two or three points where we were disappointed. The description said we would see the Pablo Neruda museum in Valparaiso and the voucher said that museum entry fees were included but the guide said he knew nothing about it and by the tine we asked it was too late. There was no lunch included in the tour price, which was fine by us, but we were dropped off at a seaside restaurant on a busy road and told we could by lunch inside. We had little choice so ordered a one course meal which ended up costing us about US50 and the food was very average at that. The third issue was that although the description said we'd stop to taste wine I think it was only when I asked that we actually stopped.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	March 2008
A great day out with a stop for a nice lunch at an old castle. Chose the private tour option and had an excellent driver and guide who were very punctual. The guide's English was excellent, he was very informative, flexible with the itinerary and tried to keep ahead of the large tour buses schedules, so we never had to queue or wait for anything. Driver took an alternative route back through the mountains which was great. Definitely recommend this tour if you have a spare day in Santiago.

Review by: Donald H, United States of America	March 2008
We enjoyed both places and also stopped a winery along the way. The restaurant was not up to par, cold food. The printout for the trip said tips included and the guide did not agree - we did not like buying a package with tips included to be told differently during the trip.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	March 2008
We enjoyed this tour and the drive from Santiago to Valparaiso. Our guide was very knowledgeable, articulate and courteous. He and the driver were on time to pick us up from our hotel. The tour was very comprehensive and we enjoyed all the stops. The drive up and down Valparaiso's hills was very impressive. The scenery along the coastline from Valparaiso to Vina del Mar and the northern coast was spectacular. Definitely worth doing!!

Review by: Yasaman M, United States of America	December 2007
We had the greatest tour with our tour guide who spoke excellent English and our driver was great too. They arrived promptly, the van was very clean, the guides explanations were great and very insightful. They went out of their ways to make sure we had great photos and a great experience. Would certainly book with them again!

Review by: YASAMAN M	December 2007
We had the greatest tour with our tour guide who spoke excellent English and our driver was great too. They arrived promptly, the van was very clean, the guides explanations were great and very insightful. They went out of their ways to make sure we had great photos and a great experience. Would certainly book with them again!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	March 2007
We will definitely recommend your guides and company.

Review by: Roberta F, United States of America	February 2007
Our guide accompanied us on this tour and was outstanding. We stopped at a winery, where my husband had to be dragged away after about an hour. We continued to Valparaiso where we got to see the historic buildings and Nerudo's home. We rode one of the funiculars up one hill, where our driver met up with us. We then drove to Vina Del Mar, the Nice of Chile, and stopped at a delightful castle on the water for lunch.

Review by: Robert R, United States of America	December 2006
Driver was excellent and the tour very informative and enjoyable.

Review by: Paula R	December 2006
Driver was excellent and the tour very informative and enjoyable.

Review by: Margaret S	October 2006
Same great drive and guide, both very accommodating. All in all, a lovely tour.