Advice on Valparaiso please

[sjf]

Next April we shall be doing a transfer from Santiago to Valparaiso with a private guide the day before our cruise. We will be stopping at a couple of wineries en route, but we have one and a half hours at the end of the day to see Valparaiso.

The guide has asked if there is anything special we want to see, and is suggesting Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción,historic old town.

 

As we will have the following morning before boarding the ship to walk around town on our own (staying at Hotel Ibis), my question is: would we be able to walk this area easily on our own the next day? Are there other things to see that are easier to visit with the car? Or would it be a good idea to have a guide in that part of town?

 

Not sure we are bothered about Vina de mar if that is just a beach resort. Valparaiso itself looks more quirky and original.

 

If you have visited Valparaiso and can remember the layout, I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thank you!

[claudepaulette]

We stayed at the Valparaiso Ibis in March 2015 before our Celebrity Infinity cruise. The hotel is very close to the actual port and it is interesting to walk in this area full of little boats and the ship is in sight. It is safe and pedestrian-friendly. In the metro station adjacent to the hotel is a large supermarket that carries a good selection of wine. There is an "ascensor" or elevator close by with outstanding views and restaurants at the top but would not go on my own if time is limited. On our trip, we had to take the stairs down because of a shutdown due to mechanical failure and it took a while. All that exercise paid for our dessert the first night on the ship. Enjoy!

[KBAJ]

I recommend getting in touch with Ruta Valparaiso Tours -http://rutavalparaiso.cl/sitio_ruta_index_en.htm - ask for Cristian Blanco. He was able to pick us up in Santiago and design a schedule of private tours/dining for two days before dropping us off at our ship in Valparaiso on the third day. He speaks excellent English (he lived for a while in the states) and is just a really nice friendly guy!

[sjf]

Claudepaulette: thanks for that useful info about the area near the hotel. Good to know there is a metro stop nearby.

Kbaj: thanks for the recommendation but we have already chosen our guide; I've been corresponding with Daniela at "day off Chile". She is putting together a programme and is just asking if we have any preferences.

Edited December 14, 2015 by sjf

[bradshore13]

You can always catch a walking tour with tours for tips or you can pick up a free map and walk on your own. Ibis is very central and you can walk to the lifts that will take you up into concepción and alegre hills.

[pmacher61]

We disembark Jan 17 in Valparaiso and spend a night before flying out. Can anyone suggest good transport (limo or van) from Valpa to SCL on Jan 18 evening?

[roothy123]

I haven't been to Valparaiso but am going soon and therefore have done some research. We're using MyWayChile to get from the Santiago airport to Valpo, stopping at a winery on the way, stopping off at the cruise terminal (called the VTP, over near the Baron metro stop) to drop our bags, and perhaps check in, and then getting a short tour of part of Valpo before coming back to VTP. I'm told it will take about an hour to get bags and go through passport check at Valpo airport, and then about an hour and 20 minutes to drive to Valpo. Wineries are on the way, but of course if you stop there, it could add a bit of time, depending upon whether you want to eat lunch, take a tour, or just take a quick look and taste a wine or two. My personal opinion is that Vina del Mar is not that interesting, so we don't plan to go there. Valpo looks more interesting to me, but of course everyone's different. Vina has beaches and highrises; Valpo has character. I've heard you need to be careful with your money and possessions, though - as is true in most cities with a lot of tourists.

 

From what I understand, Ibis is basic but nice, but you can't just walk over there to the VTP to check in, as it is farther west, and separated by a long fence. You must check in at the VTP (reachable by taxi or if you're willing to go on the commuter train with luggage (Puerto station is closest stop) and walk a bit to VTP, that may be an option. You would get off at Baron stop (3 from Puerto) and walk 2 minutes to the VTP. Once you check in, you board a port bus to go to the ship. Some people say it's a 5 minute ride; others longer. You go along the waterfront, inside the port and its fence, so you just might possibly see the Ibis on the way.

 

I'm hoping to go back out to sightsee, using the metro - Merval blue trains - run frequently, good website with English option at http://www.metro-valparaiso.cl. Fares are reasonable, but you must have Chilean pesos. Tourism department says there is a money exchange place in the VTP and an ATM in the Baron train station. Ideally, though, I think having a guide is best to make it easier on the up and down journeys, through curving streets, possibility of purse or wallet snatching, especially around ascensors.

 

I think the free walking tours for tips are offered from Plaza Sotomayor at 9 and 3 or something like that. You're expected to give the guide(s) a nice tip. I found the info easily by googling.

 

For maps, I love the ones on openstreetmaps. org. If you have anything on your computer that will do a screenshot, I would pull up the area around Plaza Sotomayor and take and print a screenshot. I'd also walk to the Artilleria ascensor and go up for a nice view. Info on ascensors is here: http://ascensoresvalparaiso.org They run from 7 until night some time and cost either 100 or 300 pesos one way. (I would try to get some coins. I think there are usually attendants at the ascensors, but they make not have a lot of change.)

[sjf]

Some really useful info - Thanks all.

 

I agree that from what I've researched Valparaiso looks more interesting and unique than Vina del Mar, so we'll stick with that.

[Ma New]

Agreed. We were interested in a post-cruise tour of Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile. Cristian Blanco of Ruta Valparaiso got right back to us with suggestions on an itinerary as we were only staying overnight as well as how to recruit others for our tour. We ended up with a group of 10. Cristian arranged for a van and met us at the cruise ship. He and the driver packed us up and away we went. First we explored Vina del Mar and then came back to Valparaiso. We stopped to see sea lions. He then took us to a fish market, which was truly fascinating. Everyone we encountered there was friendly and happy to allow us to take photographs. We did a lot of walking, traveled on several funiculars, stopped at a wonderful candy store...and then moved on. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant, the Macerado, that served us family style. Pisco sours, chardonnay sours and wines were included. It was pricey, but well worth the experience. We then went to the Kingston winery were we toured and sampled more beverages!! Some of the couples were then dropped off at the airport and the rest of us went to our respective hotels. My husband inadvertently left his rain jacket on the van. Cristian went out of his way to contact the driver, pick it up and mailed it to us back in the States. We spent an EXCELLENT day with this wonderful, affable and knowledgeable young man. The tour/transport was reasonably priced; lunch and the winery were at additional cost. Cristian and Ruta Valparaiso.

[sjf]

Agreed. We were interested in a post-cruise tour of Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile. Cristian Blanco of Ruta Valparaiso got right back to us with suggestions on an itinerary as we were only staying overnight as well as how to recruit others for our tour. We ended up with a group of 10. Cristian arranged for a van and met us at the cruise ship. He and the driver packed us up and away we went. First we explored Vina del Mar and then came back to Valparaiso. We stopped to see sea lions. He then took us to a fish market, which was truly fascinating. Everyone we encountered there was friendly and happy to allow us to take photographs. We did a lot of walking, traveled on several funiculars, stopped at a wonderful candy store...and then moved on. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant, the Macerado, that served us family style. Pisco sours, chardonnay sours and wines were included. It was pricey, but well worth the experience. We then went to the Kingston winery were we toured and sampled more beverages!! Some of the couples were then dropped off at the airport and the rest of us went to our respective hotels. My husband inadvertently left his rain jacket on the van. Cristian went out of his way to contact the driver, pick it up and mailed it to us back in the States. We spent an EXCELLENT day with this wonderful, affable and knowledgeable young man. The tour/transport was reasonably priced; lunch and the winery were at additional cost. Cristian and Ruta Valparaiso.

 

Thanks for posting. Pleased to hear you had such a great time. We are getting really excited about our trip now!

[someotherguy]

.... My personal opinion is that Vina del Mar is not that interesting, so we don't plan to go there. Valpo looks more interesting to me, but of course everyone's different. Vina has beaches and highrises; Valpo has character.....

 

Vina del Mar has the Museo Fonck, which is very good if you have any interest in the Moai of Easter Island (it also has some shrunken heads).

 

Valparaiso is very interesting, with the best sightseeing up the top of the ascensors. I very much enjoyed a half day with Tours for Tips.

 

The Merval is easy to use, but you need to get a stored value card (like an Oyster in London or Octopus in Hong Kong), which you can do at the manned stations.

 

You need CLP (pesos) for any of these. There are ATMs at arrivals in SCL: the machine will say 200,000 is the limit but when you ask for 200,000 it will say "too much, the limit is 200,000". The actual limit is 150,000. This is true of ATMs (at least the ones I've used) all over Chile, including Easter Island.

[muggo11]

We had one of the best tour experiences ever with Al Ramirez of valpostreetart.com. Truly inspirational.

[roaming_kiwi58]

We recently returned from a South American trip. In December we stayed 2 nights in Valparaiso before a cruise. This stop exceeded expectations!

 

We got a prepaid taxi direct from Santiago airport to Valparaiso, as we were not interested in one of the tours via a winery, or Vina del Mar.

 

We stayed at the Ibis. Basic, typical Ibis, but very suitable. Comfortable, huge room, helpful staff, good location, supermarket and food court next door above the train station.

 

We did a walking tour with Tours4Tips, who start from Plaza Sotomayor, which is just a few minutes walk from the Ibis. Thoroughly recommend them. It was an excellent introduction to Valparaiso. (I put a review on Trip Advisor)

 

We also did a lot of walking on our own, on the flat and up in the hills. Also did a couple of ascensores. Though Valparaiso has a poor reputation for safety, we did not feel threatened at any stage, and we walked in areas that are not recommended.

 

Got a taxi from the Ibis to the cruise terminal for 4000 Chilean Pesos.

 

We had done Santiago on a previous trip, but enjoyed Valparaiso more. Quaint place, lots of street art, colourful buildings, interesting ascensores.

 

Everyone is different and has their own likes/dislikes, of course!

[Technoyd]

Thanks everyone, great information. I will also be in Valparaiso on Feb. 12th for the "Around the Horn" cruise on NCL. Will only be there for a day and a half, but enough time to have a quick look around the city.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We recently returned from a South American trip. In December we stayed 2 nights in Valparaiso before a cruise. This stop exceeded expectations!

 

We got a prepaid taxi direct from Santiago airport to Valparaiso, as we were not interested in one of the tours via a winery, or Vina del Mar.

 

We stayed at the Ibis. Basic, typical Ibis, but very suitable. Comfortable, huge room, helpful staff, good location, supermarket and food court next door above the train station.

 

We did a walking tour with Tours4Tips, who start from Plaza Sotomayor, which is just a few minutes walk from the Ibis. Thoroughly recommend them. It was an excellent introduction to Valparaiso. (I put a review on Trip Advisor)

 

We also did a lot of walking on our own, on the flat and up in the hills. Also did a couple of ascensores. Though Valparaiso has a poor reputation for safety, we did not feel threatened at any stage, and we walked in areas that are not recommended.

 

Got a taxi from the Ibis to the cruise terminal for 4000 Chilean Pesos.

 

We had done Santiago on a previous trip, but enjoyed Valparaiso more. Quaint place, lots of street art, colourful buildings, interesting ascensores.

 

Everyone is different and has their own likes/dislikes, of course!

Thanks for your thoughts. Can you share the name of the taxi company you used? Cost for 2? We land at 9:40 a.m. what would you suggest for taxi pickup time? We want to go from the airport to Valparaiso.

 

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[roaming_kiwi58]

You don't need to book them ahead, which is good, as you never really know when you are going to be ready to leave the airport. The firm "Taxioficial" have counters at the airport. One is in the baggage claim hall. We did not use this one. After claiming your baggage you have to go through the Chilean agriculture and food check, and get your bags xrayed. After that you exit to the public arrivals area, but immediately after the xray and just before you exit into the public area, on your right, is a Taxioficial desk. We were offered a taxi which we prepaid at the desk, for a fixed 95000 pesos for the two of us. The other option was a taxi which used a meter and added toll costs, and we would have to pay the driver at the end of the trip. On the surface the latter appeared a little cheaper, but of course it was not a fixed amount. We went with the fixed price that we prepaid at the desk. They gave us a customer receipt and a confirmation for the driver. We then walked through the public area (where there are heaps more people trying to sell you transport, but we had been warned not to use them) and a guy outside the entrance looked at our confirmation and directed us to a particular taxi. It was a new vehicle, smartly dressed driver who spoke English and we were happy with the service. The journey took about 75 minutes from the airport to Valparaiso.

 

This of course is not a cheap option but it was easy, safe and comfortable. The cheapest option is to get a bus from the airport to the Pajaritos bus station, change to a bus to Valparaiso, then at the Valparaiso bus station get a taxi to your hotel. We do not speak Spanish, and we had just come off two flights, the second being 14 hours. We were happy with the more expensive but easier option. In relation to the cost of the whole trip, it was not very much!

 

Hope this helps.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

You don't need to book them ahead, which is good, as you never really know when you are going to be ready to leave the airport. The firm "Taxioficial" have counters at the airport. One is in the baggage claim hall. We did not use this one. After claiming your baggage you have to go through the Chilean agriculture and food check, and get your bags xrayed. After that you exit to the public arrivals area, but immediately after the xray and just before you exit into the public area, on your right, is a Taxioficial desk. We were offered a taxi which we prepaid at the desk, for a fixed 95000 pesos for the two of us. The other option was a taxi which used a meter and added toll costs, and we would have to pay the driver at the end of the trip. On the surface the latter appeared a little cheaper, but of course it was not a fixed amount. We went with the fixed price that we prepaid at the desk. They gave us a customer receipt and a confirmation for the driver. We then walked through the public area (where there are heaps more people trying to sell you transport, but we had been warned not to use them) and a guy outside the entrance looked at our confirmation and directed us to a particular taxi. It was a new vehicle, smartly dressed driver who spoke English and we were happy with the service. The journey took about 75 minutes from the airport to Valparaiso.

 

This of course is not a cheap option but it was easy, safe and comfortable. The cheapest option is to get a bus from the airport to the Pajaritos bus station, change to a bus to Valparaiso, then at the Valparaiso bus station get a taxi to your hotel. We do not speak Spanish, and we had just come off two flights, the second being 14 hours. We were happy with the more expensive but easier option. In relation to the cost of the whole trip, it was not very much!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for the helpful information. Were you able to pay with a credit card? If not do you know what currency they accept?

Edited January 26, 2016 by suzyluvs2cruise

[roaming_kiwi58]

We paid in Chilean pesos. I believe the couple in front of me paid in US dollars. I am pretty sure credit card was also an option, though I did not particularly take note - just vaguely recall there were some credit card logos in evidence. I would be extremely surprised if they didn't take credit card.

[nooosey]

Thanks for the info roaming- kiwi58, I am making the same journey but to nearby vina del mar soon, your information is most helpful. I am also interested to know if the taxi bookers take credit cards or other currencies like US dollars.

 

 

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[roaming_kiwi58]

Apparently the fixed rate that we paid for airport to Valparaiso (95,000 pesos) would have been the same for a Vina del Mar destination - the flat rates are set for regions, and these two destinations are about the same distance from the airport.

[M&A]

Thanks for the info roaming- kiwi58, I am making the same journey but to nearby vina del mar soon, your information is most helpful. I am also interested to know if the taxi bookers take credit cards or other currencies like US dollars.

 

 

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We used Goairportaxi - goairporttaxi.com I booked and paid for it on-line with a credit card, Airport to Valparaiso US$150.

Edited January 28, 2016 by M&A

[bradshore13]

I would get your guide to take you up the coast past the sand dunes. We did that with wine tours valparaiso. Viña del mar has the Fonck museum, but not much to sea in Viña.

 

You have to visit the house of Pablo Neruda La Sebastiana in Cerro Bellavista in Valpo.

 

Cerro Artilleria and Cerro Allegre/Cerro Concepción.

 

If you like markets Mercado Cardonal is worth a visit.

 

Valpo is like one big open air museum.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[moviefan2010]

Stay in a great city like Valpo for several days. The street art is incredible. I stayed at a great little hotel if you need a recommendation.

[nooosey]

Many thanks for the advice on Valparaiso, I am hoping to join a two hour walking tour showing the street art and graffiti, apparently they do this twice a day, not on Sunday's and although no charge, a tip is expected

 

 

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[roaming_kiwi58]

Nooosey -

According to their website Tours4Tips operate every day of the week, 10am & 3pm, from Plaza Sotomayor

http://www.tours4tips.com/en/

We did a morning tour on a Saturday. It was about 3 and a half hours - we ran overtime! They say about 3 hours.

Highly recommended. See my comments above, and my review on Trip Advisor. There is no charge as such, but they are definitely worth a decent tip. Along the way they pay for things for you - tram fare, ascensor fare, snack. Our guide gave us a really good introduction to Valparaiso. We were pleased we stayed two nights, so we had time to do some exploration on our own as well as doing the walking tour.

 

There is another company in Valparaiso, which does walking tours, also based on tips. They operate from Plaza Anibal Pinto. We did not try these people - it was Tours4Tips that we used.

 

Enjoy Valparaiso!