Santiago - Is four days too long?

[Tampa Girl]

We are on the HAL SA/Antarctica cruise, disembarking in San Antonio in early January.  Flights back to MIA leave around 10:30 p.m., so I booked return flight for Sunday evening, giving us four full days in Santiago area.  Is this too many days?  Is there much to see in that area?  I thought that a guided tour to  Valparaiso on the last day would be a good way to occupy our time pending departure.  Now I wonder if the remaining three full days is too much. Thoughts, please?

[AryMay]

We just did the same cruise in reverse so we started in Santiago. I would suggest staying at a hotel in the old part of the city within walking distance of Plaza de Armas and many other sites. I could have spent much more time in the Plaza just people watching! We stayed at the Hotel Plaza San Francisco which I would recommend...the price was reasonable and it was so close to everything we wanted to see. 

 

We filled up three (well maybe 2 1/2) days just in the city of Santiago and could have easily stayed another day. Here is a short recap of what we did:

 

Day 1 - After resting up from our overnight flight, we walked to the market area by Santa Lucia Hill. Lots of little shops and it was just a few minutes from our hotel. From there we walked to Plaza de Armas. On a Sunday night the plaza was full of people and lots of street performers.

 

Day 2 - Our friends took an all day tour with Turistik to Embalse de Yeso which they enjoyed. In the morning, my DH and I walked down the street and watched the changing of the guard at La Moneda Palace.  This only takes place every other day so check the schedule ahead of time. From there we got on the HOHO bus and did a tour of the city. We got off the bus at the Cerro San Cristobal and took the funicular to the top of the hill for an amazing view of the city. In the evening we went back to the Plaza de Armas and had dinner and again just enjoyed the warm evening (a nice change from the frigid temps in Minnesota) and all of the activities taking place.

 

Day 3 - In the morning we did a free walking tour of the markets with Strawberry Tours which was quite interesting. We did the tour on a Tuesday morning, but I just checked and it looks like the tour is only offered on Saturday now (perhaps this changes with the seasons?) Another option would be their free historical tour which runs on Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun.  In the evening we visited the San Francisco church which was right next door to the hotel and then climbed to the top of Santa Lucia Hill. A very full day.

 

Since Valparaiso is about an hour and a half from Santiago, I'm not sure I would plan on doing that on the last day when you are planning to fly home. I would be worried that the day would be cut too short OR that you wouldn't get to the airport on time. 

 

I think you could easily spend 3 full days in Santiago, but after the long cruise, maybe you might be ready to head home sooner? 

 

Let me know if you have any questions about what we did. You can see more details and photos if you want on my blog:  https://mysouvenirmemories.blogspot.com/

 

 

[Tampa Girl]

1 hour ago, AryMay said:

We just did the same cruise in reverse so we started in Santiago. I would suggest staying at a hotel in the old part of the city within walking distance of Plaza de Armas and many other sites. I could have spent much more time in the Plaza just people watching! We stayed at the Hotel Plaza San Francisco which I would recommend...the price was reasonable and it was so close to everything we wanted to see. 

 

We filled up three (well maybe 2 1/2) days just in the city of Santiago and could have easily stayed another day. Here is a short recap of what we did:

 

Day 1 - After resting up from our overnight flight, we walked to the market area by Santa Lucia Hill. Lots of little shops and it was just a few minutes from our hotel. From there we walked to Plaza de Armas. On a Sunday night the plaza was full of people and lots of street performers.

 

Day 2 - Our friends took an all day tour with Turistik to Embalse de Yeso which they enjoyed. In the morning, my DH and I walked down the street and watched the changing of the guard at La Moneda Palace.  This only takes place every other day so check the schedule ahead of time. From there we got on the HOHO bus and did a tour of the city. We got off the bus at the Cerro San Cristobal and took the funicular to the top of the hill for an amazing view of the city. In the evening we went back to the Plaza de Armas and had dinner and again just enjoyed the warm evening (a nice change from the frigid temps in Minnesota) and all of the activities taking place.

 

Day 3 - In the morning we did a free walking tour of the markets with Strawberry Tours which was quite interesting. We did the tour on a Tuesday morning, but I just checked and it looks like the tour is only offered on Saturday now (perhaps this changes with the seasons?) Another option would be their free historical tour which runs on Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun.  In the evening we visited the San Francisco church which was right next door to the hotel and then climbed to the top of Santa Lucia Hill. A very full day.

 

Since Valparaiso is about an hour and a half from Santiago, I'm not sure I would plan on doing that on the last day when you are planning to fly home. I would be worried that the day would be cut too short OR that you wouldn't get to the airport on time. 

 

I think you could easily spend 3 full days in Santiago, but after the long cruise, maybe you might be ready to head home sooner? 

 

Let me know if you have any questions about what we did. You can see more details and photos if you want on my blog:  https://mysouvenirmemories.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Thank you so much!  This is just what I wanted to know, and I will be browsing through your blog.  The more I am reading about this cruise and the ports, the more interested I am in the countries and more excited about going.  Your information is so appreciated.

 

Virginia

 

 

[aqua2]

We did the SA cruise this past January, ending in San Antonio, and spent 2 nights in Santiago before flying home.  You might consider an organized tour of Valparaiso on the day you disembark.  We used "Ruta Valparaiso" and were very pleased with their service.  We had an excellent tour of Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, and could have had a stop at a winery had we wanted to.  They dropped us off at our hotel (also Plaza San Francisco).  It is a substantial drive between Santiago and Valparaiso, with the airport along that route, so you would be doing a lot of highway driving over the same ground.

[Tampa Girl]

15 hours ago, aqua2 said:

We did the SA cruise this past January, ending in San Antonio, and spent 2 nights in Santiago before flying home.  You might consider an organized tour of Valparaiso on the day you disembark.  We used "Ruta Valparaiso" and were very pleased with their service.  We had an excellent tour of Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, and could have had a stop at a winery had we wanted to.  They dropped us off at our hotel (also Plaza San Francisco).  It is a substantial drive between Santiago and Valparaiso, with the airport along that route, so you would be doing a lot of highway driving over the same ground.

 

If I understand you correctly, the airport is between Santiago and Valparaiso, so we would have to backtrack if we went to Valparaiso on our day of departure and left our luggage in Santiago?  AryMay's post, recommending not leaving Valparaiso for the last day, is well taken, then.  Will rethink our schedule.  

 

Someone recommended taking a coastline tour from San Antonio to Santiago because the scenery is so beautiful.  Any comments on this tour?  

We would leave Valparaiso for either the second or third day, flying out on the 4th.  A better plan, I think.

[aqua2]

2 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

If I understand you correctly, the airport is between Santiago and Valparaiso, so we would have to backtrack if we went to Valparaiso on our day of departure and left our luggage in Santiago?  AryMay's post, recommending not leaving Valparaiso for the last day, is well taken, then.  Will rethink our schedule.  

 

Someone recommended taking a coastline tour from San Antonio to Santiago because the scenery is so beautiful.  Any comments on this tour?  

We would leave Valparaiso for either the second or third day, flying out on the 4th.  A better plan, I think.

Yes; the airport is on the west-northwest outskirts of the city.  The coastal towns of San Antonio, Valparaiso, and Vina del Mar are all west of Santiago.  I think it took a good 45 minutes from leaving San Antonio to get to VdM and Valp'so.  And then from those towns, it is at least an hour drive up to Santiago.  

Here is a link to Google Maps of that area:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/Santiago,+Santiago+Metropolitan+Region,+Chile/@-33.4152977,-71.1914948,10.62z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x9662c5410425af2f:0x8475d53c400f0931!8m2!3d-33.4488897!4d-70.6692655

 

I really enjoyed the tour of Valparaiso, especially walking through the artsy part and riding a couple of the old funiculars - well worth the time.  Take a look at the map, though, for what you might think of as a coastline tour...???

 

 

[Tampa Girl]

22 minutes ago, aqua2 said:

Yes; the airport is on the west-northwest outskirts of the city.  The coastal towns of San Antonio, Valparaiso, and Vina del Mar are all west of Santiago.  I think it took a good 45 minutes from leaving San Antonio to get to VdM and Valp'so.  And then from those towns, it is at least an hour drive up to Santiago.  

Here is a link to Google Maps of that area:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/Santiago,+Santiago+Metropolitan+Region,+Chile/@-33.4152977,-71.1914948,10.62z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x9662c5410425af2f:0x8475d53c400f0931!8m2!3d-33.4488897!4d-70.6692655

 

I really enjoyed the tour of Valparaiso, especially walking through the artsy part and riding a couple of the old funiculars - well worth the time.  Take a look at the map, though, for what you might think of as a coastline tour...???

 

 

 

What  a difference a map makes!  I had a totally different concept of the location of the three towns.  However, I see where the coastal route from San Antonio to Route 68 and then east to Santiago, which is what this one tour had apparently done, is possible.  Will have to look into it further.  I would like to see the coast of Chile.  

 

Thanks for all your help.  The info is much appreciated.

[RexC]

I agree you will enjoy all 4 days in Chile. Our daughter studied in Santiago so family members made 2 different visits to see her. We took a cruise leaving Valpo 2 years ago and spent 3 days in Santiago and then 1.5 days in Valpo before leaving. Santiago has many interesting neighborhoods in addition to the great ideas already suggested. We found a cool Italian neighborhood south of downtown. In Valpo the city is great with wonderful restaurants, nearby Vin Del Mar is a lovely city with a beautiful beach one of the few statues removed from Easter Island. Other family flew down and did similar things plus a winery tour day and a trip to Pomaire for its pottery. We all used Personal Tours Chile (one word for the website) and Luis was excellent. 

[Tampa Girl]

On 5/13/2019 at 4:52 PM, RexC said:

I agree you will enjoy all 4 days in Chile. Our daughter studied in Santiago so family members made 2 different visits to see her. We took a cruise leaving Valpo 2 years ago and spent 3 days in Santiago and then 1.5 days in Valpo before leaving. Santiago has many interesting neighborhoods in addition to the great ideas already suggested. We found a cool Italian neighborhood south of downtown. In Valpo the city is great with wonderful restaurants, nearby Vin Del Mar is a lovely city with a beautiful beach one of the few statues removed from Easter Island. Other family flew down and did similar things plus a winery tour day and a trip to Pomaire for its pottery. We all used Personal Tours Chile (one word for the website) and Luis was excellent. 

 

Thank you so much for your thoughts.  Did the Valpo tour include Vin Del Mar?  I appreciate your recommendation of Personal Tours Chile.  I will check their website.

[RexC]

We stayed 2 nights in Valpo before our cruise left and did not use a tour guide there. Vina del mar is a short cheap bus ride from Valpo just 15 minutes or so. The town is flat and very walkable with lots of nice restaurants. I think our other family took a day trip to Valpo and Vina with Luis and they did both cities in a one day trip from Santiago.