Central Valley Sights

Day 1: Arrive in Santiago - City Tour
Arrival in Santiago, we await you at the airport for a transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon we explore the historic and modern sights of Santiago. We will start the trip at the Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago’s main avenue, visiting La Moneda, the Government Palace, where your guide will explain to you the historical and actual meaning of this place. Following this we will enjoy a walk through the pedestrian streets of Huérfanos and Ahumada, where the main commercial activity of the city is concentrated. Afterwards we will visit the famous Plaza de Armas, the main square of the city, which is surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral and other historical buildings. We will continue by visiting the Santa Lucia hill, the hill upon which the Spanish founded Santiago in 1541. It is a lone steep rock, with many plants and an antique building rising steeply from the city below. From here you can see both the Parque Forestal (park) and the Mapocho River. We will cross the river to visit Bellavista, the cultural and artistic neighborhood of Santiago. Finally we will visit the Pueblito de los Dominicos. Los Dominicos began as an artists’ commune supported by the Dominican monastery within which the market resides, in this place and with 150 workshops you will find the most representative sample of Chilean handcrafts. Overnight in Santiago at Hotel Meridiano Sur, superior room.

Day 2: Isla Negra - Pomaire - Valparaiso
Breakfast at hotel. This day you will be picked up from your Hotel and head towards the coast. Before seeing the ocean we will stop at the picturesque town of Pomaire. Known as the clay capital of Chile you will be able to experience the craftsmanship of the local people who create beautiful accessories in black clay. Moving on and after passing through some quaint coastal villages we will arrive to Isla Negra, here we will be able to see the House-Museum of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) one of Chile’s most exceptional poets and the second one to receive the Nobel Prize (1970). An avid collector, Neruda gathered many different interesting objects through his travels. His collections of bottles and figureheads are most impressive (closed on Mondays). After this we will head over to Valparaiso, recently declared monument of humanity by UNESCO, this port town is sure to impress any traveller. Its colourful streets and houses by the sea are a great sight. Overnight in Valparaiso at Hotel Zero, colores (hill view) room.

Day 3: Valparaiso - Viña del Mar
Breakfast at hotel. Valparaíso’s picturesque layout, enhanced by the surrounding hills that seem to dive into the ocean, remind us that this was once the most important maritime destination of the Pacific coast before the Strait of Panama was opened to navigation in 1914. We will visit the downtown area with its new government house, the Plaza Sotomayor, the Plaza Victoria, the cathedral and the harbour area. Afterwards we will discover the colourful hill neighborhoods. Here, high above the city, there is a fantastic agglomeration of brightly painted houses and a fantastic view over the city. The upper and lower parts of the city are connected with 16 funicular railways constructed around the turn of the century when the city experienced tremendous growth. Travelling north along the coastline of the bay we will reach the city of Viña del Mar, the most famous and visited seaside city of the area, with its many parks of huge trees and palms that gave Viña del Mar the well deserved name of ‘Garden City’. We will visit the beautiful park Quinta Vergara with its amphitheatre, the museum of fine arts as well as the beaches and the Casino, which was built in 1932. The afternoon is at leisure. Overnight in Valparaiso at Hotel Zero, colores (hill view) room.

Day 4: Valparaiso - Casablanca - Santiago
Breakfast at hotel. We will slowly start our way back to Santiago, stopping at the Valle de Casablanca, one of Chile’s supreme wine regions. Here we will visit one of the valleys most prominent vineyards. We will enjoy some of the locally produced wines while we have a specially prepared meal. Lunch. Overnight in Santiago at Hotel Meridiano Sur, superior room.

Day 5: Fly out from Santiago
Breakfast at hotel. Today you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Airport for flight.