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Santiago/Valparaiso/Wine Region - January 2018

Santiago/Valparaiso/Wine Region - January 2018

Old Nov 12th, 2017, 01:09 AM
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Santiago/Valparaiso/Wine Region - January 2018

Hi, my husband and I will be in the Santiago/Valparaiso region for 4 days and 5 nights in January 2018 after spending 1 night in San Pedro de Atacama and 4 nights in Torres del Paine. We want to spend at least 2-3 full days in Valparaiso and a day visiting one of the famous wine regions in the area. Not sure whether we want to spend a full day in Santiago or just the last night before we fly back home.
20 Jan - arrive in Santiago at 9.25 pm and stay overnight
21-24 Jan - Valpariaso/Wine Region
25 Jan - Fly back from Santiago to Singapore - flight departing at 12.30 pm

1. Which wine region should we visit - Casablanca or Maipo?
2. Thinking we can take the bus from Santiago to Valparaiso on 20th morning and stay there for 2-3 nights and then visit Casablanca or Maipo on the way back to Santiago on the 23rd or 24th while stopping by a few different vineyards. Does this make sense? Should we rent a car for this trip? Or would a different order of itinerary make more sense?
3. Do we need to book wine tours in advance? What's the best way to do this on a budget while still enjoying a few different spots? Is it recommended to spend a night in the wine region?
4. Is there a lot to see/do in Santiago? We are less into touristy landmarks and more into absorbing the vibe of the city. We would have also spent an evening in Santiago on 15th Jan. Need to decide if we should return to Santiago on 23rd evening or 24th evening.

Any help on planning this part of our trip will be hugely appreciated! Thanks a ton.
chimes0709 is offline  
Old Nov 18th, 2017, 05:11 AM
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Perhaps you could wait to see how much you like Santiago on the 15th and then book your last night when you are there. Either directly with the Santiago hotel or using booking.com if you decide to switch. You can check on availability online. I don't know the holiday periods for Chile, which probably would not be an issue in Santiago anyways, but perhaps Valparaiso.

I found Santiago to be worth a day, it has been a while since my visit there though. I did like Valparaiso a lot. Not sure how the loss of the cruise port is affecting them.
mlgb is offline  
Old Nov 21st, 2017, 12:05 AM
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Thanks for the tips, mlgb. Here's what we'll likely do -
20 Jan - arrive in Santiago at 9.25 pm and stay overnight
21 Jan - take a bus from Santiago to Casablanca and spend the day in the wine region after which we'll take the collectivo/bus to Valparaiso to stay overnight
22 Jan - Valparaiso
23 Jan - Valparaiso
24 Jan - Bus from Valparaiso to Santiago in the morning, spend the afternoon/evening in Santiago
25 Jan - Fly back from Santiago to Singapore - flight departing at 12.30 pm

Am I right in assuming that we can take taxis from one winery to another in Casablanca? Would like not to hire a car so as to not be drinking and driving
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Old Nov 24th, 2017, 11:17 AM
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If you want to have someone drive you from vineyard to vineyard you will have to hire the taxi in Casablanca and negotiate a cost for X number of hours. There will not be taxis at vineyards allowing you to take a series of taxis between them. The vineyards can call a taxi for you but it will come from Casablanca anyway and potentially cost more.
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