I actually visited many of the excursion destinations around Viña del Mar already during the first week of my stay. They are easy and quick to reach and definitely worth a visit. Luckily, my host parents often took me in their car or the university organised day trips. This meant I only had to organise a few activities myself.
Public Transport in and around Viña
Viña del Mar indeed has its own metro line, which connects the town with the harbour town of Valparaíso on one side and with the town of Limache a little further east on the other. In the mornings, the metro is usually pretty busy, otherwise you might bump into candy vendors or musicians. Sometimes even headphones don’t help when a wannabe rapper with a microphone and speakers stands in the middle of the wagon. But the Chileans are kind and almost always give a small donation. But sometimes there are also some really good artists.
Other than that, the so-called “ Micros“ take you to most destinations in and around Viña. Micros are small buses, not comparable to our buses in Austria and somewhat confusing. But it’s best to just ask (as far as you can manage with your Spanish) or get on one of the buses and hope to arrive at your desired destination. Or a little tip from me: The app Moovit offers you help with the public transport network in almost all South American countries, and makes the system halfway understandable even for people like me, as public transport dummy number 1.
East
The botanical garden is officially still part of Viña’s municipal area, but is located a little outside the city centre. In any case, the park is easy to reach by metro or microbus. My university organised a trip to the park back then. We walked around the park a while to observe the flora and fauna. There are also large green areas that are perfect for a little picnic. Unfortunately, the botanical garden was not spared from the fires at the beginning of February. That’s why I can’t say for sure whether the park is currently open to visitors again.
If you take the metro to the final stop, you will end up in Limache, a small village located between Viña and Santiago. I’ve been there twice because my host parents‘ daughter lives here. On Sundays, a sweet market with local vendors is always held on the main square. However, if you take the bus towards El Granizo right at the station exit, the Micro will take you to the entrance of La Campana National Park. There you will find a number of places to have a picnic, but above all lots of cool hiking trails. I went there with my mum and I have to say that the trek to the summit really shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s definitely doable, but requires a lot of effort. We were there in winter, but the weather with some sunshine was perfect for hiking. However, you can only climb up to the highest point in the warmer months, as the path is closed otherwise. It is definitely advisable to take plenty of water and snacks with you. The infrastructure in the park is not that good.
I can still remember joking that the Chilean puma lives in one of the caves further up in the mountains. However, I then actually found an information sign at the top saying that there are pumas in the park. So with a bit of luck, you might even run into the mountain lion.
North
We travelled to Concón on our first day of the orientation week at university to enjoy the sunset with the other exchange students. That’s how I’ll always remember this place. Concón is just two towns north of Viña and can be easily reached by Micro. The town is characterised by its large sand dunes, which are located right at the beginning of the village and are therefore hard to miss. Once you have walked up, you have a wonderful view of the sea. Perfect for watching the sunset.
But also take a look in the opposite direction. If the sky is clear, you will recognise a few parts of the Andean Mountain Range. Here you can see how narrow Chile truly is. Bordered by the Pacific coast on one side and the Andes Mountain Range on the other.
If you continue in the northern direction, you will reach the coastal town of Quintero. My host parents grew up in Quintero and have a house there, which they travelled to regularly. One weekend I was also allowed to come with them. Quintero has large neighbourhoods where many Chileans have settled. That’s why the infrastructure is well developed. If you drive along the coast, you will pass by some beautiful viewpoints. However, the town is most famous for the Cueva del Pirate, a pirate cave. Legend says that pirates hid their treasures here. Today, there is a large pirate statue at the site and the cave can be visited.
My host parents invited me to have lunch at their niece’s restaurant. Along the harbor you will find numerous restaurants that specialize in coastal cuisine (so no hot dogs with avocado and mayo here). Patto’s Schop serves delicious fish and seafood dishes. As a starter, I tried Machas a la Parmesana, mussels that are mainly found on the Chilean coast, gratinated with parmesan. Very tasty!
Further north you will find the small fishermen’s village of Horcón. My host parents took my mum and me there to show us a few beautiful beaches and the fishing harbour. The main attraction, however, is the Puente de los Deseos, or Wish Bridge in English. This is a bridge that is hung with thousands of colourful ribbons with wishes. Perfect background for an Instagram photo 😉 . There are also a few cafés and restaurants nearby.
In addition, Horcón has the only official nudist beach of Chile. However, I didn’t visit it with my mum and my host parents. One of the most beautiful beach bays, on the other hand, is Playa Cau Cau, which can only be reached via a long stairway.
South
South of Viña you will find an important harbor city, which also gives its name to the region around Viña del Mar. Valparaíso is easy to reach by metro and is particularly popular among backpackers. After all, you will find a rich cultural scene here, as well as numerous bars and clubs.
As I have already mentioned in my article on Viña del Mar, the nightlife in Valparaíso is a lot more exciting. Here you will find cool clubs with exciting student parties and rooftop terraces, such as at WooClub. A rooftop terrace with a view of the harbor sounds super cool, but in winter it’s a bit chilly up there. So it’s better to leave the mini skirt at home and wear something a little warmer. Or simply drink a little more … There are also always cool events and concerts taking place in Valparaíso.
In contrast to Viña, Valparaíso is also home to many different nationalities. Artists find a canvas here where they can express themselves freely. The city is particularly famous for its numerous graffiti and street art. It is definitely recommendable booking a graffiti tour. Not only because you will learn a lot about the background to the works of art, but also because it is not entirely safe to walk alone in the city’s cerros (hills) (I was there alone anyway – I’m still alive).
The Cerros are also home to super cute cafés and restaurants, such as Café Entre Cerros or Chuekas Valparaíso with a rooftop terrace and great views over the colorful city. You can hike up the steep streets. The less sporty among us can hop on the funicular.
Valparaíso not only has a great cultural offer, but also beautiful natural parks that invite you to relax. For example, the Alcantilados Federico Santa Maria in the Parque Quebrada Verde, where you can walk along the steep cliffs in front of the sea. Further beautiful natural attractions can be found in the Laguna Verde, one of the most beautiful bays in the area.
I will always remember Valparaíso in a positive light, partly because I had the coolest date of my life here. I met up with my Tinder date, who I will perhaps tell you more about later, at the train station. We then took the Micro to the Alcantilados Federico Santa Maria Park, where we spent about an hour looking for a specific viewpoint. Instead of just going home afterwards, we spent some time in the square in front of the Puerto train station in Valparaíso. There was a free open-air concert with Chilean artists taking place there. We danced, sang and, above all, laughed a lot for hours. Is there a better way to end a date than with a spontaneous free concert? Thanks to this experience, my expectations are now very high for dates with future suitors. 🙂
A little tip: Before you leave the city, you should plan a short stop at Portales metro station. A little animal surprise awaits you here.
Another beautiful nature attraction can be found in Placilla and the national park located there. It took me about an hour to find the right bus stop in Viña from where the Micro leaves for Placilla (despite using the Moovit app). But it shouldn’t actually be too difficult, as there is a direct bus to the small town. You then have to walk a little to the entrance of the park. There I found a small stall selling water, snacks and protective gloves. I didn’t give it a thought and just started my hike. You’ll soon reach the origin of the waterfall (Salto = waterfall).
The path to the drop zone, on the other hand, turned out to be a somewhat bigger challenge. I wasn’t prepared for that. And that’s when the protective gloves started making sense. You can only reach the bottom down an extremely steep, sandy path, which you can only climb up and down with the help of ropes attached to the edge. Being as adventurous as I was, I of course readily accepted this challenge. It didn’t seem too bad from above. However, some of the sections are so steep that you really couldn’t get over without the rope. When I finally got to the bottom, I was just terrified of the way back. But first I enjoyed the view of the waterfall from below and the pleasantly refreshing water. And I actually somehow made it back to the top.
Before you go back to the entrance, you should definitely take a short cut to the right on the way back. If you follow the path, you will at some point arrive at a small lake. Back in November, the water was perfect for swimming and had far more pleasant temperatures than the Pacific. After the exhausting hike, it was the perfect place to relax.
Our last university excursion took us to the coastal village of Isla Negra, about an hour south of Viña del Mar. You visit Isla Negra mainly to see the house of the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The large building, which looks more like a villa, is located directly by the sea. You will be provided with audio guides who will even give you a guided tour in German. The history of the house is very interesting, but I was particularly impressed by the fantastic views of the sea from the windows. Definitely worth a visit. There are also beautiful beaches nearby, but they are rather rocky and therefore not suitable for swimming.
For swimming, we headed to Algarroba, a little further north. However, we mainly wanted to visit the famous Hotel San Alfonso del Mar. Well famous is specifically the pool, which is more like a huge lake. It used to be the largest pool in the world. Today, it is only second to the pool at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. In any case, the pool looks really huge, and you could easily go there in a kayak or boat. (Just take a look at the satellite images).
On the way, you will pass the city of Casablanca, where especially wine lovers will feel at home. The valley is known for its extensive wine production, especially white wines such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Here you will find numerous wineries that will be happy to offer you a guided tour and tastings.
As you can see, the region around Viña del Mar has a lot to offer. That’s why you should definitely plan a few days more here and enjoy your stay in these beautiful surroundings.
You’ve probably heard enough about the Valparaíso region by now. That’s why in my next post I’m going to take you to the north of Chile on a very … interesting trip. Until then,
Bussi Baba!
Bussi Baba 
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