Let’s be honest, this one is niche. If you’re here it’s either because you’re obsessed with wine. Or obsessed with NomadMania (Curicó is in a new region to that of Santiago). Or like me, you’re obsessed with both. Welcome, you’re among friends.
Curicó is a city in the Maule region of Chile and home to the Curicó wine valley. Said to be one of the oldest wine regions in Chile. For the wine-obsessed among you: yes, this is the valley Miguel Torres came to. He brought Spanish innovation that genuinely revolutionised the way Chile makes wine. There are, allegedly, more different grape varieties planted here than anywhere else in the country.
Curicó is also home to Chile’s largest and oldest wine harvest festival, the Fiesta de la Vendimia de Chile, which takes place over a long weekend in late March at Parque La Granja. Officials patented it under that name in 2018, recognising it as the country’s biggest and most established annual grape harvest festival. Expect grape stomping, a harvest queen crowned, food stalls, folk music, and a genuinely local crowd rather than a tourist-bus crowd. Find out more at the Curicó Valley Ruta de Vino website, where all the events are also posted.
Curicó sits roughly 195km south of Santiago by road (about 178km as the crow flies). As a foreign tourist it’s actually super accessible. Bus, train, and self-drive hire car options all exist and are all fairly straightforward. It isn’t yet a popular spot for international tourists though. I’m here to tell you why it should be!
Also worth reading:
- Bodegas RE, Casablanca Valley – if you like wine and vineyard visits, also worth checking out
- Valparaíso and Viña del Mar – if you’re on the lookout for day trips
- Pichidangui – if you’re looking for more places around Chile that are off the beaten track, this quiet seaside town is for you
- Miguel Torres Curicó Vineyard Review – the inside info on the vineyard tour, wine tasting, and on-site restaurant for planning your vineyard trip in Curicó
Getting to Curicó
By bus to Curicó
Departures every 15 to 30 minutes from Santiago’s Terminal Sur or San Bernardo (a little further south). Andimar VIP runs most of them, with large, comfortable seats, decent recline, and privacy curtains. The journey is technically 2.5 hours, though Santiago’s traffic can stretch that. A bus ticket is around £6, and you can book through Busbud. Take ID. Same applies for your return journey to Santiago.
By train to Curicó
The closest thing to a traffic-free option. You’ll still face Santiago traffic getting to the station, same as with the bus or hire car, but at least the route between the two cities is direct. The views from the train are genuinely stunning, and there’s plenty of luggage storage.
Which cabin you actually end up in can be a bit of a lottery. You can book a premium seat for a couple of extra $, but in my experience depends on where the conductor sends you. If someone’s taken the seat you paid for, they can’t always be bothered fighting them on it and send you elsewhere. On the way down I paid the ‘Plus’ fare, only $2 more than standard at $11, with massive seats that recline almost flat. Coming back I was in the more cramped ‘Standard’ $9 seats. I still managed to fall fast asleep, but that could’ve been because of the wine tasting earlier…
Book through the EFE website, they accept foreign cards (though the site is in Spanish). This route is the Tren Chillán service, departing Estación Central four times a day at 07:40, 09:40, 12:20, and 16:40. Returns from Curicó run at 10:35, 14:39, 18:17, and 19:31. Bring ID.
A word of caution: EFE has been rolling out a faster, expanded service on this line through 2026. At the time of writing, the operator’s own site is flagging longer-than-usual journey times while they finish the works. So treat my times above as a snapshot of my own trip rather than gospel. Double-check the current timetable on the EFE website or app before you book. In Santiago, get to the station 30 minutes early as it’s chaos. Curicó’s station is roughly the size of a house, so 10 minutes is plenty.
Self-drive to Curicó
Self-explanatory, it’s a 2.5 to 3 hour drive south. Car hire is available at Santiago Airport. Obviously don’t plan to drive back the same day if you’re going wine tasting. You can hire a private driver too, but expect to pay upwards of $400 to $500. One place we asked wanted $800, which is frankly unhinged for the distance involved.
Getting Around Curicó
Uber works in Curicó and was super responsive whenever we used it. Drivers will drop you at wineries nearby as long as they’re not too far out. If a winery is 30+ minutes away though, it’s worth asking them to organise a taxi for you instead. Bring cash, as taxis here don’t take card. Uber of course does.
Ubers will also come and collect you from wineries within range of the city. Miguel Torres is 15 to 20 minutes outside, for example. Best to schedule your pickup in advance and let the winery staff know. They’ll need to let the driver through the gate.
Where to Stay in Curicó
Accommodation in Curicó is, put politely, limited. There aren’t many options, and most are pretty basic. Many are apartment rentals. Several charge a fair whack for a fairly basic-looking room. But it’s not all bad news.
I originally planned to stay overnight and take in a couple of vineyards. But the lack of information on the vineyards themselves and lack of decent accommodation options meant a day trip ended up being the better call. If you do want to stay, here are the better options I considered. This is especially handy if you’re self-driving. You can enjoy a class or five of wine without worrying about the journey home.
Hotel Curicó
The best option in town, a former Radisson now privately owned. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. Inside, the rooms are elegant and stylish. The dining area has proper moody, basket-lighting vibes, and the lobby and communal areas feel like a wooden lodge. There’s a well-stocked wine store on site (you’re in a wine region, after all) and even a small gym. It’s a 10 minute drive or 20 minute walk from the train station. It’s near a cluster of restaurants and bars on Avenida España.
CasaNativa Sur
Ideal if you’re travelling as a group and fancy more of an apartment feel. Self-described as boho design, its wooden interiors, hippie wall hangings, and fairy lights make it genuinely cosy. It’s not near anything entertainment-wise though, so you’ll need Ubers to get to food spots or the station. It’s about 10 minutes from the station by car.
Wineries in Curicó
Honestly, it’s genuinely hard to find decent information online about most of the wineries here. That’s largely because many winemakers own vineyards in Curicó more as land where they grow grapes. They’re not the big tourist-facing operations you’d find in Casablanca or Maipo Valley. It just hasn’t had the tourist footfall to justify that kind of infrastructure.
Looking into the options is a maze. Search “winery Curicó” in Google Maps and you’ll get dozens of results. Half of these don’t really operate tours, some are just wine shops, and some are genuinely unclear what they even are. San Pedro Tarapacá / Molina, for instance, is technically a vineyard here. But it’s their sites in other regions that offer tours – this one is more like a wine shop. Viña Valdivieso don’t mention tours anywhere on their site and have no contact info on Google Maps. So it’s not obvious what they actually offer visitors, or if they even welcome them.
The official Curicó Valley Ruta del Vino site does have a map of all of the vineyards, but again the info is limited and it isn’t clear which ones are offering what. But at least is a helpful guide. Below are some more researched options that give more of an idea without having to hunt through pages.
Miguel Torres
Miguel Torres was awesome. It was also by far the most accessible online, with clear information for visitors and very responsive by email. They have a proper visitor centre, offer tours, and run a restaurant on-site. You can book in advance, either combined with a wine tour or just for a meal. Divine.
They squeezed us in for a 10:30am tour, which is admittedly early for wine tasting. But that’s how it worked with the train times and we were able to stretch it out over the morning. So much information, and the wine was exceptional. They even let me try an experimental port hiding away in a barrel. You can reserve a wine tour and tasting by contacting them directly. Their online form is a bit confusing and doesn’t make clear which of their vineyards you’re booking. It’s best to just email visitas@migueltorres.cl and explain, which is what we did.
They slotted us in for a lunch reservation just as their restaurant opened at 12:30. Also they let us stay longer in the tasting room with an extra glass while we waited for it to open, and even offered to let us go early and hang out there. They were great. The food in the restaurant is incredible, and they help you pair the dishes with their various wines. They also serve a mean frozen pisco sour with their own pisco (produced in the north of Chile).
Read my full review of the Miguel Torres Vineyard Visit here.
Echeverría
Owned by the Echeverría family who came to Chile in the 1750s from the Basque region of Spain. It’s 5 minutes’ drive away from central Curicó, though closed at weekends. They don’t advertise ‘tours’ and there’s not much visitor info on the site, but hidden in their contact form is confirmation that they’re happy to receive visitors by appointment. Email info@echewine.com in advance, don’t just turn up. They can also arrange to have you picked up from the station.
Korta Wines
A smaller vineyard 15 minutes south of central Curicó. Expect beautiful mountain views and a very small operation. They do welcome tours and tastings, but you must book in advance, and availability on weekends is very limited. Check our their wine tours page for more info and their contact information to arrange this.
Viña Correo Albano
A family business, with hectares of vines and mountain views. They actually have a capacity of 20 million litres (!). A bit further out, around 20-25 minutes from central Curicó. Not open at weekends, and may close earlier than their advertised times. This is another one that doesn’t advertise tours or have much info online, but has a designated tasting cellar at their site. Contact them at recepcion@caw.cl for more info and to arrange.
Anything Else to Do in Curicó
If you’ve got time to kill before your bus or train, head to the Plaza de Armas for a wander. It’s the heart of the city, and worth a look. Honestly, Curicó isn’t a big town, so there’s not a huge amount to entertain you. But it’s worth 15 minutes if you’re otherwise just floating about waiting for transport. Or, sensibly, you could just stay at your winery and have another glass.
FAQ on Curicó
How far is Curicó from Santiago?
Around 195km by road, roughly a 2.5 to 3 hour drive, bus, or train journey depending on traffic and which service you catch.
Is Curicó worth visiting?
Do you care about wine? Or about ticking off a region that gets almost no tourist attention compared to Casablanca or Colchagua? Then yes. If you’re after polished wine-tourism infrastructure and slick visitor centres at every turn, temper your expectations. This is a working wine valley.
Can you visit Curicó as a day trip from Santiago?
Yes, and honestly for most people it’s the better option given how limited accommodation is in town. The train or bus gets you there in under 3 hours, leaving a full day for a winery visit before heading back.
Do you need a car to visit wineries in Curicó?
Not necessarily. Uber covers wineries within 30 minutes of the city easily enough. Most of the accessible wineries (Miguel Torres, Echeverría) fall within that range. For anything further out, you’re better off arranging things directly from Santiago.
When is the Curicó wine festival?
The Fiesta de la Vendimia de Chile takes place over a long weekend in late March each year at Parque La Granja. It’s the oldest and largest harvest festival in the country, with grape stomping, a harvest queen, and food and music stalls.
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