I’ve done a tour of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar twice. Once on a group tour (that then turned into DIY) and once with a private guide. The two days could not have been more different. If you’re trying to work out how to actually get yourself there and back in one piece (and on time for your flight), here’s the honest breakdown of your three options: group tour, private guide, or doing it yourself.
If you haven’t already, read my full Valparaíso and Viña del Mar guide first for what to actually do once you’re there. This post is just about how to get there and around. And if you’re looking for a Casablanca winery to pair with this trip, check out my review of Bodegas RE!
Valparaíso Group tour
The cheapest option, but be warned. Not all itineraries are created equal. My first visit here was a group tour, and it was a masterclass in wasted time.
The service station
We spent an entire hour at a random service station on the way. This only an hour after leaving Santiago, and it was… chaotic. With 20+ coachfulls of tourists all descending at once, giant plastic Rapa Nui heads in the car park, and somehow it was also part duty-free, part thrift store: liquor stores inside next to second-hand clothes (/potentially items dug out the lost and found…). Who is thrift store shopping on the highway? During a day trip? Who is this aimed at? I had so many questions. Same goes for the liquor – who is buying a litre of whiskey during a toilet break at 9am? Bizarre.
This place was also home to the worst coffee I have ever tasted in my life that cost around $8. I hadn’t packed for the weather – unusually cold for January. So I caved and bought a shawl there out of sheer desperation. Later discovered it not only had holes, but had old chewing gum stuck to it. Yum. I still don’t know why we were there for an hour.
Viña del Mar
Then in Viña del Mar, they took us to see the Moai Rapa Nui statue outside Museo Fonck. But with no info on why it was there, or about Moai, or anything. We then killed time hanging out near the Flower Clock for what felt like forever. It was pretty but we didn’t need 30 mins there. After, we were marched to the most pungent fish market I’ve ever stood in. Fish markets are cool and everything, and obviously economically necessary. But they are found all over and should be optional stops, as they’re not exactly pleasant. We were made to stay for an hour. Followed by another hour sitting in a car park waiting for the bus to fight traffic to collect us. We later found out we could’ve taken the metro and been in Valparaíso centre in five minutes. It takes contactless card too, so genuinely no excuse.
Valparaíso
Valparaíso itself didn’t start until 1:30pm. This was a problem, because I had an 8pm flight and had been promised a 5pm return to Santiago. When I asked about it, the answer was essentially “no, actually.” I ended up abandoning the tour completely, wandering around Valparaíso myself, and then taking the metro to the bus station, and buying my own ticket back to make my flight. Wild.
The rest of the tour was set to cover the “highlights” of Valparaíso. I really hope for the sake of my tour group that ‘highlights’ at least included Cerro Concepción and/or Alegre. But the itinerary didn’t specify and as I left I saw them wandering off up a different hill. There was also a whole group lunch being arranged. This is your worst nightmare if – like me – you hate forced fun with strangers. There was also a trip to a larger vineyard in Casablanca later in the tour. Timings were unclear though, as making bookings for large groups meant it had to be later in the afternoon.
Group tour thoughts
Group tours aren’t a bad option per se if you know what you’re letting yourself in for. There will be lots of stopping, hanging around, being shepherded down streets, no time to wander or explore for yourself. Every single one I looked at on GetYourGuide followed basically the same rough itinerary. If you go for the group tour route, plan in more time than you think you need. You are unlikely to be back in time to make an 8pm flight (possibly even a 9pm flight…). Even if the agency tells you otherwise on WhatsApp the day before.
Generally though the group tours from Santiago are not particularly cheap, and if you’re a group of 3+ people it doesn’t cost that much more to hire a private driver and guide for the day.
Valparaíso Private tour
Worth the extra cost if it’s within budget, especially if you’re short on time. A good private guide knows which funicular queues are worth skipping (and the walking shortcuts when they are), which hills are actually worth the climb, and where to eat. On my second visit, this turned what had been a miserable experience first time around into a really positive experience of Chile.
It’s also the easiest way to make sure you’re not wasting hours in the wrong places, and adding additional stops in that interest you. Within Viña del Mar and Valparaíso we requested extra stops at Wulff Castle and Pablo Neruda’s Museum. More broadly on the trip we custom-designed the vineyard visit that came immediately after Valparaíso (read more on that here) and even went up to Pichidangui before getting to the Viña del Mar part. The flexibility it gave, and the ability to stop wherever, ask specific questions, pose for photos without being rushed on by the group, it was great.
As above, if you’re a group of 3-4 people, doing a private option doesn’t really cost more than booking an organised group tour. Obviously you have extra to pay – tickets, lunches, vineyard entry – but this is minimal additional cost.
I organised all of this through Christian of Vamos Tours (+56 9 9237 0631) who is fabulous, speaks fluent English, and is super experienced. Highly recommend.
Valparaíso Do-it-yourself tour (bus or hire car)
Genuinely doable, and the cheapest way to see both cities if you’re not on a tight schedule. You can do it in a day via bus from Santiago. You can easily book on Busbud, or at the station direct. Flixbus leaves from Terminal San Borja (right by the central train station) and Terminal Pajaritos (on a metro line). The buses leave several times per hour, and take around two hours. You’re then a 15 min metro ride from Valparaíso. Leaving at 8am, you can comfortably make it there, wander for a few hours in both Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and be back in Santiago for dinner.
Same goes if you’re planning to go with a hire car, though finding places to park in Valparaíso can be a pain. There is an underground carpark in the main port area, but it does get full and you might end up driving around a while hunting for spots.
Navigating
You’ll need to deal with navigating Valparaíso yourself, which is trickier than it sounds. You should pin on Google Maps where you want to go in advance (see my full guide here!), but be mindful that the winding roads and hillside layout mean you’ll move slower than a guide would take you. Stick to Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre and you can’t go wrong.
Choosing your ascensor (funicular) correctly matters. If you do what I very erroneously did first time around and pick a random one to try to beat the crowds, you might end up in easily the shadiest part of the city, phones-away, locals giving you side-eye territory. The queues exist for a reason – this is a popular hill. If you don’t want to waste time waiting, skip the queue and take the stairs nearby – every hill has a walking route.
Uber works fine here, so you also have that option to get around longer distances. Get out to see the Pablo Neruda museum, get to Viña del Mar if you don’t want to take the metro, etc.
Which one should you pick?
- Tight budget, flexible schedule: DIY by bus and metro. It’s cheap and easy, you just need to be organised about which hills and which funiculars you’re heading for.
- Tight schedule, or 3+ people: Private guide. The cost difference over a group tour shrinks fast once you split it between a few people, and you get your day back.
- Solo, pre-planned, don’t mind being shepherded: Group tour, but budget in extra hours and don’t book a flight the same evening.
Also worth reading
- Complete guide to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar – what to do, where to eat and stay, and everything in between.
- Pichidangui Ultimate Guide – head off the beaten path to this quiet seaside town for the most stunning views and freshest fish
- Bodegas RE: The Casablanca Winery not to be skipped – for a place to head after your morning in Valparaiso
This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend things I’ve actually done or would genuinely use.
