In Chile you find the best skiing opportunities in Latin America. Professional skiers from the Northern hemisphere find their thrills during Chilean winter but amateur snow lovers also trap on boards and skis. From Valparaiso it only takes about 2 1/2 hours to reach beautiful slopes and well equipped resorts. Where else then in Valparaiso to have breakfast with ocean view in the morning, a full day in the Andes and after ski diner or drinks in a Valparaiso bar or restaurant?
Michael from Valposki organizes ski trips with guaranteed departure on Saturdays. Groups get special rates of course.
Category Archives: trips
Noches luminosas, 24-25-26 June 2011
On the night of 24, 25 and 26 July, several restaurants, hotels, shops, etc organize an enlightening activity on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción: Noches Luminosas (Enlightened Nights). All participating businesses will put some extra light and until midnight they will offer their services and several activities such as tastings, discounts and much more.
Valparaiso in a day with the ‘O’
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There is way to see and understand the basics of Valparaiso’s unique geography in one day: the ‘O’.
The microbus nr. 612 is not just a part of Porteños daily transport: it takes you up the hills, through the barrios and the old center and up to a completely different part of town. It also takes you to Pablo Neruda’s famous museum, Plaza Echaurren, the central market, a unique city beach and Viña del Mar. Learn all about the ‘O’ here.
Rene and Carolina’s Valpo experiences
Rene and Carolina run the friendly Bed and Breakfast La Nona. They are very keen on taking their clients to the best spots and experiences in the region so that’s why I asked them what their ‘Valparaiso top 3′ is.
1. A visit to the Casablanca wine valley. Casablanca is known for its whites but is building a reputation on red wines. 25 vineyards at a short drive from Valparaiso.
2. Horseback riding in Ritoque. To Rene and Carolina this is the best way to connect with the natural beauty of Chile’s fifth region. Ritoque´s dunes, a soft sea breeze and a blue sky are the perfect setting for a ride on men´s second best friend.
3. Lunch at Deportistas. This family run restaurant, hidden in Valparaiso´s Cerro O´Higgins is only known by insiders. You can have chicken or fish but people come for the meat. The owners are proud to serve Uruguay´s best quality meat. Lunch at Deportistas is abundant, high quality and a social experience.
More information at info@bblanona.com
Biking along Valparaiso´s coast
Last weekend, Lalo from valparaiso expediciones.cl invited me for a bicycle ride from Valparaíso to Con Con and back. I have always enjoyed the coastal road when I visit the more remote beaches by bus, but by bike you rediscover the fifth`s region diversity of rocky coast, coastal towns and piers. I was a bit worried at first about the safety of cycling in Valparaíso, but I was surprised by the several decent cycling paths and the kind attitude of drivers towards cyclers. I listened to Lalo’s explanation about the social and geographic history of the pier Portales, I watched the body boarders in Reñaca, I had a delicious empanada in Con Con and I admired the small bird reserve at the Aconcagua river delta. Our perfect day ended with an even more perfect sunset while we headed back to Valparaiso.
Top 3 things to do in Valparaiso
During your stay in World Heritage City Valparaiso you will find lots of things to do. Here are our personal favourites:
1. Walk the town and the “cerros” (hills). Valparaiso grew in a very chaotic way, every porteño constructed, and constructs, their home and claimed their rooftop ocean view. Pick up a map and walk along Bellavista’s open air museum, Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion, Calle Serrano and Plaza Echaurren and if time left, discover Playa Ancha. We heard Carolina from La Nona guides you on an interesting geographical and historic city walk.
2. Enjoy a ride with the ‘O’ bus (bus nr. 612, has a big O on the front screen). This is a public minibus that will take you on a spectacular ride through the cerros, via La Sebastiana (museum of Pablo Neruda), Plaza Echaurren (old historic center) to end in Playa Ancha. Hop on a historic trolleybus, a slower introduction to ‘El Plan’ (downtown).
3. Try some local and international food and have a bite out of Valparaiso’s nightlife. Try the historic bar ‘La Playa’ in Calle Serrano and Cinzano at Anibal Pinto. More recent bars like Pajarito, La Piedra Feliz and Poblenou or renewing bars like Ambar Martini Lounge are also worth a visit.
Check our ‘things to do section’ for a complete list.