Category Archives: walking

Rene and Carolina’s Valpo experiences

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rene-and-carolinaRene 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

Top 3 things to do in Valparaiso

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valpo-cerro-cordillera-y-matrizDuring 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.

Bike adventures in Valparaiso

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bikers-on-the-beachBikers, adventurers and active travellers: start paddeling. Lalo and Pato, two experienced bikers, guides and Chile conoceurs founded Valparaiso Expediciones, a bicycle and trekking tour company. Five expeditions in and around Valparaiso will tell you all about Valparaiso’s nature, culture, history, geography and all you want to know of Chile’s fifth region. We especially recommend the La Campana tour for walkers or the Cerros of Valparaiso for everybody who wants to see Valparaiso from a biker’s perspective. Riding a bike is an adventure in Valparaiso and that’s why every tour comes with 2 guides, helmets and decent bikes. Visit their website to learn about the tours or send an e-mail to info@valparaisoexpediciones.cl

Spring things in Valparaiso

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Although winter is quite mild in this part of Chile we are of course happy that spring is in the air. Here are 3 spring things we personally enjoy.

1. Get involved in an asado. This Chilean way of barbecue is a true social experience.

2. Install yourself on the playa San Mateo, Valparaiso’s only city beach. Feel how freezing cold the sea still is this time of the year and stroll on to Caleta El Membrillo to indulge yourself in seafood. to get to San Mateo, hop on a bus that goes to Aduana and Playa Ancha. Or just walk 15 minutes from the harbour, following the coast at your right hand side.

3. Stroll or bike along the coastline in Viña. Take any bus going to Viña and ask for the casino. In front of the casino starts a beautiful beachwalk that takes you along the coast to Las Salinas. From there you can hop back on any bus to Valparaiso. You can also start your walk closer to Valparaiso: from Baron metro station, cross the railroad and walk towards the sea, from here you can follow the coastline on a very quiet and nice walkway and even see some sea-lions. The path ends at Caleta Portales, where you can take the metro back to Valpo or to Viña del Mar.

Heritage walking tours

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Yesterday we laid our hands on a printed copy of the ‘Ciudad de Valparaiso’ Heritage Routes, edited by the Government of Chile. The amount of detail, the pictures and the selection of Valparaiso’s cultutral heritage are impressive. This booklet is a must have for city explorers and is a free download. Visit the website of the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales and click ‘bajar PDF’ on number 24. Unzip, print it, come to Valparaiso and walk, walk, walk.

La Campana

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If the hills of Valparaiso inspire you to do some serious trekking or climbing then Cerro La Campana (1.880 m) is a perfect destination for an active and adventurous day trip. La Campana is a national nature reserve at an hour’s drive from Valparaiso. The metro’s terminal – Limache station- is just a few kilometres away from the park’s South entrance. Charles Darwin climbed La Campana in 1834 and a plaque, halfway up, honours his memory. The 4 hour ‘sendero andinista’ takes you through a variety of unique landscapes and the 7km trail should not be underestimated. On the top you will admire the Aconcagua (Andes, Argentina) in the distance. Cerro La Campana is steep and the trip is intense. Bring water, trekking shoes, sunscreen and appropriate clothing (layers) with you.