Getting to Valparaiso

Getting to Valparaiso from the national airport is rather easy. As soon as you have picked up your luggage, on your way out, you will walk through a hall with offices selling taxi and bus tickets. Locate the Turbus stand and buy a ticket to Pajaritos, one of the central bus terminals in Santiago de Chile. The bus will arrive in front of the arrival hall on the right hand side. The bus from the national airport to the Pajaritos costs CLP1700. In Pajaritos, the central bus-hub, buy a Pullman or Turbus ticket to Valparaiso and off you go. Buses tend to leave every 15 minutes in peak periods. You will spend around CLP3500 for a one-way ticket from Pajaritos to Valparaiso. An assistant will ask you where you want to get off during the ride to Valparaiso. Just say: “a la terminal por favor” (to the terminal, please). In Valparaiso, do not hang around the bus terminal too long, it is not a safe place. Muggings are unlikely but have been reported. You can get in a black and yellow coloured taxi in front of the bus terminal or hop on a microbus if you are not loaded with luggage. Microbuses stop in front of the terminal. With your back towards the terminal main entrance, choose a bus driving to the right, on Pedro Montt.

If you are looking for a place to sleep in Cerro Alegre or Cerro Concepcion, take a microbus towards Aduana (check the signs on the bus and ask the driver) and get off at the intendencia (the city hall, a big apartment block on a square near the Lider supermarket). Cross the big square and go to Plaza Anibal Pinto (a square with a tourist information stand and a small fountain), you are now at the foot of Cerro Alegre.

Getting away from Valparaiso

If you are heading for Santiago de Chile or its national airport: just hop on a bus or taxi to the central bus terminal (la terminal) on Pedro Montt near Congreso. At the terminal, buy your ticket in an office and jump on the bus. If you are traveling further away in Chile or to Argentina or Peru, buy your ticket in advance at the same terminal.

If you are heading for a nearby or ‘alternative’ destination, you will have to check carefully in the offices of the bus companies. If you want to go to Quintay or Casablanca, check behind the bus terminal on Chacabuco street.There are buses and colective taxis heading for those destinations.

If you are going to Viña or the beaches in the area, just take a microbus on the Errazuriz boulevard, the big road alongside the harbor.

Public transport

Chile is an easy country to travel in when it comes to transport. You have plenty of options: microbuses (micros), private taxis (taxi), shared taxis (colectivos), buses (bus) and in some places subways (metros). Valparaiso has a metro too, leaving from the port, heading towards Viña del Mar and Quilpue. The most charming way to cruise the city center (el plan) is by trolleybus.

Buses (the big ones) leave from terminals and are well organized. The main bus terminal in Valparaiso is situated on Pedro Montt with Avenida Argentina, in front of the Congreso (the big, impressive and ‘modernistic’ building). Companies like Turbus and Pullmann are well organized, comfortable and have frequent departures from the terminal. If you come from the North or South, just buy a cama or semi-cama bus ticket (a ‘bedbus’) and sleep through the whole transfer. Your luggage is safe in the luggage compartments and you will receive a ticket for every piece of luggage. Keep your valuables on you and not around you.

You can stop a colectivo (shared taxi) anywhere and you’ll find some colectivo ‘terminals’ but you have to know the routes – just ask, everybody does. Colectivos are usually shared between 4 passengers and charge around CLP330 uphill and 280 downhill. You pay the driver when during the ride. Drivers are skilled in driving while receiving money and taking care of the change. They charge a little more at night but are still a cheap way to get home safely. Colectivos have signs on their roofs that indicate the route.

Private taxis don’t, they have an ‘unoccupied’ (libre) sign. Taxis in Valparaiso are more expensive than in the capital. You can agree on a fee with the driver or have the meter switched on. Always agree on a fee or ask to switch the meter on (el medidor, por favor) before taking off. This will avoid complications or misunderstandings afterwards. You pay at the end of the ride. You can tip if you want to, but it is not a habit.

Microbuses are cheaper than private taxis and are plentiful. For a short (local) ride drivers charge around CLP300 and for a longer ride to Viña del Mar (directo) you pay CLP450. You pay the driver getting on the bus. Microbus traffic is very chaotic and competitive but they are the way to travel around for most Porteños (people from Valparaiso, the port) and Chileans in general. You will have to figure out the route and have to check with the driver. Everybody does so, don’t be afraid to ask. People are very helpful, if the driver forgets to warn you, someone else on the bus will be happy to “take care” of you.

Trolleybuses are the antique electric powered buses of Valparaiso. They are unique in many ways and have been imported from all over the world. They are slow and cheap, the perfect way to cruise the city centre (el plan). In 2007 the trolley company went broke but luckily the government invested extra money. Do not leave Valparaiso without a trolley ride!