Valparaiso- train to Santiago possible

Has anyone taken the train to Santiago from Valparaiso while in port?

Will be there on a Sunday 5AM-8PM.

And yes I know what happens if I miss the ship. :)

No, I haven't. But Valparaiso is very interesting, a UNESCO world heritage site that deserves a visit.

there's a train to Santiago? you sure?

Yes there is supposed to be a relatively new train.

I suggest taking a tour with SouthExcursions that includes a tour of Valparaiso, then a winery in Casablanca and finally tour of Santiago.

http://www.SouthExcursions.cl | http://www.SouthExcursions.com

Even though you have a long day in port, given that Santiago is about 70 miles (roughly 1 1/2 hours by car), I would not be wanting to rely on public transportation ( train, bus) to get me back to Valpariso in time for my ship's sailing. I say this having traveled by car service from Santiago airport to Valpariso earlier this year.

I would either do a ship's tour or arrange a private tour to the places I felt were important to see.

Thank you for the info! :)

Even though you have a long day in port, given that Santiago is about 70 miles (roughly 1 1/2 hours by car), I would not be wanting to rely on public transportation ( train, bus) to get me back to Valpariso in time for my ship's sailing. I say this having traveled by car service from Santiago airport to Valpariso earlier this year.

 

I would either do a ship's tour or arrange a private tour to the places I felt were important to see.

An awful lot of people do that in Italy every week. I actually think the train is the most reliable as they don't have traffic jams.:p

Could you provide a bit more information about the train. I have tried looking up info about the train and have come up with nothing.

I would really be interested in finding out more about it.

Thanks,

Terri

We have done the trip using SouthExcursions twice, December 2011 and January 2014.

My research on the train did not encourage us to use the train.

I seem to remember a discussion with our guide about the train and he gave it a negative, but that could have been because it was competition.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294305-i2020-k1471377-Travel_from_Santiago_to_Valparaiso-Santiago_Santiago_Metropolitan_Region.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/South_America/Chile/Region_de_Valparaiso/Valparaiso-1557688/Transportation-Valparaiso-TG-C-1.html

Train

Chile's railroads blossomed in the late 19th century courtesy of the country's rich mines. In the early 20th century thousands of hectares of native forest were felled to make way for lines running from Santiago to Puerto Montt. Yet, despite the early investment and sacrifices, Chile's train system went into decline for a century and most tracks now lie neglected or abandoned.

Railway enthusiasts can take heart in recent developments near Santiago, however; a newly modernized system of southbound trains runs frequently from Santiago through Talca and Chillán to Temuco. Check the website of Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado (http://www.efe.cl in Spanish) for more information. Slower services also crawl to Talcahuano near Concepción and to Talco, stopping at Curicó and Parral. Furthermore, there is a metrotren service that goes from Santiago as far as San Fernando to the south.

With the exception of the long Calama-Ollagüe line between Chile and Bolivia, there are no long-distance passenger services north of Santiago. It's difficult but not impossible to travel by freight from Baquedano (on the Panamericana northeast of Antofagasta) to the border town of Socompa, and on to Salta, in Argentina.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/chile/transport/getting-around#ixzz3Ib8MXNeI

An awful lot of people do that in Italy every week. I actually think the train is the most reliable as they don't have traffic jams.:p

Chile is not Italy. I loved taking the train from the port to Rome on our last cruise. Simple, easy, frequent trains, efficient rail. Chile does not have a developed rr infrastructure. Neither does Argentina. Buses are the way to go in both those countries, if you are determined to take public transport. Otherwise, I love Papa's idea of taking a tour en route.

I don't think there is a train in Valparaiso. No mention of one in that quote from 4774Papa.

there is no train service between valpariso and Santiago BUT there are very nice buses leaving every 20 minutes or so...trip takes less than two hours and couldn't be any more simple or reliable....cost was about $5 or less.......take a taxi to the bus station and go from there....several bus companies run the routes and you can buy the ticket at the station no problem...

A few years ago, my friend and I took the bus from Santiago to valpariso prior to boarding our cruise. The trip was very pleasant and inexpensive. We received baggage claim tickets for our luggage. We plan to use the service again for our Jan 2016 cruise.

Cynthia