Santiago Airport to Valparaiso - transportation

[tango223]

We are thinking of coming in one day early before our cruise we leaves from Valparaiso.  We are wondering if anyone has booked a car service/taxi from either the airport or Hotel in Santiago to the port (Valparaiso).   The cruiseline only provides transportation if we come in the day of departure or booking 2 night stay at over $1000.  Can anyone give me information on trying to book the transportation.  Appreciate the help as always from CC.

[FredZiffle]

Taxi will run you around $75 according my app.  We used public transportation.  Nice, standard motor coach from the airport to Alameda bus terminal in downtown Santiago, then another standard motor coach to Valparaiso.  Maybe $15 pp total.  There is also an IBIS hotel right next to the Alameda terminal, and a metro station about a block away if decide to tour Santiago.

[joybook]

I'm not trying to be smart but could I suggest that you make sure your cruise is leaving from Valparaiso. I was under the impression that all cruises are now leaving from San Antonio. We called at Valparaiso on our last South Amercan cruise but are departing from San Antonio in January. I believe the change has been brought about by continuing strikes on the dock in Valpairso.

[CCWineLover]

15 hours ago, joybook said:

I'm not trying to be smart but could I suggest that you make sure your cruise is leaving from Valparaiso. I was under the impression that all cruises are now leaving from San Antonio. We called at Valparaiso on our last South Amercan cruise but are departing from San Antonio in January. I believe the change has been brought about by continuing strikes on the dock in Valpairso.

Joybook - what cruise and line are you going to be on in January?   We are doing Viking and leaving in December and they say we are leaving out of Valparaiso - but your information may be newer.  Do you have a source or link that Chile is moving ships to San Antonio?  Thanks!

[joybook]

We are with Princess and will be departing Santiago (SAN Antonio) on Coral Princess on 5th January for Buenos Aires via Antarctica. When we were last in Valparaiso we got caught up in a dock strike that day and my understanding is that things have got worse there hence the change to SAN Antonio. But as I said just check to make sure. The decision may be up to the individual cruise lines themselves.

[mort&fran]

I agree: definitely check with your cruise line. We're on a Panama Canal cruise with Oceania, departing January 4 from San Antonio.

[Tampa Girl]

Our Holland America cruise also departs from San Antonio in January, 2020.

[bradshore13]

The thing to do is a wine tour transfer from Santiago to San Antonio. You have to go through Casablanca and San Antonio wine valleys to get to the San Antonio port terminal. We did that with www.winetoursvalparaiso.cl. That was in 2011 when we sailed from Valparaiso. Michael is a British expat that knows the area very well.

 

I would make sure you are there for four days before departing or four days after arriving. So many people bypass a lot of interesting things to see like Valparaiso for example.

 

Remember there is nothing to see in San Antonio unless you like the casino. You are better off  arriving in Santiago, do a day city tour and maybe one other day for a Maipo valley wine  tour. Then a transfer wine tour to Valparaiso. Spend the night in Valparaiso, then the next day do a Valparaíso and Viña del mar city tour. The next day take another a transfer wine tour or direct transfer to San Antonio port terminal.

 

That's what i would suggest.

[Budget Queen]

I always take the public bus- usually Tur to Valparaiso.   And stay at Ibis.   Take the metro to the port.  😀😀

[iancal]

We paid about $5 each to take the bus from Valparaiso to Santiago.   We paid about $8 for the taxi from our hotel in Valparaiso, IBIS, to the bus station.  IBIS was great.  We asked for, and got a room facing the ocean, on the 5th floor.

 

It was a highway bus.  Very comfortable.  They leave very often, several bus companies.

 

We spent two days in Valparaiso and enjoyed it very much.

 

We looked at the cruise line transportation and hotel offerings.  After doing it ourselves we realized just how incredibly overpriced it was.  

Edited August 7, 2019 by iancal

[Beachvue]

Has anyone used a private transfer company from Santiago airport to San Antonio?

[CCWineLover]

On 8/6/2019 at 10:25 PM, iancal said:

We paid about $5 each to take the bus from Valparaiso to Santiago.   We paid about $8 for the taxi from our hotel in Valparaiso, IBIS, to the bus station.  IBIS was great.  We asked for, and got a room facing the ocean, on the 5th floor.

 

It was a highway bus.  Very comfortable.  They leave very often, several bus companies.

 

We spent two days in Valparaiso and enjoyed it very much.

 

We looked at the cruise line transportation and hotel offerings.  After doing it ourselves we realized just how incredibly overpriced it was.  

Hello iancal - we are planning to use the bus from Santiago to Valparaiso.  Plan to take a taxi from hotel in Santiago to the bus station.  Question:  did you purchase bus tickets ahead of time?  did you need a reservation?  was it crowded?  did the bus stations in Santiago and Valparaiso seem safe?  What time of day did you travel?  Thank for any advice!  We are traveling this December.

[iancal]

We took the bus the other way.  We spent  few days in Valparaiso (Ibis Hotel) after disembarking. we very much enjoyed our time in this city.  When we left we took a cab to the bus station. We did not need a reservations, there were several bus companies going numerous times a day.  But, we were going Santiago not the airport.

 

We stayed at the Ibis Estation n Santiago.  The bus station was around the corner.  Same place where we took the bus to the airport a few days later.

 

So no, we did not buy our tickets ahead of time.  We just showed up.  Time of day.?  We left Valparaiso about 10 in the morning.  We took the airport bus about the same time.  We did ask about buying a ticket ahead of time and we told that it was not required.

 

The bus station was very safe.  Not like  the bus stations in the NA.   Bus travel is extremely common and very inexpensive.  The buses are modern highway buses.

 

You could actually jump on the bus at the airport, green double decker as I recall, and go right to the depot.  Then buy your ticket and grab the next bus to Valparaiso.  It might depend on how much luggage you have.   There is a luggage rack on the airport bus.  We only travel with carry on so it is easy for us.  When you put your bag on the highway bus the driver will actually tag it and give you a receipt prior to placing it in the baggage area under the seats.    This process was very easy.

 

Not surprised that they moved some of the cruise lines. The terminal at Valparaiso was a zoo when we arrived. There were several other ships in port.  To make matters worse, the dockworkers staged a wildcat strike so disembarkation was delayed for an hour or so.  All part of the fun of travel.  Knowing what bus fare we paid I feel that what the cruise lines charge is absolutely scandalous.  Taking advantage of people's insecurity and fears.

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by iancal

[WAVTAM]

Viking Sun of Dec 9 cruise does depart from Valparaiso. Just looked at port schedule.

[CCWineLover]

18 hours ago, iancal said:

We took the bus the other way.  We spent  few days in Valparaiso (Ibis Hotel) after disembarking. we very much enjoyed our time in this city.  When we left we took a cab to the bus station. We did not need a reservations, there were several bus companies going numerous times a day.  But, we were going Santiago not the airport.

 

So no, we did not buy our tickets ahead of time.  We just showed up.  Time of day.?  We left Valparaiso about 10 in the morning.  We took the airport bus about the same time.  We did ask about buying a ticket ahead of time and we told that it was not required.

 

The bus station was very safe.  Not like  the bus stations in the NA.   Bus travel is extremely common and very inexpensive.  The buses are modern highway buses.

 

 

iancal -

Thank you so very much for this good information!  Nice to know and this transportation mode sounds very doable.

We will be trying it to go from Santiago (where we are staying in a hotel) to Valparaiso (where we will be in an airbnb ahead of our cruise).