Avanti Destinations: Chile Short and Sweet
Day 1 Santiago
Airport greeting and transfer to hotel. Enjoy the rest of day at leisure to explore this cosmopolitan city. You might consider adding an afternoon city tour.
Centrally Located Hotel In Santiago,
Day 2 Santiago
Views of a moving city - From the history of the colonial neighborhoods to the modernity of the new financial center also known as "Sanhattan", we invite you to be part of this trip through the different sceneries that characterize this South American Metropolis. We will begin by the city's old residential area, passing by beautiful buildings and homes that today are part of the Barrio Universitario (university area). Our trip then continues to the historical and financial buildings of the city center. We stop by these main highlights: La Moneda government palace, the Main Square and its surrounding buildings. We drive along the green Parque Forestal, where we will admire the stunning Fine Arts Museum. Next, we continue the tour by visiting the bohemian Bellavista neighborhood and San Cristobal Hill where we have an extremely unique view of the city, riding the Funicular to the top of the hill. We'll continue driving towards barrio El Golf to look around the most spectacular modern area of the city, where many embassies and the headquarters of the most important Chilean and foreign companies are located. At this point, we will then return to the hotel, where you will spend the rest of the day at your leisure.
Centrally Located Hotel In Wine Country, (B)
Day 3 Santiago, Wine Country
After breakfast, check out of your Santiago hotel and transfer to the beautiful Colchagua Valley, well known for producing some of the world's best wines. Overnight at your selected Colchagua hotel. Choose a program with breakfast only, half-board, or full-board depending on your preference. Be sure to try the local varieties of Carménère, originally a French wine that died out in the old world only to be rediscovered thriving in the rich Chilean soils.
Centrally Located Hotel In Wine Country, (B)
Day 4 Wine Country
Head out to explore nearby wineries, or stay at your lodge, enjoying included activates depending on your hotel selection. Horseback riding, mountain biking, vineyard tours and tastings, or spa treatments are all potential options.
Centrally Located Hotel In Valparaiso, (B)
Day 5 Wine Country, Valparaiso
After breakfast, transfer to Valparaiso, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. Check into your hotel and explore the hilly neighborhoods of the city known as the Pearl of the Pacific.
Centrally Located Hotel In Valparaiso, (B)
Day 6 Valparaiso, Santiago
After breakfast, enjoy a tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site city, and neighboring Vina Del Mar, known for its tree-lined boulevards and beach front shopping. In Valpariaso, visit the colorful house of the Nobel Laureate Poet Pablo Neruda, where you will get an excellent panoramic view of the city (entrance not included) and the bay, with its singular mural-covered buildings along the side of the hills. You can also can visit the 21 de Mayo Promenade, where you will experience a traditional funicular from the 1900's. Next, visit downtown with a splendid view of the most traditional buildings. Your private guide is happy to cater to your interests.
Centrally Located Hotel In Valparaiso, (B)
Day 7 Valparaiso, Santiago
Take your last glimpses of the city by the sea before returning to Santiago, to continue on to your next Avanti Destination.
Centrally Located Hotel In Valparaiso, (B)
Santiago (Valparaiso)
Santiago, with over four million people, is the fifth-largest city in South America. Standing in a wide plain 1,800 feet above sea level, Santiago boasts a beautiful setting. Snow-capped peaks of the Andes chain provide a dramatic backdrop. Tastefully laid-out public gardens contribute to the beauty of the city. However, Santiago also suffers from horrendous traffic and a high percentage of pollution. The heart of Santiago is the Plaza de Armas, flanked by the cathedral, the archbishop’s palace, the National History Museum and fine arcaded buildings lined with shops. The two-mile-long Avenida O’Higgins is the major thoroughfare, commonly known as the Alameda. There is a splendid view over the city from San Cristobal Hill, crowned by the statue of the Virgin Mary.
Excursions
Valparaiso: Encounter with the Art - 4 hours
Valparaiso: Encounter with the Art - 4 hours
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS EXCURSION
- La Sebastiana – Pablo Neruda Museum
- A local artist’s studio
DESCRIPTION
Picturesque Valparaiso was one of the first Chilean cities founded by the Spanish in 1536.
A thriving port for centuries, modern Valparaiso remains Chile’s primary outlet to the sea. In 1906, a vicious earthquake struck the city, toppling hundreds of the city's priceless monuments. This earthquake, however, would be a portent of things to come: The truly fatal blow to Valparaiso would come 8 years later. In 1914, the first international ship crossed the Panama Canal. The golden age of Valparaiso had come to an end. After years of gloom and decay, the historic port and university town is now living something of a revival. The Chilean government has pledged both economic and structural support to the city, and private entities are implementing projects that seek to trigger an urban renaissance in Valparaiso as a world heritage city and Chile's cultural capital. Among the priorities are culture, heritage preservation, and economic development via tourism. This effort culminated in UNESCO naming Valparaiso’s Historic Quarter a World Heritage Site in 2003.
Immigrants from all over the world have chosen to stay and leave their mark on this peculiar city.
Since over 450 years, this strategic port in the western coast of the South American continent has been the subject of interest for many renamed visitor. First visited by Drake and later on by Dutch pirates, left in ruins by Spanish cannons’ fire and reconstructed many times after numerous earthquakes, Valparaíso is a handmade city, a result of human intervention and an example of urban resilience.
During your 4-hour tour you will have the chance to see Valparaíso distinctively spontaneous hill neighbourhoods and their vernacular architecture, including more than a dozen ascensores (funicular cable cars) that connect the port with its surrounding heights. This is a great city to explore on foot so that you can grasp its beauty.
One of the highlights of the tour will surely be Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda’s Valparaiso residence, “La Sebastiana”. The house is full to the brim with the eccentric genius’ keepsakes from his many trips abroad, as well as an extensive library.
Also during your visit you will get the opportunity to visit the studio/gallery of a local artist who will be pleased to meet you and sharing with you his passion for art and his life experience in this bohemian city in front of the Pacific Ocean, a constant source of inspiration for many other artists
OBSERVATIONS
- Includes the services of an English-speaking guide.
- Bottled mineral water included.
- Entrance fee to the museums are included.
- Museums are closed on Mondays.
*Travellers will be transferred from the pier to the excursion sites by car
Valparaiso - Wines of the Casablanca Valley
Valparaiso - Wines of the Casablanca Valley
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS EXCURSION
- Tour and Tasting at two emblematic vineyards of the Casablanca valley
DESCRIPTION
This morning you will be welcomed at the Valparaíso pier by your guide who will escort you on your private tour to the Casablanca valley.
The Casablanca Valley is a sub-region of the Aconcagua Valley, but its vineyards – first planted in the early 1980s – have earned worldwide recognition in a relatively short space of time. The warm, temperate climate of the area is greatly influenced by the coastal sea breezes, which in combination with a perfect terroir in a valley situated on the coastal plane, with distant hills and slopes rising no more than 400 meters above sea level provide ideal conditions for certain varieties of grape. It is not unlike Santa Barbara and portions of Sonoma, and fittingly, the grapes that have done best over the past half-decade or so have been Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. While the area is best known for its crisp white wines, in particular Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, varieties such as Gewürtztraminer and certain lighter reds such as Pinot Noir are fast becoming the varieties du jour.
The first visit will be made at the Casas del Bosque vineyard where the visit will commence with a tour of the winery and cellars. Continue with a tasting focussing on their superb, award-winning red and white wines including their award-winning Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2004. A selection of dried fruits and cheeses will be served to accompany the wines during the tastings.
Then continue to the Matetic winery.
The new Matetic vineyard, designed by the Viña Matetic team in cooperation with architect Lawrence Odfjell, is a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, constructed so as to complement its glorious setting. In other words, harmony has been reached between the winery´s organic agricultural practices and the natural landscape of the valley.
Upon arrival to the vineyard you will be greeted and invited to listen to a brief introductory speech about the vineyard history and the different phases of wine production while appreciating stunning views of the vineyards and the beautiful Rosario Valley. Then you will proceed to the tasting room where you will sample the high quality Matetic wines.
Lunch today will be served at excellent Matetic Winery’s restaurant.
Notes:
- Includes the services of an English-speaking guide.
- Bottled mineral water available in the vehicle
*Travelers will be transferred from the pier to the excursion sites by car