Valparaíso Day Trip 2026: Tours, Prices, Bus vs Tour & Booking

Day trips

Choose your Valparaíso day trip

The most booked day trip from Santiago sits in the centre: hotel pickup, the hills, a funicular, Viña del Mar and a winery. On the left, a small-group version with the sea lions; on the right, the one tour that goes inside Neruda's house.

Sea lions ★ 4.910 hours1,321 reviewsFree cancellation

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Casablanca Wine Tour

El Peral liftSea lionsSmall group

A small-group day with the sea lions at Caleta Portales, the El Peral funicular and the mural lanes of Cerro Alegre, then a Casablanca tasting.

What's included

About ten hours from central Santiago, Providencia, Las Condes or Vitacura
A ride on the El Peral funicular and a guided walk on Cerro Alegre and Concepción
Wine tasting at a Casablanca Valley vineyard
Fifteen guests at most, child rate from 3 to 12
Not included: museum entries, lunch and tips

From$65per person Reserve

Most booked ★ 4.910 hours8,832 reviewsFree cancellation

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tasting

Hotel pickupFunicular rideWine tasting

The most reviewed Valparaíso day trip: a guided walk over the painted hills, a funicular ride, Viña del Mar's beach and a boutique winery tasting on the way home.

What's included

About ten hours door to door from central Santiago
Pickup in Las Condes, Vitacura, Providencia, Santiago Centro or Recoleta
One funicular ride, a vineyard visit and a wine tasting in Casablanca
Fifteen guests at most, child rate from 5 to 11
Not included: lunch and tips

From$75per person Reserve

Neruda's house ★ 4.910 hours2,644 reviewsFree cancellation

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Neruda's House and Vineyard

La SebastianaAudio guideWinery

The one day trip here that takes you inside La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's house on the hill. A Casablanca winery, a Valparaíso walk and Viña del Mar fill the day.

What's included

About ten hours, morning departure from Santiago
Entry and audio guide at La Sebastiana, the Neruda house museum
Wine tasting at a Casablanca Valley winery
Bilingual guide, child rate from 3 to 12
Not included: lunch and tips

From$111per person Reserve

More ways to see Valparaíso

Budget, whole coast, street art, private, walks in the port

Lowest day trip ★ 4.78 hours347 reviews

Compare

Which tour suits you

Most day trips from Santiago share the same skeleton: pickup, Casablanca, Viña del Mar, a walk in Valparaíso, the drive back. What changes is how long you stay on the hills, whether the tasting is real, and how many people share the van.

Tour	Time in Valparaíso	Best for	Length	Rating	From
Valparaíso and Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tasting	About 2 to 3 hours with a guided walk	First visit: hills, funicular, beach and a proper tasting	10 hours	★ 4.9 (8,832)	$75	Book
Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Casablanca Wine Tour	About 2 hours, lots of short stops	Small group, sea lions, El Peral lift	10 hours	★ 4.9 (1,321)	$65	Book
Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Neruda's House and Vineyard	Neruda's house plus a short walk	Seeing inside La Sebastiana	10 hours	★ 4.9 (2,644)	$111	Book
Full-Day Viña del Mar and Valparaíso Experience	About 2 hours, then Reñaca and Viña	The cheapest seat to the coast with a guide	8 hours	★ 4.7 (347)	$37	Book
Viña, Valparaíso, Casablanca, Reñaca and Concón	Short stops; much of the day is Viña and the coast	Seeing Reñaca and Concón as well, on a budget	12 hours	★ 4.5 (2,090)	$41	Book
Street Art in Valparaíso and Wines in Casablanca	The longest walk here, about 5 hours	Murals, eight guests at most, downhill walking	9 hours	★ 4.9 (148)	$125	Book
Private Valparaíso and Viña del Mar Tour from Santiago	As long as you like	Your own guide, driver and pace	8 hours	★ 4.9 (143)	$290	Book
Valparaíso Street Art, Funiculars and Port Walk	All of it: starts at Muelle Prat	A short walk if you are staying on the coast	2 hours	★ 4.9 (132)	$34	Book
Famous Valparaíso Walking Tour with a Native Guide	All of it: starts at Plaza Sotomayor	Cerro Alegre and Concepción in depth, two lifts	3 hours	★ 4.9 (96)	$40	Book
Valpo in One Day: Walking Tour by Train, Trolley and Funicular	All day, by train, trolleybus and funicular	Cruise passengers docked in Valparaíso	7 hours	★ 5.0 (92)	$80	Book

Every tour here cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before. Lunch is never included. Child rates start at age 3 (Best Trip Chile, Turistik) or 5 (Stamp's); the budget whole-coast tour takes ages 7 and up.

The port city

A city built on its hills.

Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, every ship rounding Cape Horn called at Valparaíso, and the money built a city unlike any other in South America. British, German and Italian merchants put up houses on the cliffs, clad them in corrugated iron from ship cargo, and painted them every colour they could find. To get up the hills, the city built funiculars, more than thirty of them between 1883 and about 1916.

The canal took the ships away, and the port never fully recovered. That is partly why the old centre survived. UNESCO listed the historic quarter in 2003, and since then the walls of Cerro Alegre, Concepción and Bellavista have filled with murals. Pablo Neruda lived here too, in La Sebastiana, a narrow house with a view of the whole bay.

2003

The year UNESCO listed the historic quarter of the seaport city of Valparaíso as a World Heritage site.

FunicularsStreet artNerudaPacific port

A stepped alley on Cerro Concepción in Valparaíso with murals on the walls and the bay at the bottom — Stairs and murals on Cerro Concepción.

01

How far is it?

About 120 km from Santiago: 1.5 to 2 hours each way by road, through the Casablanca Valley.

02

Time on the hills?

Two to three hours on most day trips. Viña del Mar and the winery take the rest.

03

Neruda's house?

Only the Turistik tour goes inside. On the others it is a drive-by at most.

04

Who should skip it?

Anyone who wants to linger in galleries and cafes: stay a night in Valparaíso instead.

The day

How a day trip unfolds

Pickups start around 7:30 to 8 am in central Santiago, and you are back between 6 and 8 pm. This is the order most tours follow; some flip it and taste the wine on the way home.

01

Over the coastal hills

Out of Santiago on Ruta 68 through two tunnels and into the Casablanca Valley, often with a vineyard or roadside stop.

1.5 to 2 hours

02

Viña del Mar

The Flower Clock, Wulff Castle on the rocks, the moai outside the Fonck Museum and a look at the beach.

About 1 hour

03

Valparaíso's hills

Sea lions at the fishing cove, then a funicular up and a walk through the murals of Cerro Alegre and Concepción.

2 to 3 hours with lunch

04

Wine and home

A guided tasting of Casablanca whites and reds, then the drive back to your hotel in Santiago.

10 to 12 hours in all

A wooden funicular car on its steep track between colourful houses in Valparaíso

Up by funicular

The rocky coast and harbour of Viña del Mar from the air, with Wulff Castle on the point

Viña del Mar's coast

Sea lions on the rocks beside a long pier on the Valparaíso coast

Sea lions at the pier

Valparaíso's port and bay with container cranes and the hills behind

The working port

A large colourful mural of two faces painted on a house in Valparaíso

Murals on every wall

A yellow wooden house with a round window on a hill in Valparaíso

Painted houses

Wulff Castle on its rocky point in Viña del Mar at sunrise

Wulff Castle, Viña del Mar

Fruit and vegetables piled high at the Cardonal market in Valparaíso

Mercado El Cardonal

Cerro Concepción at dusk

Plan your day

Plan your Valparaíso trip

Pickup, what the tours include, what costs extra, and what to bring.

Hotel pickup: included on the day trips from Santiago, inside Santiago Centro, Providencia, Las Condes and Vitacura (Stamp's adds Recoleta).
Pickup time: sent the evening before, usually after 8 pm, by email or WhatsApp. Keep your phone on.
By bus: Turbus and Pullman leave Terminal Alameda about every 15 to 30 minutes; about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes.
Already on the coast: the walking tours meet at Muelle Prat or Plaza Sotomayor, both in the flat port area.
Cruise passengers: the Valpo in One Day walk meets at the passenger terminal exit at 10 am.

Length: 8 to 12 hours for day trips from Santiago, 2 to 7 hours for walks in Valparaíso.
Funicular: one ride is included on most tours, usually El Peral or Reina Victoria.
Wine: a guided tasting at a Casablanca vineyard on Stamp's, Best Trip Chile, Turistik and Progressive Tours.
Group size: fifteen at most on the main day trips, eight on the street art tour, your own party on a private day.
Prices on this site are Viator from-prices in US dollars and move with the season and exchange rate.

Lunch: never included; guides suggest a place. Expect to pay for a main course and a drink.
Museum entries: extra on most tours. La Sebastiana is included only on the Turistik tour.
Tips: not included; a few thousand pesos for guide and driver is common, never required.
Cash: bring pesos in small notes for funiculars, coffee and craft stalls.
Seats: on the way out, sit on the right for the views back over the valley on the return.

Shoes with grip. The streets are steep, cobbled and sometimes slippery.
Layers: a jacket for the cool, foggy coastal morning, a T-shirt for the afternoon sun.
Sunscreen and sunglasses; the Pacific light is strong even when it feels cool.
A small cross-body bag, not a backpack hanging open, and your phone in a front pocket.
Your passport details if the tour asks for them at booking.

Oct to AprDry seasonWarm, sunny afternoons; the easiest months for the hills.

Jan to FebHigh summerBeaches full, Viña del Mar busy, book ahead.

Jun to AugWinterCool, with most of the year's rain. Fewer crowds.

31 DecNew Year fireworksFireworks over the bay draw huge crowds; hotels fill early.

MorningsSea fogGrey coastal mornings that usually clear by midday.

MondaysLa Sebastiana closedNeruda's house opens Tuesday to Sunday.

Where it is

Valparaíso, and the coast

The port is the starting point

Plaza Sotomayor, Valparaíso, Chile

Valparaíso sits about 120 km north-west of Santiago, on a bay ringed by hills. The flat strip along the water is the port and the old business district, with Plaza Sotomayor, the navy headquarters and Muelle Prat, the pier where the walking tours meet and the harbour boats leave. The tourist hills, Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, rise straight behind it, reached by the El Peral and Reina Victoria funiculars or by stairs. Cerro Bellavista, with La Sebastiana, is a little further east. Viña del Mar starts about 8 km up the coast, and the Merval metro train links the two cities.

Day trips collect from hotels in central Santiago
Walking tours meet at Muelle Prat or Plaza Sotomayor
Cruise walks meet at the passenger terminal exit

Open the map

Around your trip

Everything else worth knowing

Timing, the small things guests wish they had known, what is nearby and the fine print.

October to April: the dry half of the year. Spring and autumn are the sweet spot: warm, clear afternoons and fewer people.
January and February: Chilean summer holidays. Viña del Mar's beaches and the coast road get crowded at weekends.
Winter, June to August: cool and wetter, but the murals do not mind. Pack a rain jacket.
Day of the week: go Tuesday to Sunday if you want La Sebastiana; it closes on Mondays.

The hills are the point. If a tour spends more time in Viña del Mar than in Valparaíso, you will feel it.
Pick a tour that tastes wine at a vineyard, not a shop sample with olives: read the listing's inclusions.
Eat lunch up on Cerro Alegre or Concepción rather than at the set-menu place by the beach.
A clear morning is the moment for photos from Paseo 21 de Mayo and Paseo Gervasoni; fog often rolls back in late.
On a cruise day, leave an hour of slack before all-aboard. The port road can jam.

Viña del Mar: the beach city next door, with the Flower Clock, Wulff Castle and the Fonck Museum's moai.
Reñaca and Concón: beaches, sea lion rocks and the Concón sand dunes further up the coast.
Casablanca Valley: cool-climate white wines on the road from Santiago, home to Casas del Bosque and Emiliana.
Isla Negra: Neruda's favourite house, on the coast about 1.5 hours south.

Every tour here cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before on Viator.
Tours run in light rain; operators may change the order of stops or cancel in a storm, with a refund or a new date.
A funicular can close for repairs at short notice. Guides switch to another lift or the stairs.
Street protests in the port area happen now and then; guides route around them.

Guest reviews

What guests say

4.9 ★★★★★
8,832 reviews · Stamp's Tour day trip from Santiago
live Viator & Tripadvisor figure

★★★★★
This tour was a perfect way to see Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Very well organized. Our guide Pauli was very knowledgeable and friendly, perfect English too! I especially liked seeing sea lions in the port and the wine tasting at a boutique winery was also a great ending.
Aleksandr V. · Stamp's Tour day trip, Oct 2026

★★★★★
The tour guide was very good and explained a lot about the area and the culture. The day was well organised and not physically demanding. You will need to be able to manage a few staircases, but they are not long and there are breaks in between them.
Meredith M. · Best Trip Chile wine tour, Oct 2026

★★★★★
We had a great time in this tour! Lovely sights and tasty wine. The Neruda house La Sebastiana is absolutely wonderful. Great guide Javiera and driver Orlando who were both lovely and informative. Highly recommend!
BenMichael G. · Turistik Neruda museum tour, May 2024

★★★★★
Great way to get to the coast. Fun seeing the fish market and sea lions. Enjoyable walks on the hills and loved all the murals. Had lunch at a delicious local restaurant. Driver had great playlist for his tunes. Wine tasting at a beautiful site. A wonderful experience.
Karen R. · Stamp's Tour day trip, Oct 2026

★★★★★
This small group tour (we were only 8 travellers) goes off the usual routes, hits the right spots, and really gives you time to dive in. No rush, no stress - just a fantastic experience with Daniel, who knows exactly how to do it.
Stefan P. · Street art and Casablanca wines, Nov 2025

★★★★★
Fantastic art tour in Valparaíso. Insightful, well organized, and led by a passionate guide who explained the stories and meaning behind the street art and neighborhoods. A great way to truly understand the city.
AnaMaria V. · Street art and funiculars walk, Apr 2026

★★★★★
Felipe did an awesome job showing us his city He took us via train, minibus, funicular x 2 We saw a working fish market, street art, street artists studios, beautiful views and ended with a Pisco bar He even accompanied us back to the terminal to be sure we got back to the cruise ship on time.
MaryPauline T. · Valpo in one day, Feb 2026

★★★★★
This is a must upon visiting Valparaiso as the streets and hills can be very confusing. It was our first activity upon our arrival, and afterwards we felt like pros at navigating the town.
David K. · Famous Valparaíso walking tour, Mar 2026

★★★★★
Matias, our driver and guide, went beyond our expectations! He is very reliable, courteous, knowledgeable, excellent driver and guide. The advantage of this private tour is that you can modify it to your needs!
Sylvia L. · Private tour from Santiago, Feb 2025

Staying on the coast

A whole day for the wine

The day trips give Casablanca an hour at most. Staying in Valparaíso or Viña del Mar? Give the valley a day of its own.

Ten Wines at Three Casablanca Vineyards from Valparaíso

★ 4.9 · 15 reviews · 6 hours

The day trips give you one quick tasting. If wine is the point, give it a day of its own. Go Penguins collects you in Valparaíso or Viña del Mar and drives six guests at most into the Casablanca Valley: Casas del Bosque, the organic Emiliana estate and the small Bodegas RE, ten wines in all, with snacks and water, and nobody in the group has to drive back.

Hotel pickupSix guests at mostTen wines

From$250per personReserve

The guide

A Valparaíso day trip, explained

Almost every tour from Santiago to the coast is called a Valparaíso day trip. Most of them are really three trips in one: a winery, a beach city and a port. Knowing that makes the choice easy.

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Casablanca are three different places

Casablanca is a wine valley halfway along the highway. Viña del Mar is the neat resort city with the beaches, gardens and apartment towers. Valparaíso is the old port on the hills, the one on the postcards, with the funiculars and the murals. A standard 10-hour day gives each one a slice, and Valparaíso usually gets two to three hours including lunch.

That is enough for a good first look: one funicular, Paseo Gervasoni and Paseo 21 de Mayo for the views, a wander through the painted lanes of Cerro Alegre and Concepción. It is not enough to sit in a cafe, browse the galleries or visit a museum properly. If those are your thing, spend a night on the coast.

A red-and-cream wooden funicular car climbing a steep track between colourful houses in Valparaíso — Most tours include one funicular ride up from the port.

Tour or bus?

The bus is cheap, frequent and easy. Turbus and Pullman leave Santiago's Terminal Alameda all day, and you are in Valparaíso in about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes. On your own you control the clock, and you can spend six hours on the hills instead of two. What you give up is the winery, Viña del Mar's sights in one sweep, and a local who knows which lanes to take.

A tour makes sense on a first visit, with little time, or when you want the wine without driving. The bus wins if Valparaíso alone is what you came for.

Sea lions resting on a jetty at Caleta Portales fishing cove in Valparaíso with fishing boats — Caleta Portales, where the fishermen and the sea lions share the jetty.

Before you book: read the itinerary, not the title. Look for three things: how long the Valparaíso walk is, whether La Sebastiana is an entry or a pass-by, and whether the wine is tasted at a vineyard.

Getting the most out of the day

Wear shoes with grip: the streets are steep and the cobbles polished. Bring a jacket for the morning sea fog and sunscreen for the afternoon. Keep your phone in a front pocket on the hills and your bag closed. Tell the guide at the start if there is one thing you must see, like the Piano Staircase or a particular mural; most will fit it in. And eat on the hill, not at the first restaurant the bus stops at.

The sandy beach and palm-lined promenade of Viña del Mar on a sunny day — Viña del Mar's beach, the other half of most day trips.

Compare the tours

FAQ

Questions before you book

Straight answers to what travellers ask most about a day trip to Valparaíso.

Is Valparaíso worth a day trip from Santiago?

Yes, if you go in with the right picture. The drive is about 120 km and takes 1.5 to 2 hours each way, and most tours add Viña del Mar and a Casablanca winery, so you get roughly two to three hours on the painted hills of Valparaíso itself. That is enough for the murals, a funicular and the views. Read the full day trip guide.

How much does a Valparaíso tour cost?

On Viator, group day trips from Santiago start from $37 per person, the most booked tour with a wine tasting is from $75, and the tour that includes Neruda's house is from $111. Private days start around $290 per person. If you are already on the coast, a two-hour walking tour is from $34. See how the tours compare.

Can I do Valparaíso on my own by bus?

Yes, easily. Turbus and Pullman run from Santiago's Terminal Alameda and Terminal Pajaritos about every 15 to 30 minutes, the ride takes about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes, and a one-way seat costs a few thousand pesos. You lose the winery and the guide. Read the bus guide.

Do the tours go inside Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana?

Most do not. Of the day trips listed here, only the Turistik tour includes entry and the audio guide; the others drive past or leave it out. La Sebastiana is closed on Mondays. If the house matters to you, book that tour or go on your own.

What is the difference between Valparaíso and Viña del Mar?

They are two cities that run into each other. Valparaíso is the working port on the hills, with the street art, the funiculars and the UNESCO historic quarter. Viña del Mar is the tidy beach resort next door, with the Flower Clock, gardens and high-rise hotels. Read Valparaíso or Viña del Mar.

Are the funiculars running?

Some are. El Peral and Reina Victoria, both owned by the city, are the ones tours use most. The famous Concepción lift, the oldest, has been out of service for years and is first in line for state restoration. A ride costs a few hundred pesos in cash. See the funiculars guide.

Is Valparaíso safe for tourists?

In the tourist hills by day, with ordinary care, yes. Canada's travel advice asks visitors to be careful around Cerro Alegre because of robberies, so keep phones out of sight, carry little, and use an app ride after dark. A guided tour takes the guesswork out. Read the safety guide.

Is the wine tasting good?

It depends on the tour. Stamp's and Best Trip Chile stop at a proper Casablanca vineyard; the budget whole-coast tour gives a small sample with olives in a shop, and some guests call it a tourist trap. If wine is the point, take a dedicated Casablanca tour.

How much walking is there?

A fair amount, with steep streets and stairs on the hills, broken up by a funicular ride. Most guests manage fine at an easy pace, but it is not suited to wheelchairs. The Progressive Tours street art day plans its walk downhill only.

Is lunch included?

No, not on any tour listed here. Guides stop at a restaurant they know in Valparaíso or Viña del Mar, and you pay for what you order. Set menus near the beach can be pricey; a cafe on Cerro Alegre is a good alternative.

I am on a cruise. Which tour should I take?

If your ship docks in Valparaíso, a walking tour that meets at the passenger terminal is the easy pick: Patatour's Valpo in One Day starts at 10 am at the cruise exit. Stamp's also offers a drop-off at the Valparaíso port with luggage, useful on embarkation day. Check whether your ship actually uses Valparaíso or San Antonio, about 100 km south.

When is the best time to go?

October to April, the dry, warm half of the year. January and February are high summer and busy at the beaches. Mornings on the coast are often grey with sea fog that burns off by midday, and winter, June to August, brings the rain. New Year's Eve fireworks over the bay are famous and fully booked.

Valparaíso Day Trips

Choose your Valparaíso day trip

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Casablanca Wine Tour

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tasting

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Neruda's House and Vineyard

More ways to see Valparaíso

Full-Day Viña del Mar and Valparaíso Experience

Viña, Valparaíso, Casablanca, Reñaca and Concón

Street Art in Valparaíso and Wines in Casablanca

Private Valparaíso and Viña del Mar Tour from Santiago

Valparaíso Street Art, Funiculars and Port Walk

Famous Valparaíso Walking Tour with a Native Guide

Valpo in One Day: Walking Tour by Train, Trolley and Funicular

Which tour suits you

A city built on its hills.

How far is it?

Time on the hills?

Neruda's house?

Who should skip it?

How a day trip unfolds

Over the coastal hills

Viña del Mar

Valparaíso's hills

Wine and home

Plan your Valparaíso trip

Valparaíso, and the coast

The port is the starting point

Everything else worth knowing

Climb the hills, find the murals, watch the port below.

What guests say

A whole day for the wine

Ten Wines at Three Casablanca Vineyards from Valparaíso

A Valparaíso day trip, explained

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Casablanca are three different places

Tour or bus?

Getting the most out of the day

Plan it properly

Questions before you book

Pick your date, head for the coast.