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The longest country in the world, Chile has the Andes mountain range on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. I mean how beautifully this country is located. My friend is from Curico, a lovely little city in Chile. He invited me on his mother's 50th birthday, so I planned a trip to Chile.
I booked a flight to Santiago City from Vancouver and had a layover of 2 hours in Miami. You will find the information regarding bookings and reservations ahead in the blog.
SANTIAGO CITY
I spent a total of 3 days and 3 nights in Santiago. Landed early morning, and headed straight toward my Airbnb in Providencia. It is a beautiful city in the valley surrounded by the magnificent Andes mountain range. After checking in at my bnb, I headed towards my friends who were also staying in Providencia, and that too a 5-minute walk from where I was staying. We discussed the plans for the trip over coffee and breakfast.
I did not know that the tallest building in South America is in Chile and that too in Santiago, Gran Torre Santiago. We took the cable car to reach the summit of San Cristobal Hill, there was a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. You also get to see a perfect aerial view of the city of Santiago. You will have the option to snack on so many different food stalls on the hill.
Santa Lucia Hill is also one of the famous attraction points in Santiago. We also explore the beautiful architecture of Plaza De Armas De Fernando which is the main square of Santiago city. I also noticed a lot of murals and graffiti in the city. I was very curious to see the skeleton of the largest mammal on earth, the Blue Whale in the National Museum of Natural History.
VALPARAISO & VINA DEL MAR
After almost two hours of bus journey from Santiago, I reached the bohemian city of Valparaiso. No matter where you see, your eyes will fall on a mural and I am not kidding. I have not seen any other city in the world with this much street art.
I only had a day to see both Valparaiso and Vina, so I took a bus early morning from Providencia and reached Valparaiso around 11 a.m. I avoided the core streets as I was on solo exploration, so after clicking a lot of street art I went to Vina.
Vina had a whole new vibe, a resort city on the coast of Chile. Vina is less bohemian compared to Valparaiso and is known for its beaches, highrises, and gardens. I wish I had another day or two because one day for Valparaiso and Vina is not much!
CURICO
Another city that I visited was in central Chile's Maule region, Curico. My friend Marcelo is from Curico, and he made sure that we experience Chile as locals. Marcelo invited us to his mother's 50th birthday party which was too good to explain. We danced all night, We visited his family and friends and tried authentic home-cooked Chilean food. They greeted us so well, that I could sense the warm welcome.
Apart from this, we did a little hike to Cerro Condell for the view of Curico City. The Cerro is also popular for motorbiking, you will see a lot of tracks on the hill. Another attraction point of the city is the Mall Curico, which has most of the famous brands and food outlets.
BOOKINGS AND RESERVATIONS
TRANSPORT
VANCOUVER TO SANTIAGO (RETURN JOURNEY)
I booked my flight tickets two months before my trip for better prices. I prefer using Google Flights to finalize my dates according to the ticket prices. On my way to Chile, my layover was in Miami for 2 hours. While on my way back, I had a layover of 3 hours in Mexico.
TRANSPORT WITHIN CHILE
I used the metro card for commuting within Santiago City. It is the cheapest and easy to navigate.
To reach Valparaiso and return to the city, I booked a single-day return ticket from the bus stand, you can also book it online:
Our journey to Curico was also a bus journey, a budget-friendly and comfy trip.
ACCOMMODATION
In Santiago city, I stayed in Providencia. I had my Airbnb booked for 3 nights. Super close to the metro station as well as the bus station. You can find a bunch of good restaurants around.
In Curico, our Airbnb was in Maule for 2 nights. Comfortable stay in a well-maintained society.
