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Get from Santiago Airport to Valparaiso, Chile


When we were looking to head straight from Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez Airport to Valparaiso, we couldn’t find any good resources, so after we made the journey ourselves we decided to share our route. It’s really easy!

2018 UPDATE: Tara has commented (below) to let us know that costs have changed slightly. “The cost has increased a little bit stage 1: C$1,800 and stage 2: C$3,300 (May 2018)”. Thanks, Tara!

Step 1 – Find a Bus

When you pass through Immigration Control into the airport head straight for Exit 5 (Salida 5), turn right immediately after the Customs Desk.

Turn right out of the door and walk straight past the taxis shouting for your attention and don’t get drawn in by the extremely convenient but overpriced TransVIP buses. There are two companies you should look for: CentroPuerto and Tur-Bus. We’ve travelled with Tur-Bus a number of times so we went with them. You’ll need to purchase a ticket either to Pajaritos or Terminal Alameda – the cost should be C$1,550 (as of December ’14).

Step 2 – Head to the Terminal

Most of the buses go to both Pajaritos (a smaller station on the edge of town) and Terminal Alameda. You can catch a bus to Valparaiso from either of these stations and each has it’s advantages; Pajaritos is 45 minutes away from the airport which is closer than the main terminal. Terminal Alameda takes 60 minutes but the buses to Valparaiso will be more frequent and you’ll have more companies to choose from. The choice is yours!

Step 3 – Choose a Bus Company

We decided to head to the main station (Alameda) with the idea that with more companies to choose from we could barter a better deal on the ticket. As it happens, all of the companies offer almost the exact same price regardless of how much you try and haggle. As of December 2014, the price was C$2,500 and the journey took 2 hours. We opted for the ever-reliable Condor Bus.

Step 4 – Valparaiso Terminal to the old town

The bus arrives in Valparaiso bus terminal (Terminale de buses Vina del Mar) which is actually quite central. However, if you’re staying in the old town as many opt to it’s a pretty long walk (10km) to tackle with your luggage after a flight and two buses.

You can either take a frighteningly expensive taxi (about C$5000 for a 10 minute drive) or you can hop on a local bus for C$0.300. Head to the main road (Calle Valparaiso) and wait by the bus stop heading West.

Don’t bother trying to suss out the tube – no options for tourists as you’ll need to buy a pre-paid travel card which isn’t cheap. Good luck and enjoy Valparaiso!


Summary

Total travel time: Approx. 3 hrs plus transit time in terminals
Total cost: C$3,350 with bus, C$8,050 with taxi


Paddy

Paddy likes cold beers, wide landscapes and ancient ruins - sometimes all at the same time. "Not all those who wander are lost".

Random Acts of Kindness While On the Road wp.me/p4OCYX-I3

12 thoughts on “Get from Santiago Airport to Valparaiso, Chile

    1. Valparaiso was one of our favourite cities in South America. There is so much to do and it’s a great place to just hang out in.
      We went for 3 days and we could have stayed for longer but it’s enough to see everything and get a feel for the place.
      We went on the free walking tour which I’d highly recommend.
      We’ve got two blogs on Valparaiso to give you some ideas: http://www.backpackdiary.com/category/south-america/chile
      Have an amazing time!
      Sarah x

  1. We will need to travel from Santiago airport to downtown and then 2 days later from Santiago to Valparaiso cruise terminal. With two large and heavy luggage, do you think taking bus is still recommended? We are 50+ years old so we are young any more. Loading and unloading luggage multiples times could be tiring. Is taking taxi a good idea? Leaving the airport by taxi seems to be easy to arrange. But I am struggling with how to find a safe and fair taxi from Santiago to Valparaiso.

  2. From the airport Turbus as you pointed out goes to Alemeda and Pajoritas.
    Now if you take the Turbus to Valparaiso instead of Condor the Turbus Terminal is on Pedro Montt in what you call Old Town – It is Terminal Rodoviario Valparaiso. Turbus curently show 2700CLP for Pajoritas to Valparaiso (November 2017)

  3. Thank you very much, this is really helpful! Particularly as most information I’ve found doesn’t tell you where the bus actually drops you off!

  4. Your blog tips on how to get to Valpariso has been perfect. Managed to easily get to Valpariso using your instructions as a solo female traveller. The cost has increased a little bit stage 1: C$1,800 and stage 2: C$3,300 (May 2018).
    Thank you!

  5. Hi! Thank you so much for this helpful guide; it really eased my mind on how to navigate to Valparaíso once on the ground.

    Also, not sure if you do updates, but (as I learned when I landed yesterday), Turbus now runs direct buses hourly between SCL and Vina del Mar with a stop in Valparaíso. It was a little over an hour, and 4,000 pesos

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