Travel Tips: The Best Day Trips From Santiago

I felt inspired to write this particular post today, as it won't be long until I'll be moving back to Santiago again! I'm just waiting for one more document to arrive within the next couple of days, and then I'll be able to complete the visa application. After that it will just be a matter of days or weeks before I can collect my visa and finally go!

Of course, I'm still nervous that something will go wrong, and I'm not going to lie, the recent news about the new Covid variant has been stressing me out a bit. But after so many months of waiting, I want to remain positive that things are actually going to work out at last, and that I'll be back in Santiago with Claudio within weeks. (Fingers crossed!)

Santiago is a great place to visit and live in, and I've already written about some of the best attractions in the city itself. But another thing that makes it great is its location and its transport links to other fantastic destinations. It's located pretty much right in the centre of the country, and it's easy to take a coach from there to cities across the north and south of Chile. It also has a big international airport, which offers flights to many places in South America and beyond.

But today I'm going to focus on the places that are within a couple of hours' driving distance, and which are ideal for a day trip or weekend away. My list includes beaches, areas of natural beauty, and cities, so there's plenty of variety!

Cajón del Maipo

It doesn't take much longer than an hour to get to this canyon in the Andes (but beware that the journey there is slightly terrifying, due to the narrow mountain roads!). What I like about this place is that it's an area of completely unspoilt nature, featuring mountains, rivers, and the huge reservoir Embalse el Yeso (pictured above). It's also an ideal destination for outdoor sports like hiking, skiing and rafting.

Read more here!

Pomaire

If you want to experience an authentic, traditional Chilean town, Pomaire is the perfect place to visit. This little town is famous for its pottery, in particular its little clay piggy banks, which are sold on practically every corner. You can even find the world's largest piggy bank there!

Read more here!

Chicureo

Chicureo is a small town to the north of Santiago, best known for its artificial lagoon, Laguna Piedra Roja. The lagoon is very picturesque, and is located right next to a nice shopping mall, making it a great place for a day out. Similarly to other affluent areas in and around Santiago, it has a bit of a vibe of the United States about it.

Read more here!

Vineyards of Central Chile

Chile is famous for its wine, and most of it is produced in the centre of the country, meaning that there are plenty of vineyards within driving distance of Santiago. In fact, when I was living in Santiago, my first ever trip outside of the city was to Viña Undurraga (pictured above), a vineyard in the town of Talagante. It was a really beautiful place to visit, thanks to its trees and flowers from the south of Chile, and the wine was also very tasty! Another vineyard which looks worth a visit is Viña Indómita. I've never been there but I've been past it in the car on trips to the beach. I think it intrigues me because it's a big white house located in a town called Casablanca (white house)!

Read more here!

Viña del Mar & Nearby Towns

Known as Chile's garden city, Viña del Mar is one of the most popular beach destinations in the country, and is also the location of Festival de Viña (basically the Latin American equivalent of Eurovision!). It has various sandy beaches and interesting architecture, including a French-style castle and a German-style castle. I would also recommend checking out two nearby towns as well: Reñaca (which has a really nice beach) and Concón (which has amazing sand dunes).

Read more here and here!

Algarrobo & Nearby Towns

Algarrobo has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever visited, and what makes it even better is that it's home to lots of interesting wildlife, such as pelicans. And if you take a boat trip around Isla Pájaros Niños, you can even see penguins! Other nearby places that are interesting to see are Isla Negra (one of Pablo Neruda's houses) and Santo Domingo, which has a beach with black volcanic sand.

Read more here and here!

Valparaíso

Valparaíso has to be the ultimate day trip from Santiago, and I'd say it's a must visit destination for anyone visiting Chile. This city has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it's easy to see why; it's full of colourful architecture in a variety of styles, its streets and staircases are decorated with creative street art, and the whole place has a very vibrant and Bohemian atmosphere.

Read more here!

I hope this article can provide some inspiration for anyone planning on spending some time in and around Santiago! It has been really fun to compile this list and to remember the great times I had in these different places. I can't wait to be back in Chile again, revisiting some of my favourite destinations, and discovering new ones!

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Pomaire

Before I went back to Europe, my boyfriend and I had time for a day trip to Pomaire. It's a small town about an hour away from Santiago, but it's like a completely different world. It's known for its pottery, in particular clay piggy banks, and there are loads of shops selling them.

When we arrived, we went to a restaurant which sold huge portions of traditional Chilean food. Looking at the decorations, there's no doubt which country it's located in!

One thing I really wanted to see in Pomaire was the biggest clay piggy bank in the world, which we eventually found. It's actually in someone's backyard, and you have to pay a small amount to see it (500 pesos, if I remember correctly). But you can take as many photos as you like and there are even cowboy (or rather huaso!) hats to pose in. When we went, there were also four cats hanging out there, two of whom I made friends with!

We went to have a look at the church, which is really pretty. It reminded me of the church in San Pedro de Atacama, despite the fact the two towns are hundreds of miles apart.

At the end of our trip, we got invited into a place where they make the pottery, and we got to see all the different stages the clay goes through as it gets made into pottery, which was really interesting.

Overall, Pomaire seemed to me like a really authentic Chilean town and a great place for a day trip from Santiago.

This is my last post about my week in Chile, which was a really amazing and memorable time for me. Hopefully I'll be back again very soon! At the end of the week, I got a flight to Madrid, where I spent a couple of days. And that's what I'll be writing about next. 😊