It’s no secret at this point that I went totally unprepared to Chile. Of course, I did some minimal due diligence before I left, but for the most part I had decided to take it a day at a time, and follow my instinct about what to do or which places to visit. You see, there is always the risk of maybe missing out on amazing cities or places to see when not planning or doing some prior research, but for a reason or another, I decided to let myself go in this trip, and let it surprise me. Some of the decisions I made along the way, I have to say were questionable, but I still managed to keep myself alive.

When I arrived in Chile, I first landed in Santiago, and I knew really wanted to go somewhere where there was a nice beach close by, ideally reachable by car, as I always try my best to avoid getting into a plane. I read some Tripadvisor threads about other people asking the same question that was brewing on my mind: Is Viña del Mar worth the visit? I found a lot of feedback, with so many people having different experiences, that I did what I typically do, jump to conclusions and close my laptop thinking Viña del Mar is most probably one of those artificial cities with no heart and soul, made especially for dumb tourists that don’t know how to appreciate the fine things in life.

Three days already being in Valparaíso, I decided it wouldn’t harm to pay a visit to the neighbouring city, Viña del Mar since there was only a ~9km of distance separating me from the internet’s opinion and the option to create one of my own. Ah.. and where do I start?

Viña del Mar is absolutely beautiful

If you’re looking for a fun, beachy getaway, then Viña del Mar is the place to be! The drive from Valparaíso to Viña is stunning, with a curvy road that runs alongside the Pacific Ocean. I took both the bus and an Uber from Valparaíso to Viña, and while the Uber was a smoother ride, I actually preferred the bus for the raw, “Fast and Furious”-like experience (the door stayed open on some of the tight turns). If you want a smoother ride, go for the Uber – it won’t even cost you that much (mine was about 8,500 CLP, or about 8.5€).

Viña del Mar itself is a spacious city with lots of greenery and a ton of bars and restaurants to choose from. I visited in April, which isn’t the high season, but there was still a relaxed beach vibe going on. I heard it can get crowded in the summer, but because of Covid restrictions, it wasn’t too busy when I was there.

The city’s infrastructure is top-notch, with good quality roads and plenty of buses running to neighboring towns. The drivers might be a bit more impatient than what you’re used to in Western Europe, but overall I’d suggest renting a car for a safe and convenient way to get around.

As a solo traveler, I felt totally safe during my entire trip in Viña del Mar. I didn’t have any incidents or unpleasant experiences. All in all, it was a great getaway that I’d highly recommend!

The beach

The view was beautiful everywhere, full of sandy and rocky beaches. I enjoyed many walks in the coastline connecting Viña del Mar and Reñaca, which took about an hour. You can enjoy the walk in the beautiful footpath, and stop along the way in different spots to either grab an ice-cream, drink or some snacks. It’s full of little kiosks providing such a variety of options and if you are a parent walking with your children, there are a few playgrounds, so you can enjoy with your little one.

I did not dare to get into the water, it was just too cold for me, and the idea of the ocean apparently scares me. You need to be careful and read the signs along the coast, because not everywhere is possible to get into the water due to high waves or strong currents. However, I did enjoy almost every day, laying in the sand with a book and a drink to keep myself hydrated. It was absolutely something I didn’t know I needed, but helped me relax so much.

I had a conversation with a local who seemed to know his way really well in the area, and he suggested the beaches near Reñaca, Concón and he specifically mentioned Playa Punta de Lobos.

I had some of the most amazing food

I stayed in a hotel which only provided breakfast, and since I don’t really eat dinner, I was buying some snacks in the local supermarket and only had to go out for lunch. I had some random food here and there and some great pisco sours, but the best food I had was in:

• Donde Willy Restaurant
  • The food was amazing, the service was friendly, warm, and I was very pleasantly surprised. I ended up having the clams with parmesan cheese, which easily became one of my favourite dishes. I asked for a few tweaks to the fish soup and they were kind enough to help with my preferences, by delivering such a great dish. I had a lovely conversation with Mario, who was serving the lunch, and he helped me try some nice local wines, which I loved. One even had an interesting story, where the owner produced it only when there was a full moon.
• Empanada place near Donde Willy Restaurant
  • Ok, I know this is not much information, but very close to the restaurant (1-2 minutes walking) there was this amazing empanada place for which unfortunately I did not save any reference. If you are up for an adventure, just check all the empanada places within 2 minutes walking distance from the restaurant, and you will thank me when you find it. How will you know you found it, you’ll ask? Trust me, you will know, it’s that good!
• Pecado del Inca
  • The restaurant itself, was a bit gloomy for my taste with dark interior, old looking furniture, very much in contrast with the sun in the city, however, food was really good. the service was fast, and the pisco sour was just lovely 🤌

I couldn’t get lost even if I wanted to

All of my friends, all of them, no exception, know how much I struggle with directions. Another way I like to put it, is that it’s not really my fault, or my problem, is just that streets especially in Western Europe are typically repetitive, and it feels like everywhere you turn your head, looks the same, hence my confusion. Nevertheless, whoever designed the street system in Viña del Mar, absolute genius, chapeau to you! It’s like the city lies in this grid of horizontal and vertical lines, making it so easy to know where you are at all times. Look at this masterpiece of a map, and if this does not excite you, then I don’t know what to say.

Leaning on the more expensive side

I found the city to be more expensive than Santiago or Valparaíso, especially when it comes to accommodation. I found less economical options in Viña that were located in nice areas and that had good reviews. I grew up in a house where we had wooden furniture, for which my parents were proud as it was apparently of very good quality. However, I grew up disliking it so much, and no matter how fancy, expensive the furniture is, if it’s full on brown, it makes me feel uncomfortable. It was a challenge to find hotels with less brown interior overall in whole Chile… I know what you’re thinking, such a first world problem, and you’re probably right.

I ended up staying in this lovely hotel, H9 for 6 nights, for a total of 540€, including breakfast. I got the Junior Suite, just because it was the only one available, and after spending a week in an AirBnB in Valparaíso that did not feel clean, I really needed to be somewhere where I could feel comfortable. I had to walk about 15 min to get to the beach from the hotel, so the location was pretty good. There was not much to do around the hotel though, but that was perfect for me, I wanted to be somewhere quiet.

When it comes to food, my medium spend was 25-30€ per day. Some days I would just have an empanada (2-3€) for lunch and some snacks from the local supermarket, but other days I would splurge in fancier restaurants. I did not really drink that much, which helped keeping the amount I spent under control. I stayed in Chile for 5 weeks, and at some point it became tiresome to go every day out for lunch, so I tried to make up meals from what I could find in supermarkets. For fish eaters out there, there are so many canned options in any supermarket in Chile, that trust me, food won’t be a problem. Depending on your budget and how much you want to spend, you will definitely find more affordable options when it comes to food.