the best beaches on the Pacific and shopping places near Santiago

The summer season begins and Chile It is one of the most sought after destinations for Argentines who want to combine beachfront vacation and shopping tourism. And especially this year, when the trans-Andean country was once again a magnet for its pricesmuch more convenient than those on this side of the Cordillera.

The beauty of the landscape of the coasts on the Pacific Ocean, with mountains, cliffs, golden sand beaches, spectacular sunsets, with a sun that hides in the sea, and excellent gastronomy, are more than attractive reasons to decide to vacation in the neighboring country.

Only in the Valparaíso area, just over an hour by car from the capital, Santiago de Chile, are there 23 beacheswith all tourist services. Of course, we must keep in mind that they are more for relaxing in the sand or walking than for bathing, because the water of the Pacific is colder than the Atlantic: in Viña del Mar the average water temperature is 14 degrees.

From Argentina, if the option is to go by car, the main access is via Route 7 crossing the Christ the Redeemer international tunnel (Argentina) and Los Libertadores (Chile), which connects the Mendoza town of Las Cuevas with the Chilean town of Los Andes, where you can take the route to Santiago, towards the south, or continue west to go directly to the coast.

There are 365 kilometers between Mendoza capital and Santiago de Chile, but it takes much longer than the distance would indicate, because in the high mountain area it is a straight route, with many curves and countercurvestunnels, snails on the Chilean side and a double yellow line that prohibits overtaking for much of the route.

In addition, traffic is usually very intense, with an average of more than a thousand trucks coming and going at all hours, and about 40 buses a day, so getting to Santiago takes, under normal conditions, between six and seven hours. But on key days – December 30 or 31, Fridays, long weekends – there is usually long delays at customs of The Liberators. The good thing is that in summer the border crossing is open 24 hours.

The Fifth Region, in the central area of ​​Chile, is the closest to Santiago, and is also where the most popular and most visited beaches by Argentines are. The main one is Viña del Mar, 405 km from Mendoza and 1,440 from the city of Buenos Aires.

Close to Viña it is Valparaisoan ancient city that used to be the main port of the country and is a spectacle of colors and slopeswith its houses and stairs painted in all shades and old elevators or funiculars that climb the hills. One of its treasures is “La Sebastiana”, one of the residences that the poet Pablo Neruda had in Chile.

“Due to the short distance between Santiago and the main beaches, in Chile you can have breakfast in the mountains and enjoy the sunset over the sea“, describes Claudio Yañez, director of the National Tourism Service (Sernatur) of the metropolitan area of ​​Chile.

The beaches of Viña – an area that has 1,100 enabled accommodations – are crossed by the picturesque Jorge Montt coastal boulevard, on which there is a succession of imposing apartment complexes with pool and amenities facing the sea until Concon in the north, where, between high cliffs, there are restaurants with exquisite seafood cuisine (seafood and fish) and beaches with inns that attract especially young people.

The port of Valparaíso, where tourist cruise ships dock, is the scene of a great celebration of fireworks to welcome the New Year in front of the seaan unmissable event that can also be enjoyed from the beaches of Viña and Reñaca: in Chile the sale of fireworks is not allowed, there are only “official” fire shows, and they are spectacular.

The coastal edge is a typical recreation area. It has wide golden sand beaches, inns, dunes, bars and clubs, fast food businesses, cafes and restaurants specializing in seafood cuisine.

In the interior communes of the Fifth Region, typical Chilean cuisine predominates: pastel de choclo, roast meat, cazuela and mote con huesillo.

In Viña del Mar, there are the beaches Acapulco, Caleta Abarca, Las Salinas, and El Sol. And the favorite of Argentines is Reñaca.

In Concón, there are Amarilla Beach and La Boca Beach. In Valparaíso, the beaches Las Torpederas, San Mateo and Los Placeres.

In all the communes of Valparaíso you can practice adventure sports such as trekking or cycling, skating or skating. On the coasts there are tour operators offering surfing, body boarding, stand up paddle, canoeing and paragliding experiences.

Mountains and forests by the sea

The forested beaches, as those located about 55 kilometers north of Viña are known, are characterized by their beauty and tranquility, and are highly chosen by families and groups of young people.

It is about Maitencillo, Cachagua, Zapallar and Papudowhich are also destinations in high demand by Argentines who choose Chilean beaches for their vacations.

Zapallar beach is characterized by its deep blue waters and its yellow sand, although what draws the most attention are the lush forests of native trees that surround her.

The large beach of Cachagua is ideal for walks along the seashore and its waves for surfing. In this coastal area you have to try flounder and croaker and visit Las Cujas beach, a turquoise fishing cove with fine shell white sand.

About 400 km north of Viña, the Coquimbo and La Serena beaches add up to about 15 kilometers of a coastal avenue with apartments for tourist rentals and a slightly warmer sea (18 degrees Celsius average in summer) and a variety of shopping centers.

Within this area there are other highly visited beaches, such as Pichidangui, Tongoy, Guanaqueros, Morrillos and Totoralillo; ideal for practicing water sports.

By boat you can visit the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, which on Damas Island allows you to spot dolphins and whales in a surprising sea of ​​clear waters.

Towards the mountain range, there is the beautiful Elqui Valley, the land of the poet Gabriela Mistral, with the Pisco Route and the possibility of astrotourism because it has 360 clear days a year.

The Elqui Valley is one of the most visited places in the fourth Chilean region, considered an energy pole and associated with UFO phenomena by communities that carry out esoteric activities.

You can visit the Gabriela Mistral Museum, the Mamalluca educational observatory, Viña Cavas del Valle, considered the highest in Chile, the Pisco Capel production plant, and the Villaseca solar cookers.

In this area of ​​​​northern Chile there are three private astronomical observatories and 17 municipal ones, which offer nighttime stargazing experiences.

How to get there. From Buenos Aires to Viña del Mar it is 1,440 km along Route 7 to the international tunnel and, now Cnile, along Route 60.

By plane: Aerolíneas Argentinas, LATAM, Jetsmart, SKY and KLM fly to Santiago. Round trip in January, from $519,000.

By bus: from Retiro via CATA Internacional (10 p.m.), $90,000 one way.

Where to stay. The central beach area is the most touristy in the country, so there is a wide variety of accommodation of all types; from hostels and cabins to 5-star hotels.

A double room with breakfast in a three-star hotel starts at $70 per night, while an apartment for 4 costs from US$60 to US$110 per night, depending on the area and the amenities it includes.

Rent for a two-bedroom apartment near the beach averages US$55 per night.

Currency and change. The advantage of almost exchange rate parity with our country – one thousand Chilean pesos are equivalent to 1.03 dollars, against 0.98 in Argentina – is today an incentive to hire vacation rentals, excursions and meals.

How much does it cost. On Chilean beaches, on average, a menu starter, main, drink and dessert, for example, you get from 16 dollars ($17,100). And a pizza with a drink, between 7 and 10 dollars (from $7,500 to $10,700).

Shopping. Shopping tourism, which is all the rage in Santiago, also extends to the beaches of the Fifth Region, which have a wide range of malls of different types and sizes.

Only between Viña del Mar and Concón there are six large complexes: Mall Marina, Mall Paseo Ross, Plaza Reñaca, Viña Outlet Park, Arauco Outlet Carauma and Paseo Viña Centro, and many others in La Serena and Coquimbo.