Valparaíso: Coastal Colour in Under 24 Hours

We flew from the UK to Santiago and went straight to Valparaiso, a beautiful coastal town roughly 90 minutes from the airport.

 We had less than 24 hours in Valparaíso, yet this gorgeous coastal city completely stole my heart. It is wonderfully quirky, full of character and creativity, with some of the best street art I have ever seen and no end of brilliant cafés and restaurants.

Despite our short stay, we managed to pack in plenty of sightseeing and two spectacular seafood meals, each naturally accompanied by an obligatory pisco sour.

One of my favourite features: the funiculars that whisk you up and down the steep hills for around a pound a ride, saving your legs and offering fantastic views.

If you are visiting Santiago, I would absolutely recommend adding Valparaíso to your itinerary. It’s so close and makes a delightful side trip or short stay. I can of course build time in Valparaíso into any Chile itinerary I create for you.

Santiago: City Life Framed by the Andes

.Santiago itself is a stunning city, framed by the snow-capped Andes in the distance, which creates the most beautiful backdrop.

We spent two days doing what we do best: exploring and eating. Staying in the Lastarria district was perfect: right outside our hotel we had a pedestrianised area, a weekend market full of quirky stalls and plenty of cool restaurants to choose from.

Mendoza: A Wine Lover’s Paradise

On the way to see family in Buenos Aires, we stopped in Mendoza for a few days and it reminded me why I love it so much. If you are a wine lover, especially a Malbec fan, this is paradise. Vineyards surround the city and you will find excellent local wines on almost every restaurant menu.

Beyond wine, Mendoza is also a brilliant base for adventures into the Andes and pre-Andes. We spent a day exploring the pre-Andes region and were blown away by the landscapes around Lake Potrerillos. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking.

We treated ourselves to lunch at one of the local vineyards, Chandon, which was sublime and paired with plenty of local sparkling wine. With only two full days to play with, the following day we headed to the hot springs at Cacheuta: a fun, scenic and very therapeutic way to recover from all that food and wine.

If you have longer, there are many more excursions available into the Andes. For keen mountain lovers, this is also the gateway to Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas. I have visited on a previous trip and it is an impressive sight.

Buenos Aires: A City I Can Never Get Enough Of

Our next stop was Buenos Aires, and we had a fantastic few days exploring, catching up with family and, of course, eating our way around the city.

We stayed in Palermo and spent time wandering around the neighbourhood and Palermo Soho, which is one of my favourite areas for its independent shops, cafés and general buzz. We also explored Recoleta, San Telmo, Belgrano, La Boca, Plaza de Mayo and more.

A highlight was spending a day at a cookery school, learning to make traditional dishes like empanadas and chipa. I cannot wait to recreate them at home. Al and Max went to a River Plate match, which looked incredible, and the food overall was outstanding.

As a non-meat eater who does eat fish and dairy, I found it much easier than expected this time around. Argentina is definitely getting better for vegetarians and even vegans.

Buenos Aires is an easy city to explore on foot, but taxis are very inexpensive and the metro is safe and straightforward to use. One small annoyance is the ATMs, which tend to charge quite high fees and are not always simple to use. My advice is to pay by card as much as possible and, if you can, bring some US dollars as a back-up. Almost everything can be paid for by card, but if you do use ATMs, just be prepared for the local charges.

The people, the food and the sheer atmosphere of Buenos Aires are wonderful. For football fans, it is also great fun spotting images of Messi all over the city; we counted at least twenty! I genuinely believe Buenos Aires should be visited at least once in a lifetime or, in my case, about twenty-five times.

Rio de Janeiro: Ending on a High

Our final stop was Rio, where we had a brilliant few days in one of the most iconic cities on earth.

Rio was every bit as incredible as expected: a beautiful blend of lush forested hills, sweeping beaches and vibrant neighbourhoods. Despite this being my sixth visit, I found it as fascinating and alluring as ever.

During our stay we:

• Visited Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado
• Took the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain for sunset, complete with a live DJ set
• Wandered the colourful Escadaria Selarón
• Visited the now-viral Havaianas store in Ipanema (I am a huge Havaianas fan)
• Enjoyed a classic Brazilian experience at a Fogo de Chão restaurant

One pleasant surprise was how safe Rio felt this time. The city often gets negative press, but we walked extensively and found it clean, friendly and full of that joyful, laid-back energy that is so distinctly Rio.

If this journey has sparked ideas for your own adventure in Chile, Argentina, Brazil or a wider South America itinerary, I would be delighted to help you plan it around your interests, pace and budget.

Contact me to start creating your own South American story.