What suggestions for the best transportation from downtown Santiago to Pier 8 in Valparaiso where our ship disembarks on April 13. We depart here April 8 to see Santiago first....has anyone suggestions or help for that area?
There are tons of buses between the two cities. Just check out the guide book to figure out where the bus station is in Santiago. I know we took the metro out there from downtown to get to the bus station. From Santiago buses run almost every hour. A few years ago (4-5) the cost for this was about $4. I can't remember if the bus goes all the way to Valpo since we jumped off in Vina del Mar. Either way, a taxi won't be too much. If I remember correctly, the total trip was only about 2 hours. Also, be ready for weather change - I found Valpo to be almost 10-15 degrees cooler than Santiago and this was in Nov (start of summer).
If you have the time, spending a few hours on the beaches in Vina or riding the finiculars in Valpo (I think there are over 20 of them) is also worthwhile. However, don't plan on swimming as the Pacific is too cold for that.