South America - Tour guide for Shore excursion in Valparaiso

I am looking for a reputable tour guide in Valparaiso. I am interested in going to Santiago for the day and then return to the ship.
The ship is in port from 7 am to 5 pm.
I realize that Santiago is a good distance from the port and the time is limited.
Am I expecting too much to be able to see Santiago in that short time?
Thanks for any and all responses.

You are looking at no more than 5 hours in Santiago. I'm figuring off the ship by 730 in your transport, and leaving Santiago no later than 2 so you are back at the ship about 4. Also, if it happens to be the day before a holiday weekend, etc., the traffic back to Valpo can be nightmarish.

What does your cruise line offer?

You could easily pass a lovely day in the Valpo / Viña area - enough so that the trip to Santiago (a city that I like very much) isn't worth the trip, especially with time constraints, and likely a very expensive day. If you want to explore a bit more, consider renting a car and driving up the coast a bit - just make sure you reserve some time to ride the funiculars up the most popular hills in Valpo. I'd not recommend that you drive to Santiago yourselves - it is an easy drive to get to the city, but to tour around, you'll spend more time lost and looking for parking and dealing with not getting in a wreck than you will enjoying yourselves.

If you change your mind and decide to stay close to port, you could have a really nice day on a walking tour within Valpo. I can recommend that you contact the folks at The Yellow House B&B www.theyellowhouse.cl to set this up. An Australian proprieter who really couldn't be nicer, and his Chilean wife run this cozy b&b. A local Valpo resident will be your guide and he does a great job explaining the city and giving you some back stories. If you don't speak Spanish, his English is excellent.

If you don't speak Spanish, his English is excellent. :o:confused::o

However, if you do speak Spanish, his English probably remains excellent! :p:D

Well, I do speak Spanish --fluently, but since my husband does not, English is preferred.
Thanks for your replies. We have decided against going to Santiago, much to my disappointment. I am sure it is a lovely city and I was looking forward to a day there. I don't understand the short time in port.

I will try to contact the Yellow House and see if I can set up a tour.
Thanks again

:o:confused::o

However, if you do speak Spanish, his English probably remains excellent! :p:D

:eek: :o good catch! Yes, I can admit from experience that even with my not-so-excellent-but-good-enough-spanish his English remained excellent.

Just spent the day in Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar today... and we spent about 2.5 hrs going back to Santiago. (On the way there took about 90 minutes).

So I agree its best to stay in the Valpo/Vina area; and there is plenty to do there to keep your day busy. Pablo Neruda's house there should for sure be on your list.