Chile Shore Excursions

Private, cruise-friendly tours from San Antonio and Valparaíso.

San Antonio, Valparaíso Region, Chile

San Antonio Shore Excursion: Handmade Paper Workshop & Coastal Wine Tasting

8 Hours

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The Port of San Antonio

Port of San Antonio: Overview

Welcome to the Port of San Antonio, Chile, once known exclusively as a cargo harbor, which began receiving cruise liners in April 2017. The city remains strictly industrial, designed primarily for rail operations and container handling, a landscape you will observe from the bay at a distance.

San Antonio itself is a small provincial town within the Valparaíso Region. Due to its industrial character and limited urban appeal, we do not recommend overnight stays here for cruise passengers planning shore excursions.

Valparaíso and Historical Context

Until 2016, all cruise vessels passed through the UNESCO World Heritage Port of Valparaíso (VTP), Chile's historic gateway for the first major immigration waves and today one of the most popular destinations for Valparaíso shore excursions.

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Italians, Germans, English, French, Croats, Spaniards, and other Europeans arrived here, fleeing wars, natural disasters, and social instability in search of refuge and opportunity. Chile gained a reputation as a land in need of skilled hands, educated minds, and entrepreneurial spirit to explore, build, teach, and trade.

While your cruise remains anchored in San Antonio Bay, we strongly recommend visiting Valparaíso, located just one hour away on private shore excursions from San Antonio. There, you can experience the architectural and cultural legacy of that migration, wander through colorful hills and narrow streets, enjoy local cuisine, and explore a vibrant artistic scene during a full-day shore excursion.

San Antonio Cruise Terminal and Local Features

The San Antonio International Passenger Terminal (STI) is modern and well-organized. The bay offers sufficient depth for large cruise vessels, allowing ships carrying between 2,000 and 4,000 passengers to berth comfortably for cruise shore excursions in Chile.

Local attractions within San Antonio are limited but authentic, including a small fish market operating near the waterfront.

Another distinctive feature is the “Memories Train” (Tren del Recuerdo), a railway line that departs from Santiago every weekend. This cultural and immersive railway experience follows a historic route through the Coastal Cordillera, transporting passengers to San Antonio and back in restored early-twentieth-century carriages. The train offers particularly picturesque wagons and a nostalgic journey that can complement private excursions from San Antonio.

Transfers and Shore Excursions from San Antonio

With cruise schedules now established, and some itineraries beginning or ending here, we offer transfers to and from the San Antonio Port as part of private shore excursions and private tours in Chile. Transfers may be direct or combined with sightseeing, enriching both the start and the conclusion of your cruise itinerary.

On the route from Santiago and on the return journey, we propose the following attractive options commonly included in shore excursions from San Antonio.

Wine Regions and Scenic Routes

The highway, locally known as the “Route of the Sun”, runs alongside the Maipo Valley wine region.

We organize wine tours and private wine tours in Chile that include historic Undurraga and Tarapacá wineries, the innovative De Martino estate, the organically focused Odfjell vineyard, and TerraMater, renowned for both its wines and olive oil production.

Recommended Excursion Destinations

Recommended excursion destinations from the port include some of the most requested shore excursions from San Antonio:

  • A full-day cultural, gourmet, and historical immersion tour of Valparaíso, 90 kilometers from San Antonio.
  • The beaches of Algarrobo and the Isla Negra poetry route, including a visit to Pablo Neruda's museum house, 35 kilometers away.
  • Santiago city highlights or a historic city-center tour as a private shore excursion to Santiago, approximately 120 kilometers away.
  • Exclusive wine valleys such as San Antonio with Casa Marín, Cartagena wines, Hacienda San Juan with traditional Chilean barbecue and home-style tastings, Leyda Valley with the acclaimed Garcés Silva wines, and Casablanca Valley, including the Rosario area and the organically and biodynamically managed Matetic estates featured in private wine tours from San Antonio.

Available Programs from San Antonio

We can organize excursions on the day of arrival for cruise passengers seeking flexible shore excursions. Available programs from San Antonio include private shore excursions and private tours:

  • Santiago city sightseeing tour
  • Cultural and historical tour of Valparaíso
  • Wine tour to one or several nearby wineries with and without BBQ
  • Visit to Pablo Neruda's museum house at Isla Negra
  • Visit to Trikao natural private reserve and Santo Domingo beach close to the port
  • Visit to Puro Caballo folk horse show with or without BBQ

Ports, Cruise Lines, and Transfers

Your cruise company can dock in Valparaiso and San Antonio. Please ensure to check the port name and international abbreviation: STI for San Antonio and VTP for Valparaiso when planning shore excursions in central Chile.

We arrange not only excursions and tours for passengers on vessels operated by Princess Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Holland America Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line, but also for passengers on vessels operated by other cruise lines seeking private shore excursions in Chile.

The main port of central Chile is on our service map, and we offer private transfers from San Antonio to Santiago or Valparaíso as part of private excursions and shore tours, as well as return and transfers to the port.

Travel time from San Antonio to Santiago ranges from 1.5 to 2 hours. Travel to Valparaíso takes 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic. Part of the route crosses the Casablanca Valley.

Coastal mountain ridges frame the landscape, while vineyards and gardens accompany every journey, enhancing the travel experience. Any transfer can be combined with sightseeing, allowing for meaningful use of time before embarkation or after the conclusion of your cruise in Chile through private shore excursions from San Antonio.

Our Vehicles

We operate with modern, licensed and comfortable vehicles adapted for private shore excursions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is San Antonio mainly an embarkation and disembarkation port, or a typical port-of-call stop?
San Antonio functions primarily as an embarkation/disembarkation port (a “gateway” for Santiago), rather than a classic walkable port-of-call where you pop ashore for a couple of hours. The passenger terminal is set up for cruise embarkation, disembarkation, and transit, with the usual official controls handled on site. That’s why most guests plan this day around arrival + onward travel (hotel, airport, or the start of the cruise), not “back-to-ship” sightseeing timing.
My itinerary says “Santiago (San Antonio)” — what does that mean?
It simply means your ship uses the Port of San Antonio as the coastal access point for Santiago. Santiago is inland, so cruise lines often label the port as “Santiago (San Antonio)” to make it clear that this is the port used for reaching Santiago (even though the ship is not docking in the city itself).
How far is Santiago from San Antonio cruise port, and what are realistic driving times?
By road, San Antonio is roughly 1.5–2 hours from Santiago in normal conditions, but traffic can stretch that. As a real-world reference point, the drive between the cruise passenger terminal and Santiago airport (SCL) is about 106 km and can take around 120 minutes, depending on traffic. We always plan with buffers (especially on cruise-changeover days), so the day stays comfortable.
What time can we usually meet after disembarkation (and what affects the timing)?
Meeting time depends on when passengers are actually released from the ship and through the terminal. A few things affect it:
  • Immigration and customs processing and how quickly lines move.
  • Ship operations (gangway clearance, luggage handling, disembarkation groups).
  • How many ships are in port and overall terminal flow that day.
As a general guideline, cruise lines note that disembarkation can take up to a few hours after the ship arrives. Once you share your ship + schedule, we confirm a clear meeting time and location.
We are starting our cruise in San Antonio — can the day begin in Santiago or along the way?
Yes. If you’re starting your cruise in San Antonio, we can begin the day in Santiago (hotel or SCL) or include a stop along the way — as long as it’s realistic with your boarding window. If you want sightseeing on embarkation day, we keep it simple and low-stress and build in a comfortable buffer for check-in and boarding.
We are ending our cruise in San Antonio — can the tour finish at a Santiago hotel or Santiago airport (SCL)?
Yes — that’s one of the most common plans. On disembarkation day we can finish with a smooth drop-off at your Santiago hotel or at Santiago airport (SCL). Tell us what’s next (hotel check-in or flight time), and we’ll shape the route and timing around that.
What flight times are comfortable after a post-cruise tour?
If you want to do a tour and fly on the same day, later flights are usually the comfortable choice. One practical benchmark: Princess’ flight guidelines for Santiago (San Antonio) indicate that the earliest flight departures for disembarking guests are typically around 7 hours 30 minutes after the ship’s arrival. If your flight is earlier than that, we generally recommend keeping the plan to a direct transfer (or very light stops only), so you’re not watching the clock all day.
Can luggage stay in the vehicle during post-cruise tours?
Yes. On post-cruise days, your luggage can stay in the vehicle while you explore. We recommend keeping essentials with you (passport, medication, phone, valuables) in a small personal pouch or day bag — just for comfort and peace of mind. Also worth knowing: some cruise lines note there is no luggage storage at the pier, so keeping bags secured with you in the vehicle is often the simplest solution.
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