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Included Excursions |
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City Tour in Santiago (Half day)
The tour of the city of Santiago begins by visiting the civic center neighborhood, stopping at La Moneda Presidential Palace, continuing on Libertador Bernardo O´Higgins Avenue towards the old residential neighborhood of the city, going past Almirante Latorre, and Blanco Encalada Avenues, passing in front of Club Hípico, the city's main Hippodrome, and República where you can see the mansions and residences dating back to the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, highlighting the Cousiño Palace. The tour continues along the Morandé Street until we get to the center of Santiago where we will visit the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Plaza de Armas (the center square). After this we will take Bandera Street to Santa Lucía Hill. We'll then visit the residential and modern commercial sector, including a visit to a center of typical Chilean handcrafts.
Tour of Santiago's Historical Museums (Half Day)
In this tour we can learn a little more about the culture and life of rural Chileans. We'll begin at the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, where we'll learn about the different cultures that inhabited Chile before the arrival of the Spaniards. Continuing to the National Historical Museum, we'll learn about the different stages in the formation of the State and Nation. Finally, explaining the period of colonization at the Casa Colorada Museum, we'll be able to understand the large changes that forged the independence of this nation. This tour is for those who want to know the history of our people. A specialized guide will detail the different periods that formed our country.
Tour to the Santiago General Cementery (Half Day)
The General Cemetery is the oldest and most symbolic of Chile. Here rest the families of the aristocrats, among others.
When we enter the enclosure, we can enjoy the impressive and ostentatious works of art, for example the immaculate and beautiful family tombs with their different architectural styles. Sculptures and stained glass by some of the most noted national artists. The careful care of the landscape artists offers a comfortable environment of peace and tranquility. We can also see large monuments such as the memorials of some historic events. Finally we'll have the opportunity to learn about the elements of the culture such as the well known legends of the deceased. We'll be accompanied by highly qualified personnel who will guide our visit.
Tour of the Churches of Santiago (Half Day)
This tour begins by giving a view of the heritage brought by some religious orders that began the process of conquest and evangelization in our country. The majority of the population professes to be Catholic, either Apostolic or Roman, displaying a tradition that dates back more than 5 centuries. On this tour we will visit some of the most significant churches of the capital, learning a detailed ecclesiastical history that is firmly ingrained in our national culture. The tour of the Churches includes: the San Augustín Church, San Francisco, the Merced Church and finally the Santiago Cathedral.
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Santa Rita Vineyard (Half Day)
We´ll leave the hotel, taking the Panamericana Sur, towards the Santa Rita Vineyard.
The Vineyard was founded in the year 1880 by don Domingo Fernandez Concha. The tour begins with a visit to the old manor of Don Domingo Fernández Concha that is now used as the beautiful Hotel Casa Real de Viña Santa Rita. The household, with a Pompeian stile, uses chandeliers, antique heaters, portraits, hanging tapestries, and wardrobes alongside contemporary decoration without leaving the classical style behind. The Sala de Obispo, inhabited years ago by a church official, is available for gatherings. A billiard table, sent by Domingo Fernández Concha from England, and a piano waiting to be played form part of the spacious game room that the hotel offers. In 1885, the architect Theodor Burchard, originally from France, finished constructing the neo-gothic chapel at the side of the old house. Though the house is old, it has been well conserved. It wasn't in vain that one of the restorers of the Sixteenth Chapel of the Vatican traveled from Florence (Italy), just to recuperate this temple. We'll include a visit to the 40 hectare park that was designed in 1882 by the French landscape artist Guillermo Renner. Century old trees of the most diverse varieties such as the Chestnut, Cedar, Olive, Almond, a Bugambilia - the largest of the American Orange trees, and Lemon trees cover this incredible park. A countless number of statues, some mythical, others that represent seasons of the year, escort the visitors, showing the beauty of each corner that this immense and beautiful garden has to offer. This finishes the tour and we'll return to Santiago and our Hotel.
Concha y Toro Vineyard (Half day)
The visit begins at Don Melchor square where we will be greeted by a bilingual guide who will invite us to enjoy a full view of the Pirque Vineyard accompanied by a glass of Trio Chardonnay White Wine to absorb the aromas and flavors that have emerged overtime in this hundred-year-old winery. With a cup in one hand, the visitor can participate in a walk through the antique park, going back in time to the grand house of Pirque, the Concha and Toro family residence. Here is where the largest viticulture company in the country originated more than 100 years ago. At the Pirque winery you can get acquainted with the wine development, and the cultural and technological management that is responsible for this prime quality product. You then taste the second wine of our tour: Casillero del Diablo Carmenere. This variety arrived in the country at the end of the 19th century, and is commercially grown only in Chile. One of the Vineyard´s main attractions is the antique winery where the founder, Don Melchor Concha y Toro, stored some of his best wines. There you will learn the "legend of the Devil´s cellar" (hence the name "Casillero del Diablo) that made the wines world famous. After that we will leave for Santiago and the Hotel.
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Cousiño Macul Vineyard (Half day)
Since 1564, vineyards have been cultivated in the Macul area, when the King of Spain gave the Macul hacienda to the Spanish colonist, Juan Jufré. The same property was acquired by Matías Cousiño with the only purpose being to produce wine, and being at the time the only vineyard that continued to stay in the hands of the founding family. At that time, Matías Cousiño had become a visionary and pioneer in a country starting to take shape in the century when it had recently gotten independence from Spain at the beginning of the 19th century. You could say that the Cousiño family played an important role in cementing the high standards of the Chilean wine industry. Today the Cousiño Macul vineyard is in the hands of the sixth generation of the Cousiño family, and no doubt will continue to write the story of this country, proud of its winemaking tradition. For the same reason, its not surprising that Hugh Johnson, the worldwide known historian and wine expert, has described Cousiño Macul as the "First Growth of Chile" (or the most prestigious house)
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Santiago Night Tour with Dinner (From Monday to Saturday)
The night tour starts from your hotel towards the Plaza de Armas, main square, located in the heart of Santiago, the Cathedral, colonial-time government buildings, National Congress, Supreme Court, and the "La Moneda" Presidential Palace. We then continue through our main avenue, Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, the Union Club, University of Chile, famous San Francisco Church, alongside the Santa
Lucia Hill (where the foundation of Santiago took place in 1541).
We shall pass through Bellavista, a now bohemian district where amidst restaurants, cafe-concerts and small theatres, handicrafts are displayed on the streets, attracting a colourful mostly younger crowd of artist and night-life habitués who enjoy this fairly unknown side of Santiago's night life.
The tour includes a ride up the San Cristobal Hill, on the North side of the city, from which we have fine view of the capital, the Andes mountains and at the very top of the hill we see the Statue of the Virgin Mary. On the way back the hill. We end our tour with dinner and a folklore show at the "Los Adobes de Argomedo" Restaurant or similar.
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