After the Maratón de Santiago: Valparaíso

The Route: Santiago → Valparaíso → Santiago (SCL) Logistics: Intercity coach, about 2 hours each way. Funiculars and a flat waterfront once there. Marathon Month: May Duration: 1 night

Santiago bus terminal ──(about 2 hrs by coach)──> Valparaíso
                                                      │
                  Santiago Airport (SCL) ◄──(about 2 hrs by coach)──┘

The Itaú Maratón de Santiago starts and finishes at La Moneda in the city centre, and coaches for the coast leave from terminals a short Metro ride away. Valparaíso suits the day after a marathon because the port district is flat and the hills can be climbed by funicular. The coach does the long part of the journey while the legs recover.

May in Valparaíso: autumn on the Pacific coast. Days are mild, mornings can be grey and misty, and evenings are cool enough for a jacket. Rain is possible but not usual. The painted houses look best in clear light, so a bright morning is worth waiting for. It is not a beach destination in May.

Night One: Valparaíso

Coaches run frequently between Santiago and Valparaíso, and services take around two hours depending on traffic. Several companies operate the route and book online, so compare fares on their own websites and book a seat ahead for the Monday after the race, which is a busy return day. Check which terminal your coach uses in Santiago, because companies differ.

The flat part of the city is the port district, the Plan, where the main streets and the waterfront run on level ground. A promenade along the harbour edge is paved and gives a 20 to 30 minute walk at post-marathon pace with views of moored cargo ships and cranes. The hills rise directly behind it. Valparaíso's historic funiculars, the ascensores, climb the slopes of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción for a small fare, and are the only sensible way up after 42 km. The fare is a few hundred pesos, so carry coins and check which lifts are running, because several close for maintenance.

At the top, the streets of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción are lined with brightly painted houses, murals and small galleries. The pavements are cobbled and tilt, and gradients between the two hills are short but steep, so walk only a few blocks at a time. Paseo Gervasoni and Paseo Atkinson give viewpoints over the bay with benches. Allow an unhurried two hours. The area is a UNESCO-listed historic quarter.

Where to stay. Palacio Astoreca, a 23-room hotel on Cerro Alegre, sits among the galleries. Hotel Brighton, at 151 Paseo Atkinson on Cerro Concepción, is perched above the bay. Both are small, so book ahead and ask about stairs, as buildings on the hills often have them.

Where to eat. Café Turri, at Templeman 147 on Cerro Concepción, is set in a 19th-century mansion with a terrace over the city and a menu that leans on seafood such as ceviche and crab pasteles. Reserve ahead for a table with a view. In the Plan, small restaurants near the port serve fried fish and seafood stews. Check opening hours, as many places close on Sunday evenings and Mondays.

Getting to Santiago Airport (SCL)

Coaches run from Valparaíso to Santiago's main terminals, and some operators serve Santiago Airport (SCL) directly. Check the current timetable before booking. The journey takes about two hours without traffic, so allow three hours and a margin on a Sunday evening, when roads out of the coast are often congested. Book a seat for a morning coach if your flight leaves in the afternoon.