Casa Newen offers travelers and tourists our fun santiago tours for the summer of 2010! We organize and arrange private and group tours to the must see attractions that Santiago and Chile has to offer. The tours are with experienced bilingual guides and can be personalized to fit your needs.

There are 10 tours throughout Santiago and central Chile catering to every want imaginable! If you fancy the beach and coastline we offer tours to the iconic port city of Valparaiso and the resort city of Vina del Mar as well as the enchanting fishing town of Zapallar. The Isla Negra and Pomaire tour will take you on a journey into the life of Chile’s Nobel Prize Winner Pablo Neruda, visiting the poets home and Pomaire, the traditional potters village known for it’s handmade arts and crafts.

If you love Chilean wine then the tours in Chile offer a smorgasbord of lush green valleys and vineyards. The Wine Train Tour is a popular tour in Santiago and features an original steam train and a trip to the Colchagua valley. There are also wine tours to the Maipo Valley featuring the vineyards of Concha y Toro, Undurraga. The Colchagua Ranch Tour is a unique experience of Chilean wine and culture with a traditional folklore dance and rodeo as well as visit to the Colchagua Museum.

If you are the outdoors type then a tour of Cajon del Maipo and San jose is a sure bet. Here you will find various activities at your disposal. Trekking El Morado National Park to the San Fransisco Glacier is unforgettable as well as a visit to Colina Thermal Baths, a natural wonderland with the Andes Mountain range as your backdrop.

And finally the Dinner and Show tour highlights the best attractions that Santiago has to offer! The cultural center that is Santiago’s main square, the majestic Cathedral of Santiago and the resilience of the Presidential Palace. Finally a traditional restaurant of Santiago will introduce you to Chile’s typical dances, wines and gastronomy.

Visit our website at www.casanewen.com and view our Tours section for more info. You can also book a tour by clicking on “bookings and enquiries” or by Clicking Here you can also reach us by sending an email at contact@casanewen.com or by Tel:+56 02 716 9007 (Santiago de Chile)

We pride ourselves on providing travelers, guests and tourists our renowned personal service and friendly advice so we hope you discover Chile with our Santiago tours

Alejandro Carvajal
Casa Newen Tours Santiago Chile

Vina del Mar has the reputation of being the glamourous playground of the wealthy and is often referred to the Chilean Riviera.

Our guests usually leave only one day to Valparaiso and go on a cruise, but in our opinion there are plenty of things to do and gems to discover onshore just by strolling from Vina del Mar to Valparaiso, then dancing the night away at the bars and clubs in town.

The key here is to soak up the picturesque coastal town atmosphere, strolling in the backstreets and seeing where the day takes you .

The flower clock, the museum and the botanical garden in Vina del Mar, are the must see´s, but if you have no idea where to start, here´s my list of our favourite tucked away gems and things to do in Valparaiso-Vina del Mar..

Not so common things to do in Valparaiso or Vina Del Mar.

:: For New Year´s Eve :: Don’t do as the locals do who watch this popular spectacle on TV. Get up early and stake out a place somewhere along the coast of Valparaiso or Vina Del Mar. At 3min past midnight, the sky explodes in the biggest fireworks displayed in all Latin America. Book accommodation way in advance.

:: Go to Pablo Neruda´s House:: ¨La Sebastiana¨ in Valparaiso, Chile,where he wrote all those famous love poems. Tuesdays to Sundays, 10.10 AM to 6 PM, CLP $3.500 per adult. Down “Ferrari” Streer, on Bella Vista hill.

:: Outdoor Market :: If you like perusing flea markets for antiques and collectables, Vina Del Mar holds a large outdoor fleamarket right in front of the main flower clock tourist spot in ¨Las Salinas¨ on Sundays and public holidays. 10am to 5pm.

::Horse carriages:: See the city lights in an old style horse carriage called ¨Las Victorias¨ along Plaza Vergara and Plaza Colombia around the corner from our Valparaiso Villa holiday house, in Vina del Mar, Chile. Short ride CLP$6,000 or long ride CLP$12,000.

:: See a smaller scale authentic Moai statue:: It was brought from the Easter Island in 1951 to Vina del Mar, Chile, and is standing besides the Francisco Fonck Museum, Nº 784, 4 Norte, open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 6pm. Sundays and holidays 10:00 to 2pm.

::Wharf:: Take a stroll on the wharf and check out the catch before dining in one of the many restaurants with a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Caleta Higuerilla Av. Borgoño,Viña del Mar, Chile.

::Go for a salsa dancing lesson:: At salsa club La Piedra Feliz (The Happy Stone). The fun starts at 10pm on Thursdays. Errazuriz 1054, Valparaiso.Chile. Ph:(32) 256788. http://lapiedrafeliz.cl

::Go for a midsummer nights dip:: At glamourous Renaca beach, Viña del Mar, specifically at ¨El Cementerio¨ the jetset hangout area on the beach.

::Sea Lions:: Take a hike out on the rocks on the coastal road linking Reñaca and Concón at the Mirador Lobos Marinos (Sea Lion Lookout) where you can meet some local sea lions. It is not easy but it´s worth it. Avenida Borgoña Viña del Mar, Chile.

::Try an ¨empanada¨:: The national savoury pastry snack filled with mince meat, egg and olives, at any corner bakery.

::Rioja Palace:: (Palacio Rioja). Get dressed up and visit this French style Palace which is now an environmental museum and cinema. It is located on one of the Vina del Mar’s main streets “Quillota”. Open Hours10am-2pm, 3pm-6pm Mon-Sun. Ph.+ 56 32 883322.

::Sports Club:: Parque Sausalito (Sausalito Park ) is an excellent place for the more active tourist wanting to fit in a bit of tennis, swimming, jogging even a bit of shooting practice. Avenida Sausalito Viña del Mar, Chile. Open 24 hrs.

::Valparaiso Sporting Club:: Enjoy a day at the races. At a very English style Derby day the first Sunday of every February. The first Derby Day, based on the British race, was held in 1885. On Saturday before the race, the traditional antique cars parade takes place through the streets of Viña del Mar, with the Queen of the Derby making a special guest appearance in the parade. Los Castaños 404, Vina del Mar, Chile.

Hi everyone,
This year we went down to the local park Inez de Suarez, Providencia, Santiago, to celebrate Independence day and took some photos. We had some ¨churros¨ which are doughy sweet sticks covered with icing sugar, tried some Chicha (sweet fermented wine) and had a dance to ¨La Cueca¨ under the Chilean Flags.

Every house in Chile is dressed in white, blue and red. Our national flag waved of joy at Casa Newen. September has woken up with music and flavour…the 18th is coming and we will celebrate our Independence Day with “empanadas” and “cuecas”.

Our souls step to their own dance and the kites graciously race to touch the sky.
With barbecues, “empanadas” and a beautiful glass of red wine on the 18th of September.

While couples dance the “cueca”, the children are busy kicking the ball…
The “asado” is ready! everyone to the table we are going to toast :
For our Independence Day and democracy!! Without it we couldn`t celebrate. It would be like an “empanada” without the filling or a barbecue without a glass of red wine.

¡Viva el 18 de Septiembre!

Casa Newen Bed and Breakfast

According to the experts, culture shock is simply a common way to describe the confusing and nervous feelings a person may have after leaving a familiar culture to visit or live in a new and different culture.

Generally when tourists visit a new place they are excited about a new adventure. However not being able to understand what people are saying is almost as frustrating as not knowing how to make people understand what you are saying. It’s a good idea to learn key words of the foreign language before visiting a new country.

It might make you uncomfortable when it takes you twice as long to say the same thing as a native speaker, or use the wrong word, but remember that if you are visiting Chile you have nothing to worry about, Chilean people are very helpful and friendly.

Some times our upbringing has made it difficult for us to accept other customs and believes. When we do accept the diversity of our own culture, we’ll be more open to accept the universal diversity and the globalization within the diversity. So, rather than giving up your culture so you can fit in, keep your mind open to new ways of doing and thinking about things. Notice things that are the same and things that are different. Appreciating that variety is what makes people so interesting.

Remember, the key to getting over your culture shock is understanding the new culture and finding a way to live comfortably within it while keeping true to the parts of your culture that you value.

The Passenger