Southern Chile: Valdivia

Valdivia

Foodies

- Cheap Chilean Meals across from the feria fluvial. Here you will find a row of restaurants selling typical Chilean food (Merluza Frita, Cazuela, Caldillo Mariscos with a side dish etc.) for 1.500CLP.

OH! I will SOOOO miss the big pieces of fried fish here in Chile!

- Entrelagos- We waited with a crowd of people to get into this chocolate shop when it opened. It sells all types of chocolates, cakes, and ice cream. It also has a café next door where you can sit and eat. I loved the rum cake and Flocos ice cream.

-Peumayan- Chocolate shop on the same block as Entrelagos. I loved the Mocha and Rum Truffle with chocolate sprinkles.

One of my travel buddies, Jeremy, can't get enough of the many chocolate shops around the south of Chile.

-Cervecería Kuntsmann (brewery)- We didn’t go, but it’s on the way to Niebla to see the forts. I heard the food is great and most people like the local Kuntsmann beer.

Sleep

-AiresBuenos Hostel- The staff was really nice and had their own guide book of where to go and how to get there along with a list of restaurants and clubs. Bathrooms were clean. Rooms are a bit small and private room was expensive. Close to mall and market and 15 minutes to feria fluvial (fish/seafood/fruits/vegetables market).

To Do:

When it was raining:

-Museums- There is a German House and Historical Museum next to the riverfront that are supposed to be good, but we didn’t make the 6pm closing time since Lonely Planet told us 7pm.

-Feria Artesanal (Mercado Municipal)- There are stalls after stalls of all kinds of souveniors here.

-Mall- Rather large mall with movie theatre. I went to see Harry Potter (Part 1 of the finale) in English with Spanish subtitles. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was also a Doggis in the food court, which I finally tried and the complete (hot dog) was decent with bacon on top.

-There are also 2 remnants of forts around the town.

Not Raining

-Walk along riverfront

- Watch HUMONGOUS sea lions from 10ft away. These guys and a few gals were hilarious to watch. They scratched themselves often and pushed each other off of the wooden docks when they got territorial.

-Lily Pond- The lilies were not in full bloom when we passed by but there were definitely many. Walk across the bridge and continue on a couple blocks past the university. They will be on your right side.

-Historic Forts (DEFINITE MUST)- Either take an organized tour with Sophia at the riverfront for 15.000CLP OR take micro #20 (on Avenida Alemania and Garcia Reyes, $450CLP) to go to Niebla.

• Fort (Castillo or Fuerte) at Niebla ($300CLP/students, 600CLP/adults) was the more interesting fort of the two that we went to. They gave us an English brochure describing the history of it and we also had a Chilean give us a tour in English who worked for tips. There is also a museum on the premise but everything is in Spanish. The views from this fort were beautiful though you can see most of this view outside of the fort as well. Our Chilean guide, who spoke English pretty well, was dressed up as a pirate.
  
  
• Fort at Corral- Asked to be dropped off at the pier (Muelle de Niebla) which is before the town of Niebla. Take a river ferry ($800 each way) to Isla Corral. This fort ($1.000) is the largest. There is also a guide who works for tips but speak mostly Spanish.
  
• Fort at Isla Mancera- We didn’t have time to go to this one but you can see it from a distance as you pass by it to go to Isla Corral.

-National Park- I didn’t go, but I heard you can take a bus there from town.