L'Heure du Voyage
🇨🇱 Itinerary · Chile · 7 days

1-week Chile itinerary 2026: the essentials

7 well-paced days: Santiago, Valparaíso and the Atacama desert. The essential format for a first trip to Chile, with a domestic flight, costed budget and transport.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

7 days

Stops

3 places

Average budget

€1,600-2,400

Total distance

~2,800 km

Profile

First time

Season

Dec-Mar

Santiago 2d · Valparaíso 1d · Atacama 4d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Chile 1-week itinerary map: Santiago, Valparaíso, Atacama desert

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€70/day

Santiago · Arrival in the capital

  • Morning Arrival at Santiago airport, check in around the Lastarria district.
  • Afternoon Cerro San Cristóbal by funicular, view over the Andes.
  • Evening Dinner in Barrio Italia, Chilean wine and empanadas.
🛌 🛌 Lastarria · e.g. central boutique hotel (2 nights)·🚇 Efficient metro + 🚖 Uber·Chile guide →
2

~€55

Santiago · History and markets

  • 9am Plaza de Armas, cathedral, La Moneda palace.
  • 12pm Mercado Central: lunch of fish and seafood.
  • 3pm Museum of Memory and Human Rights (free).
  • 7pm Bellavista district, nightlife.
3

~€60

Santiago · Valparaíso day trip

  • 8am Road to Valparaíso (1h30), colourful UNESCO-listed port city.
  • 11am Historic funiculars, street art of the Alegre and Concepción hills.
  • 4pm Neighbouring Viña del Mar, beach and casino, back to Santiago in the evening.
🚌 Bus or day tour
4

~€85

Santiago → Atacama · The driest desert

  • Morning Flight Santiago → Calama (2h, ~€90), transfer to San Pedro de Atacama (1h).
  • Afternoon Check in, stroll through the adobe village.
  • Sunset Valley of the Moon at sunset, ochre dunes and salt formations.
🛌 🛌 San Pedro de Atacama · e.g. adobe lodge (4 nights)·✈️ Domestic flight + 🚐 transfer
5

~€75

Atacama · Lagoons and salt flat

  • Morning Baltinache or altiplano lagoons, pink flamingos on the Atacama salt flat.
  • Afternoon Laguna Cejar, a float in hypersaline water.
  • Evening Stargazing, one of the purest skies in the world.
6

~€70

Atacama · El Tatio geysers

  • 5am Early start for El Tatio geysers (4,320 m), fumaroles at sunrise.
  • 10am Thermal baths, Machuca village, back to San Pedro.
  • Afternoon Rest or cycle through the Valley of Death.
7

Flight

Atacama → Santiago → Europe

  • Morning Transfer to Calama, flight to Santiago.
  • Afternoon Depending on the time: Cajón del Maipo or Maipo Valley vineyards.
  • Evening Return flight from Santiago to Europe via São Paulo or Madrid.
✈️ Domestic flight + return flight

How much

Budget for this itinerary (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€1,600

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €950
  • 🏨 Hostel: €25/night
  • 🍽️ Set lunch: €12/day
  • ✈️ Domestic flight: €180
  • 🎫 Desert tours: €120
Recommended

Comfort

€2,000

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €1,000
  • 🏨 Hotel/lodge: €70/night
  • 🍽️ Mixed dining: €28/day
  • ✈️ Domestic flight + transfers: €230
  • 🎫 Guided tours: €180

Premium

€3,800

per person

  • ✈️ Business class: €1,900
  • 🏨 All-inclusive lodge (Tierra, Explora): €250/night
  • 🍽️ Renowned tables: €55/day
  • 🚖 Private transfers throughout
  • 🎫 Private desert excursions: €400

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

You're here

1 week

1 week

Santiago, Valparaíso and the Atacama desert. The essential format.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Add Patagonia and the Torres del Paine.

1 month

1 month

The grand tour, from Atacama to Patagonia and Easter Island.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

Chile is a country stretched far from north to south (4,300 km). Over 7 days, one domestic flight links Santiago to Atacama, the rest is by bus and transfer. Budget ~€180 for domestic transport.

✈️

Flight Santiago → Calama

€90 · LATAM, Sky, JetSMART · 2h

🚐

Transfer Calama → San Pedro

~€25 · 1h drive through the desert

🚌

Bus Santiago → Valparaíso

~€8 · 1h30 · frequent departures

🚇

Santiago metro

modern, cheap network in town

🚖

Desert tours from San Pedro

local agencies for geysers, lagoons, salt flat

Adapt by season

Atacama can be visited year-round

The Atacama desert, the driest in the world, is stable almost all year: days at 22-25°C, cold nights at 0-5°C, clear skies for stargazing. January-February sometimes brings the Bolivian winter, short high-altitude storms. Santiago and Valparaíso follow the southern hemisphere: hot dry summer from December to March, mild autumn from April to May. December to March stays the ideal window to combine the two.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In December 2024, at El Tatio geysers, I set off at 5am in the dark and cold (-5°C): at 4,320 m, watching the fumaroles flare up with the first ray of sun was well worth the early start. Pack a down jacket and a beanie even in the southern summer.
  • • Keep Atacama for the end of the week: you leave the city for the desert and the stars.
  • • Stargazing in San Pedro: one of the purest skies on the planet.
  • • The Valley of the Moon at sunset: the colours shift minute by minute.
  • • Valparaíso as a day trip from Santiago: the street art and funiculars are worth the day.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Add 1 night in Valparaíso rather than a day trip if you love cities.
  • • Book the Santiago-Calama flight well ahead: prices climb fast.
  • • Plan a buffer day in Santiago in case of a delayed flight.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is one week enough for Chile? +
For a first taste, yes: Santiago, Valparaíso and the Atacama desert give a good city/nature contrast. Patagonia and the Torres del Paine, in the far south, however, need at least 2 weeks.
Do you need a domestic flight in Chile? +
Yes: the country stretches 4,300 km. Santiago-Atacama by bus takes over 20h, against 2h by air. LATAM, Sky and JetSMART link the regions for €80 to €120 if you book early.
Is the Atacama desert hard to reach? +
No: a flight to Calama then a 1h transfer to San Pedro de Atacama. The altitude (2,400 m, up to 4,320 m at the geysers) means staying hydrated and climbing gradually.
What budget for a week in Chile? +
Budget €1,600 backpacking and €2,000 in comfort per person, flight from Europe included. Chile is pricier than its Andean neighbours, especially for lodging in Atacama.
What is the best time? +
December to March, the southern summer, ideal for Santiago and the coast. Atacama can be visited year-round thanks to its stable climate. Avoid June-August if you want long days.
Do you need a visa for Chile? +
No for most Western travellers: no tourist visa for a stay up to 90 days. Passport valid for the length of the stay. No mandatory vaccine.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

Profile →