The painted hillside houses of Valparaíso, Chile

Chile & Argentina · 11 days · fly + bus + winery drives

Chile & Argentina by Wine

From the cool Pacific coast across Chile's Central Valley, over the Andes by bus, into high-altitude Mendoza Malbec, and out through Buenos Aires — ten cellars, two countries.

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A self-guided version of an 11-day Chile + Argentina wine tour (originally a guided coach trip departing 7 April 2026). Chile's range — Cabernet, Carmenère, old-vine Cinsault, cool-climate Sauvignon and Pinot — meets Argentina's king grape, Malbec, grown at the altitude of an Alpine ski resort.

Departure — the one big change. The guided tour gathered in Vienna and flew via Madrid. Reworked for a Slovenia-based traveller: book an open-jaw ("multi-city") flight — into Santiago (SCL), out of Buenos Aires (EZE) — so you never double back. Best home departure is your own airport, Ljubljana (LJU), connecting through Madrid (the classic Europe–South America gateway). Price-check Zagreb, Venice/Trieste and Vienna too — any can win by enough to justify the transfer.
Read this first — designated driver. Ten wineries, big pours, long distances. Either hire a local wine-tour driver per region (recommended — everyone tastes freely) or rent a car and spit every pour. Don't drive a rental across the border — take the scheduled Valparaíso→Mendoza bus (a scenic highlight). And book the Michelin restaurants now: Catena Zapata, Zuccardi/Piedra Infinita, Riccitelli Bistró.

At a glance

Countries: Chile & Argentina · Length: 11 days / 8 nights on the ground (2 nights are overnight flights) · Bases: Santiago ×3, Valparaíso ×1, Mendoza ×3, Buenos Aires ×1 · Best season: autumn (Mar–Apr, harvest) or spring (Oct–Nov) · Getting around: open-jaw flights + scheduled Andes bus + one internal flight + local drivers for wine days · 10 cellars (6 Chile, 4 Mendoza).

What it costs

Estimate per person, two sharing a room and splitting drivers, on an open-jaw flight from Slovenia. Typical April-2026 prices — a planning range, not a quote. Excludes wine shipped home.

ItemNotesPer person
Open-jaw long-haul flightsLJU/ZAG/VIE → SCL in, EZE → home (via Madrid/hub)€1,100–1,700
Internal flightMendoza → Buenos Aires€80–160
Andes busValparaíso → Mendoza, scheduled coach€50–70
Hotels, 8 nights4★ Santiago ×3, Valparaíso ×1, Mendoza ×3, BA ×1 (double ÷ 2)€440–700
10 cellar visits & tastingsPremium tastings €25–80 each€350–650
Wine lunches & dinnersIncl. Michelin-level Catena / Zuccardi / Riccitelli€600–1,100
Local drivers / car hireWine days in Chile + Mendoza (split)€350–800
City tours, transfers, incidentalsSantiago & BA guides, airport transfers, tips€200–400
Estimated totalper person, 2 sharing — excl. shipped wine≈ €3,300–5,400
How it compares — read this. The guided tour was €4,780pp (twin share; +€910 single, +€20 booking). Unlike a short European trip, doing this long-haul one yourself is not dramatically cheaper — you land roughly €3,300–5,400pp. Economise (rent + spit, simpler dinners, careful flight timing) and you beat the guided price; do every Michelin lunch with private drivers and you'll match or exceed it. What you really buy going solo is choice and flexibility, not a big saving. Solo travellers add ~€700–1,000 (single rooms + the whole car alone).

The route, day by day

Day 1 — Tue · Home → overnight flight

Depart Ljubljana (or Zagreb/Venice/Vienna) on your open-jaw ticket toward Santiago (SCL), connecting via Madrid or another hub. Overnight in the air.

Day 2 — Wed · Santiago & Maipo — Concha y Toro

Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago de Chile
La Moneda palace, Santiago · Wikimedia Commons

Land at Santiago, check into your 4★ hotel (base for 3 nights).

Concha y Toro (Pirque, Maipo) — tour + tasting + lunch

One of the world's largest producers, yet capable of cult wines under Marcelo Papa. Casillero del Diablo cellar, park, lunch at Bodega 1883. ~45 min from the centre.

Afternoon — Santiago city tour

La Moneda, Plaza de Armas, Bellavista, Mercado Central. Dinner with wines; overnight.

Day 3 — Thu · Aconcagua — Viña Errázuriz

Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Andes, above the valley
Aconcagua · Wikimedia Commons
Viña Errázuriz (Panquehue) — icon-winery tour + lunch

Eduardo Chadwick's estate; a Chilean icon (Parker's top Chilean winery 2017). Gravity-flow Don Maximiano winery + the 1870 cellar. ~1 h 15 north of Santiago.

Afternoon back to Santiago; overnight.

Day 4 — Fri · Colchagua / Apalta — Montes & Casa Lapostolle

Santa Cruz church in the Colchagua Valley
Santa Cruz, Colchagua Valley · Wikimedia Commons

South to Colchagua and its star sub-zone Apalta (~2 h 30 — a driver pays off).

Montes (Apalta) — tour + tasting; optional Fuegos de Apalta lunch

Gravity-flow winery on feng-shui principles, barrels aged to Gregorian chant. Purple Angel is a benchmark Carmenère.

Casa Lapostolle / Clos Apalta — biodynamic tour + tasting

Marnier-Lapostolle family (of Grand Marnier); a Bordeaux hand, cellar carved 35 m into granite, icon Clos Apalta.

Long drive back to Santiago; overnight.

Day 5 — Sat · Maipo & Casablanca → Valparaíso — De Martino & Casa Marín

Check out of Santiago; two cellars en route to the coast.

De Martino (Isla de Maipo) — old-vine tour + tasting

Third-generation Italian-Chilean house; old-vine Cinsault specialists, a Tim Atkin "First Growth".

Casa Marín (Lo Abarca, San Antonio) — coastal tasting + lunch

María Luz Marín's pioneering estate ~3 km from the ocean, with its own DO; unforgettable Sauvignon Blanc.

Short drive to Valparaíso (UNESCO port city); 4★ hotel; overnight.

Day 6 — Sun · Valparaíso → Mendoza (the Andes crossing)

Scheduled cross-Andes coach (~8–9 h)

A highlight in itself. You'll get off at the Los Libertadores border post for immigration — keep your passport handy. Pick a daytime departure and sit on the left leaving Chile.

Arrive Mendoza late afternoon; 4★ hotel (base for 3 nights); dinner; overnight.

Day 7 — Mon · Mendoza — Terrazas, Riccitelli, Catena Zapata

A Mendoza vineyard with the snow-capped Andes behind
Vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina · Wikimedia Commons

The heart of Argentine Malbec. A driver is ideal today.

Terrazas de los Andes (Luján de Cuyo)

High-altitude reds and whites; the single-vineyard Malbec flight is the draw.

Lunch — Riccitelli Bistró (★ Michelin) at Matías Riccitelli Wines

Las Compuertas. Minimal-intervention wines, tasting-menu lunch that includes a winery visit. Reserve well ahead.

Catena Zapata (Agrelo)

The Mayan-pyramid landmark that put Argentine Malbec on the map; led today by Laura Catena. Pre-booked tour + tasting.

Back to Mendoza; overnight.

Day 8 — Tue · Uco Valley — Zuccardi Valle de Uco

Zuccardi Valle de Uco (Paraje Altamira) — tour + tasting + lunch

Four-time World's Best Vineyard; stone-and-concrete winery, "mountain wines", and a long lunch at the Michelin-recognised Piedra Infinita facing the cordillera. The climax of the wine part of the trip.

Back to Mendoza; overnight.

Day 9 — Wed · Mendoza → Buenos Aires

Puente de la Mujer in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires · Wikimedia Commons

Morning free, then fly MDZ → Buenos Aires (~1 h 45; Aerolíneas Argentinas / JetSmart). 4★ hotel in central BA. Evening: dinner with wines and a top tango show at an Argentine parrilla; overnight.

Day 10 — Thu · Buenos Aires

Half-day city tour: Avenida 9 de Julio (the world's widest avenue), Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and cathedral, and colourful La Boca, birthplace of tango. Afternoon free, then evening transfer for the overnight flight to Europe.

Day 11 — Fri · Hub → home

Arrive your European hub and connect home to Ljubljana (or wherever you parked the open-jaw return).

Cellar & booking directory

Practical notes