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City guide

Valdivia, Chile

Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately 15 km (9 mi) east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla.

Type CityPopulation 170,043

Why go

  • City in Chile.

History

Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately 15 km (9 mi) east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla. Since October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of Los Ríos Region and is also the capital of Valdivia Province. The 2024 Chilean census recorded 170,043 inhabitants (Valdivianos) in the commune of Valdivia. The main economic activities of Valdivia include tourism, wood pulp manufacturing, forestry, metallurgy, and beer production. The city is also the home of the Austral University of Chile, founded in 1954, the Centro de Estudios Científicos and one of Chile's three environmental courts.

Restaurants & places to go

Chilena, Restaurant · Restaurante de pollo al coñac y platas chilenos Opening hours: Mo-Su 10:00-20:00 · 940 Avenida Alcalde Carlos Valdovinos, Santiago · instagram.com
Indoor
Sandwich, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-21:00; Sa 10:00-16:30 Features: takeaway · 2682 Avenida Irarrázaval, Ñuñoa · subway.com
Indoor
Cafe · Hacen waffles · 3575 Dublé Almeyda · happydayswaffles.cl
Indoor
Chicken, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 Features: takeaway · 2650 Avenida Irarrázaval, Ñuñoa · kentucky.cl
Indoor
Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: 10:00-20:30 Features: takeaway · 1166 Avenida José Pedro Alessandri · starbucks.cl
Indoor
Sandwich, Pancake, Breakfast, Ice Cream, Tea, Cake, Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-21:00; Sa 10:30-16:30 · 3259 Avenida Irarrázaval, Ñuñoa · puntodulce.cl
Indoor
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Fr-Sa 10:00-01:00; Mo-Th,Su 10:00-24:00 · Avenida Trinidad, La Florida · underpizza.com
Indoor
Sandwich, Hot Dog, Juice, Salad, Chicken, Breakfast, Restaurant · Features: takeaway, delivery, vegan options, step-free access, air conditioning · 3519 Llano… · domino.cl
Indoor

292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →

Airports

Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) 22 km to the centre
Santiago, RM, CL — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 22 airlines (LAN Airlines, Sky Airline, American Airlines, TAM Brazilian Airlines…) · direct flights to 40 destinations incl. Lima, Buenos Aires, Antofagasta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Iquique… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 22 airlines, 40 direct destinations

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
October – March

The warmer, longer-day half of the southern-hemisphere year.

Shoulder season
April – May, September

Milder and quieter, with better value.

Worth avoiding
June – August

The southern winter — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. We do not yet hold airport or rail details for Valdivia, Chile — check the official tourism sources below for the best routes in.

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Valdivia, Chile. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Trains & rail

National rail

Coaches & shuttles

Intercity coach

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.

Tours & experiences

Sightseeing