Curicó (population 157,876) is 195 kilometers south of Santiago via the Panamericana. Like many colonial Chilean cities, its core is a rectangle seven blocks square, centered on the Plaza de Armas.

In some ways a model garden city—or at least known as one for its magnificently landscaped Plaza de Armas—Curicó has recently undertaken a major street-tree planting program. The surrounding area is known for its wineries and for Reserva Nacional Radal Siete Tazas, a small but interesting park in the Andean foothills.

Like many other central valley towns, San José de Buena Vista de Curicó owes its origins to a military base intended to protect settlers on the colonial frontier. Founded in 1743, along with Rancagua and San Fernando, by José Antonio Manso de Velasco, the town center was moved a few years later when the original site proved prone to flooding from the Río Guaiquillo.

Getting There

Most long-distance buses have their own offices; fares to Santiago (2.5 hours) are about US$5.50. Carriers include Pullman del Sur (Av. Camilo Henríquez between Carmen and Membrillar, tel. 075/310387), four blocks north of the plaza; Buses Lit (Av. Manso de Velasco and Buen Pastor, tel. 075/315648), four blocks south and three blocks west of the plaza; and Tur-Bus (Manso de Velasco 0106, tel. 075/312115), near the Panamericana.

A few long-distance carriers, plus regional and local buses, operate out of the Terminal de Buses Rurales (Montt and O’Higgins). Those serving Santiago include Andimar (tel. 075/312000), which also goes to Santa Cruz and Pichilemu, and Talmocur (tel. 075/311360), which goes to Molina and Talca, the regional capital.

Transportation to Reserva Nacional Radal Siete Tazas leaves from nearby Molina.

EFE trains between Santiago and Talca, Chillán, Concepción, and Temuco stop at Estación Curicó (Maipú 657, tel. 075/310028), four blocks west of the Plaza de Armas.