THE TRAVELERS PARADISE, VILLARRICA. Francisco Bilbao 969. Welcome to our hostel. La Torre Suiza is a small and charming hostel for the independent budget traveler. A cosy wooden Swiss-Chalet with a unique atmosphere, it's a real home away from home. But be warned, most guests stay much longer than planned... Villarrica is the perfect base to explore the surrounding area. Located only thirty minutes from Pucon, it's best for those looking for a less touristy and quiet alternative off the beaten track. All the area's main attractions are easily accessible from Villarrica. After having cycled around half the world we settled down in Villarrica and opened up this hostel. Our goal is to provide everything a traveler needs, exactly what we were always looking for during our travels. We try to make you feel at home and give you all the information you need. Enjoy your stay with us in Villarrica! Claudia Beat Zbinden. Doubles, twins and dorms. Private or shared bathroom. Hearty breakfast included. Fully equipped kitchen. Big living room with games. Laundry service / facilities. Free internet and WiFi. Bicycle rental and MTB tours. Car and motorbike parking. Selfguided daytrips: Biking, hiking, hot springs, horseback riding etc. Information on the area. © 1996 - 2008, La Torre Suiza, Fco. Bilbao 969, Villarrica, Chile. Tel +56-45-411213,

La Torre Suiza offers double rooms with private or shared bathroom and dormitory style accommodation. Our famous all-you-can-eat breakfast with home made dark bread, fruit and muesli is included in the price for accommodation. Some of our rooms have a spectacular view of the volcano, especially the top floor ones. We do have a family room with four beds - families and kids are welcome! For those looking for more comfort: There are cozy and modern double rooms with private bathroom available in a newly built separate wing. Double room, private bath, new wing. Double room, private bath. Double room, shared bath, 2nd floor. Double room, shared bath, 3rd floor. Single room, shared bath, 3rd floor. Dormitory, 3 or 4 beds. Note: All prices are in Chilean Pesos. We do not accept credit cards. Mountainbike rental, full day. Mountainbike rental, half day. Laundry service, 5kg @ 40°C. What our guests say... Thanks so much for everything! Despite the rain it was a great stay. Patrick, Chicago. Guys, thanks for your wonderful hospitality! I came for 3 days and stayed for 7! Rebecca, NZ. We had a very nice stay and a great bike ride out of town. Daryl, Alaska. We will miss this place, really! We found it was the best breakfast we had for 3 months travelling. Peggy and Arnaud, England

Villarrica is pleasantly set in an area of great natural beauty, in the heart of La Araucania, Chile's Ninth Region. Located on the western shore of Lake Villarrica, it is surrounded by volcanos, rivers and National Parks. It is the business centre of the area, a small lively town with a population of approx. 40.000. While remaining a charming Chilean city, Villarrica offers a complete tourist infrastructure with fine restaurants, cafes, bars and good accommodation. Villarrica is famous for handicrafts and wooden furniture, numerous markets and shops can be found all over town. From the newly built lookout point Canela on the road to Loncoche there are splendid views of the city, lake and volcano. Don't miss the sunset when the volcano turns red, the best view is either from the bridge over the Tolten River or from one of our top-level rooms. Every summer there are some major events, among them the Dias Culturales with classical music, the Mountain Bike Race from Lican Ray to Villarrica (Chile's oldest MTB marathon race), marathons, triathlons, regattas, theatres, Mapuche ceremonies and traditional dances. Two museums in town have a collection of ceramics, jewellery, silver and ethnic material from the Mapuches of the area. The Mapuche market with a Ruca, the ancient house of the native people. Dias Culturales de Villarrica: Classical music concerts in January. Spectacular sunsets.

The area around the volcano Villarrica is well known for its outstanding natural beauty. There are almost endless possibilities for the outdoor enthusiast. To make your stay at La Torre Suiza unforgettable, we provide detailed information on selfguided and guided daytrips around Villarrica. Note: All guided tours mentioned on this site are organized by agencies or private persons here in Villarrica. We recommend them because we believe they offer a good service. We do not take comission. Enjoy a mountainbike ride at the foot of the volcano Villarrica and get a glimpse of rural Chile! There are different selfguided mountainbike rides available, ranging from easy to hard. Our bikes come with front suspension, and we provide a map with a detailed route description for every tour. Some of Chile's most spectacular scenery is located in the Villarrica area. The climb up to the crater of the active volcano Villarrica is truly a unique experience. The small but beautiful Huerquehue Nationalpark is easily accessible by public transport all year round and offers some good dayhikes. For the horse lover there are guided half and full daytrips either on the shore of the lake Villarrica or on the slopes of the volcano Villarrica available. There are plenty of other daytrips, be it fishing, river rafting or sightseeing. Due to constant volcanic activity, there are plenty of natural hot springs in the area. Nothing beats a bath in hot water after a strenous hike or during bad weather.

Villarrica and Chile. Municipalidad de Villarrica. Municipality Villarrica (esp). Chamber of tourism Villarrica (esp). Chilean Tourism Office (esp). Corporacion Nacional Forestal (esp). Future Chilean hikingtrail (8500 km, esp). General info on Chile. Infos on the Villarrica volcano. Chilean Mapuche site (esp). Mapuche - Spanish dictionary. Small but informative site (esp). Mapuche Documentation Centre. Political information (esp). A list of hostels in Chile. Hostel in La Serena. Hostel in Valparaiso. Hostel in Santiago. Hostel in Cajon de Maipo. Mountainlodge near Lago Colbun (Talca). Hostel in Malalcahuello (Curacautin). Hostel in Puerto Octay. Hostel in Puerto Varas. Esmeralda by the Sea. Hostel in Coyhaique. Gerhard Mauchers climb to the crater (ger). Cycling 8000 miles through South America for charity. Trip around the world. Claire and Will's travel. Dick and Els bike trip (dutch/eng). Well known Chile guidebook. The famous South America Handbook. Chile trekkingguide by Tim Burford. Chile guidebook by Wayne Bernhardson. Written by Harvard students. German guidebooks (ger). Iwanowski's Reisebuchverlag. French guidebooks (fr). World Accommodation Guide

La Torre Suiza is located in a quiet residencial area on Francisco Bilbao 969, two blocks from the city centre and three blocks from the main bus terminal. When getting off the bus, turn left and walk three blocks towards the volcano. It takes only five minutes to walk to our house, and no taxi is needed. Don't worry, it's almost impossible to miss our hostel. From Temuco: After crossing the bridge go straight all the way on G. Urrutia and turn right on G. Korner. 5 blocks later turn left on L. Gallo, then immediately left again (J. Zegers) and left once more (Fco. Bilbao). From Loncoche: Follow the main street (P. Valdivia), cross the two traffic lights and turn right towards Pucon at the small circle. Take the next street to the right (Fco. Bilbao). From Lican Ray: Follow the main street into town, turning right at the firefighters on P. Rios. Go straight at the traffic lights and take the second street to the left (Fco. Bilbao). From Pucon: Follow the main street into town, turning right at the second traffic light on S. Epulef, opposite the YPF gas station. Take the second street to the left (Fco. Bilbao). A modern, fast and reliable train service connects Santiago with Temuco and Puerto Montt. From Temuco it's only a one hour's bus ride to Villarrica. Temucos national Airport Maquehue is 5 km south of the city. There are several connections to Santiago and all major cities in Chile. From Temuco it's only a one hour's bus ride to Villarrica.

Once upon a time in Switzerland. Living a normal everyday life, we - Claudia and Beat Zbinden - married in August 1993. One month later, after having sold all our belongings, we left for the big trip. We cycled around half the world, crossing Europe, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Patagonia. Two and a half years on the road is a long time and we got tired of biking and traveling. It seems that the Patagonian wind had blown too strong and we liked Villarrica, the place where we had stopped. Instead of going back to Switzerland we decided to settle down in the Chilean Lake District. It was a very quick decision to open up a hostel for travelers, and soon the right house had been found: La Torre Suiza in Villarrica. We want to provide what we were always looking for during our travels: a cozy home away from home, a place where you can relax and meet fellow travelers in a nice and pleasant atmosphere. The initial plan was to stay a couple of years in Chile and then move on. But one thing is for sure: plans are for architects and not for travelers. We're a family now and have lived here in Villarrica for the past decade. Our daughter goes to school, and it seems we're going to stay a bit longer than planned.

Please contact us to make a reservation, send comments, or to just say hello. Don't hesitate to send us a message with suggestions on how to improve our hostel. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Note: All fields are required! Please be patient when sending your message, the whole process may take while.

 Luggage storage
 Central situation
 Playground for children
 Clothes dry cleaning
 Facsimile services
 Games room
 Heating
 Access to internet
 Kitchen
 Laundry services/washing machine
 Mixed dorms
 Parking lot
 Private park, garden, courtyard
 Fridge
 Private/Ensuite bathroom
 Tea and coffee making facilities
 Phone at reception
 Patio, summer terrace