La Serena

Information

It is the capital of the region of Coquimbo, which is right next to the city of Coquimbo giving a larger urban area. It is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and is one of the busiest tourist destinations in the country, as in the summer months (mainly from December to February) it is a typical Chilean holiday place.

It has services such as shopping centres, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and petrol stations.

It has several tourist attractions. There is a historic centre with public buildings and churches. Its waterfront is long, with several kilometres of beach to walk along the Avenida del Mar. Where this avenue begins is the Monumental lighthouse of La Serena. It is worth mentioning that the beach continues even when the Avenida del Mar is renamed Avenida Costanera, where the coast also ceases to belong to La Serena and becomes part of the city of Coquimbo.

Outside the city, a natural site to visit is the Bosque Fray Jorge National Park (the access road is 87 km from La Serena), which has a hydrophilic forest that develops in a desert environment.

La Serena can be reached by car on Route 5, which is 335 km from Copiapo and 470 km from Santiago. There are direct flights to its international airport La Florida from Santiago, and some days of the week (confirm) from Antofagasta and Calama. Buses come from Antofagasta, Arica, Copiapo, Iquique, Santiago, Vallenar, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and many other places.