La Serena

La Serena is a charming city of about 200,000 people (2012) in Northern Chile. Its historic center stands out with a beautiful and well-preserved neocolonial architecture characterized by its balconies, small squares and stone churches of several centuries old, its extensive beaches and for being one of the cities with the best quality of life in Chile.

Understand
The city is an important tourist site, especially during the summer, where people make it one of the most important vacation destinations in the country, mainly for its beaches, architecture, green areas and gastronomy. It is popularly recognized for the production of local papayas and their derivatives.

During the rest of the year, its activity focuses on being a place for university studies, as it is the headquarters of the University of La Serena and the headquarters of several private universities. In addition, it is the seat of the Archdiocese of La Serena, one of the five Catholic archdioceses of Chile and, on the other hand, it is the economic capital of the region.

By bus


Buses leave several times every hour from Santiago to La Serena. The trip takes 7–8 hr. Companies include Pullman Bus and TurBus (see for timetable and booking). Available are regular buses, semi-cama and the first class salon-cama. Prices vary greatly.

By car
From the north and the south, the main access route to the city is via route 5, which is a double-lane highway from the south and one-lane highway from the north.

By plane


Destinations:
 * Santiago – LAN flies 5 times daily Su–F and 4 times Saturdays to La Serena. Flight duration is 1 hr and fully flexible ticket cost US$168 one way, US$305 return; advance non-flexible return tickets through the website may be much cheaper than the flexible one way price. Sky Airline flies three times daily from Santiago.
 * Antofagasta – Daily flights with LAN. Sky Airline daily.
 * Copiapó – One flight on Saturdays
 * Calama – One flight on Saturdays

By bus
Buses leave several times every hour from La Serena to Valle del Elqui. The trip takes 1–2 hr. Ticket price: 2,000-3,000 pesos depending on where you go. They leave every hour from the bus station.

See

 * La Serena lighthouse (square).jpg
 * La Serena lighthouse (square).jpg
 * La Serena lighthouse (square).jpg
 * La Serena lighthouse (square).jpg
 * La Serena lighthouse (square).jpg

Do

 * Desert in bloom – If you are around in early spring, you might be lucky enough to see it. It happens in occasional years and is stunning.
 * Beaches – La Serena has some of the country's longest stretches of beach. You can take a whole day walking from one end to another.
 * Totoralillo Beach (Totoralillo Spa) – This beach is 25 km from La Serena, and it is visited by a large number of tourists. The most recommended activities to do are swimming, fishing, diving and surfing, in addition to visiting the large number of restaurants on site. You can enter the beach through route D-350.


 * Whale Watching – Take a tour to observe whales, dolphins, birds, penguins and other sea life.

Further afield

 * Observatory tours – The Elqui Valley outside La Serena has some of the best conditions for observing the sky, hence the many observatories, some open to the public doing tours from La Serena city at night. Tour prices including transport are about 15,000 pesos.
 * Observatory tours – The Elqui Valley outside La Serena has some of the best conditions for observing the sky, hence the many observatories, some open to the public doing tours from La Serena city at night. Tour prices including transport are about 15,000 pesos.

What

 * Papaya juice – Sold all over the city but especially at markets, the papaya is grown locally here.
 * Pisco – The national drink of Chile is brewed in the nearby Elqui Valley and is a must-try for every traveller, enjoyed either as a Pisco Sour (Pisco with limon juice, sugar, and egg-white) or Piscola (Pisco with Coke).
 * Handicraft – Nice handicraft markets are held every summer.

Eat
The densest cluster of restaurants and fast food joints is around the intersection of O`Higgins and Eduardo de la Barra.

Drink
Loads of bars near the intersection of O`Higgins and Eduardo de la Barra. At least a couple of them will be busy even on a Monday night thanks to the town's students.

Sleep
There are loads of options in the town. The area from the bus station throughout the center has at least one hostal on every block, and many fancier options, including package tour hotels along the beach.



Go next

 * Fray Jorge National Park – A few hours to the south.
 * Isla Damas – Swim, hiking, scuba diving, snorkeling. Penguins, sea lions, dolphins. Stay the night at Punta de Choros.