The lighthouse
White and red.
Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seba Flores — CC BY-SA 3.0
La Serena's emblem, a tall white lighthouse with red bands standing on a base like a small fort with crenellated turrets, at the end of the city's long Pacific beach. It was built in the mid-twentieth century as a monument and city showpiece more than a working light. From here starts the Avenida del Mar, a promenade running kilometres along the wide sandy beach as far as Coquimbo, lined with restaurants, hotels and cafés, where people walk, jog and cycle, especially at sunset. La Serena is one of Chile's oldest cities, founded in the sixteenth century, and its old centre is full of stone churches, colonial houses and markets. It is the gateway to the Elqui Valley and the clear northern skies that draw astronomers from around the world. The lighthouse is loveliest at sunset as the white façade glows and the sea shines. The sea here is cold and waves can be strong, so swim only at guarded spots.
White and red.
A long promenade.
Colonial houses.
Avenida del Mar, La Serena
At sunset, when the white façade glows and the sea shines, with a stroll on the free, always-open Avenida del Mar.