Chile Guide
El Norte Chico
La Serena
Sitting by the mouth of the Río Elqui, 11km north of Coquimbo, LA SERENA is for many visitors their first taste of northern Chile, after whizzing straight up from Santiago by road or air. The city centre is an attractive mix of pale colonial-style houses, carefully restored churches, craft markets tucked away on hidden squares and bustling crowds. Three kilometres away lies Avenida del Mar, a rather charmless esplanade lined with oceanfront aparthotels and cabañas that are packed in the summer and gloomily empty out of season.
Iglesia San Francisco
Address: Balmaceda and de la Barra
The Iglesia San Francisco is one of La Serena's oldest churches, though the date of its construction is unknown, as the city archives were burnt in Sharp's raid of 1680. Its huge walls are one metre thick, covered in a stone facade carved in fanciful Baroque designs. Inside, the recently restored Museo de Arte Religioso contains a small but impressive collection of religious sculpture and paintings from the colonial period.