A neocolonial lighthouse-monument built by the Chilean Navy between 1950 and 1951 — a viewpoint and symbol of La Serena facing the Pacific.
🕒 Tue–Sun 10:00–14:00 and 14:30–17:00 · Mon closed
📍 Avda. Francisco de Aguirre, Avenida del Mar, La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile
Welcome to the Faro Monumental de La Serena, widely recognized as the central Faro de La Serena. Located in the heart of La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile, this destination serves as a primary hub for travelers visiting the region.
Faro Monumental de La Serena → La Serena → Coquimbo Region → Chile
When visiting the Faro Monumental de La Serena, visitors can easily explore surrounding historical landmarks and points of interest, including Plaza de Armas de La Serena and Jardín del Corazón (Avenida del Mar).
The essentials before you go: address, opening hours, tickets and how to get there.
The Faro Monumental de La Serena (La Serena Lighthouse) is a 28-metre neocolonial lighthouse-monument on Avenida del Mar, declared a National Historic Monument of Chile in 2011 (Law No. 42). It stands at the meeting point of Avenida Francisco de Aguirre and Avenida del Mar, facing the beach, about 10–15 minutes by car from Plaza de Armas and 15–20 minutes by taxi from La Florida Airport (LSC). Access to the grounds and the base is free or of symbolic cost.
The hours shown refer to access to the interior of the lighthouse, the viewpoint and the small museum. The plaza and surroundings of the monument remain publicly accessible. Confirm the current hours before your visit.
From arriving in La Serena by plane, bus or car to the final stretch along Avenida del Mar, here are the most common ways to reach the Faro Monumental.
The Faro Monumental de La Serena stands at Avda. Francisco de Aguirre at Avenida del Mar, facing the beach. From Plaza de Armas in La Serena city centre it is about 10–15 minutes by car, taxi or colectivo along the seafront; from La Florida Airport (LSC) about 15–20 minutes by taxi or transfer; and about 10 minutes by taxi from the bus terminal. You can also walk or cycle along Avenida del Mar.
La Serena lies in northern Chile, about 470 km from Santiago along Route 5 Norte (the Pan-American Highway). If you are coming from afar, the usual pattern is to fly into La Florida Airport or take a long-distance bus; from there, the lighthouse is just a few minutes away by car, taxi or public transport along the seafront avenue. For most visitors, the Faro is an urban destination reached by a short final transfer.
Option 01
The main air gateway is La Serena Airport (La Florida, LSC), with regular flights from Santiago and other Chilean cities.
Option 02
Rail is not currently a practical way to reach La Serena: Chile has no consolidated long-distance passenger service on this route.
Option 03
This is the most economical option and a very common one, especially if you arrive from Santiago or other cities in central and northern Chile.
Option 04
The most common option from Santiago and the rest of Chile: a comfortable trip of about 6 to 7 hours along Route 5 Norte.
Option 05
For the final stretch from the airport, the bus terminal or your hotel, a taxi or ride-hailing app is the most comfortable option.
Option 06
Driving works well if La Serena is one stop within a broader northern Chile road trip, though parking matters once you reach the coast.
Option 07
Once in La Serena, walking or cycling along Avenida del Mar is often the most pleasant way to approach the lighthouse.
Avenida del Mar at Avenida Francisco de Aguirre, La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile
The Faro Monumental de La Serena is a neocolonial tower built by the Chilean Navy between 1950 and 1951, following the design of engineer Jorge Cisternas Larenas, within the framework of the Plan Serena promoted by President Gabriel González Videla. Around 28 metres tall and 4 metres in diameter at its base, it blends the silhouette of a lighthouse with that of a colonial fortress. It was declared a National Historic Monument of Chile in 2011 (Law No. 42) for its architectural value. Today it is one of the most photographed icons of La Serena and a public viewpoint over the Pacific Ocean.
The Faro Monumental de La Serena was built by the Chilean Navy and handed over to the Municipality of La Serena on 7 November 1985 for tourist and cultural use. It is one of the landmarks of the Plan Serena, the 1950s urban renewal that gave the city its unified neocolonial image. Today the tower still serves as a navigation aid, while the grounds function as a viewpoint, a small museum and a civic meeting point facing the Pacific.
La Serena has a semi-arid coastal climate: sunshine most of the year, a wide gap between day and night temperatures, and morning fog in some months. These guidelines help you pick the best moment.
Summer
Dec–Feb · 16–26 °C
High season. Long, bright days, a busy beach and more traffic on Avenida del Mar. Visit early or at sunset.
Autumn
Mar–May · 11–22 °C
Very pleasant, quiet months with warm light and fewer visitors. Excellent for photography and for walking the seafront.
Winter
Jun–Aug · 8–18 °C
Cooler and more humid, with morning coastal mist. Rain is scarce but can appear, and the Pacific wind is felt strongly on the viewpoint.
Spring
Sep–Nov · 11–22 °C
Mild weather, clean skies and good visibility across the bay. One of the best times to combine the lighthouse with trips to the Elqui Valley.
The site opens Tuesday to Sunday in two blocks, 10:00–14:00 and 14:30–17:00. Depending on the light and the wind, each slot offers a different experience.
Grounds, base of the lighthouse, small museum and craft fair. Enough to understand the history and climb the viewpoint if it is open.
Add a walk along Avenida del Mar and the beach, with a stop at the Jardín del Corazón and a break in one of the local cafés.
Pair the lighthouse with the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the craft market in the morning, then cross to Coquimbo in the afternoon for the bay and the Cruz del Tercer Milenio.
The Faro Monumental de La Serena is more than a viewpoint: it is the landmark that sums up the city's urban history, its neocolonial architecture and its status as cultural heritage of Chile. These sections cover its origins in the Plan Serena (1948–1952), the reasoning behind its fortress-shaped design, the legend the coast tells about it, and the heritage protection it has held since 2011.
In the early 1950s, President Gabriel González Videla promoted the Plan Serena, an ambitious urban renewal to give La Serena a coherent neocolonial look. In that context, the Chilean Navy commissioned engineer Jorge Cisternas Larenas with a lighthouse that would serve not only as a beacon but also as a civic monument. Built between 1950 and 1951, it was officially inaugurated on 24 October 1953 and handed to the city on 7 November 1985 for tourist and cultural use.
The lighthouse was raised by the sea, at the point where Avenida del Mar receives those arriving in La Serena by the coast. Its neocolonial design, inspired by Spanish colonial fortifications, sought to recreate the historic identity of the oldest city of republican Chile, founded in 1544. Thus a modern signalling tower is dressed with battlements, stone walls and a fortress silhouette: 20th-century engineering with 16th-century scenery.
Locals say that on foggy nights the lighthouse's beam converses with the fishing boats entering the port of Coquimbo and with sailors seeking the mouth of the Elqui River. Another popular tale says the lighthouse keeps the spirit of sereneño sailors and that, from its viewpoint, the city bids farewell to the sun each afternoon over the Pacific. Fact or folklore, the lighthouse is where La Serena meets its sea.
Today the Faro Monumental, alongside the neocolonial Cathedral and the Plaza de Armas, is the most recognisable face of La Serena. Its battlemented silhouette presides over Avenida del Mar and appears on postcards, souvenirs and in the memory of those who grew up watching the Pacific from its feet. Declared a National Monument in 2011 (Law No. 42), it is also the only lighthouse in Chile to hold that distinction while functioning at the same time as a public viewpoint.
The tower rises about 28 metres and measures roughly 4 metres across at its base, standing on a platform that doubles as the entrance area and a public viewpoint. The shaft is reinforced concrete clad in local stone, and its profile echoes the keep of a colonial fortress: slightly battered walls, battlements along the crown and a solid mass that contrasts with the weightlessness of the ocean. Inside, a spiral staircase climbs to the upper level, where the glazed lantern room holds the light. The result is a deliberate hybrid: modern lighthouse engineering dressed in the formal language of Spanish colonial architecture.
A lighthouse is first of all a signal. La Serena's was intended to mark the approach to the bay and the neighbouring port of Coquimbo, and to guide the fishing and recreational craft heading for the mouth of the Elqui River. Its light, mounted in the glazed lantern at the top, sweeps over the Pacific as a night reference, while by day the battlemented silhouette performs the same job. Satellite navigation and automated beacons have reduced its role as a primary aid, but the site is kept as a supporting beacon and as an inseparable part of the coastal landscape.
Behind the lighthouse there is a whole urban project. Between 1948 and 1952, the Plan Serena set out to give the city a coherent modern image while drawing on its own colonial past. Promoted by President Gabriel González Videla, who was born in La Serena, the plan reorganised the centre, built public facilities and unified an aesthetic of arches, tiles, courtyards and balconies that still defines the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the civic buildings. The lighthouse is one piece of that ensemble: the landmark that closes Avenida del Mar and welcomes the city from the sea.
In 2011 (Law No. 42) the Faro Monumental de La Serena was declared a National Historic Monument of Chile, an acknowledgement of both its architectural value and its role in local identity. The designation protects it as heritage and requires any intervention to preserve its original features. In recent decades the site has been adapted for visitors: waymarked routes, heritage panels and space for exhibitions and crafts, always with the tower as the centrepiece. When you visit, treat it as what it is: a monument, not merely a viewpoint with a view.
Beyond its function, the lighthouse is a meeting point. New Year is welcomed in front of its walls along Avenida del Mar, coastal races pass by, graduation photos are taken here and families gather on summer evenings. It appears on postcards, in murals, on souvenirs and in the memory of generations of schoolchildren who climbed to the viewpoint on a school trip. It is, in the most literal sense, the place where La Serena looks out to sea.
From the founding of the city to today's monument: the milestones that explain why the lighthouse sits at the centre of how La Serena sees itself.
1544
Juan Bohón founds the city, which becomes one of the oldest in Chile and a strategic point on the semi-arid northern coast. That colonial age is the reference that, centuries later, would inspire its neocolonial architecture.
1948–1952
President Gabriel González Videla drives a comprehensive urban renewal that reorganises the centre and gives La Serena a unified neocolonial image of arches, tiles and courtyards that still defines the city.
1950–1951
The Chilean Navy raises the tower to the design of engineer Jorge Cisternas Larenas, conceived as a monumental lighthouse rather than merely a maritime signal.
1953
On 24 October the Faro Monumental is inaugurated and begins operating both as a beacon and as an urban landmark on Avenida del Mar.
1985
On 7 November the Navy transfers the site to the Municipality of La Serena for tourist and cultural use, opening the viewpoint to the public.
2011
The lighthouse is declared a National Historic Monument of Chile (Law No. 42), an exceptional distinction among the country's lighthouses.
Today
The site works as a viewpoint, a small museum, a craft fair and a stage for civic life facing the Pacific.
The services visitors usually care about, described by type of establishment and by how close they are to the lighthouse.
This guide is an independent, non-profit civic project: we do not recommend or promote any specific business. We only tell you what type of service you will find and roughly how far away, so you can choose freely.
The nearest toilets are usually inside the lighthouse grounds, in the small museum, in the cafés and restaurants of the area, and at the beach kiosks in season. Not all are free: many are for customers only.
Where: Lighthouse grounds, museum and Avenida del Mar businesses (a few metres away).
There is surface parking and metered zones along Avenida del Mar and the surrounding streets, plus private paid car parks. In January, February and at weekends it fills up: arrive early or leave the car a few blocks away and finish on foot.
Where: Avenida del Mar and nearby side streets (0–500 m).
The seafront concentrates seafood and Chilean restaurants, cafés, pizzerias and fast-food outlets. The choice is wider in the centre of La Serena and around the market. In summer kiosks and food carts appear beside the beach.
Where: Avenida del Mar and La Serena centre (5–15 min by car or bus).
Options range from hotels and apart-hotels to cabins, hostels and family-run tourist lodgings. The closest are on Avenida del Mar itself; the centre offers more variety and price ranges, and Coquimbo is an alternative a few minutes away.
Where: Avenida del Mar, La Serena centre and Coquimbo (0–15 min).
You will find supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and small shops both in the centre and along the main routes towards the coast. The city's craft and local produce market is the reference point for typical purchases.
Where: La Serena centre, main avenues and the market (5–15 min).
Petrol stations sit at the city approaches, on Route 5 Norte and along the main avenues, several with convenience stores and air. Electric vehicle charging points are mostly in the urban area and in hotel or shopping-centre car parks.
Where: Main avenues and city approaches (5–20 min).
Cash machines cluster in the centre, in shopping centres and along the main avenues; availability is thinner on the seafront. It is worth carrying some cash for fairs, kiosks and parking meters.
Where: La Serena centre and shopping centres (10–15 min).
Pharmacies operate in the centre and along the commercial routes, with rotating emergency duty. For medical care, La Serena and Coquimbo have hospitals, clinics and emergency services.
Where: La Serena centre, Coquimbo and main avenues (10–20 min).
Mobile coverage in the city and on the seafront is good. Free open wifi appears in some public spaces and in most cafés and hotels, though it is not a continuous service along the coast.
Where: Urban area and seafront; signal varies on the beach.
Access to the grounds and the base of the lighthouse is mostly flat, with ramps and paths suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The climb to the upper viewpoint is by stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
Where: Entrance and base of the lighthouse; upper viewpoint is stairs only.
The municipality and the national tourism service keep information points in the centre of La Serena and in Coquimbo, where you can get maps, opening hours and local activities. The lighthouse's own panels explain its history.
Where: La Serena centre and Coquimbo (10–15 min).
The seafront promenade allows pets on a lead with responsible clean-up; restrictions usually apply inside the grounds and the museum. Follow the signs, do not climb the battlements and take your litter with you.
Where: Coastal promenade and beach; restrictions inside the grounds.
Before heading up to the viewpoint, check how the day is shaping up on the coast: temperature, wind, chance of rain and UV for the days ahead.
Right now
13°C
Drizzle
Next 7 days
Nothing today that forces a change of plan — enjoy the visit as usual.
Nothing today that forces a change of plan — enjoy the visit as usual.
Nothing today that forces a change of plan — enjoy the visit as usual.
Today's curve, hour by hour
When to head down to the shore
The tide is rising: the water is gaining ground, so stay off the rocks and out of low-lying spots. The next high water is around 09:00: rocks and shoreline paths get covered, so take extra care.
Tide times are a model estimate; around the rocks follow the signs and the lifeguards.
Updated · Weather source Open-Meteo
Six quick keys to understanding the Faro Monumental before you arrive.
The tower reaches about 28 metres high with a base roughly 4 metres across: dimensions of a maritime signal and, at the same time, of an urban viewpoint.
Since 2011 it has been a National Historic Monument of Chile, an exceptional distinction among the country's lighthouses, most of which are navigation infrastructure with no heritage protection.
Its castle profile with battlements imitates Spanish colonial fortifications, a deliberate nod to the founding of the city in 1544.
Chile's semi-arid north receives ocean moisture as morning fog. When the coastal mist blankets the shore, the lighthouse's light becomes all the more important for navigation.
From the viewpoint you can make out where the Elqui River hands its water to the Pacific, the feature that shaped La Serena's coastline.
Pelicans, cormorants and gulls are common over the beach and the nearby rocks; with luck you may spot sea lions along the waterline.
The Faro Monumental and La Serena's Avenida del Mar · 19 photos
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Practical information on facilities, history and planning your visit to the Faro Monumental de La Serena.
Yes. Along Avenida del Mar and the surrounding streets there is surface parking (paid zones) and a few car parks. In high season (January–February) and on weekends demand is high, so it is best to arrive early or use public transport or a taxi. Rates follow the city's standard tariff; check the meter on site.
Yes. Access to the grounds and the base of the lighthouse is mostly flat, with ramps and paths that allow approach by wheelchair or stroller. The climb to the upper viewpoint, however, is by stairs, so that part is not wheelchair accessible.
The lighthouse grounds usually have facilities and a small museum; in addition, a craft fair operates at the base and there are cafés and restaurants a few steps away along Avenida del Mar. The beach and seafront also have kiosks in season.
Because it was designed within the Plan Serena, the 1950s urban renewal that gave La Serena a unified neocolonial style. Engineer Jorge Cisternas Larenas conceived it as a 'monumental' lighthouse imitating Spanish colonial fortifications: battlements, stone walls and a castle silhouette, blending the function of a beacon with that of a civic landmark.
The tower is about 28 metres tall and roughly 4 metres in diameter at its base. You can climb to the interior viewpoint to contemplate the Pacific coast, the mouth of the Elqui River and the bay of La Serena; confirm access and cost on site.
The Faro Monumental de La Serena stands about 28 metres tall, with a base roughly 4 metres in diameter. It is not a tall lighthouse by maritime standards: its value lies in its monumental silhouette and in its viewpoint, overlooking the bay of La Serena, the mouth of the Elqui River and the Pacific coast.
It was built with two purposes. First, to act as a beacon and reference for vessels approaching the bay of La Serena and the port of Coquimbo. Second, to serve as a civic and symbolic landmark of the Plan Serena (1948–1952), the urban renewal that gave the city its neocolonial identity. The Chilean Navy commissioned engineer Jorge Cisternas Larenas to design a 'monumental' lighthouse: a maritime signal dressed as a colonial fortress, crowning Avenida del Mar and welcoming visitors arriving along the coast.
The grounds, the viewpoint and the small base museum are usually free or of a very low symbolic cost; the craft fair is free. In high season there may be access control. We recommend confirming the current value on arrival.
A typical visit lasts 30–45 minutes: walk the grounds, climb to the viewpoint, read the museum panels and stroll the craft fair. Add a walk along Avenida del Mar and the beach and it easily fills a morning or afternoon.
The base and museum are covered spaces and are fine in any weather; however, the climb to the viewpoint is exposed to the Pacific wind and may close in heavy rain or strong wind. On very hot days go early or late to avoid the sun on the stairs.
Close by are the Plaza de Armas and the neocolonial Cathedral of La Serena, the Casa Museo Gabriel González Videla and the Archaeological Museum. On the same Avenida del Mar is the Jardín del Corazón (Japanese garden). A bit further, the Elqui Valley and astronomical observatories, and neighbouring Coquimbo with the Cruz del Tercer Milenio, round out the visit.
This visitor guide draws on information from official bodies and tourism organisations. For official updates and regional tourism information, visit the official tourism portal:
Chile / Coquimbo Region Official Tourism Portal
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