Believe it or not, there actually is more to La Serena then just pure white sand beaches and plenty of sunshine. The city was founded in 1544 and it is Chile's third oldest city. Along with this age comes a lot of history and the city offers plenty of cultural buildings and museums to teach you all about it. Of course it doesn't hurt that for every building you tour, you get to take a walk through well manicured gardens and courtyards.
The town has maintained its historic architect over hundreds of years. Its culture paired up with magical beaches has caused La Serena to be a significant tourist area. The housing consists of vintage architecture mainly from the 19th century built with wood imported from the United States.
There are also remarkable small churches that are roughly 350 years old and worth the time to take a stroll through. In addition to the smaller churches, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of La Serena is seated here. This cathedral, built from sedimentary stone has unbelievably held its own through many earthquakes with little damage.
The population of La Serena doubles during the summer months due to the breathtaking beaches and vast amounts of recreational activities. Music festivals, Formula 1 races, concerts and the ever famous Fashion Week happens here.
Shopping in La Serena is sure to accommodate any tourist. Mall Plaza La Serena houses national shops and the city offers plenty of small boutiques and local art.
Another great attraction to this city is the soccer team, Club de Deportes La Serena. They play in Chile's First Division football league. La Porte da Stadium accommodates their home games with 18,000 seats. There is also a professional tennis tournament, the Davis Cup that happens here in the summer, since 2007.
La Serena is gifted with a pleasant year round climate. The summer has an absence of precipitation with a bit of morning clouds and drizzle. These generally give way by noon opening the clouds up to plenty of sunshine and nice hot temperatures. In the winter, the temperatures descend a bit but still remain quite mild and more than tolerable.
Avenida del Mar is a well-traveled long street to paradise that gives entrance to all of the favorite beaches in the city. There are 12 beaches to choose from including El Faro, Blanca, La Marina, El Pescado, Los Fuertes, Cuatro Esquinas, La Barca, Las Gaviotas, El Corsarro and Canto de Aqua. It is said a visitor can stay in La Serena and run out of time before they run out beaches. Premium hotel resorts can accommodate your beach side visit with plenty of fabulous restaurants to tempt your palette.
La Serena has an abundant of activity to keep you busy including scuba diving, sailing, swimming, sport fishing, surfing and windsurfing. Additionally, there is plenty of flora and fauna to keep your camera busy for awhile.
This city is one of Chile's best kept secrets. Come see for yourself why an entire road had to be dedicated to work as a gateway to exotic beaches.