Coquimbo La Serena, Chile
Chile

77 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (15 Cruises)

Carnival Cruise Line (1 Cruises)

Carnival Firenze

4126 Passengers
135156 tons
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Crystal Cruises (6 Cruises)

Cunard (12 Cruises)

Explora Journeys (3 Cruises)

Holland America Line (26 Cruises)

Oceania Cruises (2 Cruises)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (8 Cruises)

Silversea Cruises (4 Cruises)

Port of Coquimbo (La Serena) | Cruise Port Guide

Sea lions have their habits at the fish market, and no one dreams of displacing them. They lounge near the stalls while shuckers open shellfish and cooks serve the day's ceviche. Coquimbo, a fishing port in northern Chile adjoining the colonial city of La Serena, receives ships that follow the Pacific coast between Valparaíso and the Atacama Desert. The port-call smells of iodine, lime and frying, and that is just as it should be.

A Quay in the Heart of Town

The berthing pier lies immediately beside Coquimbo's centre; ten minutes' walk suffices to reach the shopping streets and main plaza. From the quay, the eye catches on two landmarks planted on the heights, a monumental cross on one side, a dome resembling a mosque on the other, an odd summary of a port that has always mixed the worlds.

The Viewpoint of the Third Millennium

On El Vigia hill, the Cross of the Third Millennium raises its eighty-three metres of white concrete, completed in 2001 to mark the passage into the year 2000 for the Christian world. An elevator and platforms allow you to climb within the structure; the view embraces the horseshoe bay, arid hills and ocean whitecaps stretching to the horizon. In clear weather, the panorama counts among the coast's broadest, and the fresh Pacific wind does the rest. Prepared trails allow ascent on foot as well, for the more athletic.

Barrio Ingles: Memory of the Trading Posts

Descending back toward the water, Barrio Ingles lines wooden houses built in the great era of mining commerce, when English houses held trading posts in the bay. Ornate balconies, coloured façades and cafés installed in former warehouses give the quarter an unexpected Victorian character beneath this sun. Murals and shaded plazas invite a tranquil wander before rejoining the waterfront and its stone fort, Fuerte Lambert, positioned on a rocky promontory facing the waves.

La Serena: The Colonial Neighbour

A dozen kilometres away, La Serena, Chile's second-oldest city, can be reached in about twenty minutes by taxi or coach. Its centre unfolds churches of light stone, flowered patios and museums around the plaza de armas, in a carefully preserved colonial arrangement. The seaside avenue links a succession of beaches to the city's iconic lighthouse, a Sunday meeting-place for families. Companies also offer the Elqui Valley, home of pisco and observatories, for those who prefer mountains to sea.

DestinationTravel Time from Wharf
Coquimbo centre and market10 to 15 minutes' walk
Cross of the Third MillenniumShort taxi ride
La SerenaAbout 20 minutes by vehicle
Elqui ValleyHalf-day excursion or more

At Table Facing the Bay

The port market remains the port-call's most savoury experience. You eat simply and fresh: seafood empanadas, grilled fish, razor clams au gratin with parmesan, while pelicans watch the fishing landings. The curious will compare with restaurants in Guayacán, the nearby cove, renowned for its sunsets.

When the ship resumes its route, the white cross keeps watch long over the bay, then the coast becomes desert and rocks again. From Coquimbo, you keep a taste of lime and coriander, the laughter of the market vendors and that dry light of the Norte Chico that makes you want to follow the Chilean coast a little farther still.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the pier immediately alongside downtown Coquimbo. About ten minutes on foot brings you to the shopping streets and the main square: this is one of the easiest calls on the coast to do without an excursion.
The fish market and the Barrio Ingles on foot, a taxi ride up to the Third Millennium Cross, then a meal facing the bay. If the call is long, La Serena is a better use of the time than a city tour.
An 83-metre white concrete cross on El Vigia hill, completed in 2001 to mark the turn of the year 2000. A lift and platforms let you climb inside; the view takes in the horseshoe bay and the arid hills.
Yes, about twenty minutes by taxi or coach, some twelve kilometres away. La Serena is Chile's second-oldest city: pale stone churches, flowered patios and museums around the Plaza de Armas, in a carefully preserved colonial layout.
The district of wooden houses built during the great mining trade era, when English firms kept counting houses on the bay. Worked balconies, coloured facades, murals and cafes in old warehouses give it an unexpected Victorian character.
At the port market, the tastiest experience of the day: seafood empanadas, grilled fish, machas gratinated with parmesan, the day's ceviche. Sea lions lounge near the stalls and nobody thinks of moving them.
Yes, on a half-day or longer excursion. It is the home of pisco and of astronomical observatories, an option for those who prefer mountains to sea. Check that the stated duration fits the all-aboard time.
The Chilean peso and Spanish. English is little used at the market or by taxi drivers; a few written phrases or a translator app smooths the day. Cards work in restaurants, less so with port vendors.
Yes, La Serena's seafront avenue links a run of beaches up to the city's landmark lighthouse, a Sunday gathering place for families. On the Coquimbo side, the neighbouring cove of Guayacan is known for its sunsets.
That of a fishing port that has not been remade for tourists. It smells of brine, lemon and frying, shuckers open shellfish in front of you and pelicans watch the boats come in. This is the Norte Chico as it actually lives.