Getting Here and Around

La Serena is almost exactly 300 miles north of Santiago via Ruta 5, the Pan-American Highway. A direct bus trip takes about seven hours from the capital, and there are some that travel via Ovalle (from which it's an hour or less to La Serena). La Serena's bus terminal on Avenida Amunátagui is a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute ride from downtown (colectivos 21 and 44 make the trip for less than a dollar). Daily flights from Santiago take about an hour to reach La Serena's La Florida Airport, which is 20 to 30 minutes from downtown via car or taxi. The Pan-American Highway runs right through town if you follow Avenida Francisco de Aguirre toward the ocean. The Elqui Valley is just an hour to the east of La Serena via Route 41.