Coquimbo Region

is Chile's fourth administrative region from north to south. It is some 400 km north of the capital, Santiago. The capital and largest city is La Serena, Chile's second oldest city -- an attractive, colonial-style beach resort. Coquimbo, a seaport with a greater industrial base than La Serena, is also a beach resort; generally regarded as grittier, and therefore less attractive for recreational purposes, it has undergone significant urban renewal projects in recent years and as a result it has seen an increase in tourism