A squat castellated tower at the north end of Avenida del Mar, the most photographed building in La Serena. The Faro is decorative — it has never functioned as a real lighthouse — and it is the visual punctuation of the long beach promenade.
The tower itself can usually be visited inside; a short climb gets you a view down the length of the bay. The headland around it is good for a sundown walk and the pelicans on the rocks are large and tame.