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Iquique

Barefoot surfers, paragliding pros, casino snobs and frenzied merchants all cross paths in the rather disarming city of Iquique. Located in a golden crescent of coastline, this city is counted among Chile's premier beach resorts, with a glitzy casino, beachfront boardwalk and more activities (from paragliding to sand-boarding) than any sane person can take on in a week. The big draw here is the swaths of pitch-perfect beach, which offer some of the best surfing around.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Plaza Prat
Iquique
The city's 19th-century swagger is hard to miss on Iquique's central square. Pride of place goes to the 1877 Torre Reloj clock tower, seemingly baked and…
Museo Corbeta Esmeralda
Iquique
This replica of sunken Esmeralda, a plucky little Chilean corvette that challenged ironclad Peruvian warships in the War of the Pacific, is Iquique's new…
Muelle de Pasajeros
Iquique
Hour-long boat tours around the harbor leave from Iquique's 1901 passenger pier, just west of the Edificio de la Aduana. The tour floats past the Boya…
Museo Naval
Iquique
Take in the artifacts salvaged from the sunken Esmeralda at this small museum inside the haughty colonial-style customs house, built in 1871 when Iquique…
Centro Cultural Palacio Astoreca
Iquique
Originally built for a nitrate tycoon, this 1904 Georgian-style mansion is now a cultural center, which exhibits contemporary work produced by local…
Museo Regional
Iquique
Iquique's former courthouse now hosts the catch-all regional museum, which earnestly re-creates a traditional adobe altiplano village and also exhibits…
Casino Español
Iquique
The prize for the showiest building in Iquique goes to this Moorish-style place from 1904, on the plaza's northeast corner. The gaudily tiled creation is…
Edificio de la Aduana
Iquique
A grand old colonial building dating to 1876, the ex-customs house was ravaged by fire in early 2015.

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