For about forty years from 1880, Iquique was one of the richest ports on the Pacific. Nearly all the world’s natural nitrate — saltpetre, used for fertiliser and explosives — came from the desert behind it, and the merchants, many of them British, built themselves a city to match. The best of it survives along Paseo Baquedano and around Plaza Prat.
Baquedano is a broad pedestrian boulevard lined with two-storey houses of Oregon pine shipped down from North America, with deep verandas, balconies and rooftop lookouts in a style usually described as Georgian. The whole street is a protected Zona Típica, with wooden pavements and the rails of a heritage tram that still runs on some days.
Top things to do at Paseo Baquedano & Plaza Prat
Start at Plaza Prat
The square is the city’s front room. In the middle stands the Torre del Reloj, a white clock tower dating from 1877. On one side is the Teatro Municipal, a timber theatre with a neoclassical façade opened in 1890; on another, the Casino Español, a 1904 social club with an exuberant Moorish-style interior of tiles and arches, now a restaurant.
Walk Paseo Baquedano
From the plaza, stroll south along the boulevard past the old mansions, many now cafés, university buildings and small museums. The street runs for several blocks towards the sea. Look up: the lookout towers on the roofs were built so merchants could watch for their ships.
Visit Palacio Astoreca and the Regional Museum
The Palacio Astoreca, a 1904 mansion built for a nitrate magnate, is the grandest house in the city and is used as a cultural centre, with period rooms and exhibitions. On Baquedano itself, the Museo Regional de Iquique covers the region from the Chinchorro culture and its mummies to Aymara life and the nitrate era. Opening days vary — check locally.
Go down to the harbour
A short walk west of the plaza brings you to the old passenger pier and Caleta Riquelme, where sea lions and pelicans wait for the fishing boats. Boat trips round the bay leave from here, and the Corbeta Esmeralda museum is next door.
How to get to Paseo Baquedano & Plaza Prat
- From Cavancha: about 2 km; half an hour on foot along the seafront, or a few minutes by taxi or colectivo.
- On a tour: the guided city tour covers Plaza Prat, the Clock Tower and the Municipal Theatre and adds a boat trip in the bay.
- Heritage tram: a restored tram runs along Baquedano on an irregular schedule; treat it as a bonus rather than transport.
Insider tips
- Go in the morning or late afternoon; midday light is harsh and some museums close for lunch.
- Many museums close on Sundays or Mondays, and timetables change. Ask at the tourist office.
- The streets around the central market and the bus terminal are best avoided after dark; Baquedano and the plaza themselves are lively in the evening.
- Try a chumbeque, Iquique’s layered sweet biscuit, sold in shops in the centre.
Bookable experiences to pair with Paseo Baquedano & Plaza Prat
GetYourGuide’s Iquique catalogue is small, so these are the real, bookable experiences that fit best around a visit to Paseo Baquedano & Plaza Prat:
City tour + boat from US$85 Iquique: Guided City Tour with Boat Trip to Esmeralda Buoy
A half-day introduction to the city with a guide: the nitrate-era square with its clock tower and theatre, then out by boat to the buoy that marks where the corvette Esmeralda sank on 21 May 1879. The most efficient way to understand why this date matters so much in Chile.
- Plaza Prat, the 1877 Clock Tower and the Municipal Theatre
- Boat trip across the bay to the Esmeralda buoy
- The story of the Battle of Iquique where it happened
Tandem flight from US$67 Iquique: Paragliding Experience with GoPro Video
The thing Iquique is famous for among pilots worldwide. You launch from the edge of the coastal cliff at Alto Hospicio strapped to a certified tandem pilot, glide out over the great dune and the city’s towers, and come in to land near the beach. The listing includes a GoPro video of the flight.
- Tandem flight with a certified pilot — no experience needed
- Views of the city, the Cerro Dragón dune and the Pacific
- GoPro video of your flight included
