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Market · La Serena, Coquimbo
Mercado La Recova
A craft market and northern Chile products market in downtown La Serena: papaya sweets, pisco, lapis-lazuli and combarbalita items, Andean wools and restaurants on the upper floor.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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About Mercado La Recova
La Recova is La Serena's traditional market, on Cienfuegos street, about 600 meters from Plaza de Armas. The building, from 1981, has two large internal courtyards and follows the neocolonial style of the center.
On the ground floor, stalls sell crafts from northern Chile: lapis-lazuli objects, the indigo-toned stone mined in the Chilean Andes; combarbalita pieces, a colorful stone found only in the Coquimbo region; and wools from the highlands. There are also papaya sweets and preserves, made from the small Chilean papaya grown in the valley, and bottles of pisco from Elqui.
On the upper floor are restaurants serving Chilean and seafood dishes, such as caldillo de congrio, fish soup and seafood empanadas. Having lunch there is a typical activity for those spending the day in the center.
Opposite, Plaza La Recova opens a space between the market and the city streets, and the Iglesia de San Agustín is just a few steps away.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About one hour to walk through the stalls; add another hour if you have lunch on the upper floor.
Best time
From late morning to early afternoon, when all the stalls are open and the restaurants serve lunch. On Sundays some shops close earlier.
How to get there
On foot, about 600 meters northeast of the Plaza de Armas, via Cienfuegos street.
Tip
Taste the papaya sweets before buying and ask where the gemstone comes from: combarbalita is from the region.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Mercado La Recova
What to buy at the Recova of La Serena?
Sweets and papaya preserves, valley pisco, lapis-lazuli and combarbalita items, and highland wool goods.
Can you eat at the Recova?
Yes, the restaurants on the upper floor serve Chilean food and seafood at lunch.
What is combarbalita?
It is an ornamental stone of various colors, quarried near Combarbalá in the Coquimbo region, used in crafts.