Recoleta Cemetery
Buenos Aires — Recoleta
A city of marble mausoleums housing Argentina's greats — Evita Perón's family vault is the most-visited grave. Free entry, tours in English.
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Travel Guide — Argentina
Argentina
Buenos Aires, Patagonia & the Andean north
19 places · 3 suggested routes
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Argentina panorama
Argentina is three trips in one country — the grand boulevards and steak houses of Buenos Aires, the glaciers and granite spires of Patagonia in the south, and the desert valleys and salt flats of the Andean north. This guide splits them into three sections.
Distances are enormous — BA to Patagonia is a 3-hour flight, and the north is another 2. The domestic flight network (Aerolíneas Argentinas) is the backbone of any trip covering more than one region.
Getting there & around
01
Fly into Buenos Aires (EZE)
Ministro Pistarini International is the hub for the whole country. Take a remis or Uber into the center (~45 min) — note the domestic airport Aeroparque (AEP) is separate and closer.
02
South: fly to El Calafate or Bariloche
El Calafate (FTE) is the base for Perito Moreno and the bus to El Chaltén for Fitz Roy. Bariloche covers the lakes district. Both ~3h from BA.
03
North: fly to Salta or Puerto Iguazú
Salta (SLA) is the base for the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Cafayate wine valley — rent a car. Puerto Iguazú (IGR) drops you at the falls.
Buenos Aires
A full-day walk through the center and south — Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, the Teatro Colón, the obelisk on 9 de Julio, then south through San Telmo to La Boca, finishing at the Puerto Madero docks.
The South — Patagonia
A driving itinerary through southern Patagonia — fly into El Calafate for the Perito Moreno glacier, then bus up to El Chaltén for the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre trailheads. Ushuaia is a separate flight if you add Tierra del Fuego.
The North — Salta & Iguazú
Two separate flights from BA. Around Salta: the wine road to Cafayate and the Quebrada de Humahuaca villages (Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca). Then Puerto Iguazú for the falls — both the Argentine walkways and the Brazilian panorama.
Places I recommend
Everything I visited and would send a friend to. Starred entries are the ones I'd put at the top of the list.
01
Landmarks & History
Teatro Colón
Buenos Aires — Tribunales
One of the world's great opera houses — a 1908 monument with 2,500 seats and acoustics ranked top-five globally. Hourly guided tours.
Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada
Buenos Aires — Microcentro
The political heart of the country — the pink presidential palace (Evita's balcony), the cathedral and the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo's painted kerchiefs.
Caminito & La Boca
Buenos Aires — La Boca
The painted tin shanty street that defines postcard BA — tango dancers in the street and Boca Juniors' La Bombonera stadium a few blocks away.
Go in the morning — the neighborhood is rough outside the tourist blocks.
San Telmo
Buenos Aires — San Telmo
The oldest barrio — cobblestone antique shops, the covered 1897 market and the Sunday Defensa street fair with tango in the plazas.
Puerto Madero & Puente de la Mujer
Buenos Aires — Waterfront
The converted dockland warehouses — a clean riverside walk under Calatrava's "Woman's Bridge" and a boardwalk of steakhouses.
Salta "la Linda"
The North — Salta
The colonial base city — Plaza 9 de Julio's cafés, the MAAM museum's Inca mummies and the Teleférico over the hills at sunset.
02
Outdoors & Views
Tigre & the Paraná Delta
Top pickBuenos Aires — Tigre
The river delta an hour north by train — boat rides through stilt-house islands, the Puerto de Frutos market and rowing clubs on the water.
My saved pin — the boat tour through the delta channels is the move, not the amusement park.
Palermo & Bosques de Palermo
Buenos Aires — Palermo
The park-and-bar district — the Rosedal rose garden, Japanese garden, planetarium and the endless café strip of Palermo Soho.
Perito Moreno Glacier
Top pickThe South — Los Glaciares NP
The 30 km-long advancing glacier an hour from El Calafate — walkways face the 60 m ice wall, boat rides get closer, and it calves dramatically.
El Chaltén & the Fitz Roy massif
Top pickThe South — El Chaltén
Argentina's trekking capital — the classic day hikes (Laguna de los Tres for Fitz Roy, Laguna Torre for Cerro Torre) leave straight from town.
My pinned trail — the last climb to Laguna de los Tres is brutal but the granite-spire payoff is the best view in Patagonia.
Ushuaia & the Beagle Channel
The South — Tierra del Fuego
The "end of the world" city — Beagle Channel boat trips to penguin colonies, the End of the World train and the gateway to Antarctica.
Bariloche & the Seven Lakes
The South — Lakes District
The alpine-style lake town — the Ruta de los Siete Lagos road to San Martín de los Andes, Cerro Catedral lifts and Argentina's chocolate capital.
Iguazú Falls
Top pickThe North — Misiones
275 separate falls across a 2.7 km basalt rim — the Argentine side gets you onto the walkways at the Devil's Throat edge; the Brazilian side gives the postcard panorama.
Both sides in one day if you start early — bring passport for the Brazil border crossing.
Cafayate & Quebrada de las Conchas
Top pickThe North — Cafayate
The high-altitude wine valley — red-rock amphitheater and "Devil's Throat" formations on the road south, then Torrontés tastings in town.
The Ruta 68 drive is half the experience — stop at every mirador.
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Top pickThe North — Jujuy
The UNESCO rainbow canyon — Purmamarca's Hill of Seven Colors, Tilcara's Inca fortress and the 4,200 m Salinas Grandes salt flats en route.
03
Food & Drink
Asado at a proper parrilla
Top pickBuenos Aires
The national ritual — Don Julio in Palermo is the famous splurge (book weeks ahead); El Pobre Luis and Parrilla Peña are the neighborhood classics.
Order provoleta and morcilla first, then the bife de chorizo — and ask for it jugoso (medium rare).
Café culture & helado
Buenos Aires
Café Tortoni (1858) is the famous one; Lucciano's and Rapa Nui are the helado debate — dulce de leche granizado is the flavor to order.
04
Misc
Tango in a milonga
Buenos Aires
Skip the dinner-show version — a real milonga (social dance hall) in Palermo or Almagro has beginner lessons at 8pm and locals dancing until 2am.