When you think about what to do and what to see in Argentina, you are spoiled for choice. The South American country is immense and offers many attractions for visitors: from the refined capital Buenos Aires to the boundless Patagonia, from the alpine mountains of Bariloche to the lunar ones of Salta, from the immense vineyards of the Mendoza area to the magnificent historic center of Córdoba, from the spectacle of Iguazu Falls to the Whale Falls off the Valdés Peninsula. Today we will take you to discover the best things to see in Argentina.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is usually the first stop on a trip to Argentina, in any case you cannot cross the country without visiting the capital. There is also a tour of the coast to take you on a discovery!
It is also known as the “Paris of South America” due to its wide elegant and tree-lined avenues, and buildings reminiscent of the French capital and European cities. But of course there is more: popular or trendy neighborhoods and their vibrant cultural life, festivals of worship, tango and food. Buenos Aires is worth a long time to get to know it, discover it and experience it to the full.
La Plata
The capital of the province of Buenos Aires is La Plata, located 60 kilometers south of the capital of Argentina. This is a truly original city and a destination to visit on the coast. The advantage is its center, it has a map that will surprise you. It was designed in a rationalist style by the great urban planner Dardo Rocha in the mid-nineteenth century: seen from above it is like seeing a perfect design, consisting of a network of streets, interspersed with orderly squares and parks.
The urban structure is composed of two main vertical streets, which intersect in Piazza Moreno: it is the geometric center of La Plata, from which the diagonal avenue branches off and branches off from the entire city. Each intersection of the most important vertical streets consists of a garden or a small park. It is no coincidence that its nickname is “la ciudad de las diagonales”. Even for those who are here from the future it is easy to walk and find their own way.
Patagonia
Patagonia, a mythical land that fascinates travelers, covers the south of South America, and you can also come here for a cruise on the coast. The Andes divide it into two parts, the most luxuriant Chilean and the arid Argentina. Coming down from Buenos Aires, the green landscape of the Pampa gives way to an endless expanse of steppes and plateaus, a landscape that is both confusing and exciting.
Patagonia is littered with South America’s unique natural wonders. The main attraction of the east coast is the peninsula of Valdes, a privileged place for whale watching.
Ushuaia
Welcome to the “end of the world”. Ushuaia, located on the southern coast of the Greater Tierra del Fuego, three thousand kilometers from Buenos Aires, is the southernmost city in the world that can also be reached by Costa cruises. The spectacular scenery that welcomes visitors lives up to its name: the city sits on the Beagle Channel, enclosed behind the War Mountains.
The first modern settlement was built in the second half of the 19th century by English missionaries who settled in this area which had been populated for millennia by the indigenous people of Yamana. Ushuaia then became the seat of a penal colony, closed in 1947 and then rebuilt by Italian immigrants who left their mark on the local culture: in the restaurant, alongside typical specialties such as centolla, there are also typical Marshes products. Piedmontese cauda and bonet.
El Calafate
For those who decide to discover Patagonia, El Calafate is a must. Not so much a city that still offers travelers all the amenities and services they might need, but because it is the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park, home to one of Argentina and South America’s most incredible natural attractions: the Perito Moreno Glacier.
It is about 80 km from El Calafate and can be easily reached by one of the many buses or by renting a car, an option that allows you to go and see it at less crowded times. Once you reach the viewpoint, you will not believe your eyes: a gigantic glacier cuts the waters of Lake Argentino with a wall 5 km long and up to 70 meters high.
