Argentina

Discover Argentina with our comprehensive travel guide! Learn about the country's diverse weather patterns and find out the best times to plan your visit. Get tips on transportation options for navigating this vast South American nation. Explore top cities and must-see destinations, from vibrant Buenos Aires to the breathtaking Iguazu Falls. Sample mouthwatering Argentine cuisine and uncover hidden gems off the typical tourist path.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

Buenos Aires & Central Region: March to May and September to November offer mild temperatures and fewer tourists. Autumn (March-May) brings beautiful foliage, while spring (September-November) features blooming jacaranda trees.

Patagonia: December to February (summer) provides the warmest weather for exploring Tierra del Fuego, El Calafate, and hiking in national parks. Winds are still strong but less severe than in other seasons.

Mendoza & Wine Country: March to May coincides with harvest season, offering pleasant temperatures and wine festivals.

Northwest (Salta, Jujuy): April to October brings dry, sunny days ideal for exploring the colorful mountains and high-altitude landscapes.

Iguazú Falls: March to May and August to October offer comfortable temperatures with less rainfall, providing better viewing conditions for the falls.

How to Get to Argentina

Argentina has multiple airports connecting travelers to destinations throughout the country. The primary international gateway is Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Ezeiza) in Buenos Aires, which handles most overseas flights. Jorge Newbery Airport, also in Buenos Aires, serves primarily domestic routes to destinations across Argentina.

Puerto Iguazú Airport provides access to the famous Iguazú Falls. 

Travelers heading to the Andes region typically fly into Bariloche, while those interested in wine country use Mendoza's airport. 

Córdoba's airport serves the central region and is useful for visitors interested in historical sites.

Ushuaia airport, located in the world's southernmost city, serves as a base for both Antarctica expeditions and Patagonia exploration.

Salta's airport in the northwest provides access to canyon landscapes and colonial architecture. Mar del Plata airport serves the Atlantic coastal region. Each airport connects to distinct parts of Argentina, from the urban environment of Buenos Aires to the natural attractions near Puerto Iguazú.

How to Get Around

When people move across Argentina, they find themselves choosing from a patchwork of transportation options that tell stories about the country itself. Long-distance buses carry most travelers between cities. At night, passengers drift to sleep in cama seats that lie flat like beds, waking up in a new province as morning breaks.

Planes connect far points on the map. A flight saves a day or more when heading to the southern tip at Ushuaia or the thundering waters at Iguazú Falls. They cost more than buses but turn a 50-hour journey into a few hours in the air.

The country's trains, once forgotten, now roll again along certain routes. They move at their own pace, especially through the countryside around Buenos Aires, where passengers watch the landscape change through wide windows.

In Patagonia, buses meet boats to carry travelers across pristine lakes between Argentina and Chile. The water reflects mountains as travelers cross, creating memories that stay long after the journey ends.

City travel tells its own tale. Buenos Aires residents descend into the Subte, their subway system, while buses painted in bold colors connect neighborhoods in cities throughout the country. Taxis wait at corners, and ride-sharing apps bring cars within minutes in urban areas.

Rental cars give freedom in the wine country around Mendoza, where roads wind between vineyards and mountain views appear around curves. For those who prefer not to drive, remises—hired cars with local drivers—know shortcuts and stories about the places they pass.

The humble colectivo, Argentina's public bus, might be the most authentic way to move through cities. They run everywhere, cost little, and show daily life as it unfolds.

For Patagonia journeys, Chalten Travel and Marga help travelers reach trailheads and viewpoints reliably, which matters when mountains are waiting.

Local Food Scene

Must-Try Local Dishes:

• -Asado (grilled meats): Watch as beef cuts sizzle over open flames at Don Julio in Buenos Aires, where waiters carve the meat tableside and the smell of woodsmoke fills the air.
• -Empanadas: Bite into these hand-folded pastry pockets in Salta, where they're crimped with different patterns to identify fillings, or Mendoza, where they're often baked in clay ovens.
• -Milanesa: Join locals at corner bodegones for these crispy, pounded cutlets that children and grandparents alike order with a squeeze of lemon.

Markets & Street Food:

• -Mercado de San Telmo (Buenos Aires): Wander between stalls where vendors offer cheese samples on toothpicks and thin slices of cured meats.
• -Feria de Mataderos (Buenos Aires): Follow your nose to the grills where choripán makers sandwich juicy sausages in crusty bread, then pass you a jar of chimichurri to add yourself.

Regional Specialties:

• -Northwest: Warm up with locro, a corn and bean stew that steams on cold days, or unwrap corn-husk-wrapped humitas filled with sweet corn paste.
• -Patagonia: See whole lambs stretched across metal crosses, cooking slowly over coals for hours until the meat falls from the bone.
• -Mendoza: Let restaurant staff suggest which glass of Malbec brings out the flavor in each dish, explaining how the wine's character changes with food.

High-End Dining:

• -Buenos Aires: Sit through Tegui's parade of small plates that tell Argentina's food story, or watch the sun set over the river during dinner at Chila.
• -Mendoza: See flames leap in the open kitchen at 1884, where Francis Mallmann cooks with seven different fire techniques passed down through generations.

Notable Restaurants:

• -El Baqueano (Buenos Aires): Discover ingredients from the Andes and Pampas that people have harvested for centuries.
• -Aramburu (Buenos Aires): Watch chefs use tweezers and liquid nitrogen to transform familiar flavors into new forms.
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Hidden Gems to Visit

1. Cuesta del Obispo

The road curves twenty times as it climbs 1,800 meters into the mountains. Green valleys spread out below while red-rock cliffs tower above. Cars look like toys from the viewpoints along Route 33. In April and May, the crowds thin out and the weather stays clear for those mountain views. 

The 86 km journey from Salta works best in a 4x4 vehicle; the rough patches and tight turns reward drivers with solitude and silence at the top. Those without driving experience can join the daily departures from Salta, where local guides point out condors circling overhead and tell stories about the bishop who first crossed this pass centuries ago.

2. Copo

Footprints tell stories in Copo, giant armadillo tracks cross the dusty trails, while somewhere in the dry forest, pumas hunt at dusk. Visitors who make the 250 km journey northeast from Santiago del Estero often find themselves alone on the hiking paths. The trees grow twisted and determined in this harsh landscape. 

Between May and September, temperatures become manageable for exploration. Remember to secure permits beforehand through the park office. The isolation that makes Copo special also means planning ahead pays off.

3. Valle de las Señoritas.

Morning sunlight turns the clay formations gold. Water and wind shaped these yellow hills over thousands of years, carving shapes that change with every hour's new shadows. The 25 km distance from Humahuaca keeps this valley quieter than its famous namesake. 

The dirt roads don't appear on most maps, so local guides earn their keep by navigating to viewpoints where visitors can watch the colors shift from yellow to orange as the sun moves across the sky. The dry period from March through November offers the clearest access before summer rains turn the roads slippery.

Scenic Routes

Argentina's land tells stories through its mountains, plains, and waterways. Five particular routes let travelers see these tales unfold, each offering a different chapter of the country's natural narrative.

• Route 40 (Bus): The road cuts through Patagonia like a ribbon, revealing glaciers that have shaped valleys for millennia and lakes that shine like polished sapphires. Summer travelers (December-February) avoid snow-blocked passes and catch the clearest views. The upper-deck seats turn the journey into a moving observation platform.

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• Train to the Clouds (Train): This train climbs where eagles soar, reaching 13,800 feet as it conquers the Andes. The tracks cling to canyon walls while desert landscapes spread below. The dry season (April-November) pulls back the curtain of clouds. Each clickety-clack of the wheels echoes the heartbeat of these ancient mountains. Get the train in Salta.

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• Quebrada de Humahuaca (Bus): Rocks here don't just exist, they tell 400 million years of Earth's history through their stripes of red, purple, and green. Winter months (June-August) make these colors pop against clear blue skies. Villages that predate Columbus nestle between formations, and buses with front seats offer the best views of this living geology book. 

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• Old Patagonian Express (Train): Locals call it "La Trochita," the little narrow gauge. Its wooden carriages have carried shepherds and adventurers through Patagonia's wilderness for generations. Autumn rides (March-May) show golden grasses swaying against distant snow-capped peaks. The train chugs along at a pace that lets you absorb every detail.

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• Iguazú Falls Route (Bus) The journey begins in dense Atlantic rainforest where toucans call from the canopy. It ends where water thunders over cliffs in quantities that defy imagination. During the rainy season (December-February), the falls swell to their most powerful state. Large windows frame the transition from jungle path to misty waterfall wonderland.

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Events, Festivals and Local Markets

Join thousands at the Fiesta Nacional del Sol in San Juan, where summer nights come alive with street parades, local musicians on outdoor stages, and the crowning moment when a new festival queen takes her throne.

In Villa General Belgrano, the Fiesta Nacional de la Cerveza transforms this small town into a slice of Bavaria. Families in lederhosen and dirndls serve cold, locally-made beers while accordion music fills the air.

Step into centuries-old traditions at the Fiesta Nacional de la Pachamama in Purmamarca. Here, families dig small holes in the earth, place offerings of coca leaves and corn, and thank Mother Earth for her gifts as they have done for generations.

Let the accordion and guitar sounds pull you to the dance floor at the Fiesta Nacional del Chamamé in Corrientes. Couples of all ages, from grandparents to children, twirl to this northeastern Argentine folk music that tells stories of river life and rural traditions.

Best Places to Visit

1. Buenos Aires

The capital of Argentina stands where European architecture meets Latin American soul. Street corners in Buenos Aires tell stories through tango dancers who sweep across plaza floors at sunset. Neighborhoods change character every few blocks, from the cobblestone streets of San Telmo where antique sellers arrange their wares each Sunday, to Puerto Madero, where old docklands have transformed into waterfront restaurants where locals linger over steaks and Malbec until midnight.

Best time to visit is during spring (September-November) or fall (March-May) when the jacaranda trees bloom purple or the leaves turn golden, and the weather stays pleasant enough for outdoor café sitting without summer's humidity.

Every Sunday, the San Telmo Market spreads through the streets with hundreds of vendors selling everything from mate gourds to vintage cameras. Thursday through Sunday nights, professional dancers perform tango shows that demonstrate why this dance became Argentina's heartbeat. After the shows, locals and visitors alike head to neighborhood milongas (tango dance halls) where everyone from 18 to 80 joins the dance floor.

How to get to Buenos Aires

• -International flights to Ezeiza International Airport from major global cities
• -Domestic flights to Jorge Newbery Airport from other Argentine cities
• -Ferry service from Uruguay (Montevideo or Colonia)

2. El Calafate

This Patagonian town opens the door to a world where ice still shapes the land. El Calafate sits near the edge of Los Glaciares National Park, where the Perito Moreno Glacier cracks and groans as building-sized ice chunks crash into the lake below. The town itself has grown from a small outpost into a place where travelers gather in wood-paneled restaurants to share stories of their day's glacier adventures.

Between November and March, the southern summer brings longer days and temperatures that make standing before the ice walls comfortable. December and January bring more visitors, but also the best chance for clear skies.

Boats cruise the glacier's face daily, bringing passengers close enough to feel the cool air flowing off the ice. Outside town, traditional estancias (ranches) welcome visitors for lamb roasted over open fires while gauchos demonstrate how they've worked this challenging land for generations.

How to get to El Calafate

• -Direct flights from Buenos Aires to El Calafate International Airport
• -Bus connections from other Patagonian cities like El Chaltén and Bariloche
• -Organized tours from Puerto Natales, Chile (across the border)

3. El Chalten

At the foot of tooth-like mountain peaks stands Argentina's youngest town. El Chaltén grew from nothing in the 1980s into a place where hiking paths begin right at the edge of town. Mount Fitz Roy rises above like a natural cathedral, drawing people who want to walk beneath its jagged profile and watch how the rock turns orange-red at sunrise.

Summer months (December-March) bring the warmest days when snow melts from most trails and wildflowers dot the alpine meadows. These months offer the best chances to see the peaks when they emerge from their usual cloud cover.

Trails lead from town to crystal blue lagoons that reflect the mountains above. After day hikes, travelers gather in small breweries where local beers are poured alongside tales of that day's adventures. The lack of city lights means stars fill the night sky in displays rarely seen elsewhere.

How to get to El Chalten

• -Bus service from El Calafate (3 hours)
• -Private transfers from El Calafate Airport
• -Self-drive rental cars from El Calafate
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Tips for Traveling in Argentina

VISA & ENTRY

• US/EU/UK citizens: Tourist visa-free for 90 days
• Reciprocity fee eliminated for most nationalities
• Valid passport with 6+ months validity required

CULTURAL ETIQUETTE

• Greet with a kiss on the cheek (both genders)
• Dinner starts late (9-10 pm)
• Tipping 10% is standard in restaurants
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MONEY MATTERS

• Argentine Peso (ARS) - bring USD for best exchange rates
• Cards are widely accepted in cities
• Inform the bank of your travel to prevent card blocks
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• HEALTH & SAFETY

• Emergency: 911
• Travel insurance with evacuation coverage recommended
• Yellow fever vaccine for northern regions
• Tap water is generally safe in cities

TRANSPORTATION

• SUBE card for public transit in cities
• Remis (registered taxis) are safer than street hails
• Long-distance buses are excellent for intercity travel
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