Argentina is a beautiful and diverse country that is a perfect destination for almost any type of traveller – foodies, history buffs, adventure seekers, and so many more. We visited Argentina for two weeks and absolutely LOVED this trip. Here are three places you need to check out!

What To Know Before Visiting

Getting Around

Especially if you’re in the same boat as us and on a time crunch, flying around is going to be the best way to see the country! We felt completely safe in Argentina, especially in Ushuaia and El Chalten as they are small towns really fuelled by tourists. But in the big cities, we still felt safe.

Best Time To Visit

In the Southern Hemisphere, Buenos Aires experiences summer during the months of December to February timeframe. However, Buenos Aires in December can get quite busy but it’s still a beautiful time to visit – especially if you love the warmth.

Shoulder seasons are always a safe bet and the months of March/April – June (fall) and September – December (spring) are safe bets to visit as well. However, you should note that whilst mid-summer it may be hot in Buenos Aires, it could be quite cool in the mountains of Patagonia and down at the end of Argentina in Ushuaia – make sure to pack accordingly!

Money

Money is a huge topic for visiting Argentina. The currency is the Argentine Peso, but when you look into this topic you’ll find discussions on the blue dollar. The inflation in Argentina is one of the reasons why it’s actually pretty affordable to visit Argentina right now – especially on the US dollar.

When you visit Argentina with the US dollar and can find somewhere offering the blue dollar exchange (which is basically the black market exchange rate), you will be able to get double what the official exchange rate it. When we visited, there were restaurants, cash exchange locations, and a few random spots offering this exchange rate to get their hands on the US dollar. Whilst there are some official places to do this (Western Union being one), the unofficial ones are best found through tour guides / airbnb hosts / locals who know the area. Big notes get better deals, so bringing 100$ bills versus 10$ bills could make you some money. Note that you need to check the current policy on entering Argentina and how much cash you can bring as large amounts of cash (i.e. over 10,000$) you will have to declare. 

When you are pulling cash from ATMs, official banks, or the airport stands, you will receive the official rate so make sure to do your research on the blue dollar before visiting to ensure you get your bang for your buck. In addition to this, make sure to bring sufficient cash – you won’t be able to pull out your home nation cash here as foreign currency is hard to access. In fact, we had no luck at all in Buenos Aires when we tried to pull out cash so we ended up using our credit cards. Come prepared with sufficient cash!

Language

The top three languages in Argentina are Spanish, English, and Portuguese. However, we visited during COVID and besides the touristy areas of Buenos Aires and restaurants, we had trouble in some areas to find people who spoke English. Brush up on some Spanish, but for the most part, English will get you by!

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#1 – El Chalten (See Patagonia!)

One of my favourite places in the world! Immediately when driving in the town you will know this place is special. This is an adventure / outdoorsy town forsure. Hiking, water sports, horseback riding, climbing, mountaineering, camping, backpacking, overnight trips… the list goes on. The way of life in this town is so relaxed, the food does not disappoint (even the night life is great), and the mountains are just begging you to come explore.

How To Get Here

You’ll need to fly into El Calafate (unless driving / bus is your sort of thing – be ready for some LONG road trips depending on where you’re coming from!), then either rent a car or take a bus to El Chalten. This drive alone is about 3 – 3.5 hours.

We were arriving late and the bus schedule to El Chalten was cutting it close so we knew in order to make sure we had transport we had to rent a car. You will also want to rent your car as far in advance as possible. The El Calafate airport is a pretty small airport so options can run out quickly, especially in high seasons. If you’re one to stop and take in the views you will want to rent your own car because WOW. After driving through what seems like the middle of nowhere with lamas, country homes, and desert-like scenery, once you start getting closer to El Chalten the views of the mountains are going to shock you. We were arriving at the town by car right around sunset and it added to the ambiance of the iconic Patagonia mountain views!

However, once you’re in El Chalten you do not need any type of vehicle – we didn’t use it the entire time. All the hikes are within walking distance from the town (literally only adds maybe 10 extra minutes onto your hike) which is what makes this town that much greater.

If you don’t want to rent a car, but want to ensure you have transport reserved, consider a private transfer. However, if you know you’ll be there in time, a bus transfer will be cheaper and do the trick!

This link also has some cheaper transfer options: Transfer El Calafate – El Chalten

What To Do

Hiking

All things outdoors are what you should do here! We spent three days here, and spent each day doing a new hike. The hikes worth doing are all almost 20km each – so get your hiking boots ready. We did them as day trips as we didn’t have the time to plan the back packing trip, but it worked out great. If you want to see the hikes we did, you can find them on our website here. There are tours available for these hikes, but unless your looking for some really specific insider information these hikes are super easy to navigate via the trail (its very trafficked and well marked) and if you’re using an application like All Trails it’ll be even easier to follow.

Tip: This spot is weather dependent. We lucked out with weather and were able to see the iconic views of all three hikes each day – which is great as I didn’t even consider the weather (rookie mistake). If you are making the trip down here you really should factor in a day or two just incase the weather isn’t great to ensure you get your views in!

Water Sports

If you’re into water sports or just trying something new, consider taking a rafting experience! Most people experience Patagonia from the mountain tops, but how many experience it from the water!? The adrenaline tied with the insane views of Patagonia that you’ll still be able to see the entire way will 100% be an experience to remember.

Click here to see available rafting tours in El Chalten

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding isn’t something I am super in to, but if you are where is a better place to do it than out in the countryside of Argentina surrounded by these iconic views! Ranch life seemed to be prominent in Argentina, and what an awesome way to spend your day – galloping around the countryside. Immerse yourself in the culture and enjoy the views from a different perspective.

See this tour for a horseback riding experience near El Chalten: Horseback Riding en Estancia Bonanza

Hit The Town

This mountain town actually has the best vibe to it. Theres breweries, great restaurants, pubs, and so much more. We went to a few places in town but make sure you really walk around the town on your first day to see all the options – we didn’t do a full walk around (because after walking 20km each day, how much more do you really want to walk), and didn’t see some of the coolest spots until the last day!

Back At El Calafate

Even though it’s not included on this list, we really liked El Calafate as well. This town has a ton of great restaurants, and is a great base for seeing the glaciers. This was another great reason to have our own vehicle so that we could visit the glacier on our own time and speed. The Perito Moreno Glacier is SUCH a cool experience and I highly recommend it. We decided to just spend some time walking around the glacier and lake area (STUNNING!) and watching to see the glaciers fall off, but if you have the time and resources consider kicking it up a notch. We heard raving reviews from those who decided to do the walking tour on the actual glacier. See some tours below for transfer options from El Calafate, mini and big treks on the glacier, and boat cruise options.

There is a restaurant, cafe, and washrooms on site – including a cute boutique to stock up on gifts for those back home!

Tip: if you’re driving, make sure to fuel up before heading to the glaciers! There are no gas stations (that we were able to find) between the town and the glaciers.

#2 – Buenos Aires

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I am not a city person. However, certain parts of Buenos Aires really stood out – the culture, the food, and the architecture! If you’re visiting Argentina the city capital should definitely be a stop on your list.

How To Get Here

If you’re flying from any other country its very likely the cheapest flights will end up in Buenos Aires. The drive from Buenos Aires Airport to downtown is about 40 minutes. Taxis are easily available outside the airport, public transportation is available, or you can reserve a private transfer:

What To Do

The Argentine Experience

Our FAVOURITE tour! This evening was all about local culture, meeting new people, and a good time (including food and drinks). Learn how to make cocktails, cook some traditional dishes, and play some fun games whilst doing it.

Visit The BJ Stadium

If Argentina’s are big for one thing it’s football (or soccer if you’re from North America). If you’re on the same page, consider visiting when the local team is playing for an extreme cultural experience! However, getting tickets to one of these games can be a struggle. You have to know someone selling a pass OR go through a broker. This coordination can will require advance planning. This is something you should really try to do whilst you’re in the city, especially if you’re into soccer / football as it’s such a culture here! If you don’t feel like planning and coordinating yourself, heres a tour that will do it for you:

Boca Town

This colourful little town is THE place to visit in Buenos Aires and was such a fun outing. The town is thriving with culture, restaurants, live music, salsa dancing, and gift shops. We spent the afternoon walking around here and it is 100% worth a visit in our books.

Visit The Restaurants

Argentina is home of one of our favourite, but yes admittedly very touristy, restaurants – Don Julio. Known for their steaks, this place cuts the meat right in front of you and has the best selection of cuts, sides, and desserts. If you don’t have a reservation at this place try to show up 30 minutes early OR closer to the end of the evening to get a table – its a busy spot.

Although this was our favourite restaurant, we ate at so many good restaurants in the area – there are endless cafes and spots to dine at and the food is honestly rave-worthy. You should consider taking a food tour to really get a feel for the local food culture!

#3 – Ushuaia

I won’t lie, I came here specifically for one thing: the penguins. However, there is quite a bit to do here and the town has it’s own unique vibes! Most people come here as the starting point for cruises to Antartica – it’s the most southern part of the world. Also referred to as the end of the world (yes theres a sign you can take a picture with)!

How To Get Here

Unless you’re deciding to do some crazy long road trips again, you’re going to want to fly into Ushuaia. Once you get here you can easily grab a taxi for the quick 15 minute trip to the downtown area (about 5 kilometres). If you want to plan ahead, consider a shared transport service:

What To Do

Walk With The Penguins!

Honestly, this is one of our top experiences whilst travelling. We got to literally walk on the island with penguins. They know you’re not there to harm them (and there is only one tour that will let you actually walk with them – its linked below but just make sure any booking specifically states that they WALK with the penguins, otherwise it will be a look at the penguins from the boat), and the tour is closely controlled and numbers are minimized so the penguins aren’t afraid to get close to you!

I talk all about my tour experience in this blog post, but if you’re making the trip down here we HIGHLY recommend booking the tour to physically walk with the penguins. The other tours only get to see the penguins from the boat in the water, so you don’t get up close and personal.

Emerald Lagoon Hike

After visiting Patagonia the views werent as impressive, however the forest vibes, alpine streams, and gorgeous lake at the end of this hike were well worth the day out (and you really shouldn’t compare experiences anyways!).

The hike can be found at this link on all trails. Its almost 9 kilometres long but with only 250m elevation it will take between 2-3 hours out and back.

You have a few ways on how you can get here. You can drive yourself, but as its a relatively popular hike you’re going to want to arrive earlier or later in the day as the parking lot isn’t massive. You can also taxi there and back or visit one of the tour operators near the port that offer transfers to and from the hike location so it really minimizes the planning needed. You can book this sort of thing on the day or the day before.

Hit The Town

This place, although relatively small, has some great restaurants! Here are some dinner spots we really enjoyed and would recommend:

Kalma Resto: a fine dining experience which includes locally inspired dishes that taste extremely fresh! The menu has a wine pairing option if you are feeling extra fancy. We really enjoyed the atmosphere here.

El Viejo Marino: this restaurant is POPULAR. Snow crab is the main item on the menu that everyone comes here for, and the line ups are sometimes out the door. Definitely coming early to grab a spot or later in the evening (avoid prime dinner hours) as there are no reservations at this place. This place is an experience we highly recommend!

Dublin: this local spot has lots of brews and pub food to choose from! The vibes here were awesome and it was a very busy spot. They have indoor and outdoor seating and a cozy environment. A great place to head to after a day braving the cold weather of Ushuaia!

Take The Train To The End Of The World

This town has its own funk to it and likes to show it off! They have a train that will take you to the “end of the world” and back. You’ll be taken through some impressive landscape in the Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

We Hope You Love Argentina!

We really enjoyed our two weeks in Argentina and hope you will too. Be sure to check out all our blog posts under Argentina to ensure you have all the information you could need for your trip. Thanks for reading!