The first planned city in South America, La Plata is both the capital of the province of Buenos Aires and one of the republic’s biggest university towns. Near the center there are many large attractive government buildings, but it is the massive neo-Gothic cathedral that steals the skyline.

Hotels in La Plata

While the cities proximity to Buenos Aires means you don’t have to stay overnight, the town can still be a good escape from BA, especially during the spring when classes are still in session and the streets are lively. To check availability and prices of hotels in La Plata on Booking.com, Click here.

To comprare prices and read reviews of hotels in La Plata on Expedia, click here: Hotels in La Plata

Hostels in La Plata

There are a few hostels in town. To check availability of hostels in La Plata click here: Hostels in La Plata

By Bus

The bus terminal in La Plata (tel. (0221) 4273186 I 4273198) is located on Calle 41 between 3 and 4. Buses to Buenos Aires run all night

By Train

Trains leave from the Constitucion station in Buenos Aires to La Plata every 20 minutes or so. During rush hour periods the trains can be packed full and some say the trains are dangerous at night. But we have never had a problems on them. Trains run until just after midnight and start back again around 4 in the morning. The trip to/from BA takes a little over an hour.

The official internet site of La Plata

The large Bosque de La Plata park is a great place to walk or just sit under a shady tree and relax. There is also an excellent natural history musuem (Museo de La Plata) within its boundaries. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 in the morning untill 6 at night. Entrance cost 6 pesos, free on Tuesdays.

Sports in La Plata

La Plata has two major football clubs, Estudiantes and Gimnasia, although this second one was relegated to the second division in mid 2011. Estudiantes play at the new football stadium, Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, which can easily be spotted from the spires of the catederal. Check their schedule here

Gimnasia, now relegated, have returned to there small but centrally located stadium. See a schedule of their games here.

A pampa town famous for being the birthplace of Ricardo Güiraldes, the author of the novel about the life the gaucho Don Segundo Sombra. The town has a rich history and has been declared a city of historic interest by the republic.

The residents of the town seem to be proud of their history, and the whole pueblo seems to be better maintained and cleaner than similar towns in the pampa. San Antonio de Areco’s proximity to Buenos Aires makes it a great destination for a day trip from the capital, but will be better enjoyed if you go for a full weekend.

Hotels in San Antonio de Areco

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Hostels in San Antonio de Areco

To check availability of hostels in San Antonio de Areco click here: Hostels in San Antonio de Areco

Camping

There are a couple of campgrounds along the banks of the river. The most popular one would be Club River Plate, which is themed towards the football team with the same name. Its on the costanera. Fees for the 2011/2012 season are 40 pesos per tent , with up to 4 people per tent.

By Bus

The bus terminal is located on Av. Dr. Smith. Several buses daily to Buenos Aires (2 hours). Check into minibus service, especially if you are going to or from somewhere outside of the capital federal.

If you are going away from BA, check into long distance services to Córdoba and Rosario.

A tourist office is located on the corner of Arellano and Zebroni (M-F 8am to 7pm, weekends and holidays until 8). The official internet site of San Antonio de Areco has some information on events.

Just strolling through the streets and the the pueblo is pleasing enough. A good place to picnic is in the Parque Criollo along side the river -ask at the tourist office about free bike rentals and pedal on the road the follows the river upstream. Canoes and canoe trips are also available.

If art is more of your thing, the museum Molina Campos de Areco on the corner of Moreno and Alem is dedicated to the life of the artist Florencio Molina Campos. Its open Fridays to Sundays 10 am to 8 pm in summer and until 6pm in the winter,

Every year for a week in November (the 5th to the 13th in 2011) the Fiesta de la Tradición is held to celebrate the culture of gauchos.

In February of each year the birth of Güiraldes is celebrated and then in October they celebrate his death.

Unfortunately flooding in 2009 damaged the gaucho museum Museo Ricardo Güiraldes. They are currently restoring it, but no date has been set for its re-opening.

The nearest mountains to Buenos Aires can be found just outside of Tandil. They are really not much more than just hills, but they offer a break from the monotonous llanura of the plains of the pampa. Tandil is also famous for producing tennis players and dairy products.

Climate in Tandil

Tandil tends to be a bit cooler than in Buenos Aires. In the winter months of June-August temperatures can drop to below freezing at night.

Hotels in Tandil

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By Bus

The bus terminal in Tandil (tel. (02293) 432092) is located on Av. Buzón 400. Several buses daily to Buenos Aires and Cordoba. One bus daily to Mendoza and San Juan.

By Auto

It should be noted that route 74, that runs East-West from route 2, is not in good shape and should be avoided. Best to take route 3 from Buenos Aires to Las Flores and then route 30 south through Rauch to Tandil.

By Train

Ferrobaires runs once a week to Tandil. The train leaves Constitución Friday at 19:45 and arrives at Tandil Saturday at 3:10 in the morning. It returns to BA on Monday at the ungodly hour of 2:40 in the morning. On Fridays just before midnight a train leaves for Bahia Blanca,

By Air

The Tandil airport (TDL), otherwise known as Heroes de Malvinas, is located 18 kms NW from the center. There are currently no commercial flights to Tandil. Sol Líneas Aéreas served the airport for about a year in 2008, but lack of demand for tickets caused them to discontinue flights.

Car rental in Tandil

Alborada Rent a Car
Pinto 1698
T: (02293) 44-1950/43-1833

La Palmira Rentacar
Chacabuco 227
T: (02293) 42-5552

KGB
Avenida Avellaneda 1430
Tel. (02293) 420556

Local buses in Tandil

The public transport system in Tandil is very good. You can see a map of the routes here: Buses in Tandil

Bank Machines in Tandil

• Standard Bank – Pinto 745
• BBV Francés – Pinto 775
• Galicia – Rodríguez 698

There is a tourist office at Avenue Cte. Espora 1120. The official internet site of the town can be found here:Tandil

Cerro El centinela: A ski lift brings you to the top of a mountain where a café is found. At the base there is a restaurant. Other activities include horseback riding and paintball.

La Sierra del Tigre has some good lookouts where you can view wildlife such guanacos and wild boars. There is a road to the top of the peak El Venado, or one can walk if they choose.

If you don’t have your own transport and your budget does not allow for taxi rides, a closer overlook of the city can be found at Parque Independencia, only 10 blocks from the city. The park is open day and night.

The Tandil film Festival is held in June. A week of Argentine films and talks by filmakers.

Santa Rosa sits in the middle of the Pampa Humeda, the hyper-fertile heartland of Argentina. It serves not only as an agricultural center, but also a transportation hub and a university town. While not being a particularly exciting place, it does have its charms. It reminds us of how a city in Nebraska or Iowa would have been 40 years ago.

Unless you are in the market for cattle (and there is a lot of that there), chances are you will pass through Santa Rosa on the way to somewhere else. If you are on your way to the Lakes Region and want to break the trip up, this makes a good place to do it.

To check prices and read reviews of hotels in Santa Rosa on Expedia, click here: Hotels in Santa Rosa

By Air

The Santa Rosa airport (RSA) is located only 2 kms from the center. There are flights from Buenos Aires and for some strange reason, Viedma. For more information on Santa Rosa airport click here.

By Bus

The bus terminal in Santa Rosa (tel. (02954) 422952/249) is located on Av. Luro 365 and Corrientes. There is an information booth there that is said to be open 24 hours, although we have yet to confirm that. Free bathrooms.

Santa Rosa is a transportation hub and you can get a bus to just about anywhere in the country from there. Buenos Aires is eight hours away, Bahia Blanca 5, and Bariloche and Mendoza are both 12 hour journeys. The following companies offer bus service to Santa Rosa:

Albus
Andesmar
Dumas Cat
El Rápido Argentino
El Valle
Expreso Alberino
Nueva Chevallier
Pullman General Belgrano
Vía Tac

By Car

If you plan on driving your own vehicle towards the lakes region, note that there is a long deserted stretch of road between Santa Rosa and the city of Neuquen known as the Ruta Del Desierto. There are no services of any type for 200 kilometers along this highway, so plan accordingly. Many drivers have fallen asleep on this section of road, and some have paid with their lives.

If you plan on breaking the trip up and spending a night somewhere along the route, do so in Santa Rosa or in General Acha, an hour or so further on.

The official internet site of Santa Rosa

There are cinemas and nightclubs like any city of its size would have, but the star attraction of this city is it’s meat. All that green grass in the area means the cows are eating well and that makes for excellent beef. Check the town’s official website for a list of parrillas.

If you are headed towards the lakes region, you might as well stop off at Sierras and Lihué Calel National Park. If you are coming from Buenos Aires these are the first hills you will see. A good place for a picnic.

Santa Rosa is situated on a lake, Laguna Don Tomás. A good place to fish for Pejerrey, windsurf, play volleyball or just take a walk.

Smack in the middle of the province of Buenos Aires, Azul is more of a half way (300kms) point between the capital and Bahia Blanca. But it does make a good place to break up a long road trip. Nearby there is a decent park . The city center also has a decent peatonal, Paseo Bolívar.

in 2007 Azul was declared Argentina’s “City of Cervantes” by UNESCO, only the second city in Latin America to acheive the honor. Since then they have held a Cervantino Festival every year in November and while it is not as popular as the one in Guanajuato, Mexico, it certainly is worth seeing if you are near the city during that time.

You can find an official list of hotels here (in Spanish)

By Bus

The bus terminal in Azul (tel. (02281) 424532) is located at Av. Mitre 1003. The following companies offer bus service to Azul:

Andesmar
El Cóndor
El Pinguino
Expreso Río Paraná
Ko-Ko
Plaza
Plusmar
Pullman General Belgrano

By Train

Azul in connected to Buenos Aires and Bahía Blanca via train.

Train Schedule

towards Bahia Blanca

Frequency: Tuesday to Saturday 01:21 Hs.

towards Constitución

Frequency: Wednesday to Saturday and Monday 04:12 Hs.

Distance from Bs.As.: 289 Km.

The official internet site of Azul