20 Best Things to Do in Argentina: The Complete 2026 Guide

The best things to do in Argentina are spread over a country nearly eight times the size of the UK. Because of this, it makes sense to pick wisely rather than try to see everything. The country is essentially a collection of several must-visit areas, like the spectacular Iguazú Falls in the north or the glaciers of Patagonia.

In this guide, we will present a list of the 20 best things to do in Argentina including visiting famous landmarks, trying local wines and cuisine, exploring nature and even some offbeat locations that are mostly ignored by guides.

The magnificent Iguazú Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 with 275 individual cataracts over 2.7km long and up to 82m high, nearly three times wider than Niagara, are the most unmissable thing to do in Argentina. Around 80% of the falls are on the Argentine side where boardwalks and a small train take you to the Garganta del Diablo viewpoint. Fly to Puerto Iguazú from Buenos Aires in around 2 hours.

Buenos Aires is the starting point for most Argentina tours and definitely deserves at least a three-day stay. Request a tailor-made trip to Buenos Aires to experience tango, historic neighborhoods, and Argentina’s famous food culture with the help of local experts. The city, often referred to as "the Paris of the South," is a place that beautifully marries magnificent European style buildings with a very Latin vibe, making it one of the top destinations for cultural experiences in Argentina and reflecting much of what Argentina is known for: tango being danced on street corners, parrillas serving food late into the night, and neighborhoods each having a unique character of a small town.

Tango came to be in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 19th century, and the city is still considered the world capital of tango. If you want a very orchestrated and romantic show accompanied by dinner, then El Querand or Cafe de los Angelitos are your best options. But, if you want a more raw and wild atmosphere, then go to Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo on a Sunday, where dancers perform amidst the stalls of the antique market.

Recoleta Cemetery is a city for the dead, wherein grand mausoleums line named streets, and the whole thing is set in the heart of one of the most upscale areas of Buenos Aires. Eva Perón lies in the family's simple plot. You can easily spot it because there is always a crowd and fresh flowers. It is absolutely free to enter and definitely worth spending an hour there.

Visitors can hardly stop staring at El Ateneo Grand Splendid, one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. The 1919 theatre still has its ceiling fresco, curtains in red color, and private balconies but now are filled with books instead of audiences. The original stage area has been converted into a cafe. It is situated in Recoleta with free admission.

The birthplace of tango, La Boca is the working-class port characterised by the famous brightly painted, corrugated-iron houses of Caminito street. Although it is very touristy, it is also very photogenic. Stop by La Bombonera, the stadium of Boca Juniors football club. Visit it during the day and stick to the main streets. The surrounding area can feel rough.

No Argentinian vacation would be complete without sampling an asado and discovering the rich culture of food in Argentina. Order a bife de chorizo (sirloin) or ojo de bife (ribeye) at a parrilla and accompany it with a glass of Malbec. Don Julio in Palermo is extremely famous and gets fully booked several weeks prior. La Cabrera and El Pobre Luis are two really good alternatives.

Mendoza accounts for about 70% of Argentina's wine production, and the vineyards are located at an elevation of 800 to 1,500m in the Andean foothills, some of the highest commercial grape growing areas in the world. The wine region is split into three parts: Luján de Cuyo (the main producer of Malbec), the high-altitude Uco Valley, and the well-known Maipú. Cycling and wine tasting tours are probably the best way to see multiple wineries in a day, while enjoying the view of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, at 6,961m. One of the best things to do in Mendoza.

A trip to Patagonia would feel incomplete without spending a few days in El Chaltén, one of the top destinations for adventure travel in Argentina and widely considered Argentina’s hiking capital. A really small town with just a few inhabitants, it was mainly created in 1985 as a base for trekking tourists who come to admire Mount Fitz Roy. The main hiking routes like Laguna de los Tres (the famous viewpoint of Fitz Roy), Laguna Torre, and Mirador Cóndores are all free, very well sign-posted and the starting points are located within the village. Also, no permits and guides are necessary, which is hardly ever the case with the main hiking destinations. Give yourself three days minimum to do it properly. 

Perito Moreno is one of only three glaciers in Patagonia that are advancing. While around 90% of the world's glaciers are retreating, this one moves as much as 2 meters per day. It is 30km long, the front is 5km wide, and it rises 74m above Lake Argentino. This glacier is part of the UNESCO Los Glaciares National Park and you can see it from the boardwalks, take a boat to get close, or put on crampons for a guided ice-trek.

Peninsula Valdés, a marine reserve on the coast of Patagonia, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top wildlife destinations in Argentina and South America. Southern right whales come during the period of June-December to give birth in the tranquil bays, and orcas, sea lions, elephant seals, and Magellanic penguin colonies can be seen here as well. Puerto Madryn, the largest town, offers easy access to different sorts of activities like boat excursions, snorkeling with sea lions, and self-driving routes around the peninsula. 

The Seven Lakes Route is one of the most scenic places to visit in Argentina, passing alpine lakes, pine forests, and Andean peaks as you drive from Bariloche to Villa La Angostura. Among the best things to do in Bariloche is skiing at Cerro Catedral from June to September, driving along the scenic Circuito Chico loop and visiting some of the town's famous chocolate shops, a legacy of Bariloche's Swiss and German immigrant roots. 

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on earth and the main point of access to Tierra del Fuego National Park and cruises to Antarctica. During the Beagle Channel boat tours, visitors can experience the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and hear the sea lions roaring in the colonies. Besides the coastal hikes, the national park also features the well-known "End of the World" post office. Be sure to sample centolla Patagonian king crab, perhaps one of the best things to do in Ushuaia. 

Northern Argentina is almost like a different country. Quebrada de Humahuaca, a valley inscribed by UNESCO as a heritage site, extends through Jujuy province and is well known for the multicolored mountain, called the Hill of Seven Colors, which towers over the small town of Purmamarca. Among the best things to do in Salta, is to use it as a base, because its colonial center and the Cerro San Bernardo cable car are worth spending the whole day. Then you can visit the high altitude markets of Humahuaca and Iruya, both located at an elevation of approximately 3,200m above sea level. 

Salinas Grandes is a massive white salt flat spanning 212km and situated at 3,450m altitude. It is accessed from Purmamarca by ascending the spectacular Cuesta de Lipán mountain pass. If you visit during December to March, you will be able to see the renowned mirror effect, when the surface becomes a huge reflection of the sky due to a thin layer of rainwater. Salt, from April to November, is very bright white and hard when you step on it. Sunglasses are always necessary, no matter the time of year. 

Cafayate is known as Argentina's "other" wine region and is considered the spiritual home of Torrontés, the country's most fragrant white grape variety. The vineyards are at an altitude of more than 1700m, making this area the highest commercial wine production on earth. After sampling the wines, you can enjoy a drive through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a stunning gorge with red rocks situated between Salta and Cafayate. It is a straightforward trip via a rental car or a guided day tour from Salta. 

One of the most authentic experiences in Argentina, especially for family travel in Argentina, is to stay at a ranch or estancia. These traditional ranches include working cattle farms in the Pampa near Buenos Aires, with San Antonio de Areco being the classic base, to luxurious farms in Patagonia. You can take horseback riding tours on the wide grassland, have an asado (barbecue) lunch cooked over wood fire, mate (a local drink) shared in the afternoon, and the opportunity to try some of the basic skills of a gaucho (Argentine cowboy). 

The Iberá Wetlands span 13,000km² in northeast Argentina and they are the second largest wetland system in South America after the Pantanal. Having undergone significant rewilding by the Tompkins Conservation, the reserve is now a haven for wildlife: you can find capybaras resting on every riverbank, caimans swimming through the water channels, and about 360 species of birds flying in the sky. Marsh deer are frequently seen and released jaguars have found their home in the area. The best way of exploring is by canoe at dawn. 

Argentine people love football so much that sometimes it becomes a part of their identity. Watching a game from the stadium La Bombonera where Boca Juniors plays, is one of the loudest experiences worldwide. The Superclásico against River Plate is one of the greatest sporting world rivalries. Argentina grabbed the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy and Messi can be forever considered as a living legend being next to Maradona. Tickets are very limited so you can only get them through a licensed tour operator by advance booking.

Córdoba is Argentina's second biggest city and also its main intellectual hub. Visiting the Jesuit Block, which is recognized by UNESCO, is one of the best things to do in Córdoba. It is situated in the center and anchored by the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. It was established in 1613 and is the oldest university in Argentina. More peaceful and mellow than Buenos Aires, the city is an excellent complement for a day excursion to the Sierras de Córdoba where the picturesque Camino de los Artesanos passes through villages that sell handcrafted ceramic, leather and silverwork. 

Cueva de las Manos in Santa Cruz province, very close to Ruta 40, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1999). The cave contains over 800 hand stencils produced between 7300 BC and 700 AD, and represent some of the earliest cave art known to man in the Americas. Apart from the hand prints, there are various scenes of hunting and animals, painted in mineral pigments on the walls. Also, the remoteness of the place and the spectacular Pinturas River canyon make the journey there quite a memorable experience. 

One of the most unique things to do in Patagonia, is visit its Welsh communities. Very few travellers know that Welsh settlers first reached Patagonia in 1865 as a way of running away from the cultural suppression they suffered at home. There are still small communities in the Chubut province where the Welsh language is spoken. To this day, the legacy is most easily seen through the traditional Welsh tea houses, "casas de té", dotted around Gaiman and Trevelin. Expect the aroma of bara brith, scones, and pots of tea. If you are lucky, time your visit to October and Trevelin tulip fields become a brilliant display of colour, quite a surprising sight in southern Argentina. 

Tren a las Nubes is a very high railway line, rising to an altitude of 4,220m above sea level, one of the highest in the world. The complete day trip starts from Salta and the route is through the Quebrada del Toro, passing over the stunning La Polvorilla Viaduct, a steel bridge hanging over the desert canyon at 4,200m. Pack warm clothes and altitude medication: the air gets thinner quickly, and there is a big temperature difference between the sunny valleys and the shadowed mountain passes. 

These twin UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the provinces of San Juan and La Rioja make up one of the most significant areas of Triassic fossils in the world. Some of the very first dinosaurs were discovered here. Ischigualasto, also called the "Valley of the Moon," is a bizarre landscape of rocks, wind-shaped forms, dry riverbeds, and yellow-red canyons that give you the feeling of being on another planet. Talampaya contributes the towering red cliffs of sandstone. You can best discover both places by guided 4x4 trips.

Germans in Argentina constitute the fourth most significant immigrant group, and Villa General Belgrano, a Bavarian-style town nestled in the Sierras de Córdoba, is probably the clearest display of German legacy. If you are looking for fun things to do in Argentina, every October this small town organizes the biggest Oktoberfest in South America, bringing to life beer halls, lederhosen, and brass bands. As it happens, among the founders of the town were some of those who escaped from the Graf Spee, the German warship that was deliberately sunk near Montevideo in 1939, a twist in history that still influences the town. 

The best time to visit Argentina depends largely on regional Argentina weather patterns. Patagonia (south of Argentina) offers some of the best things to do in December making it a great destination for experiencing Christmas in Argentina during the southern hemisphere summer, with warm temperatures around 15-20°C (59 - 68°F).. If you're planning a trip to Argentina focused on food, wine, nature, and culture, spring (September - November) and autumn March - May) usually offer the best balance of weather and fewer crowds. Northern Argentina is best in April through October when it is the dry season. 

Generally, travelers require 10 to 14 days to explore the country’s main attractions comfortably. 3 days in Buenos Aires, 3 days in Patagonia (El Calafate and El Chaltén), 2 days in Mendoza, and 2 days at the Iguazú Falls. To have a more thorough visit including northern Argentina or the Lake District near Bariloche, plan for 3 weeks. Travel between the regions by domestic flights is a must. 

Argentinian top attractions cover an amazing spectrum: from the cool blue ice sheets of Perito Moreno Glacier to the tango dance halls of Buenos Aires. Being the eighth largest country on Earth, Argentina offers a great experience to those travelers who decide to focus on two or three main areas rather than attempting to visit every place.

So, are you ready to experience Argentina the right way? Talk to Tailored by Locals. Share what kind of traveller you are and your personal preferences, and a local expert will craft a personalized itinerary where every moment reflects exactly what you're looking for.