Mar del Plata and around
The oldest and most famous Argentine resort - built in 1874 - has lost much of its charm since its heyday in the 1930s. It's now a big city with plenty of entertainment, but unless you're a lover of crowds or casinos, there are better beaches elsewhere. There are some good new bars and cafés, however, along Güemes and Alem, near the cemetery, and superb fish restaurants by the port. There are hundreds of hotels, all busy and overpriced even in low season (although prices double in January and February), as this is a popular conference city. Winter is the best time to visit if you want to see the town itself, although the wind is relentless.
Getting there
There are daily flights from Buenos Aires (several in summer) to Camet Airport, 10 km north of town. In summer there are also flights to towns in Patagonia. Regular buses run from the airport into town or you could take a taxi.
Tourist information
The city's tourist office www.mardelplata. gov.ar is very helpful and can provide good leaflets on events, information on bus routes and lists of hotels and apartment/chalet letting agents, including family homes (when everywhere else is full). There's another tourist office at the airport. For what's on, see www.todomardelplata.com.
Best time to visit
There are several festivals throughout the summer, with live music shows, parades and the coronation of all kinds of carnival queens. If you're coming for the beaches, January is best avoided because of overcrowding; December or late February are much more pleasant and it's still warm.
Sights
The city centre is around Playa Bristol, where a broad promenade, the Rambla, runs past the fine casino (upper floor open to the public) and the abandoned Gran Hotel Provincial, both of which were designed by famous Argentine architect Bustillo, and date from the late 1930s. There are plans to refurbish the hotel and turn it into a convention centre. Six blocks north along San Martín is the Plaza San Martín, a good place for shopping, and flanked by an attractive cathedral. Ten blocks southwest, at the end of Avenida Colón there are some impressive and attractive mansions dating from Mar del Plata's heyday, from mock Tudor Villa Blaquier to Villa Ortiz Basualdo (1909), inspired by a Loire chateaux, and the Museo Municipal de Arte, offering tours with rooms furnished in period style. Nearby is the splendid Museo del Mar www.museodelmar.com, an imaginatively designed place on several levels, with a vast collection of 30,000 sea shells, a small aquarium, café and roof terrace. The Centro Cultural Victoria Ocampo is in a beautiful 1900s wooden house in lovely gardens, where the famous author entertained illustrious literary figures. In summer, concerts are held in the grounds. Nearby is the Villa Mitre www.loslobos.com.ar/villa_mitre.htm, owned by a son of Bartolomé Mitre; with an eclectic collection of artefacts including old photos of the city. There's no shortage of entertainment in the city, with lots of theatres and cinemas, live music and the casino.
Beaches and port area
There are several beaches along this stretch of coast, each with a different feel. Fashionable Playa Grande has the best hotels and shops, as well as the famous golf course, with private balnearios attracting wealthy Porteños, and a small area open to the public. Playa La Perla is packed in summer and far from relaxing, while Playa Punta Mogotes, further west, is by far the most appealing beach. The port area, south of Playa Grande, is interesting when the old orange fishing boats come in, and this is the place to head to at night, as there are many seafood restaurants gathered in one place; be selective as some are very touristy. A sea lion colony basks on rusting wrecks by the Escollera Sur, the southern breakwater which stretches out into the sea. Fishing forpejerrey, corvina and pescadilla is good all along the coast. Beyond the port are the Punta Mogotes lighthouse, built in 1891, and the Bosque Peralta Ramos, a 400-ha forest of eucalyptus and conifers. If you want sea and sand, rather than bars and entertainment, the best beaches are further southwest of the city, along the road to Miramar. Here you'll find several fine broad beaches interrupted by high cliffs.
Around Mar del Plata
Santa Clara del Mar is a low-key family resort 18 km north of Mar del Plata, and has balnearios and a relaxed feel. Though it's far from chic, it's a welcoming place. For further information, contact the tourist office www.marchiquitadigital.com.ar. Beyond, some 34 km northeast of Mar del Plata, is the Mar Chiquita, a lagoon joined to the sea by a narrow channel, with huge dunes in between, offering good beaches, sailing, fishing and boating, and rich bird life.
Balcarce, 68 km northwest and inland from Mar del Plata, is an attractive small town, with some splendid art deco buildings and a leafy central plaza. The main reason for visiting though, is to see the famous Museo Juan Manuel Fangio www.museofangio.com. Argentina's most beloved racing driver was born here, and the municipalidad on the plaza has been turned into a great museum, housing all his trophies and many of the racing cars he drove. Recommended for car enthusiasts. For further information, contact the tourist office www.balcarce.gov.ar.
The Laguna La Brava, 38 km away, at the foot of the Balcarce hills, offers pejerrey fishing, and plentiful birdlife in lovely wooded surroundings. Visit Estancia Laguna La Brava www.lagunabrava.com/antcasco.htm, for horse riding, trekking, mountain biking and water sports on the lake with fine views of Sierra Brava.
Miramar
A delightful, low-key alternative to Mar del Plata, Miramar, lies 47 km southwest along the coast road, and is a old-fashioned little resort, known as the 'city of bicycles', and orientated towards families. It has a big leafy plaza at its centre, a good stretch of beach with soft sand, and a pleasant atmosphere providing a quieter, low-key alternative to Mar del Plata. The most attractive area of the town is away from the high rise buildings on the sea front, at the Vivero Dunícola Florentino Ameghino, a 502-ha forest park on the beach, with lots of walks, restaurants and picnic places for asado among the mature trees. There's also a small Museo Municipal, with displays of animal fossils and indigenous Querandí artefacts. Further east is the dense wood of the Bosque Energético possessed of an allegedly magical magnetic energy, which both attracts large twigs to hang from tree trunks, and groups of meditators to sit in hopeful silence. The tourist office www.miramar-digital.com, has helpful accommodation lists and maps.
From here, you can easily visit Mar del Sur, 14 km south, a peaceful resort with good fishing in a lagoon and bathing on the beach among dunes and black rocks.
Necochea
One of the most surprising resorts on the whole Atlantic coast, Necochea, 100 km west of Miramar, is a well-established town, famous for its enormously long (74 km) beach. While the central area is built up and busy in summer months, further west is a spectacular expanse of sand with high dunes, perfect for exploring on foot, horseback or 4WD. There's also a huge forest park, a golf club and rafting on the river Quequén.
Sights
The Parque Miguel Lillo (named after the Argentine botanist) is a wonderful dense forest of over 500 ha with more than a million trees, open to the public for all kinds of activities. It starts three blocks west of Plaza San Martín, and stretches along the seafront. There are lovely walks, many campsites and picnic spots, a swan lake with paddle boats, an amphitheatre, lots of restaurants, a couple of tiny museums and places to practise various sports.
West of Necochea, there's a natural arch of rock at the Cueva del Tigre, and beyond it stretches vast empty beach, separated from the land by sand dunes up to 100 m high, the Médano Blanco. This is an exhilarating area for walking or horse riding, and the dunes are popular for 4WD, riding and sand boarding.
East of Quequén harbour there are equally tranquil beaches, particularly Balneario La Virazón, and a lighthouse built in 1921, with a good 18-hole golf course.
Around Necochea
You can go rafting on the Río Quequén, and visit to the Cascadas de Quequén, small waterfalls 13 km north. Nearby is the forested Parque Cura-Meucó, 70 km north, on the river, with the splendid Balneario Puente Blanco. There's also diving off the coast to a submerged diving park at Parque Subacuático Kabryl www.kabryl.com.ar, just 1500 m from the coast.
Getting there
There are daily flights from Buenos Aires (several in summer) to Camet Airport, 10 km north of town. In summer there are also flights to towns in Patagonia. Regular buses run from the airport into town or you could take a taxi.
Tourist information
The city's tourist office www.mardelplata. gov.ar is very helpful and can provide good leaflets on events, information on bus routes and lists of hotels and apartment/chalet letting agents, including family homes (when everywhere else is full). There's another tourist office at the airport. For what's on, see www.todomardelplata.com.
Best time to visit
There are several festivals throughout the summer, with live music shows, parades and the coronation of all kinds of carnival queens. If you're coming for the beaches, January is best avoided because of overcrowding; December or late February are much more pleasant and it's still warm.
Sights
The city centre is around Playa Bristol, where a broad promenade, the Rambla, runs past the fine casino (upper floor open to the public) and the abandoned Gran Hotel Provincial, both of which were designed by famous Argentine architect Bustillo, and date from the late 1930s. There are plans to refurbish the hotel and turn it into a convention centre. Six blocks north along San Martín is the Plaza San Martín, a good place for shopping, and flanked by an attractive cathedral. Ten blocks southwest, at the end of Avenida Colón there are some impressive and attractive mansions dating from Mar del Plata's heyday, from mock Tudor Villa Blaquier to Villa Ortiz Basualdo (1909), inspired by a Loire chateaux, and the Museo Municipal de Arte, offering tours with rooms furnished in period style. Nearby is the splendid Museo del Mar www.museodelmar.com, an imaginatively designed place on several levels, with a vast collection of 30,000 sea shells, a small aquarium, café and roof terrace. The Centro Cultural Victoria Ocampo is in a beautiful 1900s wooden house in lovely gardens, where the famous author entertained illustrious literary figures. In summer, concerts are held in the grounds. Nearby is the Villa Mitre www.loslobos.com.ar/villa_mitre.htm, owned by a son of Bartolomé Mitre; with an eclectic collection of artefacts including old photos of the city. There's no shortage of entertainment in the city, with lots of theatres and cinemas, live music and the casino.
Beaches and port area
There are several beaches along this stretch of coast, each with a different feel. Fashionable Playa Grande has the best hotels and shops, as well as the famous golf course, with private balnearios attracting wealthy Porteños, and a small area open to the public. Playa La Perla is packed in summer and far from relaxing, while Playa Punta Mogotes, further west, is by far the most appealing beach. The port area, south of Playa Grande, is interesting when the old orange fishing boats come in, and this is the place to head to at night, as there are many seafood restaurants gathered in one place; be selective as some are very touristy. A sea lion colony basks on rusting wrecks by the Escollera Sur, the southern breakwater which stretches out into the sea. Fishing forpejerrey, corvina and pescadilla is good all along the coast. Beyond the port are the Punta Mogotes lighthouse, built in 1891, and the Bosque Peralta Ramos, a 400-ha forest of eucalyptus and conifers. If you want sea and sand, rather than bars and entertainment, the best beaches are further southwest of the city, along the road to Miramar. Here you'll find several fine broad beaches interrupted by high cliffs.
Around Mar del Plata
Santa Clara del Mar is a low-key family resort 18 km north of Mar del Plata, and has balnearios and a relaxed feel. Though it's far from chic, it's a welcoming place. For further information, contact the tourist office www.marchiquitadigital.com.ar. Beyond, some 34 km northeast of Mar del Plata, is the Mar Chiquita, a lagoon joined to the sea by a narrow channel, with huge dunes in between, offering good beaches, sailing, fishing and boating, and rich bird life.
Balcarce, 68 km northwest and inland from Mar del Plata, is an attractive small town, with some splendid art deco buildings and a leafy central plaza. The main reason for visiting though, is to see the famous Museo Juan Manuel Fangio www.museofangio.com. Argentina's most beloved racing driver was born here, and the municipalidad on the plaza has been turned into a great museum, housing all his trophies and many of the racing cars he drove. Recommended for car enthusiasts. For further information, contact the tourist office www.balcarce.gov.ar.
The Laguna La Brava, 38 km away, at the foot of the Balcarce hills, offers pejerrey fishing, and plentiful birdlife in lovely wooded surroundings. Visit Estancia Laguna La Brava www.lagunabrava.com/antcasco.htm, for horse riding, trekking, mountain biking and water sports on the lake with fine views of Sierra Brava.
Miramar
A delightful, low-key alternative to Mar del Plata, Miramar, lies 47 km southwest along the coast road, and is a old-fashioned little resort, known as the 'city of bicycles', and orientated towards families. It has a big leafy plaza at its centre, a good stretch of beach with soft sand, and a pleasant atmosphere providing a quieter, low-key alternative to Mar del Plata. The most attractive area of the town is away from the high rise buildings on the sea front, at the Vivero Dunícola Florentino Ameghino, a 502-ha forest park on the beach, with lots of walks, restaurants and picnic places for asado among the mature trees. There's also a small Museo Municipal, with displays of animal fossils and indigenous Querandí artefacts. Further east is the dense wood of the Bosque Energético possessed of an allegedly magical magnetic energy, which both attracts large twigs to hang from tree trunks, and groups of meditators to sit in hopeful silence. The tourist office www.miramar-digital.com, has helpful accommodation lists and maps.
From here, you can easily visit Mar del Sur, 14 km south, a peaceful resort with good fishing in a lagoon and bathing on the beach among dunes and black rocks.
Necochea
One of the most surprising resorts on the whole Atlantic coast, Necochea, 100 km west of Miramar, is a well-established town, famous for its enormously long (74 km) beach. While the central area is built up and busy in summer months, further west is a spectacular expanse of sand with high dunes, perfect for exploring on foot, horseback or 4WD. There's also a huge forest park, a golf club and rafting on the river Quequén.
Sights
The Parque Miguel Lillo (named after the Argentine botanist) is a wonderful dense forest of over 500 ha with more than a million trees, open to the public for all kinds of activities. It starts three blocks west of Plaza San Martín, and stretches along the seafront. There are lovely walks, many campsites and picnic spots, a swan lake with paddle boats, an amphitheatre, lots of restaurants, a couple of tiny museums and places to practise various sports.
West of Necochea, there's a natural arch of rock at the Cueva del Tigre, and beyond it stretches vast empty beach, separated from the land by sand dunes up to 100 m high, the Médano Blanco. This is an exhilarating area for walking or horse riding, and the dunes are popular for 4WD, riding and sand boarding.
East of Quequén harbour there are equally tranquil beaches, particularly Balneario La Virazón, and a lighthouse built in 1921, with a good 18-hole golf course.
Around Necochea
You can go rafting on the Río Quequén, and visit to the Cascadas de Quequén, small waterfalls 13 km north. Nearby is the forested Parque Cura-Meucó, 70 km north, on the river, with the splendid Balneario Puente Blanco. There's also diving off the coast to a submerged diving park at Parque Subacuático Kabryl www.kabryl.com.ar, just 1500 m from the coast.
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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