Best Day Trips from Buenos Aires

Looking for the best day trips from Buenos Aires? Here are five ways to get out of the city and explore!

Buenos Aires has a way of pulling you in. I could easily spend weeks here, with no need to leave the city. There’s always another café to try, another neighbourhood to wander, another late dinner that somehow turns into midnight gelato.

But if you’ve got more than 3 days in Buenos Aires, a day trip can be a nice way to break things up and see beyond the city or even – as you’ll soon find out – visit another country.

In this guide, I’m sharing five easily doable day trips from Buenos Aires: Tigre, a gaucho day to an estancia, San Antonio de Areco, Colonia del Sacramento and La Plata. I’ll share why you should take these day trips, what to do once you’re there and the logistics for planning each one.

So, let’s get out of Buenos Aires and see what’s beyond the city!

Corner view of a weathered two-story historic building in San Antonio de Areco, with peeling plaster walls, green wooden shutters, wrought-iron balconies, and several doorways opening onto a quiet street. Cars are parked along the curb, utility poles and wires run overhead, and the cloudy sky adds to the aged atmosphere. This colonial-era streetscape is a charming scene often encountered in San Antonio de Areco, one of the best day trips from Buenos Aires.

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1. Tigre and the Paraná Delta

Tigre is one of the most surprising day trips from Buenos Aires. Just a short distance from the city and you’ll be dropped straight into the Paraná Delta – a sprawling network of rivers and islands where people live along the waterways, hopping between docks and boats like they’re streets. The town of Tigre is a gateway to a completely different landscape, sometimes called the “Venice of Argentina”.

A classical-style pavilion with elaborate columns and arches, standing on a pier over a body of water in Tigre, Buenos Aires.

What to do in Tigre

Spend a day exploring the delta:

Take a boat ride on the delta – You’ll glide past stilt houses, weekend cabins and green islands, and it becomes immediately clear why locals escape here when the city feels too much. If you only do one thing in Tigre, make it time on the water.

Start (or finish) with a riverside stroll on Paseo Victorica – Get your bearings in Tigre with a walk along this waterfront promenade lined with cafés, bars and views over the Río Luján.

Browse Puerto de Frutos – This is Tigre’s best-known market area and it’s worth a look for the sheer variety: homewares, leather goods, mate cups and thermoses, crafts and plenty of slightly kitschy souvenirs. Grab a drink on the snack and sit outdoors on a sunny day.

Make time for the Museo de Arte Tigre (MAT) – The museum is in a beautiful old building right by the river. The focus is Argentine art (late 19th/early 20th century) and the setting alone makes it memorable. It’s closed Monday and Tuesday, and open from midday/1pm the other days of the week.

Have a long lunch somewhere near the water – Grab a table overlooking the water and enjoy a relaxed lunch. María Luján, Restaurante Vivanco and Almacén de Tigre are all great options (although the latter is a few blocks from the water). Gato Blanco is another great choice – it’s boat access only which is a bit of fun.

How to get to Tigre from Buenos Aires

The easiest way to get to Tigre is by train, and there are two options. Trains to Tigre run from the main Retiro station. Take the Mitre line (Retiro-Tigre); it takes roughly about an hour to reach the final stop, Tigre.

For a far more scenic journey, take the Tren de la Costa instead. The train runs along the northern suburbs and finishes at Delta station in Tigre. As with the regular train, start at Retiro station, but take the Retiro-Bartolomé Mitre line instead. You’ll need to get off at Mitre station (the last stop) and then cross the bridge to Maipú station where it connects with the Tren de la Costa. It’s slower than the direct train, but it’s a lovely option if you’re not in a rush.

If you’re in a group, a taxi or rideshare can also get you there in about 35-45 minutes.

If all of this seems too hard, there are several organised day trips you can join. This small-group tour includes pick-up and drop-off in Buenos Aires, a boat cruise and sightseeing around the key locations. Alternatively, if you’d prefer a private day trip to Tigre, this private option is a good one.

Tips for visiting Tigre

Weekends bring Buenos Aires locals out in force, which can make the most popular spots feel hectic. If you can, go on a weekday for a calmer experience. If you can only do a weekend, aim to arrive earlier and book a restaurant ahead of time.

It’s also much nicer here on a sunny day, so if Buenos Aires cooperates, try to avoid a gloomy or rainy day.

2. Gaucho day trip to an estancia

A gaucho day trip is the easiest way to get a taste of rural Argentina without planning an overnight trip. You’ll spend the day out on the pampas at an estancia (ranch), with a long asado (barbecue) lunch and the chance to go horseriding or see the gauchos in action.

Most estancia days revolve around three things: the countryside setting, the food and a bit of gaucho culture.

On an estancia near Buenos Aires, you can learn the skills of a gaucho

You’ll usually arrive to a warm welcome (often empanadas and a drink), then have a few hours to enjoy the property. Depending on the estancia, that might mean a wander around the grounds, time by the pool in summer or an activity like a horseback ride.

Lunch will be huge: a proper Argentine asado that will fill you up.

After lunch there’s often some form of entertainment, which can include folklore music and dancing and a horse skills/horsemanship demonstration. Some places also include a short ranch tour or a stop in a nearby town.

It’s a really relaxing day – but you can also make it active.

Best way to visit an estancia

For most travellers, a tour is the easiest way to do a gaucho day trip. It takes care of the tricky bits (transport, language) so you don’t need to do any planning. Just book and be picked up from your hotel. Some recommended gaucho day trips include:

If you want to do it independently, you can. You’ll need to rent a car and then choose one of the estancias near Buenos Aires and book their day trips – or simply just visit the estancia for lunch and a wander. If it were me, however, I’d go with an organised day trip.

→ READ NEXT: The best estancias near Buenos Aires

3. San Antonio de Areco

If you like the idea of gaucho culture but don’t want a full estancia day with pickups and a staged show, San Antonio de Areco – or simply Areco – is a great alternative. It’s a small town on the pampas where you can wander the charming streets, check out craft workshops and have a long lunch.

How to spend a day in San Antonio de Areco

Start in the historic centre around Plaza Ruiz de Arellano. This is the heart of town. The streets around the square have traditional shopfronts and cafés.

Make your first stop a craft workshop or museum. Areco is famous for platería (gaucho silverwork) and if you only visit one place, make it the Museo y Taller de Platería Draghi. It’s a small museum and workshop showcasing beautiful mate gear, knives and traditional silverwork.

Browse the shops. For classic regional goods and gifts, Lo de Arnaldi is a well-known local pick, and Gustavo Stagnaro is recommended locally for gaucho knives, mate gear and jewellery. For edible souvenirs, La Olla de Cobre is a great stop for alfajores and chocolates.

After lunch, head out to the Parque Criollo and Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes, a gaucho museum set within a park on the edge of town.

How to get to San Antonio de Areco from Buenos Aires

There are a few ways to get to San Antonio. The easiest is to join a day trip like this one so you can have everything organised for you.

You can also rent a car and make the 1.5-2 hour journey. The drive is pretty straightforward (you can read more about renting a car in Argentina).

There’s also a bus that leaves Retiro station and takes about 2 hours to get to San Antonio de Areco. It drops passengers off at a petrol station on the edge of town, so you’ll then have to walk about 20 minutes to Plaza Ruiz de Arellano.

🚌 CHECK BUS SCHEDULES AND TICKET PRICES HERE 🚌

Tips for visiting San Antonio de Areco

I recommend visiting on a weekend when there’s more of a buzz and more people around. Shops and restaurants are also more likely to be open. If you go during the week, just check opening hours.

4. Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)

Want to add another stamp to your passport? Then pop over to Uruguay from Buenos Aires to visit the lovely town of Colonia del Sacramento. In a single day you can cross the Río de la Plata by ferry, wander cobblestoned streets in the historic quarter, linger over a long lunch and be back in Buenos Aires by dinner. (Although I highly recommend spending longer and doing an Uruguay road trip!)

Visitors walk along a historic cobblestone street in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, lined with rustic stone and brick buildings covered in vines. An old wooden horse-drawn cart with red wheels sits beside the road, while traditional lanterns hang from the walls. A large flowering bougainvillea tree with bright pink blooms arches over the street, adding color to the scene. People browse shops and stroll through the picturesque neighborhood, a popular stop on a day trip from Buenos Aires and one of the best day trips from Buenos Aires for its preserved colonial architecture and charming atmosphere.

What you need for the ferry and border crossing

Bring your passport and any visa documents. And give yourself plenty of time to clear customs and immigration (which you’ll have to do on both sides). Arrive at the ferry station 45 minutes to an hour before departure, especially on weekends or holidays.

How to get to Colonia del Sacramento from Buenos Aires

The ferry crossing from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento takes around 1 hr 15 min. There are two operators: Buquebus and Colonia Express. Ticket pricing is usually roughly similar, so choose based on the schedule that suits you best. I’d plan for a mid-morning departure that gets you into Colonia before lunch, and a return trip for late afternoon / early evening. I like using Busbud to compare ferry prices because you can see the two operators side by side.

⛴ CHECK FERRY SCHEDULES AND TICKET PRICES HERE ⛴

There are several private and group trips that can manage the logistics of getting to Uruguay and back for you:

Tip! When you return to Buenos Aires, order an Uber or Cabify from the ferry terminal. Many travellers report being ripped off by taxi drivers out the front. (Read my full guide to getting around Buenos Aires for more transport tips.)

What to do in Colonia del Sacramento

It’s easy to walk around the old town, but you can also rent golf carts to make getting around even easier! You’ll need your driver’s license and a credit card.

Walk in through Portón de Campo – This is the old city gate. You cross a small drawbridge and pass remnants of the old walls before you step into the historic quarter.

Start in the Barrio Histórico – The old town is just a short, 15-minute stroll from the ferry dock. Colonia’s UNESCO-listed historic quarter is the whole point of the trip: it’s compact, walkable and filled with lovely details: uneven cobblestones, low colonial buildings and shady little corners.

Take a free walking tour – Add some context to your visit to Colonia del Sacramento by joining this free walking tour of the town. It starts at 11am. Just remember to tip!

Wander the Calle de los Suspiros – The “street of sighs” is Colonia’s most photographed street for a reason: short, atmospheric and lined with weathered colonial houses. There are many legends about how the street got its name.

Do a loop through Plaza Mayor and the little lanes around it – Plaza Mayor is one of the main squares in the old town. It’s surrounded by quiet lanes, leafy pockets and lots of spots to pause for a coffee or a snack.

Climb the lighthouse – El Faro is an easy climb for great reviews of the old town’s layout and the river beyond.

Finish with a waterfront stroll along the Rambla/riverfront – Outside of the historic part of town, the riverfront is a nice stroll after lunch before you head back to the terminal.

→ READ NEXT: How to plan a road trip around Uruguay

5. La Plata

If you want to explore another city in Buenos Aires province, head to La Plata – the capital of the region. With a population of just over 770,000 people, it’s far smaller than Buenos Aires but with its many universities it has a buzzy vibe. It’s one of the more unique day trips from Buenos Aires because not many tourists visit – and it’s only an hour away from Buenos Aires by car or bus. It’s a fantastic day trip particularly if you have kids, as it has one of the best natural history museums in the country.

Front view of a large Gothic-style cathedral with two tall spires rising against a bright blue sky. Ornate stonework, arched windows, and a circular rose window decorate the façade. A wide staircase leads to the main entrance, where a few people are visible, while several cars are parked along the street in front. This impressive church is a popular sight on a day trip from Buenos Aires to La Plata.

Overhead view inside a museum atrium (the natural history museum in La Plata, Argentina) featuring a large dinosaur skeleton displayed on a raised exhibit surrounded by pathways and informational panels. Tall white columns line the interior space, and a few visitors stand nearby for scale. The fossil exhibit is a highlight of a Buenos Aires day trip.

How to spend a day in La Plata

Start with Museo de La Plata (Museo de Ciencia Naturales de la Plata), the city’s classic natural history museum, set inside a large, leafy park. The museum covers a surprisingly wide range of areas: geology, fossils, animals and South American biodiversity on one level, and then anthropology, ethnography and archaeology on another. There are huge dinosaur displays and rooms full of specimens. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday (and holidays) from 10am to 6pm.

Afterwards, have a wander through Paseo del Bosque. If you like architecture, make time for Casa Curutchet, a Modernist house designed by Le Corbusier (and one of the most famous buildings in Argentina). It’s part of the UNESCO-listed group of Le Corbusier’s works.

For lunch, check out Ostario Valtellinese, Akari Sushi Bar, Resto & Café Catedral or Baxar Mercado. There are also some great craft beer places in town – particular thanks to the university students for these!

In the afternoon, make your way to Plaza Moreno, the city’s central square, and visit the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (La Plata Cathedral). It’s impressively enormous, one of the largest neo-Gothic cathedrals in South America.

For another historical/educational stop, finish with the Centro Cultural Islas Malvinas, a cultural centre and memorial space that often has exhibitions and workshops.

How to get to La Plata from Buenos Aires

It’s an easy drive from Buenos Aires to La Plata. Rent a car and hit the road – you will need cash for tolls along the way.

You can also catch a bus from Avenida 9 de Julio that takes about 40 minutes. It stops in town, about a 30 minute walk from the Natural History Museum or a 10-minute taxi/rideshare trip.

Wrap-up: Best day trips from Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is one of those cities where three days disappear in the blink of an eye, and honestly, there are so many things to do in Buenos Aires that I’d only start thinking about day trips once you’ve spent at least 3-5 days here.

But if you’re in town for a week or you’re revisiting Buenos Aires, these day trips are a brilliant way to add variety to your trip.

FAQs: Day trip from Buenos Aires

What’s the best day trip from Buenos Aires?

It depends on what you want. If you want the easiest escape, Tigre is usually the winner, but a guided gaucho/estancia day is also fantastic. For something more independent, San Antonio de Areco is a lovely middle ground, while La Plata is off-the-beaten-path for most visitors. And if you want to add a new stamp to your passport, then a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento is a lovely way to spend a day.

Is Colonia del Sacramento worth it as a day trip or should I stay overnight?

It’s worth it as a day trip if you’re happy with an early start and you don’t mind working around ferry times. The historic quarter is compact and perfect for wandering, so you can have a genuinely great day without staying over. That said, an overnight trip is better if you hate clock-watching and want to enjoy the sunset and dinner without rushing.

What’s the best day trip in winter vs summer?

In summer, Tigre is fantastic because the delta is lush and outdoorsy, but plan for heat and bring sun protection (and bug spray if you’ll be near the water). In winter, La Plata can be a great choice because it’s built around museums and architecture. Colonia is also nice in winter because it’s atmospheric year-round. You can do a gaucho day trip any time of the year.

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What are your favourite day trips from Buenos Aires?

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5 Great Day Trips from Buenos Aires