Wintertime in the northern hemisphere is the perfect time to escape the cold and head south to Buenos Aires to enjoy the variety of exciting and unusual warm southern hemisphere summertime cruises. Interesting, must-do bucket list excursions while at port make for fun landings that give visitors a taste of all the Argentine capital has to offer. Even better is combining a cruise with a few days extension on land in Buenos Aires to enjoy the best of the City of Passions.
The Port of Buenos Aires is ensuring it remains the most important hub for cruise lines throughout South America thanks to an ongoing $200 million improvement and capacity building project by Terminals Rio de la Plata, a division of Dubai-based DP World group.
The Port of Buenos Aires:
Buenos Aires’ cruise season runs from October to April each year. Cruise routes arriving into and departing from Buenos Aires include domestic destinations such as Puerto Madryn in Patagonia and Ushuaia in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, as well as international destinations such as Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, and unique excursions to Antarctica.
Since its 2011 renovation, the port of Buenos Aires is the largest and most modern cruise terminal in South America. The “Quinquela Martín” terminal is located in the heart of the city and is a building structure of over 137,627 square feet that can comfortably receive a flow of up to 13,000 passengers daily.
Numerous services are offered at the port including banking and money services, a new food service area, a new official transportation service, Transporte ARBUS, which features routes arriving to the Jorge Newbery Airport, the Ezeiza Airport, Puerto Madero and several tourism destinations within central Buenos Aires. Bilingual signage and street maps located throughout the port and city, along with the new free app, BA Turismo, which may be used offline, make getting around easy. All throughout the city are new BA tourist assistance centers which offer maps in English and Spanish, and include complementary Wi-Fi, phone charging stations, and more.
Cruises:
Many of the world’s favorite cruise lines pass into the Port of Buenos Aires. These include MSC Cruceros, Costa Cruceros, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland American Line, Polar Cruises, Silver Seas, Cunard, Seabourn Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and many others.
The options for where to go from Buenos Aires are almost endless. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines offers a February cruise connecting Buenos Aires to Lima, rounding the southern portion of the South American continent. Oceania Cruises has similar routes, with January or March trips between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso in Chile, or between Lima and Buenos Aires. Celebrity Cruises offers a stunning trip from Buenos Aires through southern Chile, an exciting 15-day itinerary full of fjords, lakes and glaciers from December through February.
Port of Buenos Aires Excursions:
Excursions in Buenos Aires give a taste of all the City of Passions has to offer.
Tango was born in the lively port of Buenos Aires, at the turn of the last century. The sensual and eccentric tango is as much a way of life as it is a music and dance, and excursions take visitors to visit a tango salon, see a performance and even learn a few steps. A few tours include Milonga Tour, Buenos Aires Shore Excursions: Tango and Dinner Show and Dinner and Tango Show.
Polo tours are another sophisticated option. Brought to Argentina by the British, Argentines are considered some of the world’s best players. Visitors can experience this game of kings with a visit to the city Polo field and a full day of lessons.
The writing is on the wall that visitors will have fun with a graffiti tour of Buenos Aires, one of the world capitals of street art. Walk through the streets of Buenos Aires’ lesser known neighborhoods and learn about the history and meanings behind the graffiti while exploring famous landmarks. Graffiti is being used to share social and political messages to educate and inspire people. It might be possible that on the tour tourists will visit current art festivals and urban and local artist projects. A few tours include Hidden Walls Graffiti Tour and North City Tour/ Urban Art & Activism Tour/ Walking Tour.
On their own, visitors can explore the local area. One highlight of the port area is the Immigrant Museum, a port building that was once the Ellis Island of Argentina, where millions of immigrants first arrived from Europe and other distant shores. Take a taxi or ask for other transportation options to nearby Puerto Madero, the old port famed for its restaurant scene. The Reserva Ecologica lies just off Puerto Madero. It’s a massive natural urban green space, perfect for nature hikes, jogging, bicycling, bird watching and other ecological adventures.
If excursions aren’t enough, add a few days to any Buenos Aires port visit to really get a sense of the city. Whether just passing through, or using Buenos Aires as a gateway for a cruise trip, there are many ways to enjoy this dynamic city.
For more information visit: https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar.
