Sea & Mountains

Summer holiday destination for millions of Argentines, the Atlantic coast has some excellent beach resorts, while inland in the sierra there is fine countryside to explore.

Atlantic coastline.

Like most people, Argentines like to see the sea and will endure congested roads and standing-room-only beaches to do so. No sooner is the New Year’s celebration over than large swathes of the Buenos Aires populace pack their buckets, spades, and thermos flasks and set off for their annual summer holidays. The destination? The Atlantic coastline of Buenos Aires province. The main strip of this popular vacation coast extends from San Clemente del Tuyú, past Pinamar and Villa Gesell, to Mar del Plata, the hub of the Atlántica area.

Mar y Sierra.

“La costa,” as it is known, is an attractive riviera where whispering pines and acacias shade the dunes and hills roll down to the sea (giving rise to the popular name Mar y Sierra). Visitors can experience both, for example by staying on the coast at Miramar, then heading inland to Balcarce and Tandil. But this is not the Hamptons or St-Tropez. Most of the people who own holiday homes and cabañas here are middle class citizens; many of them have been coming here for decades, rain or shine. The Buenos Aires elite, who once regarded the Atlantic coast as their personal playground, increasingly choose to fly to more glamorous resorts such as Miami, Uruguay’s Punta del Este, or the more reliably sun-soaked beaches of Brazil. Still, there are destinations here for all budgets and tastes. Places to visit along Arentina's coast and mountains.

Pinamar.

Probably one of the loveliest of all the urban areas along the Atlantic coast is the one that comprises Pinamar, Ostende, Valeria del Mar, and Cariló.

Pinamar is a very fashionable spot which receives large numbers of tourists in January and February. It is bordered by a pine forest, and the scent of the pines mixed with the salty sea air gives the town a bracing atmosphere. There are no sand dunes at Pinamar, which makes access to the beach easy. Accommodations range from four-star establishments down to modest, if not budget, hosterías and hospedajes (hostels). Pinamar is the most urban development along this part of the coast, with a number of high-rise apartment blocks and discos, which makes it a good spot for young people. Its range of sporting activities include everything from horseback riding to windsurfing.

The Greater Pinamar area includes Ostende and Valeria del Mar, where some very high dunes are to be found. A short distance south of Valeria is Cariló, a country club-style community dotted with elegant villas and shaded by pines, which has a wide beach and some of the most beautiful and unspoiled wooded areas left on the coast. It also has a tiny, attractive, and up-market town center, with shops and restaurants constructed in alpine style.

Villa Gesell.

About 20km (12 miles) south of Cariló lies Villa Gesell. Founded by Carlos Idaho Gesell in 1940, the town was forested with pines with the intention of maintaining a small and tranquil tourist spot. Except for Avenida 3, its streets are still made of sand. It has a long, very wide beach, and a forestry reserve with a museum and archive, containing photos and documents relating to the town’s foundation. Outside the center is a horseback riding school, which offers classes and trekking, and there is year-round fishing for shark, mackerel, and other fish from the pier. The town is especially popular with young people, due to its many bars, disco, and skating rinks; it also has several excellent campsites.

Just south of Villa Gesell is Mar de las Pampas, a more exclusive resort which in the space of a few years has gone from being a beach with a couple of cabins next to it to a small town with a beach next to it. Mar del Plata.

Approaching the city of Mar del Plata on the coastal Ruta 11, the high cliffs of Cabo Corrientes and the downtown skyscrapers built upon this rocky peninsula seem to grow from the sea like a mirage. It is a truly striking first impression.

Mar del Plata (often shortened to “Mardel”) has a permanent population of around 700,000 residents, many of whom are employed looking after the seven million tourists who visit each year. Accommodations range from first-class hotels to apartments available for short-term lease all year round. The city has well-groomed plazas, parks, boulevards, and several golf courses. In summer, its beaches are so crowded that the sand virtually disappears, although further from the center the beaches are somewhat less populated.

Mar del Plata has a number of important events throughout the year, such as the National Ocean Festival (first week of January), the National Fishing Festival and Regatta in February, the International Film Festival in March, the International Jazz Festival in April, and the National Film Festival in November.