Buenos Aires Argentina

975 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (31 Cruises)

Cruise Aza Azamara Club Cruises Quest ship

Azamara Quest

1112 Passengers
30277 tons
Visit the ship's page

Celebrity Cruises (27 Cruises)

Cruise CEL Celebrity Ship Equinox

Celebrity Equinox

2852 Passengers
121878 tons
Visit the ship's page

Costa Cruises (93 Cruises)

Cruise COS Costa Cruises Diadema ship

Costa Diadema

4962 Passengers
132500 tons
Visit the ship's page
Costa Serena.

Costa Serena

3780 Passengers
114500 tons
Visit the ship's page

Holland America Line (63 Cruises)

Cruise HAL Holland America Line ms Nieuw Amsterdam ship

ms Nieuw Amsterdam

2106 Passengers
86273 tons
Visit the ship's page
ms Nieuw Statendam.

ms Nieuw Statendam

2666 Passengers
99902 tons
Visit the ship's page

HX Expeditions (113 Cruises)

MS Fridtjof Nansen.

MS Fridtjof Nansen

20889 tons
Visit the ship's page
MS Roald Amundsen.

MS Roald Amundsen

20889 tons
Visit the ship's page

Lindblad Expeditions (46 Cruises)

National Geographic Endurance

National Geographic Endurance

238 Passengers
Visit the ship's page
National Geographic Resolution

National Geographic Resolution

Visit the ship's page

MSC Cruises (96 Cruises)

MSC Cruises Seaview Ship

MSC Seaview

5179 Passengers
154000 tons
Visit the ship's page
msc splendida cruise ship

MSC Splendida

4363 Passengers
137936 tons
Visit the ship's page

Oceania Cruises (17 Cruises)

Princess Cruises (44 Cruises)

Cruise PCL Princess Majestic ship

Majestic Princess

3560 Passengers
143700 tons
Visit the ship's page

Scenic Cruises (170 Cruises)

Scenic Eclipse

Scenic Eclipse

228 Passengers
17 tons
Visit the ship's page
Scenic Eclipse II.

Scenic Eclipse II

228 Passengers
17085 tons
Visit the ship's page

Seabourn Cruise Line (18 Cruises)

Silversea Cruises (15 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (178 Cruises)

Viking Jupiter1

Viking Jupiter

Visit the ship's page
Viking Octantis.

Viking Octantis

634 Passengers
30150 tons
Visit the ship's page
Viking Polaris.

Viking Polaris

634 Passengers
30150 tons
Visit the ship's page

The Río de la Plata is so wide it could be mistaken for a sea: the far shore is barely visible, and it's in these milky, tea-coloured waters that Buenos Aires dips its docks. Ships dock at the Quinquela Martín terminal, about two kilometres from downtown; the port area isn't suited to walking, but shuttles and taxis reach Plaza San Martín and the heart of the Argentine capital in just a few minutes. From there begins a full day, in keeping with a capital that never does anything by halves.

Plaza de Mayo, Political Heart and Living Memory

Every visit passes through Plaza de Mayo, the founding esplanade where Argentine history converges. The Casa Rosada, the presidential palace with its pink façades, closes off the view; the cathedral and the old colonial cabildo complete the scene. The country's protests, celebrations, and moments of mourning have gathered here for two centuries, and the square retains that particular gravity of places where history has never stopped unfolding.

From here, Avenida de Mayo runs toward the Congress building between European-inspired buildings, an ideal route for taking in the monumental pulse of the centre.

San Telmo, Cobblestones, Tango, and Antique Dealers

Heading south, San Telmo lines up its cobbled streets and old houses turned into cafés, workshops, and antique shops. Plaza Dorrego, one of the oldest squares in the city, hosts a popular antiques market on Sundays, and tango couples dance on the cobblestones for passersby. Even on weekdays, the neighbourhood breathes that slightly weathered elegance that makes up Buenos Aires' mystery: push open a door, and a nineteenth-century courtyard appears.

The historic cafés downtown, with their dark woodwork and white-jacketed waiters, extend that same elegance: you go in for a cortado, you stay for the atmosphere, among regulars putting the world to rights and late-afternoon pianists.

La Boca, Colour in Its Purest Form

A little further on, the working-class neighbourhood of La Boca was the landing point for Italian immigrants, who painted their tin houses with leftover paint from the ships. The result bursts to life along the Caminito: blue, yellow, and red façades, street artists, and music at every corner. Soccer fans passing through pay tribute to the neighbourhood's legendary stadium. The area is touristy, certainly, but it tells, without detour, where these immigrant neighbourhoods came from.

Recoleta, the Paris of the South

A complete change of atmosphere to the north: Recoleta unfolds its Haussmann-style buildings, embassies, and upscale cafés that earn Buenos Aires its nickname, the Paris of South America. Its cemetery, a miniature city of marble mausoleums, ranks among the most singular visits on the continent; visitors search for Eva Perón's grave between silent rows. The nearby National Museum of Fine Arts rounds out this neighbourhood's European flavour.

Tips for This Stop

  • From the terminal, opt for a shuttle or taxi: downtown is close, but the port area itself isn't very walkable.
  • The obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio, a thoroughfare of extraordinary width, makes a handy central landmark.
  • Save an evening for a tango show if the ship stays docked overnight.

A City That Leaves the Door Open

Buenos Aires doesn't close behind the visitor: it follows them right to the port, with its music, its colourful façades, and its taste for drama. Sailing away across the vast estuary, you realize that a single stop has only cracked the door open. All the better. Cities of this temperament aren't visited, they're begun, and everyone carries back aboard whatever chapter they had time to read.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the Quinquela Martín terminal, about two kilometres from downtown. The port area is not walkable, but shuttles and taxis reach Plaza San Martín and the heart of the capital in a few minutes.
Not from the terminal. Take the shuttle or a taxi downtown; from there Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo and San Telmo are very walkable. The obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio makes a handy central landmark.
Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, San Telmo and its cobbled streets, La Boca and the Caminito, then Recoleta and its cemetery. It is a full day, fitting for a capital that does nothing by halves.
The founding square of Buenos Aires, where Argentine history concentrates. The Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace, closes the view; the cathedral and the old colonial cabildo complete the setting. Protests, celebrations and mourning have gathered here for two centuries.
For its cobbled streets and old houses turned into cafes, workshops and antique shops. Plaza Dorrego hosts a popular antiques market on Sundays, and tango couples dance on the cobbles for passersby.
A street of corrugated metal facades painted blue, yellow and red, in the working class district where Italian immigrants came ashore. They painted their houses with leftover ship's paint. The spot is touristy, certainly, but it tells you plainly where these neighbourhoods came from.
Yes. It is a miniature city of marble mausoleums, one of the most unusual visits on the continent, where you hunt for Eva Perón's tomb between silent alleys. The National Museum of Fine Arts is close by.
Because of districts like Recoleta, with its Haussmann style buildings, embassies and well appointed cafes. The historic cafes downtown, dark woodwork and waiters in white jackets, extend that European feel.
Yes, if the ship stays overnight : keep an evening for it. Otherwise couples dance during the day on the cobbles of Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo, with nothing to book.
Spanish and the Argentine peso. English gets you by in hotels and tourist areas; French is rare. Carry cash for taxis and small shops.