Mar del Plata

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Argentina

$28.99

Shop Book

Aerial views of the city of Mar del Plata captured with drone, BsAs - Argentina

Getty Images/iStockphoto

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Mar del Plata

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

'Mardel' is the classic Argentine beach destination, and popular with people from all over the country. A little too popular, in fact. If you end up here on a summer weekend, the string of beaches that fringe the shoreline are shoulder-to-shoulder sunburned bodies: not exactly a relaxing getaway. Out-of-season visitors, however, will find that Mardel, once a glamorous seaside resort in the 1920s and 1930s, and again during a midcentury development boom, has become a large and interesting city with stunning architecture and plenty of cultural attractions that have nothing to do with the beach. Many of them are connected by attractive pedestrian thoroughfares that link to an oceanfront promenade that winds along the city's gorgeous arced coastline.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Puerto Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata is one of Argentina’s most important fishing centers. Its port area, 8km south of the city center, is worth a visit, though public access to…

Centro Cultural Villa Victoria

Mar del Plata

Victoria Ocampo, founder of the literary journal Sur, hosted literary salons with prominent intellectuals from around the world – Borges, Le Corbusier,…

Torreón del Monje

Mar del Plata

Grand and castle-like, positioned on a cliff over the ocean, Torreón del Monje is hard to miss – look for the red domes and the stone footbridge…

Torre Tanque

Mar del Plata

This interesting medieval-style water-storage tower, atop Stella Maris hill, was finished in 1943 and is still functioning. It's 88m high (that's 194…

Museo Municipal de Arte Juan Carlos Castagnino

Mar del Plata

Built in 1909 as the summer residence of a prominent Argentine family, the turreted Villa Ortiz Basualdo now houses this fine arts museum; its interior…

Catedral de los Santos Pedro y Cecilia

Mar del Plata

Facing the leafy Plaza San Martín, this neo-Gothic building features gorgeous stained glass, an impressive central chandelier from France, English tiled…