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

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Mar del Plata

'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

    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

    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

    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

    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…

  • Catedral de los Santos Pedro y Cecilia

    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…

  • Playa Escondida

    Playa Escondida

    Mar del Plata

    For the adventurous, there’s Playa Escondida, some 25km south of Mardel, which claims to be Argentina’s only legal nude beach.

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