---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Mar del Plata, Argentina | Wimup"
description: "The 10 best things to do in Mar del Plata, Argentina, ranked: the Casino and its Rambla, the port's sea lions, the Torreón del Monje and the town that invented sorrentinos."
url: https://wimup.com/city/mar-del-plata
type: City guide
updated: 2026-11-02
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata, Argentina · South America · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read

Argentina's biggest beach city runs 47 km of Atlantic coast, 400 km south of Buenos Aires. It is crowded and loud in January, calm and half price in March, and it keeps a working fishing port, a serious film festival and the country's craft beer habit all year.

## Quick answer

Give Mar del Plata two or three days. Walk the Rambla from the Casino to the Torreón del Monje, see the sea lions at the port and eat fried squid there, then spend an afternoon in the Belle Époque villas of Los Troncos. Take one beach day at Playa Grande or south of Punta Mogotes, and finish with sorrentinos and a local craft beer.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar
- **Ideal length:** 2 to 3 days
- **Budget per day:** $55–110
- **Language:** Spanish
- **Getting around:** On foot along the coast, city buses take SUBE or a contactless card
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Mar del Plata

### 1. Walk the Rambla between the Casino and the Provincial

Landmark · Boulevard Marítimo 2148, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Alejandro Bustillo's twin brick blocks, the Casino Central (1939) and the Hotel Provincial, frame the city's postcard, with José Fioravanti's two stone sea lions on the steps between them. Walk it at dusk, then follow the seafront south past Playa Bristol.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Sunset
- **Tip:** The Casino's gaming rooms are adults only

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. See the sea lions at the port

Wildlife · Escollera Sur, Puerto de Mar del Plata, Argentina

A colony of South American sea lions hauls out on the southern breakwater, a protected reserve inside the working port, and more sprawl along the fishermen's quay among the yellow boats. Free and year-round; keep your distance, they bite.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Combine it with lunch at the port restaurants

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 3. Cross the bridge at the Torreón del Monje

Landmark · Paseo Jesús de Galíndez, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Ernesto Tornquist built this mock-medieval lookout in 1904, and the monk of its name belongs to a legend invented later. The red-domed tower and its stone footbridge over the coast road are the best free view of the bay.

- **Time:** 30 min
- **Cost:** Free to look
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Walk here along the coast from the Casino

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. Tour the Villa Ortiz Basualdo and the Castagnino

Museum · Av. Colón 1189, Mar del Plata, Argentina

A 1909 summer house, one of the last Belle Époque villas left in the city and a National Historic Monument since 2020, now holding the municipal art museum. The rooms are as much the point as the Argentine painting inside them.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Low
- **Best at:** Afternoon
- **Tip:** Summer hours run into the evening

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 5. Spend a beach day at Playa Grande

Beach · Playa Grande, Mar del Plata, Argentina

The broad, well-kept beach below Los Troncos is where the surf schools work and where the city's smarter beach clubs rent tents. Arrive before 11:00 in January, or come in March when the water is still warm and the sand is empty.

- **Time:** Half day
- **Cost:** Free, beach clubs paid
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Book a tent ahead in January

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 6. Eat sorrentinos at the Trattoria Napolitana

Restaurant · 3 de Febrero, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Mar del Plata claims the sorrentino, a large round ravioli usually filled with ham and cheese, and the Véspoli family's trattoria calls itself the first sorrentinería in the country. Order them with tomato sauce and come hungry.

- **Time:** 1.5 hr
- **Cost:** Moderate
- **Best at:** Dinner
- **Tip:** Expect a wait on summer weekends

### 7. Visit Victoria Ocampo's summer house

Museum · Matheu 1851, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Villa Victoria is a wooden house prefabricated in England and assembled here in 1912, where the founder of the magazine Sur hosted writers from across the world. It is now a municipal cultural centre with exhibitions, concerts and a garden.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Low
- **Best at:** Afternoon
- **Tip:** Opens in the afternoon, check the day it closes

Links: [Mar del Plata tourism](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. See what is on at the Museo MAR

Museum · Av. Félix U. Camet at López de Gomara, Mar del Plata, Argentina

The province's contemporary art museum is a big concrete box on the northern coast road, opened in 2014 with free entry. Shows rotate, the building suits large work, and it is the place to go when the beach is out.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Rainy days
- **Tip:** Pair it with the La Perla beaches on the way back

Links: [Museo MAR](https://www.gba.gob.ar/museo_mar?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 9. Order fried squid at Chichilo in the port

Restaurant · Puerto de Mar del Plata, Argentina

The port's seafood canteens are the city's classic meal, and Chichilo has fed them rabas and fried fish since 1972 under one family. Come after seeing the sea lions, and order the squid with chips.

- **Time:** 1.5 hr
- **Cost:** Moderate
- **Best at:** Lunch
- **Tip:** There are two Chichilo dining rooms facing each other

### 10. Drink a pint where Antares started

Brewery · Córdoba 3025, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Mar del Plata is Argentina's craft beer town, and Antares opened its first brewpub here in 1998 with the brewery attached. Happy hour starts at 18:00; the Güemes and Alem bar strips are the next stop.

- **Time:** Evening
- **Cost:** Moderate
- **Best at:** From 18:00
- **Tip:** Try the local scotch and porter on tap

## Best landmarks & museums in Mar del Plata

Seven stops from the Rambla to the northern coast road.

1. **Casino Central** (Landmark · Free · Boulevard Marítimo): Bustillo's 1939 brick block, with the stone sea lions out front.
2. **Torreón del Monje** (Landmark · Free · Paseo Jesús de Galíndez): A 1904 lookout tower with a footbridge over the coast road.
3. **Museo Castagnino** (Museum · Low · Av. Colón 1189): Argentine art inside the 1909 Villa Ortiz Basualdo.
4. **Villa Victoria** (Museum · Low · Matheu 1851): Victoria Ocampo's prefabricated English house, now a cultural centre.
5. **Museo MAR** (Museum · Free · Av. Félix U. Camet): Free contemporary art in a concrete box on the north coast. [Museo MAR](https://www.gba.gob.ar/museo_mar?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
6. **Catedral de los Santos Pedro y Cecilia** (Cathedral · Free · Plaza San Martín): Neo-Gothic, finished in 1905, on Plaza San Martín.
7. **Faro Punta Mogotes** (Lighthouse · Punta Mogotes): The 1891 lighthouse on the southern point of the bay.

## Best beaches in Mar del Plata

Six stretches of coast, from city beach to cliffs.

1. **Playa Bristol** (City beach · Centro): The central city beach below the Casino. Crowded and convenient.
2. **La Perla** (City beach · La Perla): The locals' beach since the 1880s, a short walk north of the centre.
3. **Playa Varese** (Sheltered cove · Varese): A small sheltered cove with calm water, good for children.
4. **Playa Grande** (Surf · Beach clubs · Playa Grande): Surf schools, beach clubs and the best-kept sand in town.
5. **Punta Mogotes** (Beach clubs · Punta Mogotes): A long run of family beach clubs south of the port.
6. **Acantilados** (Wild beach · Free · Ruta 11 south): Public beaches under clay cliffs, south of the city.

## Best restaurants in Mar del Plata

Seafood at the port, pasta in town, and one ambitious room.

1. **Chichilo** (Seafood · $$ · Puerto): Port seafood canteen since 1972. Rabas with chips.
2. **Trattoria Napolitana Véspoli** (Italian · $$ · 3 de Febrero): The self-declared first sorrentinería in Argentina.
3. **Sarasanegro** (Modern · $$$ · San Martín 3458): Fish-led tasting cooking from Fernanda Sarasa and Patricio Negro, open since 2003.
4. **Parrilla Perales** (Grill · $$ · San Lorenzo 3797): The city's reference grill, dinner only.
5. **Montecatini** (Bodegón · $$ · Several branches): A classic family bodegón for big plates of pasta and milanesas.

## Best alfajores & cafes in Mar del Plata

Three names every Argentine links to the city.

1. **Havanna** (Alfajores · $ · Citywide): The alfajor brand born here in 1947. Buy a box to take home. [Website](https://www.havanna.com.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Manolo** (Churros · $ · Rivadavia, Güemes, Alem): Churros with dulce de leche, at branches from Rivadavia to the seafront.
3. **La Fonte d'Oro** (Café · $ · Peatonal San Martín): The local café chain that opened on the pedestrian street in 1966.

## Best breweries & bars in Mar del Plata

Four starting points for a night out.

1. **Antares Córdoba** (Brewpub · Córdoba 3025): The brand's first brewpub, opened in 1998.
2. **Antares Güemes** (Brewpub · Olavarría 2724): The same beer on the Güemes side, in Los Troncos.
3. **Ogham** (Pub · Olavarría): An Irish-style pub pouring local craft beer.
4. **Calle Alem** (Bar street · Playa Grande): The bar strip near Playa Grande where nights start before the clubs.

## Best neighborhoods in Mar del Plata

Four parts of the city with their own character.

1. **Los Troncos** (Residential · Playa Grande): Leafy streets of old summer chalets near Playa Grande.
2. **Güemes** (Shopping · Calle Güemes): The shopping street, with cafés and bars on the side streets.
3. **La Perla** (Old seaside quarter · La Perla): Stone chalets from 1920 to 1950, and the locals' beaches.
4. **The port** (Working port · Puerto): Fishing boats, sea lions and seafood canteens.

## Best day trips in Mar del Plata

Lagoons, hills, dunes and a racing museum within a short drive.

1. **Laguna de los Padres** (Reserve · 12 km · Ruta 226): A nature reserve lake about 12 km out on Ruta 226.
2. **Sierra de los Padres** (Hills · Ruta 226): Low hills, tea houses and walking trails past the lagoon.
3. **Mar Chiquita** (Wetland · 30 km · North coast): A coastal lagoon 30 km north, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1996. [UNESCO](https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/lac/mar-chiquita?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Miramar** (Beach town · South coast): A family resort town with a 1923 forest planted to hold the dunes.
5. **Balcarce** (Museum town · Inland, Ruta 226): Juan Manuel Fangio's home town and the museum of his cars. [Museo Fangio](https://www.museofangio.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Festivals & annual events in Mar del Plata (2026)

- **Fiesta Nacional de los Pescadores** (Late Jan): The fishing community's festival, closing with a procession by sea for San Salvador.
- **Noche de los Museos** (Feb): One summer night of free entry and late opening across the city's museums.
- **Aniversario de Mar del Plata** (10 Feb): The city marks its 1874 founding with civic events along the seafront.
- **Carnaval** (Feb or Mar): A national long weekend, so the city fills and prices peak.
- **Semana Santa** (Mar or Apr): Easter is the last busy weekend of the season, and a walk round the port is the tradition.
- **Una Noche en los Museos** (May): The province's own museum night, with the MAR among the venues.
- **Winter school holidays** (Jul): Two weeks of family visitors, theatre shows and grey, cold beach walks.
- **Festival Internacional de Cine** (Nov): Founded in 1954, Latin America's only FIAPF A-category film festival. 5 to 15 Nov in 2026.

## Must-try dishes in Mar del Plata, Argentina

- **Rabas**: Squid rings, battered and fried. The port order, with chips.
- **Sorrentinos**: Large round ravioli, usually ham and cheese. Claimed by the city.
- **Alfajor marplatense**: Two biscuits, dulce de leche, a chocolate coat. Havanna made it famous.
- **Churros con dulce de leche**: Filled churros, eaten hot. A cold-day classic at Manolo.
- **Medialunas**: Small sweet croissants, the local breakfast with a café con leche.
- **Filet de merluza**: Hake, the port's main catch, fried or grilled.
- **Postre Balcarce**: Sponge, cream, meringue and dulce de leche, born in nearby Balcarce.
- **Asado**: Beef and offal from the grill, the Argentine constant.

## Mar del Plata transport & airports

- **Astor Piazzolla International** (MDQ): About 8 km north of the centre at Camet, with flights mainly from Buenos Aires. Taxis wait outside the terminal and take around 20 minutes to the centre. [Website](https://www.aa2000.com.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Train from Buenos Aires** (Rail): Trenes Argentinos runs from Plaza Constitución in about six hours, with more departures in summer. Book ahead for January and long weekends. [Trenes Argentinos](https://www.argentina.gob.ar/transporte/trenes-argentinos?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Estación Ferroautomotora** (Bus): The combined train and coach station is the arrival point for long-distance buses from Buenos Aires and the rest of the coast.
- **City buses** (City): The municipal network takes the national SUBE card, and also bank cards, phones and watches tapped at the reader. The coast itself is easy on foot.

## Mar del Plata at a glance

- **Country:** Argentina
- **Region:** Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires Province, seat of General Pueyrredon partido
- **Population:** 682,605 in General Pueyrredon partido (2022 national census)
- **Founded:** 10 February 1874
- **Nickname:** La Feliz, and La Perla del Atlántico
- **Language:** Spanish
- **Currency:** Argentine peso (ARS)
- **Time zone:** Argentina Time (UTC−3), no daylight saving
- **Calling code:** +54 223
- **Airports:** Astor Piazzolla International (MDQ)
- **Power:** 220 V, 50 Hz, plug types C and I
- **Emergency:** 911

## Interesting facts

- The Casino Central opened on 22 December 1939, one of two twin blocks Alejandro Bustillo designed.
- The film festival, founded in 1954, is Latin America's only one with FIAPF A-category status.
- Havanna was founded here in 1947, and the city has declared the alfajor part of its heritage.
- The Torreón del Monje dates from 1904. The monk of its legend was made up afterwards.
- The city claims sorrentinos, a pasta most of the world has never heard of.

## Mar del Plata travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Mar del Plata?

Two or three. One day for the Rambla, the Torreón and the port, one for the villas of Los Troncos and a beach, and a third for Laguna de los Padres, Mar Chiquita or Balcarce. In January a fourth beach day is what most Argentines take.

### When is the best time to visit Mar del Plata?

January and February for full beach life, crowds included. December and March are calmer and cheaper, and the sea is still warmest in late summer. Winter is cold and grey, but the museums, the port and the November film festival run regardless.

### How do you get from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata?

By coach or train, about 400 km south. Coaches leave Retiro through the day and arrive at the Estación Ferroautomotora; the train from Plaza Constitución takes about six hours. Short flights land at Astor Piazzolla airport, 8 km north.

### Can you swim at Mar del Plata?

Yes, in summer. The water averages about 20 to 22°C in January and drops near 10°C in July. Swim at beaches with lifeguards, keep to the flagged zones, and pick Varese or Waikiki for calmer water.

### Where should you stay in Mar del Plata?

The centre, near Playa Bristol and Plaza San Martín, for walking everywhere. Playa Grande and Los Troncos for quieter streets and the better beach. La Perla for value close to the sea.

## Nearby guides

- [Montevideo](https://wimup.com/city/montevideo.md): Uruguay · 10 picks
- [Buenos Aires](https://wimup.com/city/buenos-aires.md): Argentina · 10 picks
- [Punta del Este](https://wimup.com/city/punta-del-este.md): Uruguay · 10 picks
- [All of South America →](https://wimup.com/south-america): 39 cities

Part of the [Argentina guide](https://wimup.com/country/argentina.md) · [South America](https://wimup.com/south-america.md)

## Sources

- [Mar del Plata tourism board](https://www.turismomardelplata.gob.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [See what is on at the Museo MAR: Museo MAR](https://www.gba.gob.ar/museo_mar?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Havanna (official site)](https://www.havanna.com.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Mar Chiquita: UNESCO](https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/lac/mar-chiquita?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Balcarce: Museo Fangio](https://www.museofangio.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Astor Piazzolla International (official site)](https://www.aa2000.com.ar/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Train from Buenos Aires: Trenes Argentinos](https://www.argentina.gob.ar/transporte/trenes-argentinos?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.