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Ushuaia, Argentina, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
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Top 10 Things To Do in Ushuaia

Country
Argentina
Best months
Nov · Dec · Feb · Mar
Population
80,371
Language
Spanish
Budget / day
$120–200
Quick answer

Give Ushuaia three days and spend one in Tierra del Fuego National Park, where Ruta Nacional 3 ends and the Senda Costera runs eight kilometres along the shore. Spend the second on the water: a Beagle Channel sailing past the sea lions to the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. Keep the third for the old prison and a table with centolla on it.

Best of Ushuaia

▶ Video guide Open the film page (8:07) →

Ushuaia sits below the 54th parallel south, wedged between the Martial range and the Beagle Channel, and it has spent its whole life being the last stop before somewhere harder. A penal colony built the town, the Navy inherited it, and expedition ships made it the busiest departure point on earth for Antarctica.

The 10 best things to do in Ushuaia

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Argentina (Wimup)
1

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego

National park· Ruta Nacional 3, 12 km west of Ushuaia

The only Argentine national park that meets the sea, and arranged so a day on foot is possible without a guide. The Senda Costera is the walk to take: eight kilometres along the shore with the channel on your left the whole way. Ruta Nacional 3 ends here, and the sign saying so is the most photographed object on the island.

TimeHalf day to full day
CostNational park entry fee
Best atEarly morning
TipRegister at the Alakush visitor centre before you start Cerro Guanaco
↗ WebsiteMap
Beagle Channel sailing to Les Eclaireurs, Ushuaia, Argentina
2

Beagle Channel sailing to Les Eclaireurs

Boat trip· Muelle Turístico, Avenida Maipú, Ushuaia

The classic half day, and the one activity no substitute covers. Catamarans work east to the sea lion haul-out and the cormorant colonies before circling the 1920 lighthouse. It is sold as the lighthouse at the end of the world, although the light that gave Jules Verne his title stood further east.

Time3 to 5 hrs
CostBoat fare
Best atAfternoon departure for the light
TipTake the afternoon sailing if the forecast is clear
↗ WebsiteMap
Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia, Ushuaia, Argentina
3

Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia

Museum· Yaganes 199, Ushuaia

The town exists because of this building. The prison was finished in 1920 with 380 cells and closed in 1947. It has been left deliberately raw: one wing restored, another preserved with the paint coming off in sheets. The ticket covers three more museums and is valid for two days.

Time2 to 3 hrs
CostMuseum ticket, valid two days
Best atLate afternoon
TipTickets are sold at the museum rather than online
↗ WebsiteMap
Isla Martillo penguin colony and Estancia Harberton, Ushuaia, Argentina
4

Isla Martillo penguin colony and Estancia Harberton

Wildlife· Ruta Complementaria J, 85 km east of Ushuaia

Eighty-five kilometres east on a road that turns to gravel sits the oldest farm in Tierra del Fuego, still run by the missionary's descendants, and the only gateway to the penguins. One operator holds the concession to land on the island, which is why it sells out weeks ahead in January.

TimeFull day
CostEstancia entry plus tour or boat fare
Best atOctober to April
TipBook the landing directly with Piratour
↗ WebsiteMap
5

Tren del Fin del Mundo

Railway· Estación del Fin del Mundo, Ruta Nacional 3, 8 km west of Ushuaia

More interesting than its souvenir reputation, because the line it runs on is the prison's: convicts built it from 1910 to haul timber, and the service ran until 1952. The commentary handles the history without dressing it up, and the stop at Cascada Macarena is where you stand in the stumps they left.

Time2 hrs including transfers
CostTrain ticket
Best atFirst departure
TipRide the train one way into the park and arrange your transfer to collect you at the far end
↗ WebsiteMap
Laguna Esmeralda, Ushuaia, Argentina
6

Laguna Esmeralda

Hike· Valle de Tierra Mayor, Ruta Nacional 3, 18 km northeast of Ushuaia

The best half-day walk in the region and the one every local sends you on: nine kilometres there and back through beech forest and peat bog to a lagoon coloured by glacial flour. The climb is gentle and the difficulty is entirely underfoot, because the bog turns to deep mud after rain.

Time4 to 5 hrs
CostFree
Best atMorning
TipWear boots you are willing to ruin
↗ WebsiteMap
Glaciar Martial, Ushuaia, Argentina (Wimup)
7

Glaciar Martial

Viewpoint· Camino Luis Fernando Martial, Ushuaia

The balcony directly above town. The glacier has retreated badly, so come for the view rather than the ice: the city, the bay, the channel and the Chilean islands in one frame. The chairlift has been out of service for years, so the climb starts at the base and takes about ninety minutes.

Time3 hrs return
CostFree
Best atClear mornings
TipDo not plan around the chairlift
Map
Cerro Castor, Ushuaia, Argentina (Wimup)
8

Cerro Castor

Ski resort· Ruta Nacional 3 km 26, Ushuaia

The southernmost ski resort in the world, and the reason Ushuaia has a second high season. The base sits at 195 metres and the summit at 1,057, so you ski from treeline to almost sea level, and the latitude keeps the snow dry. Northern hemisphere teams train here in their off-season.

TimeFull day
CostLift ticket
Best atJuly to September
TipUshuaia's own hotels are cheaper than the mountain packages and the shuttle from the centre takes half an hour, so there is little reason to stay out at the base.
↗ WebsiteMap
Museo del Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, Argentina (Wimup)
9

Museo del Fin del Mundo

Museum· Avenida Maipú 173, Ushuaia

The provincial museum, and the counterweight to the prison, in the old bank building of 1915. It covers what the penal colony overshadows: the Yámana and Selk'nam peoples, the sealers, the shipwrecks. The same ticket opens the old government house four blocks away.

Time1 to 2 hrs
CostMuseum ticket
Best atWeekday morning
TipCheck the day before you go
↗ WebsiteMap
Puerto Almanza and the Ruta de la Centolla, Ushuaia, Argentina
10

Puerto Almanza and the Ruta de la Centolla

Food· Puerto Almanza, Ruta Provincial J, 75 km east of Ushuaia

Seventy-five kilometres east, the fishing settlement that supplies the town's king crab, looking across at Chilean Puerto Williams. Its few restaurants sell centolla straight off the boats at prices no Ushuaia kitchen can match. The drive beside the Lasifashaj river is the other half of the appeal.

TimeHalf day
CostLunch, plus car hire or tour
Best atMidday
TipReserve the table before you drive out
Map

8 of the 10, mapped

Ushuaia · 8 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

Ushuaia travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Ushuaia?+
Three full days covers the essentials: one in Tierra del Fuego National Park, one on the Beagle Channel, and one for the town, its museums and a proper meal. Add a fourth if you want the long day east to the penguins on Isla Martillo, or if you are skiing, since Cerro Castor is a full day on its own.
When is the best time to visit Ushuaia?+
November to March is the summer season: long daylight, open trails, the penguin colony occupied and the Antarctic ships sailing. December and January are the busiest and most expensive. For snow, come between late June and late September, when Cerro Castor and the Tierra Mayor valley are running and the town holds its winter festivals.
Is Ushuaia the southernmost city in the world?+
Ushuaia is generally given the title, and with 80,371 people at the 2022 census it is by far the largest settlement at this latitude. Puerto Williams in Chile lies further south across the Beagle Channel, but it is a naval town of a few thousand, so the claim turns on where you draw the line between a town and a city.
Can you visit Antarctica from Ushuaia?+
Yes. Ushuaia's commercial wharf is the busiest embarkation point in the world for the Antarctic Peninsula, and the crossing of the Drake Passage takes roughly two days each way. Voyages run from about October to March and last ten days or more. Discounted berths sometimes appear when a ship is short.
Do you need a car in Ushuaia?+
Not for the centre, which is walkable, and not for the national park, the channel or Cerro Castor, all of which are served by shuttles and tours. A car earns its keep if you want the eastern road to Estancia Harberton and Puerto Almanza on your own schedule, or the drive north over Paso Garibaldi to Lago Fagnano.
Beyond the top 10

Best restaurants in Ushuaia

Six kitchens worth planning an evening around, from a French chef above the bay to a general store that never stopped trading.
Antártida Argentina 57

Kalma Restó

Fuegian

The most ambitious kitchen in town, treating Fuegian ingredients as a cuisine rather than a novelty: centolla, black hake, lamb, mushrooms and native berries.

↗ WebsiteMap
Roca 470

Kaupé

Seafood

A house on the slope above the centre, run by the same family for decades, and the address Argentines name when they talk about eating in Ushuaia.

Map
Avenida Luis Fernando Martial 2135

Chez Manu

French

French technique applied to Fuegian produce, on the Martial road with a panorama of the bay. The chef smokes his own fish. A taxi ride rather than a walk.

↗ WebsiteMap
Gobernador Deloqui 1048

María Lola Restó

Argentine

A dependable modern Argentine dining room with the channel in the windows: black hake and crab from the water, Patagonian lamb from the island.

Map
Avenida Maipú 749

Ramos Generales El Almacén

Café and bakery

A restored general store on the waterfront, full of period fittings, working now as a bakery and café. The most comfortable place in town to sit out weather.

↗ WebsiteMap
Avenida San Martín 859

Bodegón Fueguino

Patagonian grill

A century-old house turned into a warm, wood-lined dining room, and the answer when you want Fuegian lamb without a tasting-menu evening.

Map
After dark

Best bars and breweries in Ushuaia

Four rooms that carry the town's drinking history, including the world's southernmost brewery.
Héroes de Malvinas 4160

Cerveza Beagle

Brewery

The southernmost brewery on the planet, brewing here since the 1990s. You will find it on tap across town before you find the plant itself.

↗ WebsiteMap
9 de Julio 168

Dublin Irish Pub

Pub

The default late room in Ushuaia and the one that fills first, pouring the local beers. Where expedition crews head the night before a Drake crossing.

Map
Avenida San Martín 393

Bar Ideal

Historic bar

The oldest bar in town, opened in 1951 and still hung with the photographs and oddments of the decades since. A piece of the city's record.

Map
Avenida Perito Moreno 2232

Küar Resto Bar

Bar with a view

East of the centre with a wall of glass facing the channel and its own beers on tap. The reason to make the trip is the light at the end of a long summer day.

Map
Indoor days

Best museums in Ushuaia

Four collections covering the prison, the province, the Yámana and the century of settlement between them.
Museo Marítimo y del PresidioYaganes 199

Museo Marítimo y del Presidio

Prison and maritime

The prison complex, and the deepest collection in town, on one ticket valid two days. Start with the unrestored wing while you still have the attention.

↗ WebsiteMap
Museo del Fin del MundoAvenida Maipú 173

Museo del Fin del Mundo

Provincial history

The provincial museum in the old bank building of 1915, covering natural history, the indigenous peoples and the shipwrecks. Closed Sundays.

↗ WebsiteMap
Museo YámanaRivadavia 56

Museo Yámana

Indigenous history

Given entirely to the canoe people who lived along the Beagle Channel for thousands of years. The clearest account in town of how this coast was inhabited.

Map
Avenida San Martín 152

Galería Temática Historia Fueguina

Interpretive

A privately run walk-through of Fuegian history staged as life-size scenes. Theatrical rather than scholarly, and the easiest option with children.

Map
On the water

Best Beagle Channel trips from Ushuaia

Four ways off the pier, from a half-day catamaran to the crossing that ends in Antarctica.
Sea lions, cormorants and Les EclaireursMuelle Turístico, Avenida Maipú

Sea lions, cormorants and Les Eclaireurs

3 to 4 hrs

The standard half-day catamaran run east to the sea lion and cormorant colonies and around the 1920 lighthouse, morning and afternoon.

↗ WebsiteMap
The penguin landing on Isla MartilloRuta Complementaria J, 85 km east

The penguin landing on Isla Martillo

Full day, Oct to Apr

The long day east to Estancia Harberton and onto the island, where more than 10,000 Magellanic penguins nest. The only way to walk among them.

↗ WebsiteMap
Sea kayaking on the channelBahía Lapataia and Ushuaia bay

Sea kayaking on the channel

Half day

Guided paddles on sheltered water around the bay and in the national park. Colder than a catamaran, and much closer to the shoreline and the kelp.

↗ WebsiteMap
Antarctic expedition departuresMuelle Comercial, Puerto de Ushuaia

Antarctic expedition departures

10 days and up, Oct to Mar

The busiest embarkation point in the world for the Antarctic Peninsula. The season runs October to March, and last-minute berths surface when a ship sails short.

↗ WebsiteMap
On foot

Best hikes in and around Ushuaia

Four walks, from an hour on the shoreline to a glacier lagoon that takes most of a day.
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego

Senda Costera

8 km, 4 hrs

Eight kilometres along the shore of the national park, mostly flat, through beech forest and past Yámana shell middens. The best introduction on foot.

↗ WebsiteMap
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego

Cerro Guanaco

4 km each way, steep

The park's hard walk: four kilometres straight up through forest, bog and scree to a summit above the treeline. Registration is compulsory and enforced.

↗ WebsiteMap
Laguna EsmeraldaRuta Nacional 3, 18 km northeast

Laguna Esmeralda

9 km return, 4 to 5 hrs

The region's most walked trail, nine kilometres return to a glacial lagoon under the Ojo del Albino. Free, and famously muddy in the middle section.

↗ WebsiteMap
Bahía Lapataia short loopsBahía Lapataia, national park

Bahía Lapataia short loops

0.5 to 2 km each

At the end of Ruta Nacional 3, a cluster of walks under two kilometres each, boardwalked and level. The right call when the weather closes in.

↗ WebsiteMap
June to September

Best winter sports in Ushuaia

Four ways to use the snow, from the world's southernmost lift-served skiing to a dog sled in the valley.
Alpine skiing at Cerro CastorRuta Nacional 3 km 26

Alpine skiing at Cerro Castor

Downhill

34 runs across twelve lifts, from a base at 195 metres to a 1,057 metre summit. Generally late June to late September, with race teams training through it.

↗ WebsiteMap
Cross-country skiing in the Valle de Tierra MayorValle de Tierra Mayor, Ruta Nacional 3

Cross-country skiing in the Valle de Tierra Mayor

Nordic

The wide valley northeast of town is where the nordic skiing happens, with groomed tracks run by the winter centres along Ruta Nacional 3.

↗ WebsiteMap
Valle de Tierra Mayor

Dog sledding in the valley

Sled

Several winter centres keep husky teams and run sled trips over the snow. Book through the centre, and expect the schedule to move with conditions.

↗ WebsiteMap
Camino Luis Fernando Martial

Beginner slopes on the Martial

Beginner

The slope above the city doubles as a winter learning hill, with sledging and beginner skiing. The low-commitment option when Castor is a whole expedition.

Map
Out of town

Best day trips from Ushuaia

Five trips beyond the city limits, none of them more than a couple of hours out on Ruta Nacional 3.
Paso Garibaldi and Lago EscondidoRuta Nacional 3

Paso Garibaldi and Lago Escondido

46 km north

The road climbs to Argentina's southernmost mountain pass and a viewpoint over two lakes at once. A gravel spur drops to the shore beyond it.

Map
Tolhuin, Ruta Nacional 3

Tolhuin and Lago Fagnano

1.5 hrs north

The island's third town at the head of the largest lake in Tierra del Fuego, an hour and a half north. A working timber town rather than a resort.

Map
Estancia Harberton and the Museo AcatushúnRuta Complementaria J

Estancia Harberton and the Museo Acatushún

85 km east

The oldest farm in Tierra del Fuego, founded in the 1880s and still in the family, with a research collection of marine mammal skeletons.

↗ WebsiteMap
Puerto Almanza

Puerto Almanza crab lunch

75 km east

Ninety minutes east, a fishing settlement where the centolla is landed and eaten the same afternoon. Book before you set out: the restaurants are small.

Map
Lago Roca and the Chilean borderParque Nacional Tierra del Fuego

Lago Roca and the Chilean border

Inside the park

Inside the national park, a road runs northwest to the border marker where Argentina stops. A gentle lakeside walk, and far fewer people than Lapataia.

↗ WebsiteMap
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Ushuaia (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
Jun

Fiesta Nacional de la Noche Más Larga

The festival of the longest night, around the winter solstice, with concerts and street events.

Jun – Jul

Cerro Castor season opening

The southernmost lift-served skiing on earth generally opens in the last days of June and runs to late September.

Aug

Marchablanca

A 21 kilometre classic cross-country ski race through the Tierra Mayor valley, open to citizen skiers rather than only to racers.

Aug

Ushuaia Loppet

A 42 kilometre classic cross-country marathon held every August since 1986, and the southernmost race on the Worldloppet calendar.

Oct

Aniversario de Ushuaia

The city marks its founding on 12 October 1884 with a parade and a month of concerts and fairs.

Oct – Mar

Antarctic expedition season

Expedition ships work the Antarctic Peninsula out of the commercial wharf through the austral summer, and prices follow them.

Oct – Apr

Penguin season on Isla Martillo

The Magellanic colony occupies the island from roughly October to April, with chicks in January and February.

Dec

Ushuaia Trail Race

Mountain trail running over 9, 15, 21 and 42 kilometre courses in the hills above the city, over a weekend in December.

Getting around

Ushuaia transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.
USH

Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International Airport

Four kilometres south of the centre, and the practical way in: daily flights from Buenos Aires plus El Calafate and Córdoba. There is no airport bus, so it is a taxi, about ten minutes.

↗ WebsiteMap
Road

Ruta Nacional 3

The only road in, and it ends here, at Bahía Lapataia inside the national park. Driving from the mainland means crossing into Chile and back, with four border posts and a permit if the car is hired.

↗ WebsiteMap
Local

City buses, taxis and remises

The centre is small enough to walk end to end. There is no train. Taxis are metered and remises quote a fixed price up front, which is the better deal for a trailhead run.

↗ WebsiteMap
Port

Puerto de Ushuaia

Multipurpose: cruise calls, fishing boats and the resupply of the Antarctic bases share it. The tourist pier at the foot of Avenida Maipú is where the Beagle Channel catamarans leave from.

↗ WebsiteMap
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Ushuaia, Argentina

The classics to order before you leave.
Cordero fueguino, Ushuaia (Wimup travel guide)

Cordero fueguino

Fuegian lamb, cooked al asador, splayed on an iron cross over embers for hours.

Merluza negra, Ushuaia (Wimup travel guide)

Merluza negra

Patagonian toothfish, sold abroad as Chilean sea bass. What to order when the crab is out of season.

Centolla

Southern king crab from the Beagle Channel, and the dish Ushuaia is known for.

Cholgas y mejillones

Giant ribbed mussels and their smaller cousins, steamed in white wine or baked with breadcrumbs.

Calafate

The Patagonian barberry, sharp and dark, turned into jam, ice cream and a liqueur.

Chocolate artesanal

Chocolate shops line Avenida San Martín, most filling with a submarino, a bar dropped into hot milk.

Trucha fueguina

Trout from the island's rivers, smoked in-house at several kitchens or grilled whole.

Guiso and cazuela

Slow, wintery stews of lamb, beans and root vegetables, and the food this climate actually built.

Ushuaia fact sheet

Ushuaia at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Argentina
Region
Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur
Population
80,371 (2022 national census)
Founded
12 October 1884
Nickname
Fin del Mundo, the end of the world
Language
Spanish
Currency
Argentine peso (ARS)
Time zone
ART, UTC−3, no daylight saving
Calling code
+54 2901
Airports
Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International (USH), 4 km from the centre
Power
220V, 50Hz, plug types C and I
Emergency
911
Ideal length
3–4 days
Getting around
Walk the centre, taxis and remises for trailheads
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Ruta Nacional 3, which runs the length of Argentina, does not end in a town. It stops at Bahía Lapataia inside the national park.
  • The town was built by its prison: construction began in 1902, it was finished in 1920 with 380 cells, and it closed in 1947.
  • Cerro Castor is the southernmost ski resort in the world, and its base station sits at just 195 metres above sea level.
  • Isla Martillo holds more than 10,000 Magellanic penguins alongside roughly 100 gentoos.
  • The Les Eclaireurs lighthouse is sold everywhere as the lighthouse at the end of the world.

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