Rough Guide to Argentina
Few countries have as much to offer as Argentina.
I updated the Rough Guide to Argentina and am so happy how it turned out! Get 30% off the Rough Guide to Argentina with my author code AUTHOR0018 in their online store.
So much more than Patagonia.
I love Patagonia and made sure that all my favorite places are listed in the guidebook and that everywhere is completely updated for 2026. Above are some of my favorite spots around El Calafate, El Chaltén and Ushuaia. Argentina is most famous for its beautiful Patagonian landscapes, but it has a lot more to offer.
Here’s just a few of my favorite things that I got to update in the Rough Guide!
Any trip to Argentina has to include Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires is a magnificent city, with impressive architecture, a lively arts scene, some of the best restaurants in the world and more fascinating museums than you could possibly see on your first visit. I particularly loved the bookshops and cafés – and how many I found that were a combination of the two. One Buenos Aires landmark you must visit is El Ateneo, a former theater which is now one of the best bookshops in the world.
Argentine pesos
Before going to Argentina, research the current exchange rate - and check again a week before the trip because it changes frequently. Also research if it’s better to bring cash to exchange or to withdraw from banks. For me, it was always better to exchange cash USD for pesos.
When I update a Rough Guide, I make sure all the information about restaurants, hotels, museums, tour agencies and destinations is accurate. That includes removing businesses that have closed and tracking down the new address for ones that have moved. I also crosscheck reviews to be sure that quality hasn’t slipped since it was added to the Rough Guide and remove businesses that are no longer recommendable.
I also get to add businesses that I know are top-notch, like the hotels above: Arakur Resort and Los Ñires in Ushuaia and Pristine Camps in the Salinas Grandes salt flats in Argentina’s far northern deserts.
There’s a lot of information to update on outdoor activities.
I check trail maps and information for hikes and overnight backpacking routes, adding new trails and modifying or deleting ones that have changed or closed due to avalanches, wildfires, landslides or other natural disasters.
Rafting in Patagonia
I updated information for hiking, rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and all kinds of outdoor activities. I took this photo when I went rafting near Ushuaia.
Lithium mine protests
As travelers, we need to understand the environmental concerns in the places we visit - and how to not exacerbate existing problems.
I add hidden gems like Castillo San Carlos, where the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry crashed his plane and found the inspiration for the characters of The Little Prince. The fox and snake were right out of Castillo San Carlos, in Concordia, Entre Ríos and the rose he found in Buenos Aires. Read my article about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Argentine inspiration in The Little Prince.
Understanding Argentine history
I updated information about monuments like this one in Tilcara for the victims of Argentina’s “Dirty War” and the Indigenous victims of genocide since 1492.
I had this grilled hake with locally grown peas and arugula at Arakur Resort, in Ushuaia.
Foodies love Argentina.
No guidebook is complete without recommendations on what and where to eat. I updated the restaurant listings for over a hundred cities and towns throughout Argentina, plus recommendations on what to eat in each region.
Souvenir shopping in Argentina
Every guidebook will tell you to go shopping in Buenos Aires, but in the Rough Guide I updated recommendations for small town markets and how to buy souvenirs directly from the people who make them, especially in rural areas with community tourism.
There are so many wonderful places in Argentina that the guidebook is over 500 pages. You can buy the paperback or ebook in the Rough Guide Shop.
Every trip to Argentina needs to start with the Rough Guide to Argentina.
