Holiday travel this season will mean more people using their own vehicles and staying in hotels and motels.
23.10.2024 - 17:45 / lonelyplanet.com
Oct 23, 2024 • 5 min read
Buenos Aires has so much going on that you could spend a lifetime trying – and failing – to experience it all. It’s an intoxicating place that pulls you in and holds on with a magnetic grip. And that’s not all: within the space of a day trip, you can taste more of what Argentina and its neighbors have to offer.
These are our five favorite day trips from Buenos Aires.
Travel time: 50 minutes by car, 1 hour by train, 2 hours by boat
The town of Tigre is the gateway to the Paraná Delta, a vast network of muddy waterways and lush green islands that can be accessed only by boat or kayak. Islanders live in stilt houses reached via rickety wooden jetties, where lanchas colectivas (public transport boats) stop on request. The best way to explore the Delta is to rent a kayak or take a tour, and enjoy a few blissful hours paddling under overhanging branches to a soundtrack of birdsong and passing motorboats.
When hunger strikes, pull up at the jetty of a low-key parrilla (a restaurant specializing in grilled food). In Tigre town (and accessible on foot as well as by boat) is the Museo de Arte, a lovely belle-époque building that now houses the work of some of Argentina’s most celebrated artists.
How to get to Tigre from Buenos Aires: Tigre is a 50-minute drive from Buenos Aires or an inexpensive one-hour train trip from Retiro station. The most scenic way to reach Tigre is by boat from Puerto Madero (two hours).
Travel time: 1.5 hours by car, 2 hours by bus
The prosperous pampas town of San Antonio de Areco is the perfect place to channel your inner gaucho. (These nomadic, cowboy-like figures are known for their horse-riding skills and for being the heroes of Argentine folk tales.) These days, the gaucho’s modern-day descendants can be spotted in their boinas (traditional berets) on horseback around Areco’s elegant town plaza or in one of its dusty bars, such as the Boliche de Bessonart.
The best place to try horseback riding and see displays of gaucho horsemanship is on a day visit to an estancia (ranch); Estancia el Ombú de Areco is a good option. If you want to learn more about gaucho history and folklore, don’t miss the Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes.
The highlight of the year is November’s Fiesta de la Tradición, during which gauchos gather to compete with daring displays of horsemanship. Live folk music and dancing continues late into the night.
How to get to San Antonio de Areco from Buenos Aires: From Buenos Aires, San Antonio de Areco is a 1½-hour journey by car and around 2 hours by bus. Estancia day visits often include private transport to and from Buenos Aires.
Travel time: 1 hour and 15 minutes by ferry
It’s easy to see why the pretty Uruguayan town of Colonia is such a
Holiday travel this season will mean more people using their own vehicles and staying in hotels and motels.
Planning a vacation for the week between Christmas and New Years can feel anything but festive. Hotel and rental rates are generally at their peak, many properties require weeklong or 10-night minimums and rooms book up fast. But below are 15 great hotels in enticing destinations that — at press time — still have openings for at least a few days between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1 and, while minimum stays vary widely during that period, many of the places included here don’t insist on more than a two- or three-night stay. (The rates listed below are for Christmas week.) Better still, use this list as inspiration for a getaway in January, February or early spring and enjoy the perks of shoulder season: lower prices and fewer tourists.
The city of Venice will double the cost of its day trip fee next year for last-minute travelers and increase the number of days travelers need to pay in the second iteration of the program intended to combat overtourism.
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Venice is committing to its pioneering tourist entry fees, expanding the program to 54 days in 2025 after a successful trial run this year.
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People used to strive simply to live as long as possible, but in recent years, that goal has taken on a new dimension: How long can you live in good health? “The focus now is on health span, not life span,” said Dr. Frank Lipman, a co-author of the 2020 book “The New Rules of Aging Well.” “We generally talk about extending someone’s life, but what’s the use if they’re suffering and disabled and can’t enjoy what they have?”
From Venice and Amsterdam to Maine and Key West, popular tourist destinations are taking a hard look at cruise ship traffic and the crowds and environmental pressures they generate.
Low-cost Breeze Airways is running a limited-time promotion with 40 percent off round-trip bookings through next May — making it the perfect time to plan travel into the new year.
It's that time of year again: The holiday season is nearly upon us. Consider this your call to start booking those holiday trips.
Happy Saturday! Gen Z is redefining yet another term, and this time, it's "lavender marriage." A phrase once reserved for the LGBTQ+ community is now being used to describe young people who are sick of being broke and living alone.
Oct 18, 2024 • 5 min read