What to do in San Antonio, all the details about one of the towns in Buenos Aires that receives the greatest amount of tourism.
Known as the “Cradle of Tradition”, it has endless options to disconnect from routine, rest and discover many places.
San Antonio de Areco is located 113km from the center of Buenos Aires, precisely to the north of the territory and was founded in the year 1730. In 2015, it was awarded the title of National Capital of Tradition, for being a space of uses and customs.
With low houses, Creole flavors, wide and clear skies, bridges over the river and a lot of tradition, it is the ideal setting for a relaxed walk. This place offers the ideal combo to enjoy a whole day, or even to stay a weekend in one of its ranches and immerse yourself in the country tradition.
You can get there in different ways: By car, through Panamericana Ramal Pilar, until km 68 where you must take National Route 8, km 113, where you will find the entrance to San Antonio de Areco. By bus, you can take the Chevallier bus by following this link. By train, from Retiro, taking the Mitre Train to the Vagués station. For public transport, remember that you must have the SUBE Card. We tell you everything here!
Now, let’s see what to do in San Antonio de Areco:
Historic Helmet
We will start the tour through its main square Ruiz de Arellano, where you can visit the San Antonio de Padua Parish. It stands out for having been built when the city began to be created in 1730 and has European materials from the first conquerors. For this reason, it is considered a living testimony of that time. Both its exterior and its interior will leave you speechless, given its architectural beauty.
Next to the Parish, you will find the Old Municipal House, which today serves as the Deliberative Council and the School of Fine Arts. In front of the Parish, you will see an old colonial-style building from 1885, home to one of the most important families, the Laplacette Family. Today, it is where the Municipality is located. In addition, you will see the Civil Registry and the Police Station, along with three historic bars: El Mitre, El Tokio and Esquina de Merti.
In one of its corners, you can access the Tourist Information Office and a place that rents bicycles, in case you want to pedal through the streets of the town. At the tourist office, you can access the most important activities so you don’t miss a thing!
Bank of Areco
Between the main Plaza and the River, you will find several shops with antiques and handicrafts, as well as beautiful country houses and restaurants. For this reason, we recommend you go with your eyes wide open to delight them on the route to the Areco River.
Next to this river, you will see an area with barbecue areas and huge parks. It has a craft market on weekends and public baths.
This site is ideal to rest and enjoy the banks of the river.
Old Bridge
Icon of this place, it was built in 1857 to make communication between the shores of the Areco River easier. At one time, a toll was charged for anyone who wanted to cross it, plus it only operated during the day and was locked with chains at night.
Clearly, that stopped happening and now it is free transit.
Ricardo Güiraldes Gaucho Museum
This museum is located in an old farmhouse, which was accessed by a drawbridge erected over a ditch that protected the site against attacks by querandíes.
It dates from the year 1936, when the mayor José Güiraldes decided to recreate the culture and life of the 18th century hacienda, leaving the name of the famous writer, whose brother he was.
You can visit this museum from Thursday to Monday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You must pay an entry, but reservations are not made. Here is their website for more information.
Criollo Park Nature Reserve
Surrounding the Museum, there is this beautiful park where you can take many pictures, since it is the ideal place!
The Reserve was created in 2020, declared as Environmental Heritage of San Antonio de Areco. The objective of this site is to preserve the Natural Grassland and the Talar of the area. In turn, it conserves species and population of native biota, acts as an open classroom for environmental education, maintains biological diversity, preserves tradition and culture, promotes low-impact tourism and recreation, in addition to valuing fauna. and native flora, conserve and investigate.
It has scheduled visits, whose hours and days you should check at the Office of the Areco Tourism Department.
Historical Bars
With a huge gastronomic proposal, you can enjoy from breakfast to dinner, with different options in its historic bars, which can be toured on guided tours from the Tourism Department.
On the walls of the stores or grocery stores, you will find the secret of an enormous gastronomic variety where flavors of tradition, land and customs are mixed. Pizzerias, restaurants, cafes and bars will give you a different experience, where you will delight your palate in a big way!
Artisans
If you enjoy handicrafts and you like this gaucho characteristic, you cannot miss visiting the Draghi Family Museum and Silver Workshop, which has been open since 1960.
Variety of gaucho shooters, facones, riding pieces, stirrups and whips, you will find different places with more than 30 silversmiths that are housed in this city. In turn, saddlers, potters, rope workers and weavers join the list of artisans who will dazzle you with their products.
Field Day
As you may have noticed, San Antonio de Areco is a town where country life is breathed. For this reason, it has several options to stay in its estancias, experiencing a unique and authentic day in the country.
In this way, you will be immersed in the culture of the gaucho of the Pampas, you will enjoy the traditional life indoors, as well as taking moments of relaxation and contact with nature. Here we leave you the featured options!
Before the declaration of independence, it became a town of European immigrants who mixed with the gauchos of the region. Thus, customs and traditions arose that, even today, are maintained and shared with pride. For this reason, every November, the National Festival of Tradition is held.
It is a destination that will surprise you with its culture, its beauty and its history, to disconnect from the routine and the already known!
To find out about other getaways you can do in Buenos Aires, follow this link.
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