Escape from Downtown Buenos Aires
Tigre is the perfect day trip from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and be met with Amazon River-esque nature just a 40-50 minute train ride away.
There aren’t loads of things to do in Tigre, but it’s easy to have a good time. The best thing to do in Tigre is definitely taking a boat ride down the Tigre Delta, which can be done in a variety of ways, depending on your travel style and budget. There are also cool museums and a great market to explore once you’re back on land! This travel guide will tell you what to do in Tigre, how to get there, and our honest opinions of the Buenos Aires “suburb”.
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The Best Things to do in Tigre
1. Take a Boat Ride Down the Tigre Delta
Exploring the Tigre Delta is the most important thing to do on a day trip to Tigre. The delta is one of the largest in the world and has a complex system of over 350 streams. The communities that live here truly live on the water. Instead of grocery stores, hospitals, schools, and anything else you can think of that a city has, there are specific boats that provide the necessary services.
If you aren’t interested exploring Tigre and just want some time on the water, check out this boat tour from Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires to the Tigre Delta.
If you do plan on visiting Tigre, there are two main options for your boat tour: public or private. The public boat tours are much cheaper and bigger, you can simply show up to Terminal Fluvial, purchase a boat ticket for about 8 USD, and go on a one hour tour through the waterways. The other option is to go on a private tour for longer, on a nicer, faster, and smaller boat. On a private tour, you’ll go to the depths of the Tigre Delta, experience the true wilderness, swim, have a few drinks, but obviously pay more. If we could do it again, we would do the latter, although the 1-hour boat tour was still fun!
You can also rent kayaks at various places along the river, which is great if you fancy a workout!
Book your private tour of the Tigre Delta here!
2. Visit Tigre’s Stunning Art Museum
If a boat ride down the Tigre Delta is the best thing to do in the Tigre region, the art museum (or Museo de Arte) is the best thing to do in downtown Tigre. You don’t have to be an art fanatic to appreciate the art here, and the building is absolutely gorgeous!
There are also some interesting sculptures in the garden, and you can go out on the terraces from inside the building!
The art museum is open from 1 pm to 6 pm Wednesday-Friday, noon to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entrance costs about 2 USD.
Other Notable Museums
The Museo Naval de la Nación and the Museo de la Reconquista are other museums in Tigre that are worth going to! We didn’t visit the Naval Museum while we were there because it was closed, but we did visit the Museo de la Reconquista, which was free and cool to explore. Do note that this museum does not have English translations, so if you don’t know Spanish it may be difficult to understand much of it.
3. Stroll down Paseo Victorica
Paseo Victorica is a beautiful walkway along the river lined with plazas and parks that leads up to the famous art museum. The Naval Museum as well as Heladería via Toscana are also located along this street!
4. Eat your Fill at Heladería via Toscana
No day trip to Tigre is complete without a visit to the Heladería via Toscana. In addition to the massive variety of flavors, nice staff, huge portions, and cute little garden, they have a “Chocolate Bath” option. This entails dipping your ice cream in melted chocolate and freezing it over. Even if you don’t normally eat ice cream, make sure to give this shop’s goodies a try!
5. Shop at the Puerto de Frutas
The Puerto de Frutas, or the “Fruit Port/Market” has no fruit. Yep, you read that right. No fruit at the fruit market! The Puerto de Frutas is full of shops selling artisanal goods and restaurants; the area functions as Tigre’s “summer boardwalk.” It’s definitely worth stopping by!
Puerto de Frutas is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (8 pm on weekends). However, if you visit later in the day, stores may be closed up already.
6. Enjoy Tigre’s Amusement Park
Tigre’s amusement park, Costa Park, takes up a decent portion of the riverside. You’ll find tons of rollercoasters, bumper cars (on land and in water), a big Ferris wheel, carousel, and much more! This is by far the best thing to do in Tigre with kids!
Costa Park is open every day in the summer but only on the weekends in the fall and spring. Check out prices on their website!
How to Get to Tigre, Argentina
The easy transportation is what makes a day trip to Tigre a great idea for those visiting Buenos Aires. The best way to get from Buenos Aires to Tigre is by train, but we’ll also walk you through other options!
Buenos Aires to Tigre by Train
The most popular way to get to Tigre is by taking the bus or train to Estación Maipu and the taking the “Tren de la Costa” to Tigre. This train is supposed to be scenic, and may have once been, but it’s nothing special now. Check the Tren de la Costa schedule here.
Therefore, we recommend simply taking the Mitre Train from Retiro, which is closer to downtown Buenos Aires, cheaper, and faster. Check the the schedule Mitre Train here.
If you plan on taking the bus or train in Buenos Aires, you need a SUBE card, which you often buy and load at two different stores. Check out our article on how to get around Buenos Aires for information on how to purchase and load a SUBE card!
Buenos Aires to Tigre by Bus
Taking the bus from downtown Buenos Aires to Tigre is possible, but slightly more complicated. It involves changing buses at least once, and takes at least 10 minutes longer than taking the train. Google Maps and Moovit can tell you the best routes to take depending on what time of day you’re leaving!
Buenos Aires to Tigre by Car
Renting a car isn’t necessary to get to Tigre, but it can be a safe, convenient, flexible way to get from downtown Buenos Aires to Tigre. Rent a cheap car here!
Buenos Aires to Tigre by Uber/Taxi
Uber is cheap and super convenient in Buenos Aires. From our experience, it was around 33 cents (USD) per minute, so an Uber to Tigre from Palermo could cost as low as $11. Taxis are around twice as much, and they can easily take advantage of you once they see you’re a foreigner.
Buenos Aires to Tigre with a Tour
If you don’t want to worry about organizing your day trip to Tigre and would like a guide to teach you about the area and what you’re seeing, check out this small group tour to Tigre from Buenos Aires. For a more in depth tour that also includes a private tour of both Tigre and Buenos Aires, check out this tour!
How Long to Spend in Tigre
You really only need a day to fully experience what Tigre has to offer, and since it’s so close to Buenos Aires, it’s a super easy day trip. However, you can definitely stay overnight if you want to get out of the city for a few days! Tigre is a beautiful area, and staying longer gives you more time to explore the delta!
Keep Exploring Buenos Aires…
- The Best Things to do in Buenos Aires on Your First Visit: A Complete Guide
- How to Get Around Buenos Aires: Public Transportation, Taxis, Walking & More!
- Our Favorite Speakeasies in Buenos Aires
- How to Get from Montevideo to Buenos Aires
- How to Exchange Money in Argentina: Your Complete Guide to the Argentina Exchange Rate
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
