Tucumán

Quilmes ruins in Tucaman province

Tucumán is in the Andean Northwest region of Argentina. It's the smallest province of Argentina and is surrounded by Salta, Catamarca and Santiago del Estero provinces.

Cities

• 1 Amaicha del Valle is a traditional northern town and still has Indian population.
• 2 San Miguel de Tucuman is a city in Northern Argentina.
• 3 Tafi del Valle the largest tourist town in the Tafí Valley.
• 4 Tafi Viejo founded by railroad workers.

Other destinations

'El centro' is literally the center, a 10 by 10 block area of San Miguel that is where the majority of stores and businesses are located. To the west (towards the mountain) you will pass Yerba Buena, which is a more residential area, with high class establishments. The top of the mountain is called San Javier, which features many look out spots, scenic tours, and elegant hotels. Prepare to be cold, as the temperature may drop a lot.

Dique el Cadillal is just north of San Miguel de Tucuman, and is a beautiful lake with many shops and restaurants

Understand

• Tucumán Tourism Office : 54-381-4226052 / 54-381-6093336.

Talk

In Tucuman people speak Spanish with an accent similar to that of other Argentinean provinces (a mix of Italian, Spanish, and Creoles "Gaucho" accents, among others), but with some unique local words.

Get in

By plane

At Teniente Benjamín Matienzo International Airport, 9 km east from San Miguel de Tucumán, there are daily flights from Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Rosario with Aerolíneas Argentinas, Flybondi, and JetSmart. There are flights with LATAM from Lima.

As in most of Argentina, travel to and from Tucumán can be done by bus from almost every city, and even from some cities in Bolivia or Peru. Another choice is travelling by train (twice per week to Buenos Aires stopping in Santiago del Estero and Rosario), or by plane.

By train

National operator Trenes Argentinos runs long-distance trains between Buenos Aires and San Miguel de Tucumán a few times per week. Journey time is about 22 hours for the full journey.

Get around

Taxis are fairly cheap and a good bet for foreigners who don't know the public transportation's routes or schedules. That said, the city buses are fairly simple (some 40 routes) and as there are not very many of them, fairly easy to use. There is a city-wide flat fare (routes 1-19) that is higher in the metropolitan area (routes 100-141).

See

The main tourist section is right around the central plaza. Government buildings, old houses and churches abound. Two blocks south on Congreso Street lies the Casa Historica (historic house) where the Argentine independence act was signed. Inside, a small museum has artifacts from the colonial and revolutionary periods. Besides night action, the town itself has roughly speaking no outstanding features worthy a visit. What it is really valuable of Tucumán province is nature. Nicknamed "the Garden of the Republic", it is the ideal spot for those liking hiking, horse riding or mountain climbing.

If you want to get off the beaten path, coming into the rain forest or the highest peaks it is a must. Regrettably the very locals are quite unconscious about this treasure, so they are not likely to recommend it.

If you have a five days available, try "La Ciudacita" the southernmost ruins of the Inca empire; you will never forget it. Guides available.

Do

Tucumán town night life is one of the hottest around the country. As an important university center, the community of young people is huge; from Thursday to Sunday night, streets are vibrating with action.

Eat

• Plaza de Almas, on the corner of Maipu and Santa Fe is a must see. Located in a trendy cultural center, they serve up great traditional dishes with an experimental flair. Its colonial style architecture strongly reflects old Argentinian Spanish ancestry. Tilting a jar a beer at a summer night in one of his cool terraces is a must do.

"Managua" is also a venue to take into account by foreign travelers; very hip, picturesque and bohemian like, the inner spirit, magic and flavor of Latin America floats in its atmosphere. Regional spicy or veggie food, young friendly goers and staff. Live music from Thursdays on: salsa, bossa nova, tango. San Juan Street 1015

Drink

Tucuman has no shortage whatsoever of places to drink. Most of the cafes are open until 01:00 or 02:00 and serve beer, wine and spirits. The same goes for the restaurants. As for nightclubs, there are quite a few but most open only on the weekends and only after 00:00.

• El Reino, 115 Catamarca Street. They play mostly dance hall music. 
• Teatro de la Paz, 150 9 de Julio. A cultural center with various workshops by day, it turns into a bar with live music at night.
• Pollock: a selected urban tribe meets on Thursday's night to plunge into the rhythmic pulses of techno, acid house and the like. Undoubtedly a very special venue for those not attracted by the looming anonymity of crowded megastructures. Exclusive, small and cozy as the 1970's night clubs, but absolutely contemporary and avant-garde in its atmosphere. An outdoor garden also combines nice beats, fancy drinking bars and the hottest gals around at spring and summer.The real action starts about 01:30 San Martin street 2366.