Argentina family holidays

Discover Buenos Aires with its elegant architecture, fascinating museums, great restaurants, bustling markets, intriguing people and steamy weather. There is something in the air in Argentina's capital: a touch of the tango, wonderful music emanating from shop doors, and passionate football fans – entire streets are painted in team colours, and some people talk of nothing but the beautiful game (join them to watch it at the world-famous Boca stadium). 

Head out of Buenos Aires for some of Argentina's best beaches. Miramar with its 20km-long beach and watersports activities is probably the best bet for family holidays; Pehuen Co is much less of a resort and a place for those seeking to escape the crowds.

Venture to northern Argentina for water sports such as rafting or canoeing and lovely natural pools and waterfalls for memorable swimming. The UNESCO-listed Iguazú Falls National Park, which Argentina shares with Brazil and Paraguay, is centred on the iconic 80m-tall waterfall. You can often see awesome rainbows here – the best are at Devil’s Throat Falls. The park is home to about 400 species of bird  – parrots and toucans but also many others that your kids (and perhaps you) will never have heard of – and more than 2,000 plants, including enormous orchids and extraordinary trees. It’s not too difficult to get to or around. 

Also in the northeast, discover the Iberá Marshes – 20,000 square km of swampland and lagoons populated by monkeys, swamp deer, turtles, caimans and capybaras.   

With older children, experience the overwhelming vast emptiness of the Pampas, a grass plain in south-central Argentina said to be so large and flat that you can see the curvature of the Earth. Complete the experience by staying in one of the growing number of estancias (ranches) here. The Pampas is the best place for horse-riding in Argentina, for anything from a day to a week. One of the most exciting ways to ride is to copy the Gauchos and go cowboy with an American saddle.

If the Pampas seems a little intimidating, try the Lake District, a magical place in northern Patagonia, around Bariloche, with Andean glacial lakes, alpine highlands and temperate rainforests. There is a wealth of outdoor activities, and accommodation ranging from camping to more luxurious options.

If you're an adventurous family spending a substantial amount of time in Argentina, the Tierra del Fuego National Park on Tierra del Fuego island to the far south is a very long way from anywhere, but the train ride that you can take when you get there is one of those ‘100 things to do before you die’ type of experiences. A picture-book old-fashioned engine, the End of the World Train (Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino or El Tren del Fin del Mundo), pulls modern cars on a three-hour loop from the River Pipo Valley 8km west of Ushuaia. 

Take winter-sports enthusiasts to Argentina’s southernmost region, Patagonia – a spellbinding place for skiing, snowboarding and sledging, with lots of resorts and some wonderful runs. Best of all, perhaps, is a family cross-country sleigh run under the stars. Also here is Las Grutas, a popular but charming beach on the San Matias Gulf, with the warmest ocean water in Argentina despite its southerly position.

Enjoy local food including the justificably popular steaks, and fresh produced such as pineapples, =avocados, asparagus and strawberries. Argentinians keep Spanish-type eating hours – dinner is usually served from 9pm.