Tucuman

Introduction

San Miguel de Tucuman is the capital city of Tucuman Province, and the largest city in the Northwest region of Argentina. San Miguel de Tucumán is an important historic spot in the country since the Declaration of Independence from Spain took place here on July 9th, 1816. The actual place where this historical event occurred is a colonial-style house known as "Casa Historica".

Sights and Activities

• Independence House (Museo Casa Histórica de la Independencia), Congreso 141. The most important tourist and historic spot in the city. The Independence of the country was declared here on July 9, 1816, by representatives from the different provinces. The only part of the house that remains of the original building is the room where the congressmen gathered and the declaration took place. The facade was rebuilt after the original one based on photographs of the XIX Century. Every day at 08.15 pm. there is a theater play in the Historical House with actors who represent the historical time and events. It is a light and sound show too. Sometimes there is another brief play early in the afternoon.
• Government House, 25 de Mayo 90. Located across from the main square "Plaza Independencia". This magnificent building was built where the old Cabildo was formerly situated.

Plaza Independencia, the city's main square. One of the best places to see local people and a start point to tour the downtown area. There is a beautiful "Statue of Liberty" in its center made by the famous local artist Lola Mora.

• San Franciso Church (Parroquia San Francisco), 25 de Mayo 110 (At Plaza Independencia). The interior is beautifully decorated.
• 9 de Julio Park, 5 blocks east of downtown, across from the bus station. One of the largest public parks in the country (100 hectares) designed by French architect Charles Thays (who also designed the public parks in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza. Among its many attractions are the San Miguel Lake, Bishop Colombres's House (a colonial style house which includes a museum of the sugarcane industry), the Flower Clock and several sculptures scattered around the park. There are some good bars and restaurants as well.

Weather

Summers in the city are hot, humid and rainy. Much of the rainfall occurs in summer. Temperatures average above 30 °C during the day while nights are muggy, staying close to 20 °C. Heat waves can push temperatures above 40 °C although cold air masses from the south bring relief to the hot weather. Spring and fall are warm to hot with mild nights. Winters are dry with warm days and cool to cold nights. Frosts are uncommon and the weather is characterized by sunny weather.

Getting There

By Plane

Teniente General Benjamín Matienzo International Airport (TUC) is the city's airport. Destinations include Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz, Salta, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, Rosario and Córdoba

By Train

Trenes Argentinos runs two weekly trains from Buenos Aires and back. The journey takes approximately 25 hours as it stops in many towns and cities along the railroad. It costs 87 pesos in tourist class, 132 pesos in Primera class, 236 in Pullman class, and 740 pesos in Camarote class (private two bed compartment and two breakfasts), all round trip prices. There are discounts for students, children and seniors. See the excellent (but only in Spanish) website: http://www.ferrocentralsa.com.ar/. The train includes a dining and snack car. Get your tickets early - they are sometimes sold out 10 days in advance.

The railway station, Estación Tucumán Mitre, is centrally located at Corrientes 1045.

By Car

Coming from North: Ruta 9 from Salta and Jujuy
Coming from West: Ruta 38 from Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza
Coming from North West: Ruta 40 from Andes, then take Ruta 307 (between Amaicha del Valle and Acheral), and then Ruta 38.
Coming from South: Ruta 157 from Córdoba
Coming from South East: Ruta 9 from Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, Rosario, Buenos Aires
Coming from East: Ruta 34 from Santiago del Estero, Rosario, Buenos Aires
Coming from North East: Ruta 34 (12 --> 16 --> 34) from Posadas, Corrientes, Resistencia

There are two tolls of 1,80$ on Ruta 9: one in Leocadio Paz (15 km from the Border to Salta Province) and one in the Border to Santiago del Estero Province. Emergency phone number is *767 (*SOS) from any mobile telephone. Just on Ruta 9 (a tolled Route).

By Bus

Several bus companies provide services from Tucuman City to almost all major and mid-size cities in Argentina. The city boasts one the largest bus stations in the country and it is located at walking distance from downtown and the main hotels. Bus routes Nr. 4, 8, 10, 102, 103, 110, 118 runs from around the bus station into downtown; Nrs 4, 8, 10, 102, 106, 110 does it in the opposite direction.

Getting Around

The best way to visit the historic area and downtown is on foot. Most attractions are located at walking distance from each other. Besides, the traffic is quite heavy and disorganized so renting a car or taking a taxi would be a waste of time and money. Taxis are all white, with yellow and black stripes. Don't take any other taxi, because they are illegal.

Public Transport (bus) is always a good choice. There are around 40 bus lines, which drives to downtown. A one way ticket cost ARP 2 (about 0,50 U$S) and must be paid to the bus driver on coins. Bus lines 102 and 118 goes to Yerba Buena, an beautiful touristic destination in Tucuman Metropolitan Área. Bus 118 can be reached in Santiago del Estero street (north of the center) while bus 102 on San Lorenzo street (south of the center). A ticket from Center to Yerba Buena costs 1,80$. Bus line 121 to the Airport can be reached on Av. Avellaneda and Av. Gobernador del Campo. A one way ticket costs 1,60$. Just one every hour.

Eat

Find where the locals eat! This includes an indoor market somewhere on the corner of Muñeca & Mendoza -empanadas, tamales, pizza, fresh fruit & vegetables -all very cheap.

Sleep

• Tucuman Hostel. Was the first hostel to open in the city and is a great place to meet other backpackers, Argentine travellers and the friendly 'Tucos' who work there.
• Hostel Argentina Norte. A nice place with friendly staff, (small) breakfast, internet (currently out of order), kitchen facilities, cable TV & DVD library, good mood. dorm 55 pesos. Extremely loud music all day and all night, extremely loud drunk people mostly at night.
• La Posta de Viajero, ☎ +543814224002. Chacabuco 362 A fun, hostel run by young people with lots of travel and tourism experience. They always have something going on, from live music to an Argentine asado, and love meeting new people and sharing their culture. A great place to meet young people and have a good time. Minihostels members receive a 10% discount.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafes are still widely available in most places, even in smaller towns, though many people are connected through the internet at home or by mobile device. Many cafes and restaurants offer free WiFi with an advertisement in their windows. All you need to do is buy something and ask for the password. Apart from specific places, including soms airports and major stations, quite a few cities are offering free wifi, including Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Iguazu Falls.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Argentina is 54. To make an international call from Argentina, dial 00 followed by the country code and the rest of the telephone number. All 0800 numbers are toll-free numbers, except if you call from a mobile phone. Emergency numbers are available for Police (101), Ambulance (107) and Fire (100). Emergency dispatcher for Buenos Aires (city), Santa Fe (city), Rosario (city), Salta (province), Corrientes (province), and Buenos Aires (province) 911. In a mobile phone 112 forwards to 911.

You can get a prepaid Movistar / Claro / Personal SIM card for a few pesos / free at phone shops, all you pay is about 20 Pesos for your initial credits. Inserting the SIM card into your unlocked American or European mobile phone should work, although to register the SIM you have to enter your passport (or any 9 digit) number - you then have your personal Argentinean phone numbers. Calls cost around 1 Peso per minute. Receiving calls is usually free, except for international calls, and some cross network / inter-city calls - hence buying a SIM card purely to keep in touch with people overseas may not be worth it.

Without a cellphone, there are similar cards with credits for international calls. You get them at so called locutorios, where you can also use the phone booths. You dial a free number to connect to the service, then your secret number for the credits, and then the international phone number you want to call. Using these cards, a one-hour call to Europe will cost about 10 Pesos. Don't call without such cards or even from your hotel - it will be way more expensive.

Post

Correos de Argentina is the national postal service of Argentina. There are also two private carriers operating nationwide (OCA and Andreani) and a number of regional ones though Correos de Argentina will be the one most likely to be used by travellers. Post offices are mostly open between 8:00am and 8:00pm Monday to Friday and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday, though there are regional variantions with longer hours in central post offices in big cities and shorter ones in small towns. Services are pretty reliable but slow, mostly taking about two weeks to deliver a postcard or letter to the USA or Europe, but usually within a few days sending it domestically. There is also a more expensive express options. You can track a package online at the Correos de Argentino website. Parcels take at least 3-5 days domestically and weeks internationally. Otherwise try international companies like FedEx, TNT, DHL or UPS to send parcels. It is probably more reliable as well as faster.

External Links