Travel Guide Mar Del Plata

The "Pearl of the Atlantic", with a population of 672,116, is crowded on sunny days and can be off-putting, especially if you just wander around the city center, which is lined with tall buildings. Under Perón, with the emergence of the middle class, Mar del Plata went from being a chic resort, where the upper middle class of Buenos Aires built luxurious villas, to the capital of popular tourism. From the snobbish nickname of "Argentine Biarritz", it has become "la Feliz", a joyful city for the 3 million people who come to spend the summer with their families. The wealthier social classes then began to migrate to the classier Punta del Este, Uruguay. The luxurious villas have mostly disappeared. A visit to the Roberto T. Barili Municipal Historical Museum will give a good overview of the city's past golden age.In the summer, life is in full swing on the coast. In order to satisfy the demand for leisure activities, shows, theaters, concerts, and other events are held between December and March. Mar del Plata, birthplace of Astor Piazzolla, one of the greatest composers of tango, is a city with an active social and cultural life all year round.As far as beaches are concerned, Argentina is not Brazil, nor Uruguay... the sand is not so white and the sea not so warm. In high season, it will be difficult to get a place in the sun, every square centimeter is colonized by the human anthill of vacationers