To me, this is a unique spot…
Beautiful city on the river. Boating is commonplace here. Girls are cute. Tons of great nature all around.
You’ll find a laid-back lifestyle for pennies on the dollar. The nightlife is decent. The food didn’t impress me.
This is not a spot for the bros who love mega-cities, but for those who enjoy a small-city with friendly locals…
You might like it, especially if you’re a “southern cone” enjoyor.
Oh, and you’ll certainly be one of, if not, the only gringo in town. Which bodes well, sers.
I’ve been aching to go back here and spend more time ever since my short trip here a few years back. Many memories made.
Where is this “Hidden Gem” city in Latin America?
Posadas, Argentina 🇦🇷
Population:
Almost 400K in the metro
Weather:
I visited Posadas, Argentina in June one year. One of the “coldest” months of the year. The climate was incredibly pleasant with temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70s. Tons of sunshine. Little rain.
I loved it.
The city basically gets 10 days of light to mid rain each month. Then it’s sunny the other 20+ days each month.
There’s really no bad months here. You could live in Posadas year around without weather issues. It gets a little cold in the winter, June and July. It gets a little warm in the summer, December through February.
Why Visit Posadas, Argentina?
Pretty hot women.
No other foreigners.
Actually a pretty aesthetic European-style city.
Very walkable.
Good nature nearby with the river, waterfalls, and even some hiking.
Honestly…
This city surprised me. I expected it to be a full-fledged shithole. You never see Posadas on any Argentina travel guides.
So when I crossed the border from Paraguay to spend some time here, I was pleasantly surprised. Posadas was kind of a nice city.
Beautiful river malecon area. High-rise buildings all around. Great sunsets. Perfect weather. The women were wonderful too.
There’s a mall here and the city center was exceptionally lively as I walked around. Almost a European vibe, where everyone walks everywhere.
I was expecting third-world shithole and I got pleasant small European city vibes.
This video gives you an idea of how pleasant the city is.
Surprising.
Now, this is a small city in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. In fact, there’s a lot of bros that would hate it here.
I’d say it’s damn near impossible to “hit quota” here. The city is just too small. Less than 400K people.
If you need a big city with dozens of neighborhoods to explore, you’d hate it here.
However, if you’re happy dating a cute girl or three in a walkable city with solid weather – you might love Posadas, Argentina.
I know I did.
How to Get to Posadas
In. The. Middle. Of. Nowhere.
Posadas is in northern Argentina on the border with Paraguay. The Parana River separates these two cities.
As such, you basically have two options to get here:
From Argentina or from Paraguay.
I do NOT recommend taking the bus either way.
This city is far off-the-beaten-path and a bus ride would take forever to get here.
I’ll tell you how I arrived from Paraguay and show you how to get here while in Argentina.
To get to Posadas, Argentina from Paraguay, you’ll need to be in Encarnacion.
Getting to Encarnacion is not easy. You’ll need to take a flight on a 12-seater plane from Asuncion or take a 6-7 hour bus ride from the capital.
I took the plane. It was like $80 USD each way. 45-minutes in a turboprop and you land in Encarnacion.
Once in Encarnacion, you can hail a taxi to help you cross the Parana River and get into Argentina. If you do this during rush hour or in the afternoon on a weekend, expect to spend hours waiting to cross the border.
When there’s no traffic, border crossings should take 10-20 minutes.
This is an easy to get to Posadas if you’re in Paraguay.
If you’re already in Argentina, you can take a flight from a few cities in the country to this small city:
Buenos Aires
Cordoba
Yes, this city is so small only two cities in the world have flights to it ;)
Best Neighborhoods
Being such a small city, there’s really nowhere that would be horrible to stay. Nothing is that spread out here, as it’s a small city filled with high-rise apartments.
After my short trip in the city, I dialed in on two locations I would stay when I returned:
Centro
La Costanera
The centro area is by far the most lively I found in Posadas. People are walking everywhere. There’s tons of restaurants and bars. There’s a few nice plazas around.
Overall, it’s a very pleasant area. I also stayed at a decent hotel here, but there seemed to be a couple other good choices.
For more high-end Airbnb apartments, I think La Costanera is ideal. This is the river malecon or boardwalk in the city. You’ll find great views here, along with people walking and hanging out, drinking beers, and playing some music on weekends.
This picture shows both the centro, which is the area in yellow, and La Costanera area which is the pathway along the river.
Overall, anywhere near those two areas will be ideal when checking out Posadas, Argentina.
Where to Stay in Posadas, Argentina?
There are a number of hotels and Airbnb apartments in Posadas.
Personally, I would only stay in a handful of them. The city is small and with only a few best areas to stay – there are only a couple hotel options I like:
This is where I stayed while in Posadas. The location is ideal, right in front of the Plaza 9 de Julio. Within walking distance to restaurants, cafes, and bars.
The rooms were clean and spacious. Not five-star by any stretch of the imagination, but more than acceptable.
This appears to be one of, if not, the nicest hotel in Posadas.
Nice pool, decent gym, and a full-service spa. The location is right in the center of the centro area too, making everything very walkable from here.
If you’re looking for Airbnb options, I’d try to find something close to La Costanera and with decent views.
There’s some options, but the quality of the furnishings varies drastically.
Here’s some options:
Both of these apartments seem way overpriced to me. Make sure to negotiate if you plan to stay 2-4 weeks.
These are some of the fanciest spots in the city and are still around $1,500 USD a month. You can find apartments with no pool for around $500-1,000 a month in the center.
P.S: Bring physical USD here. Don’t book anything online. Far cheaper prices to be had on the ground.
Cost of Living
Posadas, Argentina is a very cheap city.
You can find an apartment in the center for $500-700 a month with ease.
And that’s online options! If you plan to stay a month or two, you could take USD and get something for $200-400 that would be legit.
Food in restaurants and cafes is far cheaper than you’d expect, especially if you bring USD into the city and exchange it on the black market.
Bars are dirt cheap with the current exchange rate too.
You could easily bring $3,000-4,000 USD into this city from Paraguay, exchange it, and live for 3-4 months.
When I was here, the exchange was not anything like it is now – and it was cheap back then. Far cheaper than Paraguay.
I’m not even going to put a full breakdown of costs here right now, as the current exchange rate and the difference between dollars on the black market is vast.
However…
There’s no doubt in my mind you could live an amazing life here for less than $1,000 USD a month right now.
Is Posadas, Argentina Safe?
Super safe.
Argentina is one of the safer countries in all of Latin America. If we’re looking at the statistics, this is the third safest country in all of South America.
Low murder rate, low street crime.
Posadas is a small city in a safe country with little crime.
While I would stay in a safe hotel or an apartment with a doorman and security, I do not think anything else is required to stay safe in Posadas.
This is a peaceful place.
Dating in Posadas, Argentina
You will be one of, if not, the only gringo here. This bodes well.
The women here are of Argentinian stock – with a little extra native blood. You’ll even find many blonde latinas here.
Yes, the women look good.
As such…
You should have fantastic dating options while in Posadas.
During my short time here, I met a super cute girl that worshiped the ground I walked on and spent a majority of my time here with her – when not trying to continue my creeping.
She was such a sweet girl, I’m actually inclined to believe you could meet a girlfriend here if you wanted to.
The only issue with dating here is this:
It’s a small city.
You will not be able to go on a new date every single day here, like you could in Buenos Aires.
But for men looking to meet a cute girl, or three, and have a little mini-LTR, you will love it here. The girls are sweet and look good.
I’d go back here if I was single, so that should tell you something.
Nightlife in Posadas, Argentina
I did go to a handful of bars in the city center. I did not actually step foot in a club here, but I’ll do my best to break things down.
As with any city, these things change constantly. So it’s hard to give recommendations based on the past.
…The best thing to do?
Start talking to girls online before arrival and ask them about the best clubs in the city. Young women between 18-26 will always know where the hotspots are, even if they don’t party much themselves.
Here’s a few options that look decent:
Appears to be the biggest club in town by far. If I was rolling in Posadas with no other options, I’d probably plan to go here.
Classic Irish bar. You should be able to meet some locals and get the inside scoop on where to go for clubbing here.
Cool Tings’ to Do
Posadas, Argentina is NOT a tourist hotspot. If you come here expecting to do a bunch of different activities everyday, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
That being said…
There’s a couple things to do in Posadas, Argentina to keep you entertained. Here’s a few of my favorites:
Stroll the Coast
La Costanera is pretty here. Situated along the Rio Paraná, the long boardwalk is the absolute best area of the city to enjoy a early afternoon stroll.
Here you’ll find stunning river views, tons of people talking and drinking tereré, and an outdoor gym — plus, there’s some great restaurants and bars too.
This is the first thing I’d do when visiting Posadas, Argentina. Take a nice little stroll here!
San Ignacio Mini
The 17th-century ruins of San Ignacio Mini are one of the biggest attractions in the region. The site, which lies about an hour north upriver from Posadas, features impressive red sand brick architecture in a mix of both Jesuit and Gurani styles.
If you see just one Jesuit ruin in South America, then let this be it.
Parque Nacional Iberá
With enough reptiles and birdlife to rival the Brazilian Pantanal, the Iberá Wetlands are a wildlife spotters dreamscape.
The fact that the marshland is almost completely devoid of trees makes it super easy to see the creatures that lurk within.
Remember, you’ll want to stay in Carlos Pellegrini, or nearby, to make this feasible.
Martial Arts in Posadas, Argentina
I did not train here on my short trip, however, martial arts seems to be popular here.
Being a small city with not a lot going on and close to Brazilian, jiu jitsu is especially popular.
There are two gyms close to the center that look legit:
I imagine the level will be solid. Both of these BJJ gyms should also be able to point you to the best MMA/striking gyms too.
Medical Care in Posadas
Argentina has very good public hospitals and healthcare – which are available to foreigners.
I would not be worried about medical care here, especially on a short stay. I also probably wouldn’t want to have any surgeries here, but for minor stuff, you’ll be more than covered.
Hospital Posadas seems to be a solid facility.
Recommended Length of Stay
You could stay here for as little or as long as you’d like.
One week is more than enough to cover all the basics, see the whole city, and visit all the tourist sites.
On the flipside, you could stay here 2-4 months, get a smokeshow Argentinian girlfriend, and live for less than $1,000 USD a month
All depends what you’re looking for.
I’d say the place would get boring after 3-4 months, but the vibes here make me want to go back and find out.
Other Notes
If you’re living here for a few months, you could for sure go check out Encarnacion, Paraguay for a bit too.
Encarnacion is not nearly as nice of a city, but there are some pretty river beaches there. Worth a weekend trip I’d suppose.
Posadas 🇦🇷 Overall
Small, but pleasant city in the “southern cone” area of South America.
Not for everyone, but for men looking for a slower pace of life and cute latinas, you might enjoy a few months here.
I plan to go back and spend some more time one day. It’s that pleasant of a place.