Viedma

Viedma is the capital of Río Negro Province in the north-east of Argentina's Patagonia region. The city lies at the shore of Río Negro river. Across the river, there is the charming old town of Carmen de Patagones.

Understand
Viedma is one of the oldest cities in Patagonia and was founded in 1779 under the name Nuestra Señora del Carmen. It included nearby Carmen de Patagones at the northern shore of the river, which was for a long time the main settlement, until 1878 when the Patagonia government was created, separating the twin towns. In 1987, a plan to move the capital from Buenos Aires to Viedma was approved by the government, but it never materialized due to financial problems.

The city is quiet, with all essential services and several accommodations. It doesn't attract many tourists despite of the beauty of the scenery at the river shore, with good beaches and a spectacular view of the old town of Carmen de Patagones, which can be reached by a small ferry or by bus.

Viedma is a gateway to a little-known series of beaches beginning at El Cóndor, 30 km SE of the city, which stretches west until San Antonio Este with important sea-lion and parrot colonies.

By bus
Viedma is connected with Buenos Aires, several times per day, Cipolletti (near Neuquén) and Bariloche to the West and Río Gallegos and all intermediate stations on RN 3 to the south.

Local buses to El Cóndor and La Lobería don't stop at the bus terminal but in Zatti street east of Álvaro Barros, just south of the city center, and can be paid in cash (about $1.50 to El Cóndor). Buses to Carmen de Patagones can be taken in Sarmiento street, with the most centric stop just south of 25 de Mayo street, and only can be paid with SUBE and Viedma Bus cards.



By train
A weekly regular-service train (Tren Patagónico) connects Viedma to Bariloche, San Antonio Oeste and several small cities on the meseta.

By boat


A cheap, small ferry connects Viedma to Carmen de Patagones. However, in periods of low tides, the boat only operates when the winds are not too strong. The operator announces service suspensions at a Facebook page.

Get around
Local buses are the main transportation means. The buses use two types of cards: SUBE, the same one like in Buenos Aires, and the Viedma Bus local card. Taxi stops are located at Plaza Alsina and at the bus terminal.

As the city is small, the central area can be perfectly explored by foot. A walk on the shore of the Negro river offers very beautiful sights. It can be also pleasant to explore the city by bicycle. Streets are wide, with only very occasional heavy traffic, and topography is flat, with one exception: if you want to visit Patagones which is located a bit higher. However, there is no public rental service, and only a few private options.

See
Most historic buildings are located between Plaza Alsina in the south, where the Cathedral is located, and Plaza San Martín in the north.

Do


Bathing in the river is possible from November to March.

A catamaran offers tours at summer weekends. There are also operators organizing canoe tours.

Buy
The main shopping street is Buenos Aires, north of the centric Plaza Alsina until 25 de Mayo. Nearby streets also offer several shops and gastronomy.

Eat
Most restaurants are located at the Río Negro shoreline, with also some in 25 de Mayo street. In the surroundings of Plaza Alsina there are only a few options.

Go next



 * Balneario El Cóndor (originally called La Boca, still in use by locals). A seaside resort 30 km. south-east of the city near the mouth of Río Negro into the Atlantic Ocean, with a very wide sandy beach which never gets too crowded, and a rocky hill at the southern end with an old lighthouse and a big parrot colony. The central beach tends to be windy, while the more southern ones are better protected. Waters are warm.
 * Balneario La Lobería and Punta Bermeja. A very small resort with a rocky, picturesque beach and a sea lion colony, 60 km south of the town (via El Cóndor). Very few basic services, the only accommodation is a camping ground. One daily bus from Viedma and El Cóndor.
 * Balneario Bahía Creek, a newly developed resort on a very large, wide and sandy beach in a big bay with blue waters, accessible by a gravel road. Only basic accommodation and services.
 * San Antonio Oeste, 150 km west of the city. The port town has very interesting surroundings and nice beaches. The most well-known beaches are at the suburb of Las Grutas, Patagonia's most visited seaside resort, with rocky and sandy beaches with caves, good services and plenty accommodation, gastronomy and night life, although it tends to be expensive and crowded in summer.