Santa Fe Province · Argentina
Santa Fe travel guide
Santa Fe is a city in Santa Fe Province, Argentina, home to about 409,000 people.
- Best months
- May, June, August and September
- Nearest airport
- SFN14 km · Sauce Viejo Airport
- Currency
- ARSArgentine convertible peso
- Time zone
- America/Argentina/Buenos Aires
- Language
- Spanish
About
About Santa Fe
Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, usually called just Santa Fe, is the capital city of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is situated in north-eastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers.
Its population is about 390,000 people, with 650,000 in the metro area (2010). Santa Fe is the commercial and transportation center for a rich agricultural area that produces grain, vegetable oils, and meats. The city is the site of the National Technological University – Santa Fe Regional Faculty, Catholic University of Santa Fe (inaugurated in 1959), and the National University of the Littoral. Winters are generally mild, though minimum temperatures can fall below 0 °C (32.0 °F) on cold nights during the winter. Summers are generally hot and humid.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Santa Fe
See
Santa Fe is a small firepot of cultural activity. On a bi-annual basis, the National University (Universidad Nacional del Litoral) hosts a week long music and arts festival which is very well known and appreciated among the youth. Other week-long events are hosted around the year, specially in theater, poetry, dances and choirs. It's really astonishing the amount of cultural events happening on a daily basis for such a small town. The local rock music scene is quite restless also, despite the scarcity of stages.
- Plaza de las Tres Culturas
- Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Rosa Galisteo de Rodriguez
- Museo de la Constitución Nacional
- House of the Aldao
- Provincial Museum of Natural Sciences "Florentino Ameghino"
- Suspended Bridge Eng. Marcial Candioti
- Plaza Pueyrredón
- La Redonda, Arte y Vida Cotidiana
- Basílica de Guadalupe
Do
- Casino Santa Fe
- Paseos Náuticos La Ribereña Guardianes del Río
- Costanera Este Santa Fe
- Reserva Ecológica de la Ciudad Universitaria - UNL
- Cinemark Santa Fe
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Santa Fe to stay in
There's a wide range of Hotels, starting from very cheap but comfortable accommodations around the bus station to the Holiday Inn, Río Grande, Hostal and Conquistador hotels (all 4 stars) in centre town, a Holiday's Inn (5 stars) and one in the harbour area (Los Silos, 5 stars), right next to the Casino. A small number of aparthotels exist, and campers have some camping areas within few minutes of the city, but accommodations and the quality of the services might vary.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Santa Fe
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santa Fe are May, June, August and September. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; April is the wettest, with about 133 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Santa Fe: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sauce Viejo Airport (SFN), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; General Urquiza Airport (PRA, 28 km) and Rosario Islas Malvinas International Airport (ROS, 142 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
From Buenos Aires (Retiro) there are plenty of bus companies that will take you there. Some of them are FlechaBus, Basa and Pulqui. The trip is 6 hours long or a bit less, so many people travel by night. The last bus in the night leaves from Buenos Aires at 00:30, or from Santa Fe to Buenos Aires at 01:50. Some of the services include meals, most of them have very comfortable seats. Santa Fe's bus terminal, Estacion Terminal de Omnibus Gral. Manuel Belgrano is four streets from the city centre. You will find many bars and fast food restaurants.
Getting around
Being a middle size town, avid pedestrians are to have a good time in Santa Fe. Still, when extending the tour outside downtown and the south area ("barrio sur") distances and with the streets suits better a car or motorcycle. Beware of the traffic which can get heavy around downtown on week days and the sudden lane switching. Most of the points of interest (that is Historical and Architectural landmarks) are on the southern end of town, pretty close to downtown, very well within walking distance. The other grand attraction Santa Fe offers is its shore on the east side of town.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SFN · Sauce Viejo Airport
PRA · General Urquiza Airport
ROS · Rosario Islas Malvinas International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Santa Fe
Eat
As almost everywhere in Argentina, grilled meat or barbecue (also known as "asado") is a must; always joined with assorted salads and red wine. The local specialty must be the fish, caught fresh from the surrounding rivers. There's a large number of species in the area but due to depredation issues, only a few seem to be available in a given season. It's specially good the "chupín", a sort of soup of fish with potatoes and tomatoes, do try it! Otherwise, the Italian and Spanish roots among the locals take special place in the menu of every restaurant, with minor additions of almost every European culture (from Greek to Armenian and French to German).
Drink
Beer (cerveza) is considered the most popular drink in the area. In fact, the city has one of the biggest brewers in the country (chilenean owned Cervecerías Unidas) producing the Santa Fe, Schneider, Budweiser and Heineken brands. Allegedly, the local brewer produces over million liters daily and a good portion of that production is consumed within the city. One of the best ways of enjoy such goods is out of a straight glass (called "liso") while sitting at a table in any of the many bars in the city, preferably outdoors in the hot days of January and February. Locals prefer to have the beer cold (within 0ºC and 5ºC).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Santa Fe: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Santa Fe?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santa Fe are May, June, August and September. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; April is the wettest, with about 133 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Santa Fe?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sauce Viejo Airport (SFN), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; General Urquiza Airport (PRA, 28 km) and Rosario Islas Malvinas International Airport (ROS, 142 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Santa Fe?
Argentine convertible peso (ARS).
Nearby
Destinations near Santa Fe
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.