Viedma travel guide

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.

Looking across the Rio Negro toward Viedma (Photo: Jonydiaz, CC BY-SA 4.0)

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 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.

Get in

By plane

• Edgardo Castello Airport (VDM IATA) (7 km south of the town). The airport is small and only offers flights to Buenos Aires (Aeroparque), 5 times per week.

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.

• Terminal de Ómnibus Viedma, José María Guido 1600 (2 km south-west of the city centre). The bus station is located at one of the main boulevards south of the city center, in a somewhat poor neighborhood. Taxis are available.

By train

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

• Train Station (Estación Viedma), Avenida Cardenal Cagliero 4000 (5 km south of the centre). Located at the southern end of the urban area.

By boat

View of Carmen de Patagones from Viedma, with the ferry boat in the foreground (Photo: rodoluca, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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

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