Places to visit in Rosario
Geographically the comparison with Buenos Aires certainly holds: Rosario is a flattish riverside city and major port, lying at the heart of a vital agricultural region, its streets lined with shabby but handsome buildings and lilac-blossomed jacaranda trees. Unlike Buenos Aires, however, Rosario has always enjoyed a close relationship with its waterfront; the Río Paraná, which swells to an eye-popping 2km wide at this point, features an attractive riverfront that runs for 8km along the city’s eastern edge, flanked by high-rise condos, parks, bars and restaurants and, to the north, popular beaches. One of its main attractions is the splendidly unspoilt series of so-called “delta islands” with wide sandy beaches, just minutes away from the city by boat. You can also admire some of Argentina’s finest turn-of-the-century architecture here, with an eclectic spread of styles ranging from English chalets to Catalan Modernism. In addition to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, housed in a conspicuously converted grain silo on the riverside, the city’s most celebrated attraction, nationally at least, is the monolithic Monumento a la Bandera, a marble paean to Argentine independence.
Brief history of Rosario
Rosario lacks an official founding date, with the settlement slowly developing in the eighteenth century around a series of Catholic missions to the local Calchaquí tribes, military outposts and estancias in an area known as Pago de los Arroyos. In 1730 the parish was established with remnants of an old mission chapel dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario – the new church was completed in 1762 and gradually lent its name to the settlement, given formal status by the colonial authorities in 1823. Despite its strategic location as a port for goods from Córdoba and Santa Fe provinces, early growth was slow: it wasn’t until 1852, when river traffic was freed up, that Rosario was granted city status and finally set on course for expansion. The city’s population was boosted further when the Central Argentine Railway, owned and largely financed by the British, was completed in 1870, providing a link to Córdoba.
By 1895, Rosario was Argentina’s second city, with 91,000 inhabitants – many of them immigrants attracted by the promise of the by now flourishing port, giving the city its soubriquet, “Hija de los Barcos” (Daughter of the Ships). In the twentieth century the city became a major Peronist stronghold, and the Partido Socialista (Socialist Party) has won every election for mayor since 1989. In 2011 Mónica Fein became the first female Socialist candidate to be elected mayor in Argentine history, and was narrowly re-elected in 2015. Other rosarino celebrities include leading artists Antonio Berni and Lucio Fontana, three of Argentina’s most popular singers – Fito Páez, Juan Carlos Baglietto and Litto Nebbia – and the late cartoonist Roberto Fontanarrosa, whose most beloved creation was the hapless gaucho Inodoro Pereyra.
Getting to Rosario
Getting to Rosario by plane
Rosario’s small airport, Aeropuerto Internacional de Rosario, lies around 15km west of the city centre, along RN- 9, with 1–6 daily flights to and from Buenos Aires and a handful of other destinations. From the airport, bus #115 runs every 30min into the centre along San Luis, two blocks south of Plaza 25 de Mayo. A faster, more comfortable alternative is the dedicated Aeromovi bus that runs to the centre (Dorrego and Santa Fe) in 40min (via the Terminal de Ómnibus) every hour or so – check the schedule online. Taxi rates are fixed according to the destination: it’s $420–460 to the centre ($370 to the Terminal de Ómnibus and $4250 to Santa Fe); they’ll probably use the meter on the way back. You’ll find the major car rental desks in the terminal, plus a Banco Santa Cruz ATM, though don’t count on it working (make sure you have pesos as there is nowhere to change money).
Getting to Rosario by bus
Long-distance buses arrive at Rosario’s clean and user-friendly Terminal de Ómnibus Mariano Moreno, 4km west of Plaza 25 de Mayo, at Santa Fe and Cafferata. An information kiosk can provide you with a list of hotels and a map, and there are also plenty of cafés, free wi-fi, Banco Municipal ATMs and left luggage facilities. To head into the centre, walk to the corner of Cafferata and Córdoba and catch bus #115, #116, #133 or #142. Otherwise, plenty of taxis pull up outside the front entrance ($100–150 to the centre).
Getting to Rosario by train
Trains currently shuttle between ultra-modern Rosario Norte station (Aristóbulo del Valle and Callao) and Retiro in Buenos Aires once a day in both directions, departing Buenos Aires at 4.40pm (arriving 11.05pm) and departing Rosario 12.15am (arriving in BA at 6.43am). Retiro to Tucumán trains and Retiro to Córdoba trains also stop at Rosario Norte station once daily in each direction. See the website for more information.
Getting to Rosario by boat
Passenger boats run to the various islands in the Paraná River throughout the week, with regular services Nov–March from 10am to dusk (1 or 2 departures daily; return $260–300); out of season, services are less frequent. All boats depart from the Estación Fluvial, at De los Inmigrantes 410 on the Costanera.
Getting around Rosario
Getting around Rosario by bus
Rosario’s bus system is cheap and easy to use, with bus numbers clearly marked and route maps at most bus stops. Cash fares are $19.70, but you can only pay with $1 or $2 coins (no change). If you intend to use buses a lot, get a stored-value card (MOVI or tarjetamagnética; minimum value $25; fares $18.28) – there’s a booth selling them at the bus terminal. You can also buy them at the Centro Municipal at Wheelwright 1486 and in the centre at Santa Fe 1055.
Getting around Rosario by taxi
Taxis are easy to hail on the street; the meter starts at $53, adding $2.65 every 100m (Mon–Sat 10pm–6am, and all day Sun/hols, the rate jumps to $60.56 plus $3 every 100m). Most trips across the centre should be no more than $150–200.
Getting around Rosario by bike
Tourists can use the Mi Bici Tu Bici bike share scheme (with stations all over the city) through the website or associated app. The daily rate is $23.63 but each trip is limited to 30min before you have to dock and check out again.
Rosario tourist information
There’s a helpful tourist information office down by the riverfront, at Belgrano and Buenos Aires. It produces an informative map covering most of the city. See also Rosaria Tipica.
Rosario river tours
One long-established river trip is a 2hr river cruise on the sightseeing boat, Ciudad de Rosario, while the more intimate Island Explorer dinghies do 2hr trips from the Estación Fluvial. Paseos en Lancha Rosario offers all sorts of boat and kayak tours along the Paraná.