Cruises From Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a turnaround port for the South American summer, roughly November to March — by the deployments we could find. Ships embark at the Terminal de Cruceros Benito Quinquela Martín, at Av. Ramón Castillo 13 in Retiro, inside the Puerto Nuevo port zone. DP World’s Terminales Río de la Plata runs it.

Most cruise visitors only pass through — going by one source. A tourism-board survey of 510 international cruise passengers found 21% starting their trip here in 2024–25 and 79% in transit. This page is for the 21%.

Two things shape the morning. Port guides advise against walking the approaches, so it’s a taxi to the terminal, not a stroll. And there’s no public parking and no luggage storage at the pier, per Holland America, so plan the night before around a short taxi — short on our map, not on a measured route.

From Buenos Aires the summer ships run north to Uruguay and Brazil, and Holland America’s Oosterdam goes to and from Chile. The ports below are the ones the 2026–27 season reports name. Rio de Janeiro links to our guide to sailing from there.

Entry: US citizens don’t need a visa for visits of 90 days or less, per the US State Department, which asks for a passport valid on entry with one blank page. It rated Argentina Level 1, exercise normal precautions, on July 10, 2026 — recheck it before you fly.

For the whole region, see our South America and Antarctica cruise guide.

Ships use one cruise terminal, as far as we found. Holland America gives it as Terminal de Cruceros – Benito Quinquela Martín, Av. Ramón Castillo 13 at Av. de los Inmigrantes, Retiro, and warns it isn’t a mailing address. DP World, whose Terminales Río de la Plata runs it, puts it in Puerto Nuevo and says it can take several large ships at once. When it opened in 2011 it was sized for four 300 m ships — though we found no current berth count.

The terminal sits inside the working port. We found no official rule against walking in, but port guides advise against walking the port approaches, and one says passengers generally can’t walk the dock area. If your ship isn’t beside the building, expect a bus from the terminal to the gangway — a 2017 first-hand account describes one through the container yard. Take a taxi to the door.

On December 17, 2023 a storm brought down part of the roof over the waiting area. For that season embarking passengers checked in at Costa Salguero and were bussed to the terminal — per Seatrade and the AGP. The tourism board’s 2024–25 report names Quinquela Martín, and it was back in use for 2025–26; La Capital reported MSC Fantasia arriving there on November 24, 2025.

Holland America says porters don’t work inside the terminal before 07:00, there’s no luggage storage at the pier, and transfer drivers meet guests at the customs exit car park — that is Holland America’s account, not the terminal’s own.

There’s no public parking at the pier, per Holland America. We found no published cruise-parking rate in the port or near it.

Several hotels print garage rates for your stay, such as Marriott’s $40 a day at the Sheraton, but none says the rate covers a cruise. The Marriott at Ezeiza offers free parking with a night’s stay but lists no long-term parking, so ask before counting on it. Most people should take a taxi — we found nothing that says otherwise.

Ezeiza (EZE) is the international airport, about 42 km and 50 minutes from the pier, per Holland America — and the time moves with traffic. Aeroparque (AEP) handles domestic and regional flights and sits about 8 km north of the center, per MSC. Holland America says Uber, taxis, Didi and Cabify are all readily available.

The night before, ranked: we’ve scored eleven hotels for the night before a Buenos Aires sailing, from Retiro to Puerto Madero and the airport, on what each one publishes. None runs a ride to the ship and none lists breakfast in every rate — on the pages we could read. Four worth knowing: