Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina: The City at the End of the World
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Tierra del Fuego National Park begins at the western edge of town and runs to the Chilean border. The road through it passes Lapataia Bay, where the Pan-American Highway technically ends — a sign marks the spot for the record — and the estancias and beaver-gnawed forests that characterize Fuegian Patagonia. The entrance fee is modest, the trails are well-marked, and the light in the late afternoon, especially in autumn, is extraordinary.
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The Beagle Channel runs between the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean islands to the south, and catamaran tours from the harbor spend two to three hours on the water visiting Penguin Island (Magellanic penguins nest here in season, roughly October through March), the sea lion colony at Los Lobos, and the lighthouse at Les Eclaireurs — often mistakenly called the 'lighthouse at the end of the world,' though the real one is on Staten Island to the east. The channel light is still handsome and the views back to the city against the Martial Range are the best available.
The Martial Glacier chairlift, operating from spring through autumn, rises to the snowline above the city and gives sweeping views over the Beagle Channel toward Chile. The glacier itself has retreated significantly in recent decades and is now more of a permanent snowfield, but the walk from the chairlift terminus to the viewpoint takes about thirty minutes and is worth every step. The forest of lenga beech on the lower slopes turns copper and gold in March.
The End of the World Museum, on Maipu Street in the center of town, covers the indigenous Yamana people, the early penal colony, and the era of Tierra del Fuego sheep farming with clear and unromantic prose. The penal colony opened in 1902, and the museum is housed in what was once the prison's bank building. The adjacent train to the End of the World runs a short tourist route through the national park on narrow-gauge track originally used by prisoners to haul wood.
Ushuaia's main street, San Martín, is lined with outdoor gear shops, lamb restaurants, and king crab houses. The centolla — southern king crab — is caught locally and served at most restaurants; the half-centolla (half a crab split and grilled) is the standard order. Prices are moderate by Argentine standards and reasonable by any comparison to Antarctic expedition prices.
Good to know
Overview
Ships tie up at a pier in Ushuaia itself, and the town center is less than a 10-minute walk away. Allow for about three-quarters of a kilometer to walk out of the port area.
- A tourist office stands in the port beside the "end of the world" sign.
- Booths at the dock sell excursions, including Beagle Channel boat trips and bus tours to Tierra del Fuego National Park.
Ushuaia on Your Own
Ushuaia is small enough to walk from the pier to its museums and main street, and the national park is a short minivan or taxi ride west of town. A simple plan is the old prison museum in the morning and the park or Glaciar Martial in the afternoon.
- The prison museum: The Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, at Yaganes and Gobernador Paz, is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. Tickets are sold only at the museum.
- A passport stamp: The Museo del Fin del Mundo on Avenida Maipú will stamp your passport.
- Into the park: Tierra del Fuego National Park starts about 11 km west of town. Minivans leave from the corner of Maipú and Fadul, and the park fee is extra.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so agree the return time with any minivan or taxi before you set off.
- Paying: You may need to show your passport when you pay by credit card, so keep a copy of it somewhere safe.
Getting Around
Taxis are plentiful in Ushuaia, and fares vary and run somewhat higher than in Buenos Aires, so agree the fare before you set off. For the national park and Glaciar Martial, minivans leave from a lot in town.
- Minivans to the national park and Glaciar Martial leave from a parking lot at the corner of Maipú and Fadul; you buy a return ticket there, and the park fee is extra.
- For Glaciar Martial, a return taxi for two can cost less than the minivan, and taxis wait at the base of the glacier.
- City buses reach few tourist sites and take the SUBE card.
Where to Eat
Seafood and lamb are Ushuaia's specialties, and king crab, centolla, is the dish to try. Plan your meals around those rather than fresh produce.
- Fruit and vegetables travel thousands of kilometers to get here, so they are often expensive and short on flavor.
Tipping Guide
In Argentina a tip is not compulsory, though about 10 percent is the usual polite amount in restaurants and cafés. Where the bill already carries a table charge, no tip is expected.
- That table charge is called the cubierto, so look for it on the bill before you add anything.
- Leave the tip in cash if you can, even when you pay the meal by card.
- Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, and tipping bartenders is not the custom.
Culture & Local Life
Ushuaia's old prison, in use until 1947, now holds the Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, where one ticket covers the maritime, prison, Antarctic and marine-art museums. The Museo del Fin del Mundo, a few blocks away, will stamp your passport.
- The prison museum is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, with last admission at 19:30. An adult ticket was 50,000 pesos under the rates in force from February 2026. Check before you go.
- Tickets are sold only at the museum, not online, and are valid for two days in a row.
- Guided visits in Spanish run every day at 11:30 and 18:30; ask about tours in English.
- The Museo del Fin del Mundo is in two buildings a few blocks apart on Avenida Maipú; turn right as you leave the pier area.
- Argentina's currency is the peso; check the current exchange arrangements before you travel, and expect to be asked for your passport when you pay by credit card.
A Brief History
Ushuaia grew from an Anglican mission among the Yámana people into an Argentine outpost whose prison shaped the town. The prison closed in 1947, and the national park to the west was created in 1960.
- The Yámana: The Yámana, also called the Yaghan, lived where the town now stands, and the name Ushuaia comes from their word for the area.
- The mission, 1869 to 1870: The British missionary Waite Hockin Stirling became the first European to live here when he stayed with the Yámana in 1869. The first house, a three-room prefabricated home for the Reverend Thomas Bridges, was put up in 1870.
- An Argentine settlement, 1884: Argentina formally founded the settlement on 12 October 1884.
- The prison: A penal colony took its first inmates in 1896, and work on the present prison building, with five wings, began in 1902. Inmates cut the local trees to build much of the early town.
- A prison band: Photographs held by the museum show that in the 1920s the prisoners formed a band that played for the townspeople on Sundays.
- The prison railway: A narrow-gauge railway served the prison from the early 1900s until 1952, and it was rebuilt in 1994 as a tourist train.
- The prison closes, 1947: The prison closed in 1947, and its building later became the maritime museum.
- The national park, 1960: Tierra del Fuego National Park was created on 15 October 1960 and enlarged in 1966.
- To learn more ashore: The Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, at the corner of Yaganes and Gobernador Paz, occupies the old prison and covers its inmates, the region's ships and the Antarctic.
Traveling with Family
With children, the national park is the heart of an Ushuaia day, and the narrow-gauge train is an easy way in for younger ones. Older children can walk part of the coastal path instead.
- Younger children: The Tren del Fin del Mundo is a 45-minute narrow-gauge ride into the park, with an audio guide and a 15-minute stop halfway. The station is west of town, just before the park entrance, so you need transport to reach it.
- School age: The halfway stop leaves time for the 5-minute walk to a waterfall.
- Teenagers: In the park, the Senda Costera coastal path links Ensenada Bay and Lapataia Bay.
- Wildlife: Guanacos and foxes live in the park, and about 90 bird species have been recorded there.
Accessibility
The pier is in the town itself, and the center is a short walk away, though you cover about three-quarters of a kilometer to leave the port area. The prison museum has worked to remove barriers in its historic building.
- The museum has built access ramps, adapted its toilets and rest areas, and set aside parking for visitors with disabilities.
- It lends wheelchairs free of charge, with no deposit, but has only a few, so reserve one ahead.
- The park, the train and the glacier involve uneven ground, so ask the operator about access before you book.
Shopping in Ushuaia
Tierra del Fuego charges no sales tax, IVA, though prices still run higher than in central Argentina. Avenida San Martín is the main shopping street.
- Low import tariffs make imported electronics comparatively good value.
- A duty-free shop on Avenida San Martín sells perfume, alcohol and cigarettes, but compare prices, because they can be lower elsewhere.
- The Paseo del Fuego shopping mall has a cinema.
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