La Rioja is a city in the La Rioja province in the Andean Northwest region of Argentina. Although a provincial capital it's a sleepy town with only a few sights however it's a great base for visiting the Talampaya and other national parks in the area.
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Get in
[edit]- 1 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ IATA) (7 kilometres away from La Rioja). Regular flights from Buenos Aires and other cities.
By bus
La Rioja has good bus connections from Cordoba to the south east and Tucuman to the north. There may be long distance night buses from places further north than Tucuman but if you are travelling during the day there are no through buses. You will have to travel to Tucuman and book a bus (Aconquija is one of the possible bus lines) to La Rioja from there.
The cafe at the bus station does a good hamburger.
It is a 45 minute walk to the centre of town from the bus station but there is a taxi rank at the station. The taxis are all metered and cost AR$7-8,000(2026). You can get an Uber but there is not much difference in price.
By Car
La Rioja is connected by road to San Juan and Mendoza (south west) and Córdoba (south east).
Get around
[edit]Taxis are metered and reasonably priced with ranks at the bus station and Plaza 25 de Mayo
See
[edit]There is a municipal tourist information kiosk at Plaza principal 25 de Mayo, with information about sleeping, eating and what to do. The regional tourist information office is in a building beside the bus station. Staff at both the kiosk and the office are helpful but the regional tourist office is a bit better set up.
- Museo Folkloric, Pelagio Luna 811. Museum set in a marvellous 17th century house. Information about the exhibits is given in Spanish only but the museum provides English speaking guides - at no charge- if you wish. The museum is small but the artefacts are well chosen and displayed. Donation.
- Casa de Joaquin Victor Gonzalez, Rivadavia 952. This is the house, now a museum of Joaquin V Gonzalez one of Argentina's most illustrious men. He played a prominent part in the development of mining in Chilecito, was Governor of the province of La Rioja a prolific writer and founder of what is now the National University of Buenos Aires. The house is immaculately kept. Information about the exhibits is given in Spanish only but the museum provides English speaking guides - at no charge- if you wish. Donation.
Do
[edit]A great one day tour can be undertaken by driving to Talampaya National Park via Patquia. It takes a little over 2½ hours to drive to the visitor centre. The park can only be explored by guided 4WD bus tour. The 4WD bus excursions leave from the visitor centre a couple of times a day and take about 2½ hours. It may pay to check what times the excursions are scheduled on the day you plan to visit as some days they are only offered in the afternoons in which case you may decide to do the trip in reverse. The park entry fee together with the price of the guided tour is approx AR$90,000 per person. Food and water is available at the park but it is very expensive so a picnic is a good idea.
The park is arid country with towering dry sandstone cliffs and many petroglyphs. Guanaco and birds may be sighted together with puma prints. After visiting the park drive north to Chilecito via Villa Union and the famous Miranda Pass. The road engineering here is impressive with the road more or less jutting directly out from the cliff face. Explore the old mining town of Chilecito and then return to La Rioja via Patquia on a well made road.
Buy
[edit]- La Rioja Rental Cars, Tte 1 Ibanez 398 (located in Pucara Hotel), ☏ +54 9 380 4952004. This is probably the hire car business in La Rioja with the longest opening hours. The prices are reasonable. Approx AR$60,000 per day including insurance as at 2026.
Eat
[edit]There are cafes around the Plaza 25 de Mayo and on the small street running south from the south east corner of the Plaza.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- Gran Hotel Embajador, San Martin 250, ☏ +54 380 4438580, [email protected]. Price includes breakfast AR$750 (twin).
- Mirasol, Rivadavia 941, ☏ +54 380 4420760. Not including breakfast AR$450 (double).
Go next
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