Quilmes between culture, history and the riverfront

Quilmes offers a range of starting points for planning a stay: archaeological heritage, museums, historic architecture, cultural activities, and places by the water or among green spaces. You can choose your destination based on the topics that interest you during your stay. The Partido de Quilmes, part of the wider Quilmes travel destination, lies in the southeast of Greater Buenos Aires on the coast of the Río de la Plata.

City history and notable buildings

The Catedral de Quilmes stands on the site where the Quilmes reducción was established in 1666. Its features include an organ purchased in Germany, with 1,246 wooden and metal pipes. The Casa de la Cultura also tells the story of the city’s architecture: it is a former city palace and has been declared a Historic Monument of the Province of Buenos Aires.

The Casa de la Botella, a house museum made from thousands of glass bottles and featuring sculptures and other objects, has an unusual design. Architecture can also be explored in the Villa Argentina neighborhood. This garden-city district comprises 192 picturesque, neocolonial houses, arranged along a diagonal and surrounded by dense tree cover. The first phase opened in 1925 to provide housing for employees of Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes.

Archaeology, photography and visual arts

The Sala Arqueológica permanently displays part of the city’s archaeological collection, which comprises more than 20,000 pieces. Public access to this recovered cultural heritage is explicitly part of its offering. The Museo de Artes Visuales “Víctor Roverano” brings together artists from Quilmes and the surrounding region, as well as guest artists, so they can express themselves and share different forms of visual art. The museum also houses works by artists from Quilmes and other parts of Argentina.

The Museo Fotográfico Gerónima Giles y Gaete de Mayol opened on July 5, 1986, in a house that was then more than 100 years old and had been donated to the city government. It displays photographs of the city from 1900 and cameras arranged by period. A recreated laboratory illustrates photographic development processes, from manual to digital. The combination of photographs, cameras and laboratory focuses attention on both the history of images and the technical steps involved in their creation.

Cultural activities and venues

The Teatro Municipal has a main auditorium with 600 seats, a microcinema and an art gallery. Its facilities are accessible to wheelchair users and people with disabilities. The theater also houses Espacio INCAA. This does not include a current schedule of events or films, so it may be helpful to check dates in advance when planning a visit.

The Casa de las Culturas offers a year-round program of workshops, courses, exhibitions, music series, performances, book launches, fairs and cultural gatherings. For your travel planning, the variety of formats means Quilmes offers a broad cultural program alongside its historic collections. When choosing a hotel in Quilmes, it can help to consider the focus of your stay: decide whether you would mainly like to explore city history and museums, cultural activities, or spend time outdoors.

Green spaces and the riverfront

The Parque Municipal de la Ribera has 2,500 meters of accessible paths, children’s playgrounds, areas for exercise, a skate park, an amphitheater, a pergola and equipped rest areas. La Ribera de Quilmes is a place to enjoy the river and is visited year-round. Its Avenida Costanera has recreation and leisure areas as well as dining options amid dense tree cover.

The Parque de la Cervecería currently has a Confitería, a beer garden, sports courts, the “Chalecito Bemberg” and a wide variety of trees. The grounds of the Museo Histórico del Transporte Carlos Hillner Decoud host family-oriented outdoor activities, including festivals, fairs, games and sports. These include the traditional Viaje de los títeres on Sundays.

Quilmes’ coast is another aspect of the area: Club Pejerrey is a historic site on the coast of the Río de la Plata in the seaside resort of Quilmes. Club Náutico Quilmes has a 600-meter access channel suitable for sailing recreational boats. These two places offer different connections to the water: the historic coastal setting and the nautical facilities.

Discover more destinations: Hurlingham, Tandil, Zeballos, Coronel Vidal, Berazategui, Villa Ventana, Chascomús, Tigre

See the main travel overview: Buenos Aires.