Architectural Tour Argentina & Uruguay, October 2025

In both capitals, historical layers meet 20th-century modernism and contemporary design. We’ll encounter icons such as Eladio Dieste’s sculptural brickwork, Clorindo Testa’s expressive concrete forms, and a new generation of architects, such as Itala Fulvia Villa, Antonio Bonet Castellana, or Enrico Tedeschi, engaged with material innovation, public space, and social narrative.

This 12-day journey through Argentina and Uruguay offers a layered perspective on architecture, cities, and landscapes—from dense cultural capitals to open Andean plains. The itinerary connects historical cores with modernist landmarks, contemporary works, and occasional forays into wine country with relaxed visits and tastings at notable bodegas.

In Montevideo, Uruguay’s laid-back yet cosmopolitan capital, we explore a built fabric shaped by neoclassical avenues, eclectic facades, and a remarkable concentration of Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. From Eladio Dieste’s pioneering brick structures to recent civic interventions, the city reveals a design language that is both grounded and quietly inventive.

Further west, in Mendoza, architecture and landscape merge in striking ways. The region’s dry climate and fertile soil have made it one of South America’s leading wine-producing areas. Alongside tastings of renowned varietals like Malbec, we visit a selection of wineries where architecture frames experience—some bold and sculptural, others discreetly woven into their surroundings.

Finally, in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s cultural and political capital, we trace the city’s evolution through its richly layered urban fabric. From colonial plazas and French-inspired boulevards to rationalist towers and riverside pavilions, Buenos Aires reveals itself as a city of ambition, reinvention, and expressive form. From riverbanks to mountain ranges, these urban encounters remind us that architecture is never just about buildings—but about the lives and landscapes they shape.

Montevideo

Day 1, Tuesday, October 7
Foundations and Facades
Arrival in Montevideo

We begin the trip with a first look at the city’s architectural layers, starting in the historic center introducing the grid plan of Ciudad Vieja and revival-era monuments such as the eclectic Palacio Salvo and the neoclassical Teatro Solís.

Day 2, Wednesday, October 8
Uruguayan Modernism and International Echoes

Day two explores Montevideo’s modernist legacy across civic, educational, and residential buildings. The itinerary highlights Uruguayan figures like Eladio Dieste, Román Fresnedo Siri, and Héctor Vigliecca, alongside international influences such as I.M. Pei.

Day 3, Thursday, October 9
Ceramic Curves and Coastal Contrasts

East of Montevideo, the coastal town of Atlántida is home to one of Eladio Dieste’s most iconic works: the Parroquia del Cristo Obrero, a poetic exploration of structure, rhythm, and material using his technique of "reinforced ceramics." The day concludes with a drive along the coast to Punta del Este, where modernist villas and seaside buildings reflect Uruguay’s long-standing dialogue between leisure, landscape, and design.

Day 4, Friday, October 10
Contemporary Interventions and Rural Transitions 

The final day in Uruguay begins with a look at recent architectural work with examples of Montevideo’s growing interest in adaptive reuse. In the afternoon, we leave the capital and travel west to Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO-listed site that blends colonial layers with coastal calm.

Day 5, Saturday, October 11
Crossing Waters, Shifting Contexts
Transfer to Mendoza

This transition day links Uruguay and Argentina, beginning in the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento before crossing the vast estuary of the Río de la Plata by ferry. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we continue by plane to Mendoza.

Mendoza

Day 6, Sunday, October 12
Modernism in the Desert City

Our first day in Mendoza explores the city’s central district, where 20th-century civic buildings sit within an urban grid shaped by light, landscape, and irrigation. We also visit the Faculty of Architecture, a striking brutalist complex designed by Enrico Tedeschi.

Day 7, Monday, October 13
Bodegas - Wineries I: Design, Setting, and the Experience of Wine

Across Mendoza’s valleys, a new generation of wineries has reshaped the landscape—pairing bold architectural ideas with the rituals of wine tasting and hospitality. We visit a selection of estates where design plays a central role—framing views, guiding light, and elevating the connection between visitor and vineyard.

Day 8, Tuesday, October 14
Bodegas - Wineries II: Form, Landscape, and the Culture of the Vineyard
Transfer to Buenos Aires

This second day deepens our look at how winery buildings respond to the expansive Andean landscape—some through sculptural form, others through restraint and integration. Wine tastings accompany the visit, grounding the architectural and spatial experience in the sensory and seasonal rhythms of the place.

Buenos Aires

Day 9, Wednesday, October 15
City Origins and Urban Icons

To understand Buenos Aires is to understand its structure. This first day in the capital explores how the city was shaped—from colonial foundations and republican symbolism to the grand urban projects of the 20th and 21st centuries. Walking through the historic center we map civic and cultural shifts across plazas, avenues, and monuments.

Day 10, Thursday, October 16
Power, Migration, and Cultural Fabric

This day traces Buenos Aires through its moments of economic, social, and cultural transformation. We explore the Retiro district, where the city’s banking power and elite residences left a legacy of striking architecture, such as the brutalist Banco de Londres by Clorindo Testa. We also visit the vibrant neighborhood of La Boca, long shaped by waves of immigration and working-class history.

Day 11, Friday, October 17
Tigre and the Northern Edge

Today, we head north to the Tigre Delta, a region of branching waterways long associated with leisure and retreat. Once a weekend escape for Buenos Aires’ elite, Tigre has in recent years become a testing ground for contemporary residential and institutional architecture. We also visit the evocative Parque de la Memoria, an open-air memorial and landscape intervention that commemorates the victims of Argentina’s dictatorship era.

Day 12, Saturday, October 18
Modern Threads Through the Urban Fabric 
Departure from Buenos Aires

Our final day is anchored in four emblematic neighborhoods: Recoleta, Palermo, Colegiales, and Chacarita. Along the way, we encounter Clorindo Testa’s monumental Biblioteca Nacional, the Planetarium’s mid-century modernist optimism and two contrasting cemeteries—Recoleta’s neoclassical grandeur and Chacarita’s subterranean brutalism—marking the temporal and spatial span of Buenos Aires’ evolving architectural imagination.

Program subject to change

Included Services

• 12-day guided architectural program in English, tour leading in English and German

• 11 nights accommodation in carefully selected hotels (3 and 4 stars)

• 2 domestic flights including transfers (flights Buenos Aires to Mendoza and Mendoza to Buenos Aires)

• Ferry Colonia to Buenos Aires

• Transportation during tours

• All entrance fees, welcome dinner and all breakfasts

• CO2 emission compensation for domestic travel with myclimate.org

Not Included

• International flights

• Lunch and dinner (except welcome dinner)

• Travel and international medical insurance, personal expenses

Price (excl. international flight)
CHF 4’450 (USD 5,450, EUR 4’650) per person double occupancy
CHF 750 (USD 900, EUR 800) additional per person single occupancy
Price guaranteed until August 31, 2025

Early Bird Booking
CHF 200/USD 200/EUR 200 discount for bookings before July 31, 2025

Registration/Booking
If you have decided to participate in this tour, you can book it using our booking form.

Number of Participants
Minimum 8 people and maximum 14 people

Organizer and Operator
Insight Architecture

Tours of Insight Architecture administered and operated by Popeye Ltd Design & Communication (Swiss Commercial Register CHE-104.689.493); Popeye Ltd is member of Star Swiss Travel Association; Client money protection Swiss Travel Security STS.

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