After the war with Paraguay, the growing city of Posadas became the territorial capital when Buenos Aires separated Misiones from Corrientes Province. Now a major commercial center and border crossing, it’s also the access point to the upper Paraná’s Jesuit missions on both the Argentine and Paraguayan sides as well as to Parque Nacional Iguazú.

Now capital of its province, Posadas is reclaiming part of its waterfront above the encroaching waters of the downstream Yacyretá hydroelectric project. Densely planted street trees help offset the summer heat and humidity.

On the Paraná’s south bank, opposite the smaller Paraguayan city of Encarnación, Posadas (pop. about 300,000) is 1,007 kilometers north of Buenos Aires via RN 14 and RN 105, 324 kilometers east of Corrientes via RN 12, and 302 kilometers southwest of Puerto Iguazú, also via RN 12. Avenida Mitre leads east to the graceful suspension bridge that crosses the river to Encarnación.

Posadas’s awkward street numeration continues to confuse nonresidents, as locals continue to prefer the old numbers to the new. Addresses listed here use the new system but in some cases they indicate the old numbers as well, and occasionally refer to precise locations—some buildings lack numbers from either system.

Getting to Posadas

Posadas enjoys pretty good air connections to Buenos Aires, and it’s a hub for provincial and long-distance buses, but rail service to Buenos Aires is suitable only for fanatical rail fans. There are also buses and launches across the border to Encarnación, Paraguay.

Aerolíneas Argentina (Ayacucho 1728, tel. 03752/43-7110) flies once or twice daily to Buenos Aires’s Aeroparque.

Distant from downtown, Posadas’s Terminal de Ómnibus (Avenida Quaranta and Avenida Santa Catalina, tel. 03752/45-4888) is 44 blocks south and 14 blocks west of Plaza 9 de Julio. Buses to San Ignacio Miní (1 hour, US$2) leave roughly hourly starting around 5:30 a.m.

Sample destinations, times, and fares include Corrientes (4.5 hours, US$18), Resistencia (5 hours, US$20), Puerto Iguazú (4 hours, US$12), Buenos Aires (12 hours, US$46–60), and Salta (18 hours, US$53).

Trenes del Litoral (Avenida Córdoba s/n, tel. 03752/43-6076, www.trenesdellitoral.com.ar) offers cheap, slow, and erratic rail service on the Urquiza line to Buenos Aires’s Estación Federico Lacroze. Scheduled departures are 10 a.m. Wednesday and 11 p.m. Sunday for the 26-hour trip.