EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Travelling to San Ignacio Miní you're likely to pass through POSADAS , the capital of the Argentine province of Misiones. Apart from the pervasive red dust and a multi-ethnic population that includes descendants of German, Ukrainian, Scandinavian and other immigrants who settled in Misiones during the course of the twentieth century, the city has little of the province's frontier atmosphere. There's not much of touristic interest in Posadas but it's a useful place to stay, convenient for both the Argentine and Paraguayan ruins. Summers are intensely hot and humid, but the streets and plazas are well shaded by trees, and the ice cream is good, a legacy of the country's strong Italian presence.

An important commercial centre, Posadas is still small enough for you to walk to most places. Few buildings date from the city's foundation in 1870, but there are some attractive houses near the harbour in the oldest area, La Bajada Vieja . The city is centred on Plaza 9 de Julio, with banks and shops concentrated on Bolívar between Azara and Junín. The Argentine peso is maintained at exact parity with the US dollar, and Posadas is a good place to change travellers' cheques into dollar bills or to withdraw cash from an ATM (many allow you a choice between US dollar notes and Argentine pesos).

The airport , with flights from Buenos Aires and Córdoba, is located 12km west of Posadas; minibuses ($3) connect the airport with the city centre via the bus terminal, or a taxi will cost $10 ($6 to the bus terminal). The bus terminal , on the corner of avenidas Mitre and Uruguay, is twelve blocks south of the city centre: most provincial centres are served, and there are regular services to and from other Argentine cities, Asunción and Rio Grande do Sul. Buses for Encarnación, across the river in Paraguay, leave from the bus terminal across the road every fifteen minutes, picking up passengers in the city centre. Midway between the bus terminal and the centre at Rioja and Colón is the well-organized tourist office (Mon-Fri 7am-12.30pm & 2-8pm, Sat & Sun 8am-noon & 4-8pm; tel 0752/47539) which provides good maps of Posadas and local and provincial information.

Posadas is a relatively expensive city, with food and drink costing over fifty per cent more than in Brazil. Restaurants are concentrated on the streets extending off Plaza 9 de Julio and along Calle San Lorenzo and, as throughout Argentina, beef features prominently on menus; however, look out for surubi, the delicious local fish. Reasonably priced hotels are easy to find. Next to the bus terminal are several basic places to stay, charging around $25 for a double room, but it's worth walking a couple of blocks in the direction of the centre to the comfortable and quiet Residencial Córdoba, at Santiago del Estero 2162, between Junín and Ayacucho (tel 0752/35451; $20-35). In the centre, the least expensive place to stay is the City Hotel (tel 0752/33901; $35-50), but being on Plaza 9 de Julio it's rather noisy. On the same plaza is the more luxurious Hotel Continental (tel 0752/40990; $50-70), with large but impersonal-feeling rooms - ask for one with a river view. A block away at Bolívar 272, but quieter and friendlier, is the Hotel Posadas (tel 0752/40888; $50-70).

Brazil maintains a consulate at Av. Mitre 1242 with a same-day visa service, and Paraguay's consulate is at San Lorenzo between Santa Fé and Sarmiento. For telephone calls the Entel office is at Colón and Santa Fé, while the post office is at Bolívar and Ayacucho; both are within three blocks of Plaza 9 de Julio. At Colón 1574, El Pale has a very good and varied selection of regional handicrafts .