Sights

Nearly all Neuquén [1]’s sights are in the Parque Central, the recycled rail yard bounded by Avenida San Martín/Avenida Independencia, and the streets of Salta/Manuel Láinez, Tucumán/Tierra del Fuego, and Sarmiento/Mitre on the south.

The most important is Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes [2]. Just north of the old bus terminal, the Sala de Arte Emilio Saraco (Avenida Olascoaga s/n, tel. 0299/449-1200, ext. 4390, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. weekdays, 4–10 p.m. weekends and holidays, free) occupies the railroad station’s former cargo terminal, with exhibits of contemporary art. Across the tracks, Juntarte en el Andén is an outdoor art space at the former passenger terminal.

Two blocks east, the Museo de la Ciudad Paraje Confluencia (Avenida Independencia and Córdoba, tel. 0299/15-555-3082, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. weekdays, 6–10 p.m. weekends and holidays, free) traces Neuquén’s cultural evolution and history from early pre-Columbian times through the first European contact, the development of the Mapuche nation, and their resistance to General Roca’s “Conquest of the Desert.”