Easiest South America cruise ports to explore on your own

Ranked: easiest first

1. Ushuaia Argentina Easy
   Avenida San Martín is 5–10 minutes' walk.
2. Punta del Este Uruguay Easy
   La Mano at Playa Brava is 10–15 minutes' walk across the peninsula. · Tender
3. Montevideo Uruguay Easy
   Mercado del Puerto is 5–10 minutes away; Plaza Independencia about 1 km.
4. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Moderate
   Praça Mauá and the Museum of Tomorrow are 5–10 minutes' walk.
5. Punta Arenas Chile Moderate
   Plaza Muñoz Gamero is about 15 minutes' walk. · Tender
6. Buenos Aires Argentina Moderate
   Don't walk through the working port.
7. Valparaíso / San Antonio (Santiago) Chile Moderate
   Valparaíso's flat historic center is walkable; the hills use funiculars or taxis.
8. Puerto Madryn Argentina Book a tour
   The town and beach are near the base of the pier.

How we rank

Ports are grouped by our rating (Easy, then Moderate, then Book a tour). Within each group, the shortest walk to town or the main sights that our guide states comes first, then the shortest stated distance. The quote under each port comes from its guide; check your pier, because some ports have more than one. How we rate ports.