Planning a trip to Argentina means making a lot of decisions: who to travel with, where to stay, how to get around a country the size of a continent. One simple way to narrow those choices is to follow the World Travel Awards, known as the “Oscars of tourism.” Since 1993 they have recognised the finest providers in the industry, voted for by travel professionals and travelers around the world. This guide gathers Argentina’s most recent winners — not as a trophy cabinet, but as a set of trustworthy references you can lean on as you plan each part of your trip.
Planning a trip to Argentina means a hundred choices — the World Travel Awards winners are a shortcut to the best of them.
1. Choosing Your Tour Operator or DMC
The first decision shapes every other one. Whoever designs and runs your trip is the difference between a collection of bookings and a journey that actually flows — so it is worth choosing an operator that specialises in the destination, with genuine local experience and a proven track record. An easy filter is to look for the companies the industry itself recognises.
In Argentina, that recognition points clearly. Say Hueque Journeys was named Argentina’s Leading Tour Operator 2026 — the sixth consecutive year it has taken the category — and also Argentina’s Leading Destination Management Company 2026. In practice that means trips designed and run by teams on the ground, across both Argentina tours and Patagonia tours.
If you like to compare before you commit, our guide to the best companies to travel to Argentina walks through what separates a specialist operator from a reseller, so the choice is yours to make with open eyes.
The first decision shapes all the others: who designs and runs your trip on the ground.
Where to Stay
Where to stay depends on the kind of trip you are after — a city break, a nature escape, a touch of luxury, or a wine-and-food journey. The awards offer a reliable shortlist for each.
In Buenos Aires, the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires took Leading Business Hotel, while the Meliá Recoleta Plaza won Leading Boutique Hotel for travelers who prefer something more intimate. For a grand hotel immersed in nature, the Gran Meliá Iguazú was named Leading Hotel 2026 and also took Leading Hotel Suite, placing you beside the falls.
For a classic resort, the Llao Llao Resort, Golf & Spa in Bariloche won Leading Resort, set among the lakes and forests of northern Patagonia. Deeper south, Explora El Chaltén took Leading Lodge — an ideal base for Patagonia travelers who want the trails on their doorstep. And for wine country, Casa de Uco Vineyard & Wine Resort in Mendoza won Leading Wine Region Hotel, among the vines of the Uco Valley.
From a city boutique to a Patagonian lodge to a vineyard resort, the right base depends on the trip you want.
2. Where to Go
Argentina’s destinations carry their own endorsements. Buenos Aires is the most awarded of all, sweeping a run of regional categories as South America’s Leading Business Travel Destination, Cultural City Destination, Festival & Event Destination and Most Romantic Destination — a rare clean sweep that captures the city’s range, from tango halls to boardrooms.
Patagonia is the country’s star for lodges and adventure, its standing reflected in winners like Explora El Chaltén and Llao Llao. To plan the region itself, our guide to the best tour companies for traveling to Patagonia is a good place to begin.
Buenos Aires is the country’s most awarded destination — business, culture, festivals and romance all at once.
Mendoza anchors the wine-and-food trip, with Casa de Uco flying the flag for the vineyards, while Iguazú pairs one of the planet’s great waterfalls with the award-winning Gran Meliá; our guide to the best tour companies to visit the Iguazú Falls helps you plan it well. Argentina even earns a wildlife laurel as South America’s Leading Whale Watching Destination, thanks to the southern right whales of Península Valdés.
Getting Around
Argentina’s scale means the way you move between regions matters almost as much as the regions themselves. Internal flights save days on the long north-south distances, and a rental car opens up the interior — the wine roads of Mendoza, the lakes of Bariloche, the valleys of the northwest — at your own pace.
Here, too, the awards give you a steer. LATAM Airlines was named South America’s Leading Airline 2026, a dependable backbone for hopping between Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Iguazú and Mendoza. For the road, Hertz took Argentina’s Leading Car Rental Company 2026, a reassuring option when you want the freedom to explore beyond the cities.
A good operator weaves these together for you, sequencing the flights and transfers so the distances work in your favour rather than against you.
Argentina’s scale rewards smart connections — the right airline and a rental car open up the interior.
3. How to Plan Your Trip
Think of these winners as a shortcut through the noise: trusted names for each decision, chosen by the people who know the industry best. The art, as ever, is weaving them into a single journey that fits your time, your pace and your idea of Argentina.
That is exactly the kind of thing we love to help with. If you would like a hand shaping it all into a trip built around you, our specialists are always happy to talk it through — start with our Argentina tours and Patagonia tours, or simply get in touch and tell us what you have in mind.
