Trelew is a city in eastern Patagonia, founded by settlers from Wales and located southwest of Puerto Madryn, about 20 km from the Atlantic coast. With about 100,000 inhabitants, it is the second town by population in Argentina's Chubut province. It is not a touristy city and has few attractions, but may be a convenient stopover.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Trelew is located in the fertile Río Chubut valley, where mainly fruit (particularly cherries) and vegetables are grown. It serves as a service center for the region and has a large wool-processing industry sector. The city was founded in 1886 by Welsh settlers. It has few historical buildings, but its city center feels unique in the region because of the large number of narrow streets and walkways, called pasajes. The city is a good base for excursions to places like Rawson and its beaches, the Punta Tombo reserve and Camarones and is well connected via public transport to the rest of the province.
The city is served by an extensive local bus service which besides providing transportation around the city also provides service to nearby Rawson.
1 Museo Paleontológico Egido Feruglio (MEF), Av. Fontana 140, ☏ +54 280 443 2100. Daily 10ː00 - 18ː00. Museum with a fairly large collection of Patagonian dinosaur bones. Also serves as a research facility. AR$600. (updated Dec 2020) 2 Museo Municipal de Artes Visuales, Mitre 351, ☏ +54 280 443 3774. Daily 08ː00 - 20ː00. A fantastic little art gallery featuring local artists in the town square that is worth a short visit. (updated Aug 2026) 3 Museo Regional Pueblo de Luis, Fontana y 9 de Julio, ☏ +54 280 442 4062. Daily 08ː00 - 20ː00. An interesting, if random, collection of things detailing the city's Welsh history. It is located in the old train station: Sarmiento y 28 de Julio.
Dolphin and Whale watching – Trelew is a 15-min taxi ride from the port city of Rawson where multiple companies provide dolphin and whale watching excursions that part from the Playa Unión beach. The main attractions in this area are the black-and-white Commerson dolphins (called toninas locally), while chances to see bigger whales are better at the Valdes Peninsula. Laguna Chiquichano – A pleasant little lake just east of the city center with a park surrounding it, ideal for sports and bird watching. Lagunas del Ornitólogo – Another lake system east of the city. They host a rich bird life, including flamingoes and black swans.
1 Mi Destino, Urquiza 95, ☏ +54 280 487 8879. Lunch 12ː00 - 15ː00, Dinner 20ː00 - 23ː30, closed Mon. Argentinian cuisine with fresh pasta dishes. Generous portions at reasonable prices. AR20,000. (updated Aug 2026) 2 Sugar, 25 de Mayo 199-249, ☏ +54 280 469 9566. Mon-Sat 08ː00 - 00ː00, closed Sun. International cuisine with steaks, pasta, and seafood. AR20,000. (updated Aug 2026) 3 Tia Camila, 25 de Mayo 923, ☏ +54 280 443 2950. Daily lunch 12ː00 - 15ː00, dinner 20ː00 - 00ː00. Argentinian cuisine with several pasta dishes including lasagna on Sundays. Grilled meats including lamb cutlets. Friendly atmosphere with home cooking. AR20,000.
There are several Welsh-inspired tea houses in the city, offering also typical pastry. Trelew has several bars, discotheques and pubs, some of them located in the narrow alleys of the city center.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Oct, Trelew typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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