What to See in Ushuaia: History, Museums, and Viewpoints at the End of the World

Before answering the question of what to see in the city of Ushuaia, it's worth understanding how it earned the nickname "the city at the end of the world." Its story begins thousands of years ago, with the native peoples who inhabited the Fuegian archipelago, and continues today in every museum, viewpoint, and street of downtown.

This guide walks you through that history and tells you, in just as much detail, what to visit in Ushuaia depending on how much time you have.

If you're wondering what there is to do in Ushuaia beyond mountain excursions and the Beagle Channel, the answer lies right in the city itself: museums in Ushuaia ranging from the life of the first inhabitants to the Falklands War, and viewpoints where you can take in the whole bay and the Andes mountain range at once. On top of that, the landscapes around Ushuaia are just minutes from downtown, with no need to plan a full-day excursion.

Below, you'll find the complete historical rundown, a list of must-see tourist spots in Ushuaia within the city, and a selection of excursions for each of those points. If you'd rather travel with everything arranged, check out our travel packages to Ushuaia with accommodation, transfers, and tours included.

The history of Ushuaia: from native peoples to the penal colony

Ushuaia is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province, home to around 50,000 people, and known as the southernmost city in the world. Its name comes from the Yaghan language: "Ushuaia" means "at the far end," and "waia" means "bay," so the full name translates roughly to "bay at the far end."

It sits at the southern tip of Argentina, between the final stretch of the Andes and the Beagle Channel — a geographic position that explains much of both its history and its landscapes.

Before the city ever existed, the region already had thousands of years of human history behind it. Understanding the native peoples, the Anglican mission, and the penal colony helps you see every museum and every downtown street you'll later visit in a new light.

The first native peoples of Tierra del Fuego

The area's first inhabitants were nomadic groups who arrived on foot from the north more than 11,000 years ago, reaching what is today the main island of Tierra del Fuego. These groups were related to the Tehuelche people and lived by hunting and gathering; the Ona (or Selk'nam) and Haush peoples descend from them.

Later, other groups arrived: the Yaghan and the Kawésqar, both nomadic peoples who traveled by canoe and lived off fishing.

These peoples inhabited the Beagle Channel and its shores for millennia, adapted to an extreme climate through techniques of their own. They kept fire burning constantly inside their bark canoes, something that caught the attention of the first European sailors, who gave the region the name "Tierra del Fuego" ("Land of Fire").

The Yaghan were expert seafarers, having navigated the Fuegian archipelago for some 7,000 years. Among this people, it was the women who paddled while the men hunted and fished from the canoe.

Much of what's known today about these peoples is preserved in the city's museums, which hold archaeological remains, tools, and reproductions of their boats. Knowing this chapter before visiting the museums helps explain why so many exhibit halls are devoted to the daily life of these groups, beyond the European history that came later.

The Anglican mission and the founding of the city

In 1869, with authorization from the governments of Argentina and Chile, Anglican missionaries arrived with the goal of evangelizing the native peoples. The mission, led by Bishop Waite Hockin Stirling, settled in and began building its first homes. The following year, he was replaced by Thomas Bridges, one of the most important figures in Fuegian history.

In 1884, Commodore Augusto Lasserre led an expedition, and on October 12 of that year, established the Ushuaia Subprefecture on the shores of the Beagle Channel — a date celebrated every year as the city's founding anniversary. Thomas Bridges accepted Argentine sovereignty and raised the national flag there for the first time.

The Argentine government supported the mission, but Bridges later chose to leave his missionary role and founded Estancia Harberton in 1886, about 85 km from Ushuaia along National Route 3, where he settled with his family.

The penal colony and the Prison at the End of the World

Although Ushuaia already existed as a settlement, it only became known in the rest of Argentina in 1896, when Julio Roca's government pushed forward a penal colonization project: from then on, male and female prisoners serving multi-year sentences were sent to the city. As the number of inmates arriving from Buenos Aires kept growing, construction began in 1902 on a stone prison, built by the inmates themselves.

The prison had a narrow-gauge railway that carried inmates to the forestry work camps, in what is today the Tierra del Fuego National Park. That same route is the one recreated today by the historic End of the World Train.

The Military Prison and Repeat Offenders' Jail operated until 1947, and among those who passed through its cells were figures who are now part of local folklore, such as writer Ricardo Rojas, anarchist Simón Radowitsky, and serial killer Cayetano Santos Godino, known as "El Petiso Orejudo." It's no surprise the Ushuaia prison earned the nickname "the Argentine Alcatraz."

The Anglican mission, meanwhile, wound down toward the end of the 19th century, and it's worth noting that the native peoples went through a very harsh process of colonization: from direct extermination to infectious diseases against which they had no immunity. By around 1930, the region's native peoples had almost entirely disappeared.

Today, that same prison building is one of the city's most visited museums, and it's the ideal starting point for the next section of this guide.

Museums in Ushuaia: where to learn the history of the city at the end of the world

Visiting Ushuaia's museums and natural viewpoints is the best way to understand the history you've just read. Most are clustered in downtown, within short distance of each other, so they can be combined into a single morning or afternoon of walking.

Before heading out, it's worth knowing that not all of Ushuaia's museums cover the same historical period: some focus on the native peoples and early explorers, others on prison life, and one in particular is entirely dedicated to the Falklands War. Here's the breakdown of each.

Maritime and Prison Museum of Ushuaia (the Prison at the End of the World)

The Maritime and Prison Museum of Ushuaia, housed in the former prison building, is the city's largest museum complex: four different museums operate under one roof. Admission covers all four museums and is valid for two days, so you don't need to see everything in a single visit.

The Maritime Museum recreates the history of Tierra del Fuego from the perspective of the seafarer, through a collection of ship models and scale replicas.

The Prison Museum, located in Pavilion IV, lets you walk through the original cells and learn about the inmates' daily life, work, and punishments. The "José María Sobral" Antarctic Museum, on the upper floor of the same pavilion, brings together historical and biological materials from Antarctic expeditions. And the Ushuaia Marine Art Museum showcases works by Argentine marine artists, with a gallery that also hosts temporary exhibits.

As for the schedule of the Prison at the End of the World: the complex offers guided tours every day at 11:30 am, 4:30 pm, and 6:30 pm, plus a dramatized visit in which actors dressed as inmates lead visitors through the pavilions.

Museum at the End of the World

The Museum at the End of the World is another must if you want to understand the history of Tierra del Fuego in depth. It has two locations: the main one is on Avenida Maipú 173, in the old Banco Nación building, and an annex operates three blocks further on, at Maipú 465, on the site once occupied by the old Government House and Legislature. Visiting the Museum at the End of the World is part of the city tour of Ushuaia.

The exhibits cover the life of the native peoples, the first European expeditions, and the settlers, sailors, and adventurers who shaped the island's development. The museum holds archaeological remains, reproductions of indigenous tools, 19th-century documents linked to scientific expeditions and shipwrecks, and a large collection of native bird species, with more than 180 species represented. Along with the Maritime and Prison Museum, it's the best gateway into the region's full history.

Its main location also has a room devoted entirely to the local history of Ushuaia, with objects from the pioneers who arrived on the island between the late 19th and early 20th centuries: their work tools, family photographs, and everyday objects that show what life was like in a town so isolated from the rest of the country.

The annex at Maipú 465, meanwhile, occupies the building that once served as the territory's first Government House — another detail worth knowing if you're as interested in the historic architecture as in the collections on display.

Malvinas Memory Museum and other city museums

The Malvinas Memory Museum (Museo Pensar Malvinas) stands apart among Ushuaia's museums, since it's dedicated exclusively to the 1982 war. It opened on April 2, 2012, at Casa Torres, within the Pueblo Viejo section of the Paseo de las Rosas, on Avenida 12 de Octubre, and was created by Ushuaia's Association of Falklands War Veterans. It displays photographs, information panels, and historical objects related to the war; admission is free, and it's open every day from 10 am to 5 pm.

Within the same Paseo de las Rosas are two other smaller spaces: the City Museum, housed in the former residence of the Pena family, with objects and accounts from Ushuaia's first settlers, and the Casa Beban Museum, a prefabricated home brought over from Sweden in 1902 that today functions as an exhibition center, with free admission Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. For those interested in the region's marine wildlife, the Acatushun Museum rounds out the visit with a collection of bone remains from marine mammals and seabirds found along the Fuegian coast.

What to see in Ushuaia: unmissable landscapes and viewpoints

Beyond its museums, Ushuaia offers something few cities can: mountains, sea, and forest just minutes from downtown. Most of Ushuaia's viewpoints are within 20 kilometers of the city center, which makes it easy to combine them with the historical tour in a single day.

Here are the most sought-after landscapes around Ushuaia, with the approximate distance from downtown and the corresponding excursion for each, in case you'd rather do them with a guide instead of on your own.

Martial Glacier viewpoints

A few kilometers northwest of downtown, about 7 km along the Camino al Glaciar, stands the Martial Glacier, one of the city's most visited attractions. From its base, and as you climb the trail, several viewpoints open up with views of the Beagle Channel, the Andes mountain range, and the entire city at the foot of the mountain. It's a short excursion, ideal for a half day, and especially popular at sunset, when the light falls over the bay.

You can explore it with a guide on the Martial Glacier trek, which explores the area around the glacier, or choose the sunset at Martial Glacier option, a guided walk that crosses peat bogs and reaches three different viewpoints overlooking the Beagle Channel, the mountains, and the lit-up city.

The Beagle Channel: sailing, wildlife, and landscapes

The Beagle Channel is probably Ushuaia's most photographed landscape. Half-day boat trips depart from the city's port and pass by the Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse — popularly known as the "lighthouse at the end of the world" — and Isla de los Lobos, where you can spot a colony of sea lions in their natural habitat. Further out, near Isla Martillo, one of the few Magellanic and gentoo penguin colonies you can access on foot alongside an authorized guide is located.

For the classic route along the channel, the Beagle Channel and Isla de los Lobos boat trip is the most popular choice, with panoramic views of the city from the water. If your goal is to see penguins, the boat trip to the Isla Martillo penguin colony adds that stop to the channel's classic highlights.

Tierra del Fuego National Park and the End of the World Train

About 12 km west of Ushuaia, along National Route 3, is the entrance to Tierra del Fuego National Park, the only Argentine national park with a coastline. There you can explore Ensenada Bay, Lake Acigami (formerly Lake Roca), and several short trails through lenga and ñire forests. The park is directly linked to the prison's history: the same route now traveled by the End of the World Train — which departs from about 8 km outside the city — is the one used by inmates to reach the forestry work camps in the early 20th century.

You can visit the park combined with the historic train on the Tierra del Fuego National Park with optional End of the World Train excursion, one of the most complete half-day outings to experience this attraction.

Other tourist spots in Ushuaia to round out your visit

Beyond the museums, the viewpoints, and the National Park, there's a series of tourist spots in Ushuaia that round out the visit nicely, especially if you have a few free hours between excursions or if the weather doesn't cooperate for heading out of the city.

This final section brings together those more urban spots, along with a few nearby excursions that dig deeper into the landscapes already mentioned.

Plaza 25 de Mayo and the Paseo del Centenario

Right in the city center, Plaza 25 de Mayo is home to the Paseo de los Artesanos, with stalls selling local textiles and crafts — a great spot for the end of your trip if you're after a souvenir. A few blocks away, the Paseo del Centenario, built for the city's centennial, offers one of the best free panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel, very popular for sunset photos and easy to reach on foot from downtown.

If you'd rather see these spots with a guide who narrates the history behind each corner, the private city tour or the classic Double Decker panoramic bus city tour are both comfortable ways to see the main points of interest without walking too much.

Excursions and viewpoints near the city

If you have an extra day and have already covered downtown and the Martial Glacier, there are options nearby that show another side of Ushuaia's landscapes. Laguna Esmeralda, about 20 km along National Route 3, is one of the most popular treks, with views over a glacial valley and the chance to spot foxes, condors, or beavers along the way; you can do it with a guide on the Laguna Esmeralda trek.

For those after a panoramic view without hours of walking, the 360° Cerro Guanaco trek, within the National Park, climbs to one of the area's highest peaks, with views of the sea and mountains at the same time. And if you'd rather see all these viewpoints from the air, with no trekking involved, the helicopter flight covers the Beagle Channel, the Martial Glacier, Monte Olivia, and the Cinco Hermanos peaks in just a few minutes, from a perspective no viewpoint on the ground can offer.