How to Say “Go Sightseeing” in Spanish

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hacer turismo
/aθeɾ tuɾismo/from spelling rules
To go sightseeing in Spanish is hacer turismo.
The phrase hacer turismo is used to describe the activity of visiting landmarks and monuments in a city or country.

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase is an infinitive construction and does not change based on the object being seen. You 'do tourism' as a general activity. To express that you went sightseeing in the past, you conjugate the verb 'hacer' into the preterite tense, such as in hicimos turismo for 'we went sightseeing'.

How do you pronounce it?

/aθeɾ tuɾismo/

Did you know?

  • While hacer turismo means to go sightseeing, the word turista can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation of being an oblivious outsider.
  • The word hacer and the English word 'fact' both stem from the Latin 'facere', meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.

Examples in context

  • Estoy muy emocionado por ir a hacer turismo en Madrid este verano.
    I'm very excited to go sightseeing in Madrid this summer.
  • Mi familia y yo vamos a visitar lugares turísticos en la Ciudad de México.
    My family and I are going to visit tourist places in Mexico City.
  • Nos encanta explorar los sitios de interés históricos de Roma.
    We love exploring Rome's historical points of interest.
  • ¿Quieres echar un vistazo a los barrios pintorescos de Buenos Aires?
    Do you want to take a look at the picturesque neighborhoods of Buenos Aires?
  • Mañana vamos a dar una vuelta turística por las playas de Cancún.
    Tomorrow, we're going to take a touristy walk around the beaches of Cancun.
  • Queremos hacer turismo por la ciudad.
    We want to go sightseeing around the city.
  • No tenemos tiempo para hacer turismo.
    We don't have time to go sightseeing.
  • ¿Prefieres hacer turismo o ir a la playa?
    Do you prefer to go sightseeing or go to the beach?

Example conversation

Alejandro and María are planning their trip to Barcelona.

  1. Alejandro

    María, ¿quieres hacer turismo hoy?
    María, do you want to go sightseeing today?
  2. María

    Sí, me encantaría visitar la ciudad.
    Yes, I would love to visit the city.
  3. Alejandro

    Podemos hacer turismo por el centro.
    We can go sightseeing through the center.
  4. María

    Perfecto, busquemos un mapa ahora.
    Perfect, let's look for a map now.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, turismo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Tony Chase
Tony ChaseHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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