Buenos Aires
As BA was my first trip to South America, I had no idea what to expect. After a very full day spent exploring Bogota (Bogota Blog) during a long layover, I arrived in the city center of BA sleepy and slightly confused…Did I make a mistake and groggily board a plane to Europe instead of Argentina? Those gin and tonics in the lounge were a bit stronger than usual… but all jokes aside, Buenos Aires is a city like no other. Some describe it as the Paris of South America, and after checking out its neoclassical architecture, beautiful fountains and parks, the abundance of little cafes and pastry shops (oh GOD the gelato) first hand, I can agree that it would be easy to think you accidentally boarded a plane across the Atlantic instead of south of the equator. Take a walk away from the main drag and you will discover that Buenos Aires has a flavor all of its own -it tastes slightly of steak and malbec, and lemme tell you, it’s damn good.
Transportation– I flew into Ezeiza International Airport, which is about an hour outside of the city. My first big recommendation is to withdraw Argentinian pesos at the airport (many places and taxis do not take cards) and check with information about the correct estimated cost for a taxi to the center of Buenos Aires. Here is a cool company you can use to take a look at prices and reserve a cab if doing it on the fly makes you nervous. While prices in BA fluctuate daily (seriously, the inflation there is next level), you should expect to pay somewhere around $25 USD to get to the center. Make sure your taxi has a meter and that you agree on the price before you get in the cab and you’ll be all set! This rule goes for all cabs while traveling around the city (which is a great and relatively cheap way to get around btw).
The city’s metro system also works very well and is very affordable. It is quite intuitive and if you have google maps it will plug the metro stops in for you. I took it alone and felt perfectly safe.
Uber works there as well, but don’t be surprised if your driver asks you to sit in the front and act like you are friends, as the app is in weird standing with the government/taxi companies.
Where to stay: I spent a few weeks at the Hotel Emperador in Retiro while on a work trip and then switched to a cozier *cough cheaper* hotel in San Nicolas / San Telmo area once I was on my own. I really liked the central location and the walkability to a lot of the city’s main attractions. Palermo is another hip neighborhood that would be fun to stay in, and Recoleta offers a more upscale scene. I wouldn’t recommend staying in La Boca, though it’s definitely worth a visit!
Packing Tips- If you are a fellow northern-hemisphere dweller, don’t forget that the seasons in BA are reversed! I went in May and found that the daytime was still warm enough, but by nighttime, a jacket was definitely the way to go. In terms of style, generally, dress as though you’re in Europe and you will fit right in. I went for a capsule wardrobe approach and with a leather jacket, a blazer and a lightweight raincoat and was good to go! Speaking of leather jackets–I would 100% recommend buying one there! I stopped by this cute mom-and-pop leather shop, Bettina Rizzi. You pick out whatever style you like and they will have it custom made for you, typically within the same day. They were also able to effortlessly re-create my beat-up leather coin pouch for DIRT cheap!
Food/Drinks: Oh the food… where to even begin? Here are your main Argentinian food groups: steak, pizza, pasta, empanadas, alfajores, dulce de leche, and gelato, all accompanied with copious amounts of Malbec and mate (though I don’t recommend drinking both of them at the same time). DO NOT leave Buenos Aires without trying all of them. Depending on which restaurants you choose, BA will leave your tummy and your wallet doing a happy dance (a happy tango to be exact).
Here’s a quick overview of my fave restaurants while visiting BA:
Empanadas: El Sanjuanino. So fluffy. So soft. So so good. Eat in or order some “para llevar” / to take home (or if you’re me, take with you to the airport). Very casual.
Parillas/ Steak Houses: This one is hard y’all.
Upscale: Parrilla Don Julio in Palermo. Traditional and excellent. You need to call for a reservation in advance or come early (early for dinner is like 8pm). Don’t worry, they’ll probably give you champagne while you wait!
More casual: Gran Parilla Plata: I came here for lunch on my last day in BA and had myself a bit of a celebration. I ordered provoleta with jamon and tomate in a pesto sauce, ojo de bife, (accompanied of course by chicharron sauce and a full basket of bread) and a nice fat glass of Malbec. The steak was huge and the total for everything came to about $27 USD. They also threw in a glass of champagne. I could have cried.
Overall nice restaurants: Basa– excellent atmosphere. Sucre– swanky, great wine selection. Both are great for dates!
Alfajores: Havana alfajores shops can be found around the city. Their alfajores are to DIE for and they also sell them in cute boxes which make excellent presents to bring home!
Gelato: Rapanui– so so so so good. You must go here, that is all.
Pizza: This I’ll admit I didn’t get to try as much as I wanted to. We popped into a little mom and pop shop on a walk back from the Floralis Generica (a giant metallic flower statue built at the height of the economic crisis in 2002)
Pasta: For when you’re sick of steak, Sottovoce gets it right. Upscale and traditional, you will feel like you blacked out and woke up in Italy.
Nightlife- BA knows how to party and in my experience, Palermo is a great place to start. I recommend grabbing dinner, then checking out a cool speakeasy like Franks in Palermo. (Check out facebook groups to learn the passwords for speakeasies!) Then head to a disco, and keep in mind that the timing is much later in BA. Think dinner at 9, drinks at 11, disco at 2, bed at 6. You can sleep when you’re dead.
Activities/History
San telmo Sunday Street market– check out the area of San Telmo, browse through antiques and fun souvenirs. Start off by checking out the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada ( Argentina’s White House, except pink) and work your way down Calle Defensa where the street market is. Stop to get a cafe and an alfajor in the Mercado San Telmo (building) and soak in the eclectic atmosphere.
Cementario de Recoleta- not to be missed! One of BA’s most famous sites, this cemetery holds final resting places for Buenos Aires’s most well-to-do families, including Eva Peron.
La boca neighborhood: Caminito – touristy but worth it! Go earlier in the daytime and watch your bags. This part of town is historically more working class and has gone through some rough times. A movement of painting the buildings in bright and cheery colors started and has made it one of the most iconic neighborhoods in all of BA.
Tango Show- I decided it was go big or go home with the Tango show and chose the upscale Rojo Tango with dinner. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. The live music was excellent, and the table-side service was great, as was the food. The dancers of course are the pièce de résistance, with their impressive footwork and range of traditional and modern numbers, all done with smoldering gazes and increasingly smaller amounts of costume that come together to create quite the steamy cultural experience.
Visit to an Estancia-(horse lovers rejoice) If you happen to have enough time for a trip outside of the city, I HIGHLY recommend taking a trip to an estancia, or horse ranch. Getting a fully immersive experience of Argentinian life in the country, complete with horseback riding, a display of gaucho riding skills (this guy had his horse acting like a puppy) and of course an authentic parilla is the way to go. Wash it down with some Malbec and head back to the city slightly dusty but happy.
Futbol- Argentinians LOVE their futbol. The Boca Jr. stadium is in the famously colorful neighborhood La Boca. Nicknamed the Bombonera, this stadium is thought of by fans as more of a church, and the fans at games can get quite passionate. (check out what I am talking about ) Our porteño amigos were for Boca Jr. and so we were too out of respect *cough fear* but you will have to decide for yourself where your allegiances lie – Boca jr or Riverplate? Going to a game is a great experience but be aware that they get rowdy!
A little bit of History: BA is a city with a complicated past. Keep an eye out for the white bandanas all around the city, which symbolize those worn by the mothers of the desaparecidos, or those who disappeared after publicly protesting the military dictatorship. A good portion of them were students, and many have never been found to this day. La Boca has a very impressive mural painted in their honor. I recommend stepping into one of the city’s many museums to learn more.
It would also be impossible to speak about the history of Buenos Aires without mentioning Eva Perón or Evita. She was the wife of Argentine President Juan Perón, and has turned into something like the city’s mascot. Find her painted on murals and represented in statues all around the city, and be sure to pay her a visit at her final resting place in the Cementario de la Recoleta. Feel free to watch the musical about her life played by Madonna. If you’re anything like me, it will have you singing “don’t cry for mee Argentiiina” for the duration of your trip.
Thanks for stopping by guys! Hasta pronto
– Julianne Nolan
