A few words about Buenos Aires
City and capital of Argentina. In the center of Buenos Aires is Microcentro, to the east is Puerto Madero and west is Congresso. To the south is San Telmo and further south is La Boca. To the north is Retiro and further north is Palermo, which is also bordered by Belgrano and Once.
Northwest of the city lies Recoleta.
Buenos Aires is a city that pulses with energy, offering something for everyone, from history and culture to gastronomy and nightlife.
SAN TELMO
Full of charm and personality, San Telmo is one of Buenos Aires’s most attractive neighborhoods, with narrow cobbled streets and low-story colonial houses. This is where some of the first homes were built in the early years of the colony, and these elaborate mansions later became
conventillos (tenement housing) for European immigrants. Amid the melancholy of homesickness and the merging of musical traditions in the shared patios of the conventillos,
tango music was born. Take a walk around; history oozes from every corner of this barrio.
RECOLETA AND BARRO NORTE
It’s easy to see how Buenos Aires could be called the Paris of the South in this grand neighborhood. Recoleta is where the rich live in luxury apartments and mansions while spending their free time sipping coffee at elegant cafes and shopping in expensive boutiques.
Full of lush parks, grand monuments, art galleries, French architecture and wide avenues, Recoleta is also famous for its cemetery.
LA BOCA
Blue collar and raffish to the core, La Boca is very much a locals’ neighbourhood. Its colorful
shanties are often portrayed as a symbol of Buenos Aires, while El Caminito is the barrio’s most famous street, full of art vendors, buskers and tango dancers twirling for your spare change.
PALERMO
Palermo’s large, grassy parks – regally punctuated with grand monuments – are popular
destinations on weekends, when families fill the shady lanes, cycle the bike paths and paddle
on the peaceful lakes. The sub-neighbourhood of Palermo Viejo (itself subdivided into Soho and Hollywood) is home to dozens of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops, along with the city’s largest selection of boutique hotels.
In Buenos Aires
PALACIO BAROLO
One of Buenos Aires’ most beautiful monuments, this 22-story building has a unique design
inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Its structure is divided into hell, purgatory and heaven; its
height (100m) is a reference to each canto (song); and the number of floors (22) mirrors the
number of verses per song. Dreamt up by the Italian architect Mario Palanti, Palacio Barolo
was the tallest skyscraper in South America when it was completed in 1923.
TEATRO COLON
Occupying an entire city block, this impressive seven-story theater is one of BA’s most
prominent landmarks. It’s the city’s main performing arts venue, and with astounding
acoustics, it’s a world-class forum for opera, ballet and classical music. The Colón can seat
2500 spectators and provides standing room for another 500. Get hold of tickets to a
performance, if you can, or take one of the frequent 50-minute backstage tours to view the
stunning interior, the costume department, and ballerinas’ dressing rooms.
PLAZA DE MAYO
Surrounded by the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the city’s main cathedral, Plaza de Mayo is
the place where Argentines gather in vehement protest or jubilant celebration. At the centre is
the Pirámide de Mayo, a white obelisk built to mark the first anniversary of independence from
Spain.
EL CAMINITO
La Boca’s most famous street and ‘open-air’ museum is a magnet for visitors, who come to see
its brightly painted houses and snap photographs of the figures of Juan and Eva Perón, Che
Guevara and soccer legend Diego Maradona, who wave down from balconies. (Expect to pay a
few pesos to take pictures of tango dancers or pose with props.) Sure, it could be called a
tourist trap, but don’t let that put you off.
PUERTO MADERO
LA BOMBONERA
CAMINITO
