Buenos Aires Hotels

Take time to explore the must-see sights of Buenos Aires, including the Casa Rosada, Teatro Colón, the Recoleta Cultural Center and Cementerio de la Recoleta to visit the grave of Eva Peron.

Palermo offers trendy shopping and eclectic restaurants for the new-age traveller, as does La Boca barrio with its interesting architecture and trendy markets. Hit San Telmo’sPlaza Dorrego for antique markets and (in what seems like something of a contradiction in term) casual tango dancing.

The ‘Paris of Argentina’, Buenos Aires is trendy, romantic and has just enough of an edge to prevent its dazzling architectural elegance from being twee. It’s the mysterious and beautiful foreigner that seduces you, reveals to you the exquisite pain of love and then sets you free, head spinning and heart racing, never to forget your amorio aventura.

Sound dramatic? That’s because it is. Care to tango?

Buenos Aires’ Top 10

Buenos Aires History

• Palacio Barolo – The best place to go for a great 360-degree view of the city of Buenos Aires.
• Casa Rosada – The “Pink House” is where the executive branch of the government is housed.
• Congreso – Filling the plaza area where it sits, this building was modelled after the White House in Washington, D.C.
• Plaza de Mayo – Considered the political centre of Argentina and home to the famous balcony of the Casa Rosado, where Evita Peron gave many speeches.
• Avenida de Mayo – This long avenue crosses many well-known and historical areas of the city.

Buenos Aires Art & Culture

• Teatro Ciego – For a night like no other, this spot offers dinner theatre in the heart of Buenos Aires.
• Complejo Tango – A great place to go for a tango performance or a lesson.
• Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires – An art museum and cultural centre that promotes modern Latin artists.
• Museo Evita – Housed in a great mansion, this museum pays tribute to Evita Peron.
• Calle Florida – A great area of town where you can enjoy the early 20th-century architecture as you stroll down this mile-long walking mall.

Buenos Aires Shopping

• Perugia Bottier – With more than 50 years of experience, this shop offer some of the best in women’s shoes.
• Feria de Mataderos – The place to go for wonderful handmade products while enjoying the street entertainment and local food.
• Maria Vazquez – One of the most famous designers from Argentina with amazing women’s fashions.
• Winery – One of Argentina’s high-class chain stores that offers a wonderful variety of local wines.
• 925 Galeria – This store in Buenos Aires specializes in unique pieces of silver jewellery.

Buenos Aires Gay & Lesbian

• Bach Bar – A nightclub with live shows on Wednesday and Thursday, music on Friday and Saturday and karaoke on Sunday.
• Human Club – Located by the river and hosts a party every Saturday.
• Amerik – Known as the wildest, biggest disco in Buenos Aires.
• Sitges – The biggest bar in the city, with a 20s and 30s crowd.
• Kim y Novak – In what used to be the trans red light area, this bar brings in a large mixed crowd.

Buenos Aires Local

Downtown

Downtown is the city centre and the obvious place to start exploring the city. Here you’ll find Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada and Manzana de las Luces.

Florida Streetis great for shopping, but not so great if you don’t want to be surrounded by tourists. You can spend a lot of money here, but don’t expect to soak up much Argentinean culture in the process.

San Telmo

San Telmo, with its cobbled streets, winding lanes and traditional architecture, brings to mind the south of Spain. At night, though, its influences are altogether more worldly as its often-unconventional, highly charged and sexy nightlife gets into gear.

Visit the famous Russian Orthodox Church and Lezama Park, or browse the San Telmo Antiques Fair,where you won’t struggle to find a quick Tangoperformance happening on the street. Sigh.

Palermo

This is where you want to be for great bars, restaurants and clubs. It’s a very pretty district so take some time to wander around, take in the colours and find the hidden boutiques. There are several sub-districts to explore such as Palermo-Viejo, Palermo-SoHo and Palermo-Hollywood.

Recoleta

Time to spruce up, because this is the ritzy end of town and location of the famous Recoleta Cemetery and the Rio de la Plata. To get a sneaky but fabulous view of this district and surroundings, walk into the Hotel Etoile, take the lift to floor 14 and enjoy the views! If anyone asks what you’re doing up there, a simple ‘estoy perdido’ (‘I’m lost’) should suffice.

Buenos Aires Eat & Drink

Buenos Aires has a number of high-quality restaurants – and not all of them are dedicated to steak! For the best time, leave your dining until late. The locals often don’t even start getting ready to go out before midnight.

Buenos Aires Events

Mi Buenos Aires Querible comes around annually in July. The festival spreads across all 48 districts of the city and celebrates the significance of 500 places of significance across BA.

July also brings the International Rural Festival,where the finest bovine beauties are paraded for all to judge. Along with this comes horse-jumping and other events, as well as food and wine (of course!).

Museum Night takes place in November. 100 public and private viewing spaces open their doors at nighttime.

December celebrates the Buen Dia Festival with unique stalls, quirky markets and live bands. The perfect picnic opportunity.

Get your Royal on for the Argentinian Polo Tournament,held on weekends from November to April.

Ex-pats unite year-round in Buenos Aires and its surroundings. Through the wonders of Facebook, people organise ex-pat events such as flash-mobs (like the very first, in 2006, which saw the ‘World’s Biggest Pillow Fight’ take place in BA). Check around for details on what’s coming up!

When To Go

• The weather can be unpredictable, with seemingly random cold moments and rainfall. Buenos Aires is at its wettest during January, February and March.
• Winter (June to August) – 7-15°C (45-59°F)
• Spring (September to October) – 10-23°C (50-73°F)
• Summer (November to March) – 16-30°C (61-86°F)
• Fall (April to May) – 10-23°C (50-73°F)

What To Miss

Driving!The roads are seemingly out of control at times, so it’s safest to catch a taxi – at least they should know what they’re doing!

Buenos Aires can be expensive. If you’re looking to spoil yourself, then by all means rent the most dapper room in the city, but if you’re travelling on a budget, be sure to shop around. There are some cheap places to stay if you look for them.

Caballito district has some lovely shops and beautiful parks and is definitely worth a day trip. But don’t wander off alone as there are a number of unsafe areas in this district.

Getting Around