Must see/do unique places/things of Buenos Aires, Argentina?

Question

My friends and I are going to Argentina for the first time this year and will spend a few days in Buenos Aires. I've been reading things to do in the city but since we don't have much time, what do you think is a must see attraction or something unique to Buenos Aires or Argentina in general? Gracias!

Answer 1

You are going to LOVE Buenos Aires. It's my favorite city on the planet. It has the cosmopolitan feel and elegance of Paris, and the electricity of NYC. That city will knock yo'socks off with its awesomeness.

I love just meandering around Palermo Viejo, which is the hip area where all the fun boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs & the like are, and is a pretty area in itself with cobble stone streets. Go during the day on the weekend when all the nightclubs have turn their space into markets selling rad clothes & interesting things. The people are really cool, there, too & it's a way younger, more artsy crowd than other parts of the city. Palermo has a lot of wonderful parks, too, & the lovely botanical gardens. They have romantic statues everywhere & are just beautiful. The Japanese Gardens are really quite lovely. The koi there are like h u g e.

I really LOVED MALBA. Fabulous. Seriously, it's one of my fav. museums on the planet. I also liked the Museo Evita, but it's kinda...odd. Be prepared to go "huh??" when you find out more about her burial. The Museo des Bella Artes is worth popping into.

Recoleta, which means "to remember" is a graceful, beautiful area filled with European architecture. The most famous "attraction" in BA is actually the Recoleta cemetery. There is a cool weekend market in the square in front of the church.  Just walking around the area is great. You'll see loads of dog walkers with like 10 dogs or more! It's a total BA thing. The Centro Culture Recoleta is right beside the cemetery & is really interesting, too & there is an agency there that can book tours for you. To be honest, all the tours I went on were kinda lame, but I still thought it was good to take one to get an overview. They'll take you to the La Boca & Caminto where the tango was founded.

Go to El Ateno book store. It's actually in an old opera house & they have a cafe in the store. You can find their locations on Google.

Go to San Telmo. It's so interesting & historical & on Sundays they have an awesome market. They do tango on the street there.

Be SURE to go to a tango show. Also go to a "milonga" which is a dance hall where the locals practice tango. So, so, soooo fun. Cafe Tortoni has a great show. It's cool.

Go to some of the malls, there, too. Seriously. They're awesome.

Have loads of helado, which is the best ice cream on the planet. They'll even deliver it to your house!!! Freddo is my favorite. I literally had it at least once a day.

EAT! The food there is awesome. I'm a vegetarian, too, and had zero problems there. Palermo in particular has a ton of vegetarian-friendly places. There's a cool juice bar in Recoleta called Pura Vida & a sweet tea house nearby.

Just sitting at a cafe and soaking up the culture was one of my fav things to do. Be aware that you'll pay more to sit outside at the cafes in Recoleta. Totally worth it though.

Read "Kiss & Tango" before you go. It's not the best book ever written, but it's totally fun to read when you're in BA because it's all set there. They're making a movie version of right now.

If you belong to MySpace, go to www.myspace.com/YesBA

and ask ?s there. It's a site just for expats who live there, so they'll be better able to give you the scoop on what's going on right now. TripAdvisor also has a good forum about BA.

Be prepared to be hit on like crazy. It doesn't matter if you're 15 or 55.....they'll hit on you. They aren't annoying or menacing at all, though, so don't worry. Most are absolute gents. They just like paying women compliments!!! If they do this click thing with their tongue it's like their version of a wink.

Just soak in life there. You'll love it! I wish I could be there right now..........

Answer 2

I was just there last month and my most shopping area (handmade products and very cheap) was El Tigre!  In my opinion anyone visiting Buenos Aires should check out this area!

Oh yes! And do not miss La Boca!

Answer 3

...You can get a very good time in Buenos Aires. If you like tango go to the Catedral in Caballito (15 pesos for the tango lessons or if you want just drink and dance by yourself it's even cheaper ;o)  Mercado Historico del Progreso: http://www.mercadodelprogreso.com.ar/  ....there is not something that you can't miss...just...see the most you can :o) ...cause Buenos Aires is a great City to enjoy!

Enjoy Buenos Aires

Answer 4

There's not just one must see attraction in Buenos Aires, but you can visit the many interesting places in Buenos Aires in a few days. You have to visit the different neighborhoods, which are very different one from the other: San Telmo with its antiques fair on Sundays; Recoleta, with its crafts fair on weekends and the famous cemetery where Evita is buried; Plaza de Mayo and Avenida de Mayo to see some historic buildings; Palermo Soho, a young, vibrant area with lots of design shops, art galleries, bars and restaurants; Puerto Madero, the newest part of the city facing the river.

There are also great museums, like the Fine Art museum, the Latin American Art museum, the Decorative Arts museum....

And there are always cultural activities, festivals, and concerts that you will be able to enjoy in Buenos Aires.

For the rest of Argentina, must see places: Iguazu Falls, Calafate, Bariloche, Salta,or Mendoza.

Answer 5

Buenos Aires is not an old city. If you like history you should go to Plaza de Mayo (to the Cathedral and the Cabildo) and also to "La Manzana de las Luces." You should also go to Puerto Madero. You should also go to an Estancia (maybe in San Antonio de Areco) to get an idea of how gaucho's used to live and work. Have a good time!!!

Answer 6

I've been traveling alone (female, 30s) in Argentina for the last four months and most of my time has been spent living in Buenos Aires. I'm not a big fan of tourist attractions and do just prefer to generally live in a place.  The experiences that I think are most Buenos Aires are:

1. Prepare to eat late - don't eat dinner until at least 9:00pm and try to hold out until 10 or 11 so you can be surrounded by the crowds.

2. Do wander through San Telmo on the weekend - go up Defensa street - but be prepared that is very touristy.  I prefer the fair around the Recoletta cemetary to the fair at San Telmo.

3. I loved Tigre. It's a day journey outside of Buenos Aires by train and it gives you a taste of nature to compare to the big city of BA. The rivers are brown from sediment. The islands are brillantly green (depending on your time of year, of course). I did a kayak trip along the river and was able to weave in and out of the tiny island homes. Very lovely.

4. Take a tango lesson - though you'll be surrounded by tourists and it won't feel authentic at all - but it's good to try the dance.  Then, look for a "milonga" - not a tango show. The shows are spectactular, but not real.  There are "milongas" which usually go from midnight - 5am where the real dancers go to just dance.  If you go, you won't be likely to be asked to dance unless it is a touristy place, but it's great to just watch.

5. Meet people. I have met SO many people here. Most of the younger people speak English. Be street smart about your safety but be open. Let people talk to you. You may be invited into their homes for dinner or for mate.  If someone offers to share mate with you, it's a wonderful experience. One cup (usually a goard) is passed among the group and everyone uses the same metal straw. You drink all the water in the cup, it is refilled and passed to another person. Very personal. Very authentic. You'll see many people carrying hot water thermuses under their arms for mate around 5:00pm.

6. Order pizza.  It's not what you expect.

7. Order ice cream. It's fantastic.

8. Experience a protest - you can't really do this on purpose, but it's pretty likely to happen while you're here if you're in the city - especially near the oblesque or downtown.  Or, go to the city center on a Thursday afternoon and you'll see the Madres in the square.  Read about "the disappeared" before you come so you have a sense of the history here.  I like the Argentina Reader a lot - but it's a big book.  Even just a few websites will give you enough info.

9. Be prepared for the men to stare and comment as you walk by - it's just what they do. A female friend from here went to Europe and she hated it. She said, "I'd wear my best dress and walk across the street and no one would look or comment."  She was very upset.  When the men comment and stare at you here, it's expected.

10. I'm still in Argentina now - so check out my blog :)   http://jamiesue.typepad.com

Answer 7

Argentina, Brasil & South-America

http://www.traveldm.com/home.aspx

http://www.southamerica.travel/

http://www.brol.com/

http://www.flycheapabroad.com/Latin-Amer...

http://www.latindestinations.com/Default...

http://www.airtimetable.com/airpass_sout...

Buenos Aires

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g3127...

Iguazzu Falls (falls and three borders Argentina, Brasil and Paraguay) North-East

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g...

Mendoza (Mountains, wine) - Center-West (border with Chile)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g3127...

Usuahia (south-most city of the World) South

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g...

Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier) South-West

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g...

Salta (Tren de las Nubes - Clouds Train) North-West

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g...

see:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g...

http://www.ripioturismo.com.ar/ebueexc.h...

http://www.easybuenosairescity.com/place...

http://www.greatrentals.com/argentina/Ar...

http://www.bastay.com/bastay/index.php?c...