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Buenos Aires is one of the great capitals of the world and one of my favorite cities. Let me take you on a quick but concise tour of this unique place ...
The major avenues:
July 9 - the widest avenue in the world and the most emblematic of this city, with the huge obelisk at the intersection of Corrientes.
Avenida de Mayo - A street full of elegant old Parisian style buildings best throw from the Plaza de Mayo. It is in this street is the famous Café Tortoni.
Currents - The Broadway of Buenos Aires, over the obelisk, of course! You will receive your dose of tango here!
Santa Fe - The very, very long shopping street.
Calle Florida and Lavalle - At the intersection of walkways, in reality, both full of shops and department stores.
Los Barrios (Districts):
San Telmo - The bohemian, full of antique shops, flea markets, tango and restaurants. The focal point is the Plaza Dorrego. The crowds can be overwhelming weekends.
Recoleta - The rich neighborhood: houses, embassies, museums and cemetery. Yes, the cemetery is a major tourist attraction thanks to the tomb of Evita. The Museum of Fine Arts has an excellent collection of classical artists.
Old Palermo / Palermo Soho - The hip, young area outside of the city. It offers an incredible array of stylish restaurants and bars and is the preferred destination for the night. You can start at the Plaza Serrano and explore the streets-from Fanning there.
Boca - The neighborhood with houses painted corrugated metal violently. Very picturesque, but be forewarned that it is the worst tourist trap in the city, much more expensive than in the rest of Buenos Aires, so plan to eat and get your memories elsewhere, and not let the scammers many will love to buy!
Puerto Madero - a series renovated warehouse in the port area, now home to scores of restaurants. Walking along the docks without purpose is a popular activity for visitors and residents alike.
Belgrano - An elegant residential area a good distance from downtown. I mention this because of its small Chinatown.
Grand Old Malls Shopping:
Abasto - A restored train station that has a Ferris wheel in it!
Patio Bullrich - Shopping Centre of the very rich, in Recoleta
Galerias Pacifico - Another elegant shopping center, next to the Florida Street, corner Cordova.
The ancient monuments:
Plaza de Mayo - Here you will find the Casa Rosada (Yes, when Evita wave to the crowd), and the St. Martin Cathedral, among other things. Almost always some group protesting on the square, although these days peacefully.
Congress Plaza - The plaza with the National Congress of the imposition building at one end and a variety of other interesting old buildings.
Other interesting things:
- During the day, try to get a ride on the subway. Expect one of the trains with old cars that are over a hundred years old and have all wood interior. Your best bet for catching one is in line with the Avenida de Mayo.
- You can actually get a view of the surrounding city from the top of the obelisk, accessible by climbing 206 steps.
Restaurants and Cafes of note:
Café Tortoni - The historic and luxurious cafe where tango greats Gardel would pass the time. They also offer first-class tango and jazz brass sample. Avenue May 825
The Violets - The other old cafe celebrates grand, all of mahogany and Tiffany, famous for its desserts. Almagro area. Rivadavia, 3899
El Balcon - Typical food in Argentina, a charming atmosphere and a fabulous free show (tango, gauchos, etc.) in the heart of San Telmo. Humberto Primo 461
Sticks - The best Chinese food you'll ever have, in the Belgrano's Chinatown. Arribeños 2243.
Chan Chan - A favorite restaurant of Peru in the area of Congress. Hipólito Yrigoyen 1390.
Synopsis:
Language: Castilian Spanish. English is widely spoken in the tourism trade.
Rate: You get around 3.80 pesos per U.S. dollar.
Meals: Expect to spend at least 35 pesos per person for a regular meal. Eating the Prices have risen by up to 100% in the last two years. Porteños dinner very late, so do not expect to find many restaurants open before 8:30 In the afternoon, because most people have dinner at 11 pm or later, and go dancing at 3 am!
Hotels: They range from great luxury as the Alvear, the horrible, like the Lion d'Or. A good clean room with breakfast can be had for about 280 pesos per night. The Eleven (Ontsay ") is the area where hotels are cheaper, but will miss the difference in the taxi rates. Usually stay at the Howard Johnson in Congress (Bartolome Mitre 2241) which is semi-luxurious and very affordable. Note that the number of stars used in Argentina does not reflect the quality, but the size of the hotel, so a five-star may actually be a big dump!
Taxis: the black and yellow taxis have meters and are cheap. About 35 pesos for a trip from downtown to Belgrano. Remises do not have meters and are usually only used for the airport.
Subway, regional trains and buses: Public transport is cheap and reliable but the dirt that goes with it may surprise you. Avoid them at night, and beware of thieves at all times.
Tips: Argentines do not generally tip but be generous - their wages are a pittance!
Airport: Ezeiza ("Eyssayssa") International is about 40 miles from downtown, while the Aeroparque, used for domestic flights and Uruguay, is about 5 minutes. Note that if you fly into Ezeiza and are from Canada, USA or Australia, he was beaten with a strong arrival tax. Avoid using taxis for safety. Use the fixed rate remisses (raymeessayss ") which have the kiosks in the arrivals output.
Crime: Be careful. Organized groups of pickpockets and street urchins abound. Avoid walking after dark. Use only ATMs within shopping malls. If you are a victim of a crime, knowing that the police here will not do much for you after the fact. Most risk areas Central: Withdrawal and Eleven.
Souvenirs: souvenirs include leather goods, teas, and wines.
Tom Germain is a Canadian who in 2001 decided he wasn't going to put up with any more winters and moved to Mexico. He never looked back and moved around the world every couple years, making his home in Argentina, the Canary Islands, Mauritius, and now Colombia. In his 2 blogs, Permatourist (http://www.permatourist.com) and Ocolombia (http://www.ocolombia.com) he tells of his experiences and offers invaluable tips on how you can live the life of a "permatourist".