There are few places that will remind you of other cities or countries; especially offering hints of multiple cities within one radius. Buenos Aires is far from ordinary and should be discovered by all. When you get here, immediately you will find something familiar and you may not be able to put your finger on what or where it precisely feels like home.
History of BA's immigrants
Founded by the Spanish in the early 1500, they were soon dismantled by local Indians and falling short of supply rations but was later re-inhabited by another expedition of Spaniards. The second round was able to colonize and begin harvesting with the remainder of animals that were left behind. Not long after, they were able to begin a trade port but ran into issues with the governing states. During the 1800's mass expansion and trade along the Parana River that reached ranches helped move contraband items to the locals. It wasn't long after that the British came in to help move the trade faster to Brasil and the Caribbean.
At this same time, the Bourbon Monarchs moved into Argentina, making it the Capitol of the Viceroyalty. The Bourbon monarchs hailed from France, making BA now a French colonized territory. After a tumultuous few decades, trade of the land's resources became the predominant focus in which laborers from both Spain and Italy came in to facilitate. By World War I, agricultural products became Argentina's primary export.
When immigrants from Italy, Spain, Eastern Europe and Germany couldn't afford the land in the country, they began moving into the city along the south side pushing Middle Class further into the centralized city along Avenida de Mayo. Newcomers were also pushed south to work the slaughter houses and port jobs.
A great deal of wealth was brought into the city, which was used to build mansions modeled after French Châteaus. These are now used primary for government ministries and foreign embassies. Argentina was well known in Europe for being wealthy from it's trade that many French wanted to "be as wealthy as the Argentine."
This wealth brought more immigrants from around the globe in search of a better life and hopes to own land.
Barrios of BA
Due to the influx of immigrants, the city began changing just as quickly as the immigration did leading to have multiple hospitals for specific language speakers. There were French, Galician, Italian, Jewish, Spanish, British, Syrian-Lebanese, and German Hospitals spread across the city. Schools also changed to dual or multi-language to keep children educated properly but also to keep diversity as a part of the culture. This also lead to having multi-cultural churches. Argentina was predominately Catholic but wanted to include secularizations with Protestants, Jews, Maronites, and Muslims for a healthy and diverse society.
Barrios, also known as neighborhoods make up all of Buenos Aires. You'll find that each barrio is vastly different from the next. Many of BA's immigrants had influence on the make up of it's barrio.
Recoleta: Currently the most cultural of the barrios with a European flare. You'll find high end shopping, cafes, hotels and boutiques dressed in French inspired buildings. On Weekends, being outdoors is the place to be where this barrio is filled with art, performances, crafts and more. This barrio is also filled with many plazas and parks.
Palermo: This barrio also has 4 distinct sectors but each are filled with lush greenery and parks. You'll want to rent a bike or have a picnic here. Many outdoor activities can be found here including the famous Polo fields. In Palermo, you can also find botanical gardens designed by French architects.
Puerto Madero: Known as BA's newest barrio from refurbished brick warehouses and across the canal. You'll find new apartments and coffee shops lining the canal. It's a great place to stroll or ride a bike and if you're in town for business, it's likely you'll be in this area to find a sunny spot for lunch. This area is reminiscent of Chicago or even DUMBO with its old town brick facades and warehouses filled with glass windows.
Retiro: The very distinctive Parisian inspired buildings will draw you into this barrio. It also overlooks the Plaza San Martin. You'll find British-style fast food and leather stalls. Here office workers come out to take a break from their busy days and tango dancers will draw pedestrians into the famed Florida Street. While perusing this area, take in the Paris vibes and enjoy the bustling streets.
San Telmo: Specifically, this barrio is known mostly for Tango. It's no surprise to see it in every plaza or in front of any restaurant or cafe here. The San Telmo area is lined with cobble stone streets reminiscent of Europe and filled with antique shops and open air markets. You'll feel as though you have gone back to either Italy or France when you walk into this area. Don't miss out on silver crafts and take in the views of the building facades that have remained nearly the same since the 1800s.
La Boca: This area is vibrant and full of life, it is also the port of Buenos Aires and was home to most all immigrants when they arrived. In 1913, many Italians, Germans, and Jewish lived in this area. Today its chock full of tourist, shops and small restaurants. You can opt to tango here as well, with free lessons on the weekends. La Boca has a Puerto Rican vibe with it's brightly colored buildings and smells of delicious coffee and mate; you'll think you were in San Juan for a moment. Pick up a few alfajores while you wander the streets too.
Downtown (aka: the center): Home to the famous Obelisk and main destination for shopping and food. You'll instantly feel as thought you've arrived in Rome with the amount of foot traffic and pizzerias in this area. There is also a slight chance you might be thinking you're also in Times Square with the all the hot dogs stands.
What to expect:
Though you may feel a bit overwhelmed upon arrival and the thought of visiting the multitude of barrios would be impossible; rest assured, it can be done. If planned properly you could visit a majority of BA's barrios in one singular day. The best way is to break it into two days to consume all that BA has to offer.
There are a plethora of exciting things to discover if you look hard enough. For instance, between downtown and Retiro you may find some amazing bookstores, one will also be hiding s secret speakeasy. Look for the famous asado that can be found at an parrilla. If you want to try the "best" according to many publications; Don Julio is the place to make reservations. They're open late, but reserve before you leave as waitlists can be multiple days long.
Dining is a late evening event, plan to snack early and eat around 10 pm. BA is a boisterous city and love a good meal. if you have your eye on a specific place, it's highly recommended to make reservations in advance. You can also opt to learn to make traditional foods.
Book your own private cooking class with Saul here
Many visitors sign up to watch a tango show accompanied by dinner. If you want to save your money for other great things, just hop over to either San Telmo or La Boca instead.
BA is very casual with an emphasis on trendy fashions. Bring comfortable shoes and plan to dress in light layers. You'll find plenty of shopping around town incase you forget something. Shops open late and stay open until 9-10 pm in some cases.
A few things to not miss out on in BA: Alfajores or dulce de leche (anything), empanadas, asado, watching tango dancers or trying it yourself, visiting the opera, trying fugazzeta, watching football, enjoying the weather at one of many parks around town, and mate tasting.
When to Go
There is no bad time to visit Buenos Aires; however, there are peak times to visit. If you want to avoid the heat start planning your visit as early as April-May or October-November. Keep in mind that April is rainy season.
Summer starts in December and can push through the end of March. Expect temperatures between 23-35 degrees Celsius (75-95 F).
High season: November
Low season: May
Steal our Itinerary:
Stay in either Retiro or Palermo, both cover a nice variety of hotel accommodations for reasonable price points (depending on the season). For less crowds go during Summer months, this will also allow you to visit Patagonia for hiking at a very comfortable time, if you wish.
Book a cooking class to make classic Argentinian foods via Viator (link above). Stop at La Guerrin for Fugazzeta pizza and tiramisu.
Walking Tour:
Day 1: Walk from Palermo to Puerto Madero--Starting as early as 9 am, cross through Recoleta, stroll through one of the gardens and keep going through Retiro passing through the mall and take in the views of the European inspired buildings. Grab a coffee or mate along the way as you enter the center. Take a 360 walk around the Obelisk and make your way towards Plaza de Mayo. You'll want to stop and enjoy the many parks and plazas to people watch as business folk stroll the streets from lunch. Make your way towards Puerto Madero for lunch and Uber back or walk back to find more hidden gems.
Day 2: Uber out to La Boca as early as 10 AM. Stop at one of many panderias for a delicious dulce de leche pastry. Make your way down to El Caminito and watch as the streets begin to fill, make at least two laps to see how much things can change within the hour. Grab a sausage sandwich (Choripan) from a street vendor and follow this with alfajores and a freshly squeezed orange juice. Observe tango (around 12 pm) at some of the restaurants. Make your way back through San Telmo, strolling through the Parque Lezama which will remind you of Miami. Take a seat at one of the many benches and watch and listen to the beautiful green and blue birds. Keep heading north towards the San Telmo market passing the Plaza Dorrego and have a stroll around the market and find a good place to sit and eat lunch. After lunch stop in the Plaza for another Tango show then make a loop a street two out from the plaza to shop.
Weather you have Buenos Aires on your go-to list or not, you'll be sure to find something familiar in this city. As you walk through the streets take time to enjoy the sights and sounds and if you find that you feel at home then drop us a line and tell us where it reminds you of.
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*informations provided by Brittanica, globalurbanhistory.com, gatewaytosouthamerica.com, lonely planet