It is a modern and dynamic city that still keeps some of its old traditions. It is known as the most elegant city in South America; its architecture represents the heterogeneity of its people, the so called "portenos" (inhabitants of the port). The aspect of the city is very diverse, easily changing from the narrow streets to the widest avenues.
To catch its spirit it is necessary to walk along the streets in the downtown, to see its elegant shop widows, to take a coffee in a sidewalk cafe or to visit the residential neighborhoods, where the old buildings alternate with the most modern constructions. This is a city with plenty typical restaurants of all the regions of the country as well as with excellent international cuisine.
The City
A city transported from its European parent, its compact and regular center is reminiscent of Paris, but its tree-lined avenues and frequent plazas have a beguiling, faded elegance. The city throngs with bankers on the make and sophisticated dressers mingling with the gaunt beggars and unemployed from the surrounding shanty-town suburbs. Downtown, the Plaza de Mayo is the traditional focus of activity, while nearby Avenida 9 de Julio is popularly known as the world's widest thoroughfare and is truly a pedestrian's nightmare. Avenida Santa Fe is the most fashionable shopping area.
The heart of the city today, as in colonial days, is the Plaza de Mayo with the Casa Rosada (Pink House - Presidential Palace) and the Cathedral where San Martin, the father of Independence. is buried. This is perhaps the most important place in the Argentine history, where the second and definitive foundation of Buenos Aires took place (in 1581 by Juan de Garay). Here, the Plaza de Armas was established, surrounded by the main buildings of the city: the Cabildo, the Church and the Fort. At present, the Plaza de Mayo is still the centre of the most important political activities and public demonstrations. Opposite this square stands the Government House, also known as the Pink House due to its characteristical colour. It is the headquarters of the Nation's Executive Power. It is located on the ground where the old Fort and Viceroys' House stood. It houses a museum in its underground galleries, discovered while renovation works were being carried out. The museum keeps numerous objects belonging to the different characters of the Argentine history.
On the opposite side stands the Cabildo; its construction dates back to the colonial period. Witness of the struggle for the independence at the beginning of the XIX century, the Cabildo was the first Town Hall and it still keeps the ancient architectural features. It was declared National Historic Monument in 1933 and it now houses a museum. Opposite the Cabildo stands the present Town Hall with Neoclassical features. On the northern side of the Plaza de Mayo is the Metropolitan Cathedral, the most important temple of the Catholic Church, official religion of the country. Its facade shows Neoclassical influences. A few meters from Plaza de Mayo is the Manzana de las Luces, a complex of the oldest colonial buildings of the city. Here stand the San Ignacio de Loyola Church and the Colegio Nacional Buenos Aires (National School of Buenos Aires), both founded in 1710 by a congregation of Jesuit fathers. Underneath, there is a network of underground tunnels built in the 18th century and linked to other old historical buildings of the district.
Every street and avenue in Buenos Aires has special features that give the city a very special touch. A very interesting example of this is the Avenida de Mayo - Its outline was projected and carried out in 1883 under a baroque urban conception and was inaugurated in 1894 on the anniversary of the Declaration of the Argentine Independence. In the buildings, French-style features, from Louis XIII to Art Nouveau, along with Italian-style prevail. Considered the main street, gathering the most important hotels and numerous shops, theaters and sidewalk cafes such as the "Cafe Tortoni" where many generations of writers and artists got together, the Avenida de Mayo is also known as the avenue of the quarrels since on one extreme stands the Government House and on the other, the Congress Building, the headquarters of the Legislative Power. With its imposing facade of Greek-Roman features, the numerous works of art that it keeps and the elements of special interest such as the art gallery and the official library, this is one of the most sumptuous Parliament building in the world. The third important building that completes the powers that rule the Nation is the Court, known as "Tribunales". It was built in Neoclassical style with Roman and Greek influences and with columns and bronze sculptures made by Argentine artists.
The Teatro Colon, one of the most important opera houses of the world, stands opposite the "Tribunales" in Plaza Lavalle. Its perfect acoustics has made it the aim of the most famous international artists and ballet dancers. The beauty and magnificence of the building melting Italian renaissance with French ornamental detail are present in every corner of its ample and luxurious rooms, in the marble of different shades and in the chandelier of 600 lamps that occupies the center of the dome painted by Raul Soldi, internationally renowned Argentine artist. A few meters away, on the northwest extreme of Plaza de Mayo stands the Teatro Nacional Cervantes, built in a rich Spanish plateresque style, as a reproduction of the University of Alcala de Henares.
Nearby span the eight lanes, separated by small squares ornamented with fountains and sculptures, of the 9 de Julio Avenue - the widest avenue in South America at the moment of its construction. Corrientes Avenue, known as the street that never sleeps, is lined with a great number of banks, financial offices, theaters, cinemas, restaurants, bookshops and cafes (most of them open 24 hours a day) to the north. Among the numerous recreational places, two stand out: the shopping and cultural center "La Plaza" and the Centro Cultural San Martin, where free shows and exhibitions are often offered. A few meters from here is the Modern Art Museum, where important works by Argentine and European artists are exhibited.
In the intersection of Corrientes and 9 de Julio Avenue stands the Obelisk: this classical symbol of the city was erected in the Plaza de la Republica to honor the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Buenos Aires in the place where the San Nicolas de Bari Church stood and where the national flag was flied for the first time. In this area you also find two important pedestrian streets: Lavalle and Florida Street, lined with elegant boutiques and shopping centers such as the Galerias Pacifico, an ancient train station declared a National Historic Monument and exhibiting art works of great Argentine masters. Santa Fe Avenue is the shopping area "par excellence". Here boutiques and shops alternate with bars and restaurants making "window shopping" an incredible pleasure.
In ancient times, the commercial center of the city was San Telmo, according to some historians, the place Pedro de Mendoza chose for the first settlement in 1536. The neighborhood still keeps its old architectural patrimony so it is considered a National Historic Place, with its narrow sidewalks, cobblestone streets and old colonial houses. Typical constructions of this district are the "conventillos", houses with numerous rooms that gave lodging to European immigrants attracted by the promise Argentina represented to them. Famous worldwide for its antique shops, this is the place where many artists have their atelier. Every Sunday, a flea market is in full swing around Plaza Dorrego where artisans, musicians and tango dancers meet from 10.00 in the morning until sunset. Together with La Boca, San Telmo was the cradle of Tango, so, at night, here you find the most important tango clubs in the city.
Surrounding Neighbourhoods
The Port and Costanera - The Port of Buenos Aires handled 70% of all international commerce as all national products arrived here by railways for embarkation. There are four important ports in the city: Riachuelo (which includes La Boca and Barracas), Dock Sud, Puerto Madero (built in 1887) and Puerto Nuevo (the most recent one, built in 1941). Here, the old Customs building was recycled and replaced by a number of elegant restaurants with a typical port atmosphere, with cranes, balconies and a walkway that borders the river.
By the Riachuelo port, stands La Boca: a colorful neighborhood where Genoese sailors originally arrived to settle and built houses with any and all elements brought in their ships. Every Saturday, Sunday and holiday, an artisans and painters' fair is organized in the "Caminito" street among the colorful houses. Near La Boca is the Natural Park Costanera Sur, an ecological reserve that, in spite of its proximity with the city, has a wide biological diversity. There are lagoons with floating vegetation, high pastures and numerous birds. Nearby is Redro Train Station, the departure point for the trains to the north of the country.
La Recoleta neighborhood is known for its first class restaurants and coffee-houses, most of them located opposite the Cementerio del Norte (Northern Cemetery), second in importance in the world to the Stalieno Cemetery in Italy for works of art. The Centro Cultural Recoleta (Recoleta Cultural Center), former Franciscan convent, offers temporary exhibitions, courses, conferences and concerts.
Palermo is a large open space in Buenos Aires. The Tres de Febrero Park, inaugurated in 1875 to preserve the city from pollution, is the most frequented park by the portenos. Within this park is the Planetarium Galileo Galilei, where light and sound shows are offered. Nearby, you find the Argentine Polo Field, the stage of numerous Argentine victories in the sport where, according to the experts, the field is as smooth as a chessboard and the horses have incredible conditions for training and fighting. It has three playing fields where the most important championships are held. Polo, first played in Argentina on August, 30th, 1875, is a national sport and the search for improvement in this sport led to the creation of a different breed of horses, a cross of the Creole horse with pedigree animals. This gave birth to the world famous "petiso" (pony).
Here you also find the Lagos de Palermo Golf Club, the most important in the City. Golf is also important in Argentina where the topography and the extension of the country have allowed 170 golf fields to arise. All of them have been praised by the most prestigious players that admire their design and the quality of the grass. In Palermo you also find the Zoo, Botanical Garden, Argentine Hippodrome, Jardin Japones and two shopping and gastronomic centers: the Paseo de la Infanta and the Arcos del Sol. Everything is surrounded by trees and green spaces with numerous statues by the lakes. All this area may be visited on the traditional "mateos" (carriages drawn by horses). Not far from the Jardin Japones is the Museo Municipal de Popular Motifs Jose Hernandez. Here, numerous archaeological pieces, lithographs and oil paintings are exhibited as well as elements belonging to the gaucho tradition such as musical instruments, imagery and silverware. Conferences, plays, audiovisuals and concerts are often organized in this museum.
The favorite shelter of the portenos is the Parana Delta and its islands, whose reference point is the Tigre. To reach this area from the capital, you will drive across the most elegant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires: one them San Isidro with mansions belonging to traditional aristocratic families. The colonial constructions are on the coastal area surrounded by a thick vegetation and a magnificent view. The San Isidro Hypodrome has a grassy racetrack and a beautiful garden. A very interesting alternative to visit this area is the "Tren de la Costa" (Coastal Train) that, departing from the Maipu station opposite the Presidential Country House (house where the president lives) in Olivos, arrives in Tigre, bordering the Rio de la Plata. The stations it goes through are very attractive and combine picturesque constructions with shops, cinemas and modern bars and restaurants.
In Tigre there are numerous rowing clubs, museums, cultural centers and a fruit market with local products. This town is the departure point towards the islands of the Parana River Delta with a unique landscape of subtropical forests, rivers and streams. The constructions vary from large mansions of stone, English cottages and Italian villas to small wooden houses. In the waters of the Delta it is possible to take catamaran rides, to practice nautical sports, to spend the day in one of its splendid resorts such as the Santa Monica Island or to have lunch in elegant restaurants such as "El Gato Blanco".
Practicalities
Getting there
Flights from neighbouring Latin American countries may arrive at Aeroparque Jorge Newberry, well within the city limits, while international buses arrive at the Retiro terminal, in the heart of the city with easy access to the subway and numerous bus routes.
Getting around
Tourism Information
The international dialling code for Argentina is 54. The local currency is the peso, equivalent to US$1.
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