Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina

While in Buenos Aires visitors will find themselves bombarded with choices on what to do. An obvious selection is spending time on Tango related activities, such as shows and night classes or sneaking into the many bars where thousands of locals of all ages practice the dance regularly. But there are many more things visitors can enjoy doing, from exploring a miriad of museums and theaters to spending time discovering some of the great local food, including the world reknown argentine beef. City tours and walks through parks and neighborhoods are mandatory to acquire a taste of Buenos Aires.

Neighborhoods such as San Telmo, La Boca (below) or Puerto Madero (right) should not be missed. There are many excellent restaurants where to have great and economical meals. As argentines are known to go out with friends just to hang out noone will rush with a check. Dinning out is almost like a national passtime. Buenos Aires is a strange mix of different european cultures that have blended together to produce a sophisticated metropolitan area. Please contact us to better know how to spend your time while visiting and don't forget to check our Buenos Aires tours page too and see some Buenos Aires pictures.

The city has two airports. The international one is called "Ezeiza" and the one used for domestic flights -just 15 minutes away from downtown- is called Jorge Newbery. The most common form of transportation from and to any of these airports is by a shuttle service called "Manuel Tienda Leon" that has its own stands right after customs. Although commerce is spread throughout Buenos Aires, there are specific areas and streets that gather large number of shops and malls such as "Florida street" in downtown, "Santa Fe" ave. which runs east-west from Palermo to Retiro, a sophisticated area for the eclectic in La Recoleta ( Quintana street and Alvear ave.), and then some large neighborhoods such as "Once", "Belgrano" (Cabildo ave.) and to the southern part Rivadavia ave.

In 1891 Ferrocarriles de Buenos Aires inaugurated a local train that would travel from Retiro (downtown) to the Delta Station, north of the city. Today, a 30 minute trip. In the 60's the train was deactivated to become active again in 1990. Taking the short journey is a fabulous experience, traveling north through all the different neighborhoods along the way and watching the coastal area, a fairly uncommon scene... even for those who live there. At the end of the trip there is Tigre, a small neighborhood that developed as a result of the activity in the Delta. For a long time the island of Tigre was the summer escapade for the priviledge ones living in the city.

Facts about the Delta which is the widest in the world are impressive. Ninety million tons of sedimentation carried by the Parana river produce an accumulation of land of approximately 50 cm (20 inches) every year, forming the different islands that constitute the Delta region, one of which is Tigre. It is highly recommended to spend a day at the Parana de las Palmas, hanging out at some of their humble beaches or restaurants to enjoy a magnificent treasure close to a major urban area. There are many tours and circuits that can be arranged with or without meals.

If you are into shopping, Buenos Aires has some great selections from turn-of-the-century recycled buildings turned into beautiful malls to smaller elegant boutiques located in up and coming neighborhoods. Among the classic malls are Galerias Pacific, Patio Bullrich, Alto Palermo, and Abasto. One sought after attraction while in the city is visiting the antique shops and the many flea markets that are opened during weekends. The best will be to explore "La manzana de las luces", "Parque Centenario", "Plaza San Telmo", "Plaza Francia" and "Plaza Dorrego". Buenos Aires offers great cultural activities reflected in the many theaters and museums along the city. Names to take into account are "Centro Cultural Recoleta", "Teatro Gral San Martin", "Centro Cultural Borges", "Teatro Colon" and the obvious Corrientes Ave. If you have children, explore El Planetario and the local Zoo.