What to do in Buenos Aires in one day?
- Agustina Andujar
- May 9, 2019
- 7 min read
A small but very rich circuit to do and enjoy the most important places of Argentina's capital.
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, the city where you’ll find the state power buildings and most important services of the country. It's also one of the most influential cities of Latinamerica and the world because of its buildings, cultural content and the touristic attractions. It receives almost 2 million visitors per year and has almost 3 million inhabitants in its area of 203 ㎢.
«Porteña» by birth, for me the best of the city is located in the neighborhoods of Palermo, Recoleta, San Telmo and Puerto Madero, without forgetting, of course, the prestigious Corrientes street. That’s why, in order to know more about the city, I recommend organizing well, start early and finish late. Buenos Aires has the reputation of being a city that doesn’t sleep and that is completely true. The night in this wonderful city starts at 8 pm and can be extended well into the early morning, according to the area where you are.
TRAVEL
In the Palermo neighborhood, I recommend you to stroll through the area known as Plaza Serrano, which receives its name from a small square that is surrounded by pubs, cafes and fashion and art shops. Then, you can walk down the Honduras Street to check out Palermo Hollywood, where you can find the most important television channels and also a vibrant offer of restaurants, cafes and bars. My recomendation? A lunch in Las Cabras, a rustic restaurant with an excellent location and decoration, and one of the best places to eat the famous Argentinian Asados. It also offers a long list of delicious homemade food. It is located at the intersection of Fitz Roy and El Salvador streets.
Extra tip: in Palermo you can also visit the famous Planetarium, the Zoo (now EcoPark) and the Japanese Garden... amazing!
After this, you can take a taxi or walk approximately 20 blocks to visit the Botanical Garden, a beautiful open and free space -designed by the architect Carlos Thays- that offers a beautiful mix of nature and city, because is located next to some of the most important and expensive buildings of the city. If you leave the Botanical Garden along the Arenales street, you directly enter the neighborhood of Recoleta, known for its French-style architecture.
Extra tip: if you fancy an ice cream and/or a good Patagonian chocolate, do not forget to visit RapaNui, a chocolate shop that emerged in Bariloche, in the Patagonia, and it’s located in Arenales 2302 (at the corner of the streets Arenales and Azcuénaga). The best to try? I can never get enough of the «FraNuis», raspberries bathed in black and white chocolate and frosts. It's delicious and it's also Gluten Free!
If you want to continue walking, you can do so and reach the famous Buenos Aires "Obelisco". How? Walk down Santa Fe Avenue until 9 de Julio Avenue, then take a turn in this avenue and hike to the intersection of 9 de Julio Avenue and Corrientes Avenue, where you will find the Obelisk. On this road, you will find the famous library Ateneo Grand Splendid, which was named by NatGeo as "the most beautiful library in the world".
If you have time (and energy!), you can walk on the Corrientes avenue and take a look at the theaters, which have the best theatrical performances of the country and is an acclaimed place all over the world. I really like a complex named «Paseo La Plaza«, a small but very beautiful open-air walk where there are some theater rooms, restaurants, art shops and bars. Hungry again? PLEASE, try the pizza of La Americana or Pizzería Güerrin … The best of the city and -may I say- of the world!
Extra tip: If you turn at the intersection of Corrientes Avenue and Callao Avenue and walk for about three blocks, you can also get to know the Argentine National Congress. It's my favorite building of the city and it's also an important piece for the citizens because it's where happens most of the manifestations.
After this, if you have time, you can take one of the famous «colectivos» to visit the cultural and «porteño» neighborhood of San Telmo. First, go to the historical Plaza de Mayo, where you'll also find the Cabildo and the Casa Rosada, all located between the streets Balcarce, Rivadavia Avenue, Bolívar and Hipólito Yrigoyen Avenue. Then, walk down Balcarce street to enter San Telmo, a neighborhood full of art, vintage shops, tango and a very Argentine atmosphere. If you are an art lover, you can always visit the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art, located on San Juan Avenue between the streets Balcarce and Defensa. It’s an architectural gem of the city and I’m sure you’ll love it!
If you continue walking down the San Juan Avenue, you’ll reach the Alicia Moreau de Justo Avenue, which welcomes you the neighborhood of Puerto Madero, the most expensive and luxurious in the city. Here you can walk or eat next to the canals of the Río de la Plata and cross the famous "Puente de la Mujer". Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it’s a bridge that simulates being a woman’s shoe and is located on pier 3 of the pedestrians street of Puerto Madero. There are many restaurants to choose from, but if you want to eat more meat I recommend to go to "Siga la Vaca" or "La Bistecca".
But on this tour there are two places that were left out …
ChinaTown: Buenos Aires has one of the largest Eastern communities in Latin America and the world and that's why it has its own Chinatown. Although it may seem that all Chinese neighborhoods look alike, I highly recommend visiting this one during the week (because it is not so crowded) as it's beautiful and full of things to see, buy and eat. It starts at the intersection of the Arribeños and Juramento streets, and begins with a beautiful typical Chinese arch sent by this country to the Argentine Bicentennial, in 2010. If you visit the city in Spring, you'll also get the chance to take a pic with it's beautiful cherry blossoms! The neighborhood is not that big, only five blocks long, so it’s a must-see that will not take that long.
Caminito: When one thinks of Buenos Aires, two things come to the mind: tango and soccer. And it turns out that those two things together are found only in Caminito, in the neighborhood of La Boca. This street museum and traditional alley holds the best coffee shops, tango dancers and artistic designs where you can take pictures, and also the famous «Bombonera«, the Boca Juniors soccer club installations. This club is very well known all over the world and has its own museum with all its prizes and valuable objects of the xeneize history.
TO CONSIDER
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: If you want to use public transport, you can use the Moovit app, which also works in many cities around the world. What is special about this app? It guides you completely on the journey, from walking to the bus stop to how long it will take to the bus or metro to arrive, which station you have to get off and how long it will take to reach it. Particularly I love this this app: it is not an ad but a sincere advice since it has saved me from getting lost in several cities around the world, including Buenos Aires.
UBER: In Buenos Aires was recently legalized, so you can choose to use it. What has not yet been implemented is the payment with credit/debit cards from the app, so you'll always have to have cash on if you are going to use it.There is another app called Cabify that also allows you to order taxis or cabs to move around the city and this one does include the option of paying from the app with credit cards or Paypal. And if nothing of this works for you, there are always the classic and reliable taxis, which are usually a bit more expensive than Uber or Cabify but you’ll find them all over the city. Some include the option to pay by card but others don't: ask before hoping in. They let you know on their posters or on the doors of the car.
LANGUAGE: If you want to go down the street but do not speak well in Spanish, don’t worry: english is a well-studied language in Argentina so you will surely find someone that speaks it to communicate. If you don’t speak it or you can’t find anyone who does, my recommendation is to walk through the avenues to avoid getting lost, since the avenues are important points of reference. Also, install in your phone the Google Translate app, which will help you all over the world.
MONEY: The currency in Argentina is the Peso, but it's conversion fluctuates everyday due to it's economic instability... that's why everyone will do anything for a dollar... even charging you more for each dollar or giving fake money in return! How to prevent this? Change your money only in the Currency Exchange stores and only use pesos in the streets!
SECURITY: As it happens in the big cities of the world, it’s necessary to be cautious on the streets. My advice is to take care of your belongings: try not to carry valuables in your pockets, choose purses or crossbands and do not walk down in the streets with technological objects in sight. It’s not necessary to panic: some security measures are all that are needed. And if you encounter yourself in a theft situation, do not resist: turn over everything and make all the complaints with your travel insurance and the police as you would do in any country of the world.
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