Buenos Tours

Hands down one of the most popular tour operators in Buenos Aires is Buenos Tours private walking tours. Choosing a walking tour is a great way to interact with the city like you wouldn’t normally be able to in a bus tour. Buenos Tours will take you to all the major attractions like Plaza de Mayo, and the Buenos Aires Cathedral, while entertaining you at the same time. Alan the founder has lived as a BA expat for 4 and a ½ years and knows the ins and outs of Buenos Aires. One of his customers said “ He shows you things you won’t access on your own and he tells you stories you can’t read in your guide book.”  If you’re looking for a introduction to Buenos Aires from a local’s perspective, you can’t go wrong with Buenos Tours.
www.buenostours.com

Buenos Aires Free Tour

No-one knows a city like its locals and this particular group of English-speaking porteňos (or locals) love their city so much that they’re willing to show you around it for free. The organization offers two walking tours every day, one at 11am (around the center) and one at 5pm (around Recoleta). They also organize trips to the see the famous Boca Juniors football team in action on the pitch and day excursions to a Matederos Fair, as well as private customized tours. www.buenosairesfreetour.com

Urban Biking Tours

Night owls can discover the city’s vibrant nightlife culture by bike with Urban Biking’s evening tours, taking in the sights and sounds of Puerto Madero, San Telmo and Recoleta. The group also offers various four-hour day tours around the city as well as a full day trip to Tigre. Group tours start at around US$35. Bikes, helmets and refreshments are included in the price as well as an initiation into drinking mate (the local tea). www.urbanbiking.com

Urban Running Tours

An even more novel way to see the city is on the run and some of the city’s trained runners are offering to show you the way. You can pick and choose your route from the secluded leafy paths around Palermo Woods to the upmarket streets of Belgrano. You don’t need to be an expert runner but it might be wise to go easy on the Malbec the night before. Group tours start around US$50. www.urbanrunningtours.com.ar

Shop Till You Drop Tours

Fashionistas looking for insider information on the local scene should contact BA Local. The company, run by a fashion-savvy New Yorker, organizes Shop Till You Drop tours as well as personalized shopping tours depending on whether you’re after a pair of stylish leather shoes or avant-garde threads. Art gallery tours and other specialized outings are also available. Pricing depends on individual requests, preferred mode of transport and size of group.  www.balocal.com

Graffitimundo

Unless you’ve been walking around Buenos Aires with your eyes closed, it will have come to your attention that some of the locals are big on graffiti. If you’re interested in seeing some of the best tagging in town, join Graffitimundo’s tour. These tours are led in English and often accompanied by an Argentine artist. www.graffitimundo.com

Buenos Aires Bus Tour

For sedentary types, the open-top Buenos Aires bus tour is just the ticket. The bus does a circuit of the entire city and stops at 12 major attractions. Rig yourself up to a multi-lingual audio guide and sit back and enjoy the two hour and 45 minute ride. Alternatively, you can hop on and off the bus at the designated stops as you please. A day ticket costs 50 pesos and buses run every 30 minutes. The company also runs night tours and dinner and tango show packages. www.buenosairesbus.com

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Wooden bridges and dirt roads await in spaces that are the essence of tranquility. The only development in much of the area along the river are small towns with delicious parillas - steak houses – and gated communities. If you have access to a car or want to hire a driver, a scenic country excursion just outside of the city can make for a relaxing getaway.

Thanks for this picture to Eduardo Amorim

A good destination might be a parilla, a nature preserve, or a park. Any excuse to escape the hustle of the city can be cause for a quick adventure into the campo, where the contrast of small town life is a nice retreat.

If you want to get into a little bit of countryside/guacho atmosphere for a little more than an hour drive by car, you can go to San Antonio de Areco, a beautiful small town 120 km away from BA. There you’ll find antique & leather shops, 100 year old streets and houses, nice estancias and some of the best real gaucho asado.

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La Boca has a unique and diverse history that is represented by the unique and diverse color scheme of each passing home, restaurant, shop, grocery store, or any other business. Between 1880 and 1930, approximately 6 million foreign immigrants landed in the port of La Boca and liked what they saw so much that they decided to stay. The diversity had a huge effect on this area and its new inhabitants due to the different backgrounds of the settlers. As they began constructing homes their supplies were limited, especially their supplies of paint. And as a solution they used any and all leftover paint they could find or afford from the shipyard. The result of this painting frenzy was a one of a kind neighborhood that was adorned with every color of the rainbow.

The effect is very fun and animated and something you have to see to believe. It has drawn much attention to this port neighborhood since the early days of construction and consequently they have decided to maintain that tradition. Even today with the availability of new colors and supplies, the bright paint is symbolic of La Boca and gives it more character than you can possibly imagine.

Caminito is the main street of the area that is typically full of color, tango dancers, artists, and tourists with an excited trigger finger on their camera. The local artists spread their works of art across the streets to fill the lively outdoor market with displays and all kinds of fun. Each small door you pass opens up to an exciting world inside that offers every type of souvenir imaginable. On the weekends there is also the Feria de la Ribera, an arts and crafts market, set up outside.

Many people like to pick a dining spot while in La Boca and soak in the surroundings. There are many restaurants that come with twirling tango dancers, live tango music, and maybe even a request of your hand to try on your dancing shoes as well. But the locals are well aware of the tourist pocketbook and charge high prices. However high prices in La Boca are still cheap by American standards, and it may just be worth the money because it’s all part of the fun experience.

So you found the market, Caminito, the art work, some grub, and so now what? The Boca Juniors Futbol Stadium! If you have arrived on a game day, you will know. The futbol spirit is contagious and watching a game in Argentina is unlike any experience you will ever have. As the die hard fans wave their flags and yell out their Boca Juniors chants you will be amazed by the enthusiasm of the locals.

At the end of the day, you will be very glad you ventured to La Boca and will have made a day full of wonderful memories. Touristy? Well….yes; but also a very important part of the Argentine history and culture. And without a doubt a very fun place to spend part of your time in Buenos Aires.

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The town dates back to the 1730′s, the first chapel was built in 1728, and epitomizes 18th and 19th century rural Argentina. Traditional gaucho berets still adorn the heads of many older gentlemen in the town, and in all seriousness, they are not putting on a show for tourists, they are going about their days with pride in their ancestral past. The doors to the workshops of silversmiths and rope makers are left open, inviting people to peek in and witness the beauty of these time-honored trades.

On my first day trip to San Antonio de Areco I was lucky enough to arrive on a beautiful autumn day, sunny yet crisp. The tree-lined streets were full of earthly colors and the mosquitoes, which breed on the nearby Areco River, were mostly in hibernation. The town is small and easy enough to navigate without maps, but it is worth stopping off at the tourist information office, a beautiful rustic 2 room wood cabin, on the corner of Zerboni and Arellano. There, the cheerful attendants provide you with maps, restaurant recommendations, museum information and best of all free bikes to cruise around the town.

As an avid bike rider in the city I immediately asked if they also provided free use of bike locks. “No,” the kind man told me, “that’s not a problem here, nobody uses bike locks.” And it was true! I spent an entire day hopping on and off the bike, a nice yet rusty beach cruiser, and it was always exactly where I left it. Only once did I see a bike with a bike lock, and it was so skinny I could have cut through it with large toenail clippers.

Pulperias, old bars, are of such historical significance and I so appreciate the culture of alcohol consumption that for me it was worth visiting a couple. Pulperias are long established bars, which back in the day actually served a multitude of purposes to the community. At the local pulperia one could hear news about distant Buenos Aires, pass the time playing cards with friends, buy provisions for the week and of course have a drink. One of the most popular pulperias is La Esquina de Merti , on the corner of Arellano and Segundo Sombra. The restored, historic bar serves up an amazing platter of homemade sausages and artisan cheeses, plenty for 2 to share, and 2 drinks for fewer than 50 pesos.

Bar San Martin, another pulperia, is completely unambitious, in a good way. No frills and bells, just a down to earth bar to play cards and drink wine late into the night. Across the quaint river on the other side of town is another pulperia, the Vuelta de Gato, directly and appropriately in front of the Gaucho Museum away from the town’s center and on a dirt road. From the front porch with a beer in hand one can gaze off into the surrounding estancias imagining that once on this same land roamed jobless, homeless gauchos.

If you want to learn a little more about this multi faceted argentine icon, The Parque Criollo and Museum Gauchesco Ricardo Guiraldes , is right across the street. The plastic dummies in the recreated scenes from the daily lives of gauchos are a little creepy, but the grounds of the museum are beautiful and well worth the 3-peso entrance fee to wander around in. The museums namesake is Ricardo Guiraldes, who wrote the first important novel about gauchos, Don Segundo Sombra. The novel, written and set in San Antonio de Areco, is a huge source of pride and identity for the town.

A goal of mine was to visit the infamous Chocolate Shop, La Olla de Cobre. Since I was wrongly informed on the opposite side of town of the closing time of La Olla de Cobre, (careful with business hours, siesta is taken seriously in small towns and most everything shuts down for a few hours in the afternoon) I raced through the park, over the river, and through the town desperate to try a hot chocolate. But, by the time I arrived I was panting and not in the mood to drink anything hot so the owner whipped me up the best, frothy, cold chocolate milk I have ever had. His chocolates are so rich and creamy that it almost had the consistency of a milkshake. The place was empty, luckily I went to San Antonio de Areco on a Monday, to avoid the crowds, and the owner was eager to share his story about how he started out. The store is actually in the garage of his house but you would never guess it because it is so cutely decorated.

The chocolatier was not the only person kind enough to spend some time talking with me that day. From my arrival at the bus station, to the tourist office, to all the old bars, I only encountered warm-hearted, kind people. Those that walk the cobblestone streets of San Antonio de Areco literally exude niceness. Maybe it’s because of their beautiful surroundings or their small town mentality. Even on the back of the tourist packet they hand out at the office with a list of all the most important things to see and do in the town it says, “if someone says hello to you on the street it’s just because we still maintain our old customs.” That couldn’t be truer.

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La Plata, located only 60km south of Buenos Aires, has more to it than meets the eye. My first trip to this apparently sleepy town was uninspiring, and I decided to leave before lunchtime. The next time I visited was on a hot summer afternoon and a friend showed me around the city. When the time came to catch the bus back to Buenos Aires, I didn’t want to leave.

The serene Bosque de La Plata (La Plata Forest) is a large park with eucalyptus trees, plenty of places to relax and winding paths. Farther on there is an impressive natural history museum with life-sized statues of sabertooth tigers guarding the entrance.

La Plata is relatively small, and there is almost no need to take public transportation. What’s more, it’s easy to get around since its streets are logically numbered, in what was one of the first planned cities in Argentina. With the sun down and the colors of the sky fading, my friend took me to the “Faculty of the Arts” of the Universidad de La Plata. Its grim air does not let you forget that in the 1970s it was built as a detention center for the “disappeared” prisoners of the military dictatorship.

There is a strong, left-wing sentiment at “la facultad,” and the students learn in the buildings where people with similar ideologies and values were once detained. In the courtyard between the buildings lies a broken car, covered with planks of wood and encroached upon by grass. “Of course,” says my friend, “that’s the family who lives here in the Facultad”. La Plata is eccentric indeed.

Finally we finished the tour in Plaza Moreno, and this was the most anticipated part of the trip. It is pleasantly expansive and open, with broad views of the sky, city skyline and towering neo-gothic cathedral, which is justifiably the most popular attraction of La Plata. It has a diabolical story behind it that nobody leaves without learning. Several crumbling religious statues are located around the plaza, however, all of them somehow show the sign of the devil with a hand. There is also a kneeling archer in the corner of the plaza, and though the bow-and-arrow are now missing, he is obviously aiming at the central spire of the cathedral. When seen from the air, the statues and the cathedral join to form the a Pentagram. Definitely weird, and like the rest of La Plata, it’s worth making the time to explore it.

From Buenos Aires, you reach La Plata by bus from Retiro, or train, from Constitucion (not recommended at night). The train is cheaper, and passes through some interesting suburbs that are rough around the edges, and the bus is more comfortable and secure.

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Perhaps there is no standout attraction in the town, but it is still well-worth the visit. The advantage is that in comparison with many other towns just outside Buenos Aires, San Vicente has atmosphere and a vivaciousness that is not so common for a town of 45,000 people. On a clear day, the sunset over the expansive lake (Laguna de San Vicente) in the outskirts of the town casts a myriad of colours over the seemingly endless plains of the Pampas, a verdant landscape which defines the province of Buenos Aires.

Exactly 45km from the capital, San Vicente can be accessed by bus from Buenos Aires in line number 79 (costing just over a peso). If you have more time on your hands, you could take a train from Constitucion to Glew or Alejandro Korn, and continue on to San Vicente by bus. You may be surprised by the simple attractiveness of the southern district suburbs, which contain plazas and many unpaved streets giving way to bushy parks and hamlets by the winding tributaries of the many waterways in the region. It is easy to forget that you are so far from the contrasting center of the capital.

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Located about 30 minutes north of Belgrano, Center Norte is an entertainment haven for kids, gamers, or anyone looking for a good time. In a structure the size of a large shopping mall, there is a full amusement park that includes a rollercoaster (among other attractions), a 28 lane bowling alley, an endless arcade, a food court, a multiple screen movie theater, and as if that wasn’t enough, the largest IMAX screen in South America.

IMAX is a type of cinematic technology that allows theaters to play movies on much larger screens than normal in high definition. Also, some IMAX theaters (including Center Norte) have the capacity to play movies in 3D.

I hopped on a bus and headed to Center Norte to view the blockbuster hit “300″ on opening night. To say I was impressed would be a gross understatement. In addition to the movie (which was amazing and I would recommend to anyone not grossed out by bloodshed), the IMAX experience was unforgettable.

The 26 x 20 meter screen (that’s 85 x 65 ft for us Americans) was colossal, with a crisp picture that was no doubt in high definition; every tiny detail was captured and subsequently magnified. From the hair on the arms of the Spartans, to the grains of dirt on the ground, each minute detail was in perfect focus. The only hard part was deciding where to look, because with a screen so large, I was almost forced to choose which portion of the screen to focus on.

I would recommend making the trip out to Center Norte to see an action packed movie for anyone who is staying in Buenos Aires for an extended period of time and loves entertainment. While most large cities worldwide offer amusements similar to Center Norte, it is unique in Buenos Aires. Movie lovers can easily find out what is showing on the IMAX screen here.

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The hour train ride to the delta town of El Tigre cost 30 cents. Before we even arrived, this was already one of the best excursions of my life for that fact alone. And even with the fanfare weekend crowds, this city on the delta of Rio de la Plata was a bubble of serenity compared to the tempo of Buenos Aires living.

Getting to Tigre is a simple affair: simply show up to the train station in Retiro and buy a ticket. Trains run often (pretty much every hour) between Buenos Aires and Tigre, which is the last stop on the line. If you get on the platform early there is no trouble finding a seat and the ride is comfortable. We stood all the way there because we showed up just as the train was departing, but made sure to get seats on the way back.

The moment you arrive and leave the station in Tigre, the surroundings become foreign. The lazy river, a naturally formed canal, looks like it could be somewhere in France. A nice bridge spans the water and a promenade follows along the bank where you can purchase tickets for boat rides on a variety of vessels from catamarans to kayaks.

We jumped at the first big boat we saw – 15 pesos for 1 hour – but regretted it after chugging away and seeing much smaller boats cruising around more nimbly. Renting a canoe, a rowboat, or a kayak can also be a good option to explorate the area quietly, but a motor boat is needed if you want to explore the whole delta area.

Our boat plugged away for half an hour before turning around to head back to the dock. We were constantly reminded of our sluggishness as small boats with groups of kids or families jetted by. However, later we saw one motorboat pulled over to the side by a police patrol. Suckers.

Along the banks and on the islands that pepper the river there were many houses for rent, some old rusted ships, and groups of vacationers staying at camp grounds with volleyball and swimming. Every so often a big plastic Coca-Cola sign indicates a little eatery where you can relax with food and drink.

The sun is hot and a bathing suit isn’t a bad idea. If you can find an empty dock at a house that isn’t being rented, you can hop in for a quick dip (another advantage of being in a small rented boat versus a large tour boat). After forty five minutes we done with the boat tour and ready to get some food.

The beer and sun had drained us and we needed some energy. We baked for half an hour in the sun at one sidewalk restaurant before walking away because there was only was server working the entire place. We finally did get a good hamburger though, after which you can take a walk around the city, which includes an enormous ferris wheel, other amusement park rides, and a rather large furniture marketplace.

Tigre is absolutely doable in a day. We arrived at midday, finished our tour, and left satisfied. However, if you have the time, staying at one of the campgrounds for a few days looked like a totally different way to experience the place.

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Though technically a separate country, a quick trip to Uruguay is a must for visitors spending any length of time in Argentina. Those staying long-term in Buenos Aires are forced to make a pilgrimage every three months over the border in order to renew their visas. And considering the proximity, even people just visiting for a few days can take a day trip over to Colonia, returning to Buenos Aires in time for a tango dinner show or a night out with friends. All this to and fro between the neighboring countries is made possible by the efficient and modern Buquebus, a collection of ferries and buses connecting Buenos Aires with Uruguay’s three main coastal destinations, Colonia, Montevideo and Punta del Este.

In general, Uruguay is a greener, quieter version of Argentina. The streets are less crowded, the buses less noisy, the general pace of life a bit more tranquilo. Colonia del Sacramento is the nearest destination and Buquebus organizes day trips, complete with return ferry, lunch and a city tour. Colonia is a quaint harbor town with winding cobblestone streets and ruins of historical buildings. In fact Colonia’s historical district was even named a world heritage site by UNESCO. Most of Buquebus’s ferries connect with Colonia so if you can, arrange to spend a few hours leisurely exploring the town.

Next on the Uruguay hit list is the countries modern capital Montevideo. Almost 45% of the Uruguayan population lives in Montevideo, and why not, it was recently ranked the city in Latin America with the highest standard of living. Montevideo may seem to be lacking the pizzazz of Buenos Aires, but if you take the time to look the city is filled with culture and interesting sights not to mention the inviting strip of white beach running the length of the city. Buquebus has three ferries every day that go straight to Montevideo, or a less expensive option is to take the ferry to Colonia and connect with a bus from there.

For those in search of a beach holiday nothing beats Punta del Este, the trendy beach destination that is putting Uruguay on the map. With endless beachfront, glitzy resorts and fashionable nightlife, this stretch of peninsula is Uruguay’s up and coming claim to fame. During the summer months the hotels are full and the beaches are packed with international clientele.

Downtown is relaxed and family friendly, while La Barra, a strip several kilometers north of the center, caters to the young and the beautiful. There is surf for everyone and several schools and board rental shops for those willing to learn. Aside from the beaches young people flock here for the wild nightlife, beach parties rage into the morning and elite uber-chic clubs turn away all but the most beautiful. Punta’s popularity is exploding and hotel reservations for Christmas through January should be made well in advance. But aside from the summer months the city is quiet and many places completely shut down. There are no ferries that go all the way to Punta, but Buquebus has services connecting buses with ferries to Colonia or Montevideo.

Buquebus has a sort of monopoly on ferries to Uruguay, but their prices are mostly reasonable and service reliable. There are over ten ferries a day, some rapid and some much cheaper and much slower. All ferries to Colonia have a seamless connection with onward buses to Punta and Montevideo, even the night ferry that leaves at 12:30 am. Buquebus can also arrange hotels and activities for your trip Uruguay, and they often have special deals and discounts so be sure to ask before you book. The buquebus website has all the information you need to plan your adventure, or you can stop into one of their offices.

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Argentine food is good, but flavor and spice are not exactly over abundant and local grocery stores leave much to be desired. The shops in China town are exactly what the desperate gourmet needs, sauces, spices, rice noodles, sesame cookies, shitake mushrooms and oolong tea, need I say more. You can even buy shrimp crackers and inexpensive smoked salmon sushi roles from a shop appropriately named “Casa China.” And the list of curious and intriguing treats continues.

If you aren’t much for cooking then there are a plethora of Chinese restaurants ready to do the work for you. Most serve up standard Chinese dishes, the average dish costing between 10 and 20 pesos, but expect to pay closer to 40 for a seafood specialty. There are also lots of vegetarian options with tofu galore to please all the omnivores who struggle everyday with Argentine cuisine. Check out Cantina Chinatown on the corner of Mendoza and Juramento for some amazingly sweet ice tea. For the culinary adventuresome, there is even a Chinese style parilla, with roast ducks and various unidentifiable meets and even chicken feet, yum!!!

Chinatown starts at the intersection of Arribenos and Juramento and runs for a few blocks down Arribenos. It is very close to both the train line and a bus depot where over a dozen city buses stop at, look for bus lines marked B. Belgrano. There is also the Subte stop Juramento on the D line, a faster alternative to the buses though it drops you a few blocks further away.

And if you are searching for Chinese knick-knacks, paper fans and lanterns, cheap change purses or carved jade statues of Buddha then look no further. As with any international China town, several shops overflowing with mass-produced trinkets can be found nestled between the specialty grocery stores and Chinese restaurants.

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