Snapshot: Buenos Aires

September 16, 2020

Meet Argentina’s capital, where old world charm meets new world cool

 

Across Latin America, Argentines have a reputation for being a little bit snobbish; however, spend a while in Buenos Aires and one can see where this aloof attitude comes from – it is a beautiful city that blends colonial old-world charm with new world dynamism while exuding a beat-up cool. This faded grandeur may make its rather self-assured claim to be the ‘Paris of the South’ a bit of a stretch, but it gives Milan a run for its money.

 

Feria de San Telmo or San Telmo Market
Feria de San Telmo or San Telmo Market

 

Spanish explorers first settled here in 1536 but were soon chased off by the local Charrua people. The Europeans came back, establishing a trading post in 1580 after sailing downriver from Asuncion, now the capital of Paraguay. It is its role as a port on the natural harbour of the Rio de la Plata which shaped the social fabric of Buenos Aires, as it welcomed settlers from every corner of Europe, but primarily Spain and Italy. Named ‘fair winds’ after what propelled the world to its docks, the city reflects this rich heritage in its eclectic mix of French and Italian architecture, much of which was built between 1880 and 1920. From the neoclassical Teatro Colón – which is said to have some of the best acoustics of any opera house in the world – to the Edificio Kavanagh, an art deco skyscraper that was once the tallest building in South America; not forgetting the grand turret and faux windmill sails of the Confiteria Del Molino and the baroque yet beautiful Palacio de Aguas Corrientes, which resembles an French royal palace and must have been the world’s most ornate water pumping station when it was built in the late 1800s.

 

Teatro Colon is one of the world's best opera house
Teatro Colon is one of the world's best opera house

 

The real charm of this city lies in its barrios or neighbourhoods, and none is more charismatic than the cobblestoned streets of its oldest one, San Telmo. Once the home to dockers before a cholera epidemic cleared them out, it is now a bohemian art district and a tourist trap well worth getting ensnared in. Here you’ll find the Museum of Modern Art, hundreds of restaurants, cafes and shops, a great Sunday street market, and throngs of locals packing into the Plaza Dorrego to dance the tango – the sultry dance which spread from the city’s port-side brothels to Europe and beyond, swiftly becoming Argentina’s biggest ever cultural export.

 

Tourist favourite San Telmo Market in the old town of San Telmo
Tourist favourite San Telmo Market in the old town of San Telmo

 

At the north end of town lies the city’s biggest barrio, Palermo, which is experiencing its first waves of post-hipster yuppification. Its fashionable enclaves of Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood are the places to come to eat and drink. Grab a seat at a parrilla – a restaurant named after the typical Asado meat grill – and order a steak, a glass of red and watch the world go by and it is certainly worth doing a bit of people watching, as this city’s populace are a good-looking bunch. Be warned, all that Latin blood means that the nightlife starts late; restaurants typically get busy from nine onwards, while the bars don’t fill up until well after midnight.

 

Jaracanda trees on Avenue Sarmiento in Palermo
Jaracanda trees on Avenue Sarmiento in Palermo

 

Soccer is another of this city’s obsessions and it has the highest concentration of professional clubs anywhere in the world – with 14 teams in the top tier and another seven in the second league – making it even more ball-crazy than London or Melbourne.

Buenos Aires is blessed with many public spaces, the few of which are the Parque Tres de Febrero – named after the date a local strongman politician was overthrown and built on his land – an ecological preserve, the Zoological Gardens, the Botanical Gardens and the Japanese Garden, the largest outside Japan. The Plaza de Mayo is a city square that has more than its fair share of history, it commemorates the country’s May 1810 revolution – it’s the first step towards independence from Spain – was subsequently a venue for leaders such as Perón to address the masses, and since 1977 has been the place where mothers of those who disappeared during Argentina’s Dirty War have paraded with pictures of their lost loved ones.

 

The May Square or Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires
The May Square or Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires

Back to Argentina Tours
Related tours

14 Day Antarctica Small Ship Expedition

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Mar 2026
From
$20,899
 NZD
pp twin share

17 Day Antarctica Small Ship Expedition With Iguazu Falls

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Mar 2026
From
$22,399
 NZD
pp twin share
2025-26 Season Released

38 Day Inspiring South America, Galapagos & Antarctica Exploration Cruise

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Mar 2026
Typically
$33,467
From
$29,595
 NZD
pp twin share
2025-26 Season Released

31 Day Inspiring South America & Antarctica Exploration Cruise

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Mar 2026
Typically
$24,323
From
$24,199
 NZD
pp twin share
2025-26 Season Released
Book Now for Early Bird Deals

14 Day Highlights Of Antarctica Exploration Cruise

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Mar 2026
From
$14,099
 NZD
pp twin share
Paired Solo Option

26 Day Inspiring South America & Galapagos Small Group Tour

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Nov 2026
Typically
$19,867
From
$15,345
 NZD
pp twin share
2025 Dates Added

31 Day Inspiring South America, Chile & Galapagos Small Group Tour

Travel from: Feb 2025
Travel until: Dec 2025
Typically
$21,032
From
$20,695
 NZD
pp twin share

24 Day Inspiring South America with Uruguay & Estancia Experience

Travel from: Feb 2025
Travel until: Dec 2025
From
$12,245
 NZD
pp twin share

13 Day Patagonia With Mount Fitz Roy Hike

Travel from: Feb 2025
Travel until: Mar 2025
From
$8,545
 NZD
pp twin share
Paired Solo Option

27 Day Inspiring South America With Bolivia & Chile Small Group Tour

Travel from: Feb 2025
Travel until: Nov 2025
Typically
$19,073
From
$15,345
 NZD
pp twin share

23 Day Inspiring South America with Glacier Experience

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Dec 2025
From
$13,645
 NZD
pp twin share
2025 Dates Added

19 Day Inspiring South America Small Group Tour

Travel from: Jan 2025
Travel until: Dec 2026
Typically
$17,557
From
$9,495
 NZD
pp twin share
Loading...
Processing