Unmissable places to visit in Buenos Aires
There is no doubt that Buenos Aires is one of the most cosmopolitan cities that exists in South America. Beyond doubt, the city of Tango that has a lot of interesting things and places that you have to go to no matter what on your journey around the Argentinian capital. Also, the most intriguing thing of all is that there are places that are free to go to, so you only need to buy your bus ticket, or if you're in the centre already you can walk to these spots.
Thinking about my experience that I had in Buenos Aires, I want to share the nicest parts of the city that you have to visit here in this post. Pick up your pen and paper and let's start this imaginary trip where you will only need some vim and vigor in order for you to get to know these places.
Barrio de San Telmo
One of the places that you will find right in the middle of the centre of Buenos Aires, is the art and shopping zone. Most of all, if you come during the days of the Feria celebration, you have to go all over the city, through its streets, and get to know everything you're able to see. Also you will find musicians playing their instruments and some people dancing the Tango throughout the streets.
If you're a music and tango lover and enthusiast, and if you want to buy a few things to remind yourself of your trip, then this is the place for you! I'm sure that you're going to have a phenomenal time! Not only that, but you can also appreciate the incredible architecture that there is in this part of Buenos Aires. Also, it's right in the middle of the same centre, so you have no excuses not to go!
The Metallic Flower - Floralis Genérica
Getting here from the centre of the city is nothing too complicated. In my case, I went on foot with my friends and I couldn't complain when I arrived and saw this huge flower that was opening and closing slowly depending on the time. It's a really interesting place to visit in Buenos Aires, and you have to go there to experience it.
One of the things that I liked the most about this metallic flower was the park it's situated in, where you can sit or even lie down calmly and enjoy the view.
Recoleta Cemetery
If you're passionate about sculptures and finding out about Argentinian history, with people such as Evita Perón, then this place is for you. By visiting all parts of the Recoleta Cemetery, you are moving through the history of Argentina as well as finding yourself in this place that you can enter without spending a penny. Undoubtedly this is another place that you have to visit.
In the Recoleta Cemetery, I remember I met a women at the entrance who was selling pamphlets about the history of the cemetery and she knew it like the back of her hand. She knew exactly where everything was, and she didn't stop talking by telling us each and every story that she knew about the cemetery. It's practically a museum as it has everything it needs to be one, and so many things of interest, full of tales and stories that will leave you astonished.
And it's not surprising that this cemetery is one of the most beautiful in South America. It dates back approximately to the 19th century, and to be more exact, around the year 1800. It's a clear example of the many things that can be done with your heritage and architecture. Buenos Aires never stopped surprising us!
I also want to mention the Recoleta area as well because you'll be able to find important destinations that will enable you to get to know the city even better, such as its commercial centre, and also if you feel like having a coffee or eating here, then you must make the most of it as here, you will find a lot of great places where you'll have a great time.
Also in the Recoleta neighbourhood, you will find other points of interest such as the National Museum of Fine Arts, the law department of the popular UBA, theUniversity of Buenos Aires, as well as the same metallic flower that I told you about previously.
Something that I didn't know about before that also caught my attention was that nearly all of the monuments in Buenos Aires are pink, does anyone know why? If anyone can answer me, I'll buy you a Peruvian ceviche!
El Paseo de Las Historietas
If you're a fan of comic books and characters such as Mafalda and the Gaturro cat and others among them, then this is the place for you. It's located very near the centre of the city and you can do a tour of this place on foot. Also, very close to where Mafalda is situated, you will find a map that tell you where you are.
Without a doubt, the main character of this promenade is, in my opinion, Mafalda. You will find her sat in her little green clothes, and if you come on a weekend, you'll see an abundance of people wanting to take a photo with her. However if you come on a Monday for example, (I had to come twice) you will be able to spend a lot of time there with her.
For example when I got here, I took an endless amount of photos and spent countless time there. I also brought my national flag with me, the flag of Peru.
El Ateneo
Art. You simply live and breathe art in Buenos Aires and above all, in this particular library that is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world. Located in what previously was a theatre, El Ateneo exists as a library today, a special place for those who have a passion for reading, where you can indulge without having to pay anything. Although, in the central part of the bottom section, you will find some chairs and tables where you can sit and order a coffee if you want to have something.
El Ateneo is an inspirational place because of its beauty and the amount of books that you can find here is truly remarkable. Peruvians have to learn from Argentinians about having these kinds of cultural places available (well, not that Lima isn't cultural! ) but from Buenos Aires, we can undoubtedly learn many new things.
El Obelisco
Located on the widest avenue in the world, there is no room for doubt that the Obelisk of Buenos Aires is an obvious symbol of the city. You only have to pass the Avenida Corrientes to be able to find it and take a photo of this monument.
La Casa Rosada
This is the office of the President of Argentina (Palacio de Gobierno de Argentina). It's an even more interesting place if you go there at night so that it's illuminated.
La Casa Rosada is found at the front of the zone known as La Plaza Mayo where you can take some great photos. It's also very close to where you'll find the cathedral.
Teatro Colon/Columbus Theatre
Very close to the Obelisk of the Argentine capital you will also be able to find the Columbus Theatre, one of the most emblematic places of the culture of Buenos Aires. Come and visit it, you'll have a phenomenal time.
I hope that you have enjoyed this little guide of places you can find in Buenos Aires, a city that never sleeps and has absolutely everything. Truthfully, there are a lot more things but I'm waiting to be able to edit this post for you all afterwards.
Buenos Aires is a city that never sleeps, a city that keeps us waking up with its adrenaline, its culture, and I haven't even finished telling you about the rest of the places that I've been to during this experience. For example, Boca Stadium, and even though I'm not much of a football fan, this part of Argentina lives and breathes through its passion for this sport.
I also can't forget to mention the area of Caminito which is located very near to the stadium. Here, you can marvel at each of the different coloured structures as well as seeing many houses that sell souvenirs to take home to your loved ones. Something that surprised me on this visit was finding myself with loads of Peruvians that had businesses in this part of Argentina.
As you already know you can't miss going to Caminito, but you also need to go to Boca Junior, and you have to get here from the other side, and if you go you have to get a bus from the centre to there. But don't worry, it's nothing too complicated.
Theatre Shows
Buenos Aires is a cultural city, a city that breathes art and culture wherever you go. The birthplace of tango also has a lot of other things that you must visit, such as any kind of show at the theatre. Some show tango performances, or another kind of cultural event that appeals to you. In truth, the options are very broad and they are all worth going to see, I'm telling you!
For example, one of the experiences I had when I came to Buenos Aires was a trip to see a performance of a show called Fuerza Bruta, which was the first time I felt like that the audience was involved with every scene, the lights, the movement, moving sets, wind, everything. I was able to experience everything you could imagine by going to see this show in Buenos Aires.
Fuerza Bruta was also being shown in Lima a few years ago and I will tell you that the tickets, in comparison to those I got in Buenos Aires, were a lot more expensive. This is something very good about Buenos Aires, as you can find cultural activities to do at a very good price. So make the most of it!
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero is another of the places of which I have the opportunity to get to know Buenos Aires and actually, it was the first place I went to when I got to the city. I travelled around for the month of June and honestly, I have never felt the cold as much as I did when I arrived in this city.
In Puerto Madero, you are able to see a bridge that symbolises a woman and it's white in colour. You will also be able to find various restaurants, bars and clubs which are open to the public, and all ages.
Also you will find places, whether you have a lot of money or not, to go on a night out on in Buenos Aires. This could be one of the places that I recommend to visit the most!
Palermo
Palermo is another of the areas with a lot going on during the night in the capital of Buenos Aires, for example I went here with the friends I travelled with. We did a bar crawl and afterwards went on a party bus that took us here. In this area there are lots of bars and clubs, fun is guaranteed!
Additionally, if you're someone who likes going to bars, then I would recommend that you do the tour we did so that you can get to know this area. I haven't yet mentioned that in comparison to Lima, the parties in Buenos Aires start quite late, let's say from one in the morning onwards, whilst in Lima people start to go out at about 10 or 11 in the evening. Anyway, now you know that you have to save your energy in order to be able to go all night for a night of chaos and fun in the capital of Argentina. I honestly had a lot of fun although I want to tell you that some of my friends were given the impression that Argentinians are a bit cheeky... to foreigners :S
El Tigre
El Tigre is situated on the delta of the River of Silver, which is also somewhere you have to go to on your visit to Buenos Aires. Above all, because here you can see a sort of South American Venice. There are republican houses situated between the islands that are very beautiful, and worth going to see.
In order to get here, in this case I had to catch a train and in approximately an hour I arrived, so we then had our last few experiences in Buenos Aires, I recommend it.
You're going to have a great time, if its either the same or even better than the one I had. You can also board the boats in order to be able to feel the experience of being in the river delta, and whilst being aboard you can listen to the history of the area and all the points of interest in El Tigre. I also keep forgetting to tell you that there is also an theme park here, a place that I won't fool you too much about as I didn't actually go, but I saw it from far away on the boat. Anyway, it's a reason for me to come back in another opportunity to visit the last place I'm left to go to.
A bonus, go to Uruguay as well
Although this destination isn't located in Buenos Aires, I wanted to dedicate a few lines to this place. I am referring to the city of Colonia, which isn't in Argentina but Uruguay. The most interesting thing about this place is that to get there, we had to take a ferry from the River of Silver in Buenos Aires in order to start our day-long adventure in Colonia.
What we didn't expect was the weather, or better said the climate that played a trick on us as when we arrived, it started to rain a lot, just like a shower, but this wasn't an obstacle for us as we enjoyed ourselves anyway in this place near Buenos Aires. Also, from Argentina, we bought a ticket to Colonia which also included some tours from a tour bus to all the points of interest there. I also have to mention that despite being small, it's a calm and beautiful place, and also it's considered to be the birthplace of the heritage of humanity.
Something that I remember easily from my visit to Colonia is that there were four of us with only one umbrella, imagine how we did that without getting wet. It was one of the experiences that I remember with a lot of mischievousness and even though something happened every day that could have ruined the trip, nothing bad happened! And in spite of everything, this adventure was one of the best trips travelling through the neighbouring countries of this region that I have ever been able to have.
Now you know my dear friends, to come and visit Colonia, and maybe you can come when the weathers better and the sun will be shining. The truth is that this is a summer holiday destination with the best weather, so even though that didn't happen in my case, like I've told you, I would come back to do it all again. You will have a fabulous time regardless!
Thank you so much, and see you soon!
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