Laurent Kretz

I came back this morning from a long week-end (or a short week) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We stood there 5 days and followed the usual touristic tracks. I am not going to write a long report, as I did for my trip to Yucatan or my un-official non-tourist guide to my-new-york but rather just lay down a list of random “things” about the city and our trip, and the feelings we left the city with. This might help the neophyte traveler looking for an opinion on this city.

In one phrase: Buenos Aires is more a city to live, than a city to visit. There is not a lot of sight-seeing to do, and for a European traveler, you could describe it as a faded Paris or Barcelona (more grey, more polluted, with less old buildings,…). But the Porteños are warm, amazing bars are spread out but soul-full, food is succulent, restaurants are everywhere, each barrio (area) has its own spirit.

• We slept in San Telmo, in a guesthouse called Telmo Tango. Well situated between San Telmo, el Centro and Puerto Madero.
• We visited …. La Boca, a nice - but crowded with tourists - artists’ area. San Telmo, its small streets, buildings, antiques market, and very nice bars (Bar Plaza Derrego, El Federal, …). Puerto Madero, a series of old piers rehabilitated into nice condos, restaurants, terraces. Palermo Viejo (SoHo) is very residential, has a cool zoo, and a lot of animation, restaurant and bars around Plaza Serrano. La Recoleta is famous for its cemetery, a local version of the Père Lachaise in Paris, sheltering numerous major actors of the Argentinian history including Eva Duarte de Peron aka Evita. El Centro, the old downtown which is a mix of Madrid, Paris, New York with its amazing building architectures and styles that navigate between Bauhaus, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Haussmanian style.
• We ate meat. Lots of meat. Lots of good meat. Try Spettus for an all-you-can-eat meat experience in Puerto Madero. Or La Rosalia in San Telmo for a delicious pound of bife de chorizo.
• We saw tango in the “Catedral” of Tango - unique experience, highly recommended - and heard Tango in El Boliche de Roberto, a 115 years old bar.

But be aware that …

• Buenos Aires is big: 13 million people (metro area - compared to 12M in Paris for instance) and wide: about 203 km² (78.5 sq mi) for the city (more than twice Paris, almost 4 times Manhattan).
• Buenos Aires is polluted. I got stomach aches because of it, never happened to me. And this was in winter, so I wonder how the summer is …
• Buenos Aires is not really for sightseeing: if you want to catch a glimpse of what the city has to offer to your eyes (and not your heart - or belly) a day or two are enough. Start by El Centro, grab a coffee on Puerto Madero, then walk through San Telmo and Plaza Dorrego, head to La Boca in the afternoon.
• There are distances, lots of distances, to cover. From one interesting (= sightseeing, bars, restaurant, animation, …) area to the other you’ll need 30mn of walk, taxi or subway.
• Buenos Aires is not cheap. Of course it’s not expensive, but (arguably? foolishly?) I expected it to be cheaper than it was. And there are really two tiers of pricing. A taxi ride to the airport is about 30mn and $35 - proportionally the same price as in New York. But a subway ticket is only 30 cents. A nice restaurant on Puerto Madero will cost maybe $160 to $200 for two, as a local fast food (empanadas !!) will cost less than $10. Hostels (room with bathroom) are about $50/$60 per night, boutique hotels will cost $100 to $150.
• If you’re going out, know that the Porteños start their evening late. Don’t get to a restaurant at 8pm: you’ll be alone. Don’t go to La Catedral before 1am: nobody will be dancing.

So as a conclusion, I would say: don’t go visit Buenos Aires - you’ll be disappointed. But head there to rest or wander in the old streets during the day, drink in the late afternoon in old nostalgic bars, eat amazing meat, and be carried away listening to tango and watching it.

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