Welcome to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the city of Maradona, Tango, meat asados, and much much more! This many-facetted city is certainly worth a visit! This Sexy, Sleek, Cultural and Cosmopolitan city has been on my bucket list FOREVER! Thats why we asked our friends from Argentina Excepcion for their top 10 things to do in Buenos Aires.
10 Things to Do in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Mention Buenos Aires, the capitol of Argentina, and most travelers picture a couple check-to-cheek dancing the sexy tango. But there’s more to this beautiful city than just dancing — although yes, the tango is quite exciting to watch. Let’s go for a walk and discover 10 things to do in Buenos Aires.
This edgy South American country brings European flair to its Latin American roots. We’re talking lively nightlife, explosive culture, great food, football, and historic architecture. Buenos Aires is delicious to taste and experience. (Editor’s Note: Oh don’t get me started on Buenos Aires, this, my heart, my travel bucket list adventure.)
The heart of this cosmopolitan city is the Plaza de Mayo, lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace.
Other major attractions include Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house with nearly 2,500 seats, and the modern MALBA museum, displaying Latin American art.
And then there’s the tango.
1. Dance the Tango in a Milonga
Of all the things to do in Buenos Aires, perhaps the most iconic is the Tango. The San Telmo district is the birthplace of Tango. There, you can discover many traditional milongas, the codified venues where people dance Tango.
The Tango was originally danced in the popular districts of Buenos Aires by the migrants. It has become a sophisticated dance which is now embodied by the famous and iconic singer Carlos Gardel.
2. Taste the Argentina’s Famous Meat Asado
Argentina is famous for its meat, and travelers most definitely must put this as one of the top 10 thigns to do in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Indeed, the gauchos’ traditions from the Pampa have led to a huge industry in cattle farming.
Now, the meat asado in Buenos Aires in a must-experience! Taste the best of the Argentinean food in parilla restaurants like Las Cabras or la Cabrera in the Palermo district. There, you will taste the greatest and most delicious meat of your life. You’ll never look at a piece of meat in the same way again!
3. Watch a Football Match at the Bombonera Stadium
Welcome to the temple of football! Located in the popular district of La Boca, the Bombonera stadium is the sanctuary of the Boca Junior team, the popular team in Buenos Aires and their god, Diego Maradona, one of the most famous football players in the world. In Buenos Aires, football is almost a religion and during the match nights, the city becomes one big crowd of fans. The atmosphere is unlike anything you’ve seen before!
4. Visit the Plaza de Mayo
This place in one of the most famous places in South America. The Casa Rosada is the presidential palace where the legendary speeches of the general Peron and his wife Eva Peron were given. This place has become the weekly meeting point of the Abuelas de mayo (May’s Grandmothers) who protested against the regime during the dictatorship in the seventies. Visit the Cathedral to take a look at the Libertador General San Martin’s Mausoleum.
5. Visit the Recoleta Cemetery
A cemetery? (Editor’s Note: Personally I LOVE visiting cemeteries!) But it would be a shame to miss this historic place, the Recoleta Cemetery, one of the greatest cemeteries in the world. This site is an open air museum where all the people who made Argentinean history are buried. Take a look at the Eva Peron grave or just wander between the mausoleums and exuberant funeral biers.
6. Order a Drink at the Tortoni Café
This literary café is located on the Avenida de Mayo. Created in 1858, the Tortoni Café is one of the oldest in Argentina. The interior decoration is sophisticated, made with marble, stained glass, oak wood tables and Tiffany’s luminaries.
This café was the favored place for many historic personalities like Carlos Gardel, Federico Garcia Lorca, Jorge Luis Borges, Juan Manuel Fangio and Albert Einstein. Today, this café is an attractive cultural site where literary conferences, poetry recitals and jazz concerts are organized.
7. Go out for a Night in Palermo!
Indeed, you don’t really know Buenos Aires if you’ve never experienced the porteña nightlife.
Try the many bars and boliches (nightclubs) in Palermo, Buenos Aires’ trendy district! Discover the Ferona, the Festival or The Temple bar and stay out until the sun comes up! Drink Fernet Cola, and discover that porteñas know how to party!
8. Walk along the Docks of Puerto Madero
Cross the Woman’s Bridge and enjoy Puerto Madero, a peaceful and trendy district in Buenos Aires. The quays were fitted out with many bars and museums, and this old industrial harbour has become a very pleasant place to spend a sunny Sunday. The ecological reserve on the Costanera Sur is also a way to breathe the fresh natural air in luxurious vegetation.
9. Drink mate!
The mate is the traditional drink of the Argentinean. Iin Buenos Aires, you’ll see many people with a calabash and a thermos. In fact, the tradition of drinking mate comes from the Guarani Indians in the Argentinean Northeast. The yerba mate had therapeutic virtues like expelling the bad spirits or healing tiredness. Today, mate has the same characteristics as coffee. Taste it, but take care, it has a very bitter flour!
10. Watch a Polo Match
Did you know that Buenos Aires is the capital of polo? Ten of the best players in the world are from Argentina, and this sport is really appreciated here. The polo is a complex sport: a team is composed of four players and a match is divided in four to eight periods of seven minutes. This game requires speed, precision, strength and strategy. Go to the Palermo hippodrome and enjoy watching a match.
Did we miss one of your favorite things to do in Buenos Aires, Argentina? Share with us in the comments!
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