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Stories from Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Culture

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

The Teatro Colón, the MALBA and PROA, the theatres of Corrientes and the tango salons where the city dances.

The Salón Dorado of the Teatro Colón, with gilded columns, painted ceiling and crystal chandeliersArts + CultureArts & Culture in Buenos AiresOpera, museums and tango

Areas

Buenos Aires, barrio by barrio

Seven barrios, each with its own guide: the palaces and marble of Recoleta, the parks and designers of Palermo, the cobbles of San Telmo, the painted houses of La Boca, the docks of Puerto Madero, the opera and avenues of the centre, and the leafy streets of the north.

The white colonial façade and bell tower of the Basílica del Pilar under a summer skyNeighbourhood guideRecoletaPalaces, marble and the Avenida AlvearRose beds in flower at the Rosedal de Palermo, with jacarandas beyondNeighbourhood guidePalermoParks, designers and the parrillaA white Belle Époque corner building in San TelmoNeighbourhood guideSan Telmo & MonserratCobbles, antiques and tangoThe brightly painted corrugated-iron houses of Caminito in La BocaNeighbourhood guideLa BocaColour, football and artThe white Puente de la Mujer and its leaning mast over the dock at Puerto MaderoNeighbourhood guidePuerto Madero & Costanera SurThe docks and the river

After dark

Buenos Aires keeps late hours: dinner at ten is ordinary, and the milongas are only warming up at midnight.

  1. Neighbourhood guideRetiro & the CentroThe opera, the avenues and the cafés
  2. Neighbourhood guideBelgrano, Colegiales & NúñezThe leafy north

Practical

Before you go

Essentials

Entry and health insurance, arriving at Ezeiza or Aeroparque, tickets for the Colón and the tango houses, and three days that work for a first visit.

The white Obelisco on the Avenida 9 de Julio under a deep blue skyBefore you goBuenos Aires essentialsEntry, money, safety and 107The domed hall and gallery of the Retiro railway terminusGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airports, the Subte, the trains and the ferriesRecoleta and the parks at sunset from above, with Floralis Genérica in its circular garden and the river beyondItineraryBuenos Aires in three daysThe Colón, Recoleta, Palermo and San TelmoThe white-and-red dining room of Bistro Sur at the Faena Hotel, with chandeliers and unicorn heads on the wallsLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Lobby Bar of the Alvear Palace Hotel, with red velvet armchairs, wood panelling and portraits under a lit ceilingItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Alvear Palace, Aramburu and Crizia
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Faena, Rojo Tango and Don Julio

Our advice

Book the Colón before you fly

A guided visit shows you the horseshoe of red and gold, but a performance shows you the sound. Book the opera, the ballet or the Filarmónica on the theatre’s own site, then build your days around it. The Teatro Colón

Day trips

Beyond Buenos Aires

The islands of the delta are a train ride north; Colonia and Montevideo lie across the river in Uruguay; the estancias of San Antonio de Areco are out in the pampas, and La Plata is down the coast.

A wooden passenger launch on a river of the Paraná DeltaBeyond Buenos AiresTigre & the DeltaA city on the waterThe rooftops of Colonia del Sacramento and the Río de la Plata, with a ferry in the harbourBeyond Buenos AiresColonia del SacramentoAcross the river to UruguayTrees reflected in the still Río Areco at San Antonio de Areco, at golden hourBeyond Buenos AiresSan Antonio de ArecoGauchos and estanciasThe pink Gothic Revival Cathedral of La Plata across the Plaza MorenoBeyond Buenos AiresLa PlataThe planned capitalMontevideo from above, the old city and the rambla along the riverBeyond Buenos AiresMontevideoUruguay’s capital

Our advice

Take your passport to Colonia

Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo are in Uruguay: the ferries leave from Buenos Aires, but there is passport control at the terminal. Stay for the sunset over the river and book the late boat back. Colonia del Sacramento

In depth

In depth: the back stories of Buenos Aires

The great sights, the table, tango and opera, the hotels, the Subte and the ferries, and where to buy: the stories behind Buenos Aires.

Wetland in the Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, with the towers of Puerto Madero behindIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild Buenos AiresThe Costanera Sur wetlands and the deltaAn asado board of grilled ribs and sausagesThe back storyBuenos Aires at the tableAramburu, the parrillas and the late dinnerTwo tango dancers in red on the Avenida Corrientes at night, the Obelisco behind themThe back storyTango, opera and the avant-gardeThe arts of Buenos Aires

At the milonga

Nobody walks across the floor to ask for a dance: a glance and a nod across the room, the cabeceo, is how it is done.

  1. The back storyWhere Buenos Aires sleepsPalaces, docks and gardens
  2. The back storyBy Subte, train and ferryUnder the city and across the river
  3. The back storyBuying in Buenos AiresNeighbourhoods and the escribano
  4. Fun factsBuenos Aires fun factsThings you might not know

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