Buenos Aires and Its Neighborhoods
Overview
Buenos Aires is a massive city with almost three million people and 48 different neighborhoods, or barrios. Many people refer to Buenos Aires as “the Paris of South America,” but this commonly-used phrase is, we think, a bit deceiving. There are parts of the city that definitely feel European. Indeed, Buenos Aires is composed mostly of people whose families emigrated from countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, and Eastern Europe during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. When you walk down Avenida de Mayo or through Recoleta, you definitely understand why the city is so often compared to Paris. In other parts of the city, though, Buenos Aires feels different from the European stereotype. But what the city lacks in things like sidewalks that are free of dog shit, it makes up for in energy, excitement, and fun. So try to look past the graffiti and trash that you will undoubtedly encounter, because the best parts about Buenos Aires are not its beauty (though there is plenty of it), but its people and its lifestyle.
Locals are known as porteños, or people of the port. Although Buenos Aires used to have a bustling port on the Río de la Plata, the widest river in the world, the city is now built, as they say here, with its back to the water. Unless you make the effort to visit the riverside or Puerto Madero, the recently remodeled port neighborhood, you won’t even see the water.
Buenos Aires is also not like Paris in the sense that there are not a million “must-see” tourist attractions to check off your list. For us, being here is much more about relaxing and falling into the vibe of the city. Buenos Aires is a city of long meals and late nights. Like we said, Buenos Aires has a million neighborhoods, but we’ll only outline the few most popular ones here. The ones we are not listing are mainly because they are mostly residential and there’s not a lot to do there OR they are not safe to visit. The worst neighborhoods in Buenos Aires are the slums, known as villas miserias. There, you won’t even find plumbing or paved roads. But they are on the far outskirts of the city, and there’s really no way you could just happen to find yourself there. The following neighborhoods will probably be the places you most want to visit during your week in BsAs.
Buenos Aires is a massive city with almost three million people and 48 different neighborhoods, or barrios. Many people refer to Buenos Aires as “the Paris of South America,” but this commonly-used phrase is, we think, a bit deceiving. There are parts of the city that definitely feel European. Indeed, Buenos Aires is composed mostly of people whose families emigrated from countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, and Eastern Europe during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. When you walk down Avenida de Mayo or through Recoleta, you definitely understand why the city is so often compared to Paris. In other parts of the city, though, Buenos Aires feels different from the European stereotype. But what the city lacks in things like sidewalks that are free of dog shit, it makes up for in energy, excitement, and fun. So try to look past the graffiti and trash that you will undoubtedly encounter, because the best parts about Buenos Aires are not its beauty (though there is plenty of it), but its people and its lifestyle.
Locals are known as porteños, or people of the port. Although Buenos Aires used to have a bustling port on the Río de la Plata, the widest river in the world, the city is now built, as they say here, with its back to the water. Unless you make the effort to visit the riverside or Puerto Madero, the recently remodeled port neighborhood, you won’t even see the water.
Buenos Aires is also not like Paris in the sense that there are not a million “must-see” tourist attractions to check off your list. For us, being here is much more about relaxing and falling into the vibe of the city. Buenos Aires is a city of long meals and late nights. Like we said, Buenos Aires has a million neighborhoods, but we’ll only outline the few most popular ones here. The ones we are not listing are mainly because they are mostly residential and there’s not a lot to do there OR they are not safe to visit. The worst neighborhoods in Buenos Aires are the slums, known as villas miserias. There, you won’t even find plumbing or paved roads. But they are on the far outskirts of the city, and there’s really no way you could just happen to find yourself there. The following neighborhoods will probably be the places you most want to visit during your week in BsAs.
Palermo
Palermo is the largest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, and it is also our favorite. If you are staying in the group accommodations, this is the neighborhood where you’ll be. A lot of the week’s events will also be held in this neighborhood, mostly because it is where most of our favorite things are located.
Palermo is so big that it’s actually divided into several different neighborhoods: Alto Palermo, Palermo Nuevo, Las Cañitas, Palermo Soho, and Palermo Hollywood. We don’t spend a lot of time in the first free. For those interested in shopping, you’ll find a big mall in Alto Palermo. There are some nice restaurants and cafés in Las Cañitas. And in Palermo Nuevo you will find the Bosques de Palermo, or Palermo Woods, one of the city’s biggest parks, which has a nice Japanese gardens and a planetarium. Palermo Nuevo is also home to the Evita Museum, where you can learn all you need to know about Argentina’s most famous daughter.
Palermo Hollywood is so named because at one point it played host to a lot of film and television production companies. Ten years ago it was pretty run-down, with lots of warehouses and not much to do, but today it is a vibrant neighborhood with hundreds of great restaurants, bars, bookshops, and cafes. It’s still up-and-coming, and the architecture is distinctly more modern than in Palermo Soho, but it’s a really great place to walk around and find a great place to eat or drink.
Palermo Soho (also called Palermo Viejo) is probably our favorite neighborhood. Lots of small streets (some cobblestone) with sidewalk cafes and boutique shops (which is where it got the name). Plaza Armenia is a nice little park at its core. On the weekends you will find a little flea market set up around the outskirts of the park. Another hub of the area is Plaza Serrano, which is the center of nightlife for the young and the foreign. We sort of hate to go there at night because it makes us feel old, but a lot of people really enjoy it…and the places stay open until the wee hours of the morning. But the best thing to do in the neighborhood is just walk around and explore the streets and shops.
Palermo is the largest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, and it is also our favorite. If you are staying in the group accommodations, this is the neighborhood where you’ll be. A lot of the week’s events will also be held in this neighborhood, mostly because it is where most of our favorite things are located.
Palermo is so big that it’s actually divided into several different neighborhoods: Alto Palermo, Palermo Nuevo, Las Cañitas, Palermo Soho, and Palermo Hollywood. We don’t spend a lot of time in the first free. For those interested in shopping, you’ll find a big mall in Alto Palermo. There are some nice restaurants and cafés in Las Cañitas. And in Palermo Nuevo you will find the Bosques de Palermo, or Palermo Woods, one of the city’s biggest parks, which has a nice Japanese gardens and a planetarium. Palermo Nuevo is also home to the Evita Museum, where you can learn all you need to know about Argentina’s most famous daughter.
Palermo Hollywood is so named because at one point it played host to a lot of film and television production companies. Ten years ago it was pretty run-down, with lots of warehouses and not much to do, but today it is a vibrant neighborhood with hundreds of great restaurants, bars, bookshops, and cafes. It’s still up-and-coming, and the architecture is distinctly more modern than in Palermo Soho, but it’s a really great place to walk around and find a great place to eat or drink.
Palermo Soho (also called Palermo Viejo) is probably our favorite neighborhood. Lots of small streets (some cobblestone) with sidewalk cafes and boutique shops (which is where it got the name). Plaza Armenia is a nice little park at its core. On the weekends you will find a little flea market set up around the outskirts of the park. Another hub of the area is Plaza Serrano, which is the center of nightlife for the young and the foreign. We sort of hate to go there at night because it makes us feel old, but a lot of people really enjoy it…and the places stay open until the wee hours of the morning. But the best thing to do in the neighborhood is just walk around and explore the streets and shops.
Recoleta
Recoleta may be the reason that people often compare Buenos Aires to Paris. This ritzy neighborhood is full of beautiful buildings and tree-lined streets. It’s a great place to walk around, shop, and eat. Here you will also find two of Buenos Aires’ best tourist destinations: the Recoleta Cemetery and Avenida Alvear (see Things to Do). |
San Telmo
San Telmo is the old, colonial part of the city. It features some of the oldest architecture that the city has to offer, but also some of the most rundown. The best time to check out this neighborhood is on Sunday, which the San Telmo Feria is going on. Vendors stretch out for block after block to sell their wares. You can eat at one of Buenos Aires’ famed coffee shops, or you can grab a choripan on the street. It’s a really great way to spend your Sunday. We don’t recommend going here at night unless you are in a large group. |
Puerto Madero
This is the modern remaking of the old port of Buenos Aires. Until a decade or so ago, the port was totally rundown. Now it is a bright and shiny new neighborhood where the very rich buy apartments with a view of the ecological preserve on the other side of the port. The restaurants here are lackluster and overpriced, but you might want to go to see the beautiful Puente de las Mujeres (Women’s Bridge) or one of several museums located here. |
La Boca
La Boca is the old immigrant neighborhood—and the home of one of Buenos Aires’s most famous soccer teams, the Boca Juniors. The only thing to see in this neighborhood is El Caminito and the PROA Museum (see Things to Do). Don’t wander outside of that small section of the neighborhood, though. It’s notoriously unsafe. |