7 Must Do Things in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires! Just the name of the city sounds sexy and exotic and should make you want to visit!
OK, but now really, Buenos Aires is the biggest metropolitan city in Argentina and one of the world’s most popular destinations. In 2002, I made my way to Argentina which I consider to be my first “official” country I visited besides Israel, since I was born there and besides America, since I was living there. Many people don’t know this about me, but I’m actually also Argentinian and pretty proud to say it. My mom’s whole family lives in Argentina and her parents (my grandparents) moved to Israel while they were pregnant with her. So my mom, brother and I went on a month and half trip to Argentina and Brazil.
Maybe it was my love for my grandparent’s pride in Argentina, but I completely fell in love with Argentina and Buenos Aires. I even really considered moving there for at least 6 months, while visiting. I loved the lifestyle there, it reminded me at the time of Israel and NYC put together. Now it really reminds me of a European city. The people there were amazingly kind and beautiful, the food was delicious, the historical monuments were humongously amazing. I loved their arts and crafts markets, I loved that they had 4 meals a day and that EVERYTHING was opened til super late. Restaurants would normally be empty at 9pm and at 11pm they got packed!
One thing’s for sure, Argentinians live for their soccer, beer and have an amazing nightlife and overall, I liked visiting Argentina and getting the locals prospective through my extended family.
I didn’t really go at the best time for the country though. It was during their economic crisis, where their former president basically stole all the citizens money in their banks, including life long savings. Yet, to us, it was the best time because everything was SO cheap. One US dollar was worth about 4-5 pesos.
So I guess after being in a city for that long, you definitely know what’s actually worth visiting. So let’s start shall we!
La Boca
La Boca was probably one of my favorite attractions in Buenos Aires and a must if you’re making your way there. It’s any artists colorful dream or anyone that appreciates art and colors. La Boca is like the “Little Italy” you find in major cities, but also known for its poverty neighborhood. It was originally created in the 1800’s and was the first harbor of Buenos Aires and where foreigners would first find shelter. Now it’s famously known for the 100 meter street of “Caminito”, where you can typically find tango dancers performing, people selling handcrafts, many local restaurants and of course, the most photographed place in all of Buenos Aires, which are the color houses, painted in bright colors. They also say that La Boca was where Tango was originally created, which brings me to the next attraction.
*NOTE: La Boca is a working class district and not safe at dark.
Watch a Tango Show
You can’t go to Argentina or Buenos Aires and not enjoy a classic tango show! Tango is a big part of the Argentinian culture.
Some great spots to see a live professional tango show are at:
Evita Perón’s Grave – Recoleta Cemetery
Most of us know the famous Evita song “Don’t cry for me Argentina” from the famous movie or Broadway musical “Evita”.
Evita made a huge impact on the Argentinian people while being married to Argentine formal President Juan Perón, by being a powerful woman’s right activist and helping the poor. Her legacy is still highly honored in Argentina and around the world and people make their way from around the world to pay their respects at her grave.
A fact that people don’t know is that Evita’s body has been stolen from it’s actual grave and no one really knows where it is now.
I actually didn’t go into her Grave because I’m scared of cemeteries lol, however, I did pass by the cemetery late at night with my family as we were grabbing dinner, which by the way, is a great area for good restaurants.
I’ve always loved Evita’s story and got to see the musical on Broadway in NYC, a few years back which was starring Ricky Martin.
However, my perspective on Evita has dramatically changed, when I read her entire biography and found out that she had a lot of connections with the Nazi party. So I’m not quite the fan anymore.
Obelisco de Buenos Aires
The Obelisco de Buenos Aires is a national historical monument and the icon of Buenos Aires, widely seen on postcards. If you’re traveling in Buenos Aires you really can’t miss it, it’s located in the middle of an intersection of avenues Corrientes and 9 de Julio, which are the 2 most important avenues. It’s also widely known for having the widest street in the world!
Tigre Island Town Tour & Delta River Cruise
So I actually did this tour and it was really nice and kinda gives you a different feel of Argentina. You can enjoy a relaxing scenic cruise on a vintage mahogany river boat on this day tour. Tigre is island town formed by the streams and rivers in the Parana Delta. You will be making a few stops at Puerto de Frutos and San Isidro and get to enjoy crafts fair, fruit market and if you’re up for some fun you can also check out the amusement parks, one being the Parque de la Costa, full of roller coasters or head on over to the casinos.
Feria Plaza Serrano Handcraft Market, Palermo Soho
If you love coming home with some unique gifts or maybe some beautiful artwork for your own house or just enjoy walking through busy and fun handcraft market places, check out Feria Plaza Serrano, where you can enjoy some true Argentinian culture. Even if you’re not so much into shopping, but maybe just want to go for a fun walk this place has a great atmosphere to it and you can find some pretty cool things.
Try the traditional Argentinian Tea – Mate
If you’re gonna visit Buenos Aires you GOTTA try their tea also known as “Mate”. Now I know what you’re thinking, it kinda looks like some weird marijuana pipe thing with a straw, but really it’s not. While traveling in Buenos Aires, you will be seeing a lot of people drinking this tea and to be honest, I think they are obsessed with it. Mate is basically like your traditional herbal tea and worth a try.
That’s it! Now go enjoy one of my favorite cities in the world because it really is a unique and special place.
