karen99
New member
My husband and I spent nine days in Buenos Aires in mid-November. I got some helpful tips from this forum and wanted to share a little wrap-up of our time in the city. It was our first time visiting BA, and we were truly enchanted by it. We chose it as our destination because it checked a lot of our boxes: architecture, art, history, natural beauty, great food and wine, lots to explore on foot, etc. (For practical purposes, we're 40 years old, traveling from the USA, with a mid-range budget. We speak some VERY BASIC Spanish, my husband more than myself, and it was helpful as most of the people we interacted with spoke very little English - not a complaint, just a logistical note!)
Accommodations: We stayed in an Airbnb in San Telmo, specifically a one-bedroom apartment on the 4th floor of a 27-story apartment building. We chose this place more for the building itself than the apartment - the amenities were great. Locked security 24/7, a gym and pool on the top floor with stunning views, laundry facilities (in the basement), and two unbelievable terraces on either side of the top floor. All amenities were available for our use as "residents" of the building. The apartment itself was fine, albeit a bit dated and perhaps less furnished than we would have preferred.
Transportation: We typically rely on walking and public transportation when traveling, using subways/trains/buses to supplement anything that's too far to walk (or too dangerous at night, etc.). Most of what I'd read recommended getting the SUBE card upon arrival and using the Subte and buses to get around; we were pretty exhausted upon our arrival after an overnight flight, so we opted to Uber to our apartment from EZE. After realizing how economical and quick this option was, we ended up using Uber for the whole trip, any time we weren't walking. That's outside the norm for us, but it just worked.
Food: Oh, the food! You guys... the food. We didn't make it to Don Julio (this was a last-minute trip, and reservations weren't available; plus, we were fine just finding steak based on Google reviews, etc.). We did visit Café Tortoni, but based on some recommendations I found, we just went for merienda and had dulce de leche churros, hot chocolate, and a medialuna. The hot chocolate was fine, but the churros were insanely good. I don't know if I'd say it was worth the wait, but our wait was maybe 20 minutes to get in the door, and we were just killing time as we had a tour of Palacio Barolo scheduled that evening. It was a nice break in the afternoon after a lot of walking. We ate so much good beef (obviously), but I have to admit that my absolute favorite meal of the trip was the slow-roasted lamb shank at Negresco Bistro in the Palladio Hotel. Everything about this meal was perfection, from start to finish - the welcome cocktail and complimentary amuse-bouche, the bread basket, our appetizers, entrees, dessert, and cocktails (which the bartender was so kind to provide my husband with the recipes for, so that we can recreate them at home). The service was wonderful too. We ended up at Negresco because we were at El Ateneo Grand Splendid and dinnertime was rapidly approaching. Google made us do it. Highly recommend if you're in BA (we returned for our final meal of the trip - more lamb, this time in ravioli form). Honorable mentions go to Fervor in Recoleta (another wonderful dinner), the kouign amann from Merci in Mercado San Telmo, the choripan we bought from some guys over a wall in Boca, ribeyes in Colonia del Sacramento (day trip), the caramel cappuccino and fresh-squeezed OJ from Cafe Lezama near our apartment in San Telmo, the pisco sour at El Hipopotamo. Oh, and the blue burger at Burger Joint in Palermo!
Activities: We did guided tours of Palacio Barolo (nighttime wine tour) and Teatro Colon. Highly recommend these, as they're really the only way to fully see and explore these beautiful buildings (unless, of course, you see a show at the theater). I'm a huge fan of old cemeteries, so Recoleta Cemetery did not disappoint in the least. We both really loved it. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Recoleta blew us away. The permanent collection is really diverse and awesome! MALBA in Palermo was also a great museum, not too big to explore relatively quickly, but with a very cool collection (and a tasty bakery with excellent pastries and a great Aperol spritz). El Ateneo Grand Splendid was lovely - not quite as much as I'd expected, but I'm glad we popped in.
The Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays was absolutely stunning, a real hidden gem, and the fact that it was free was just icing on the cake! It was so peaceful, with very few people around (we went on a weekday, late morning), and it was just incredibly lovely. And let me tell you about the Ecological Reserve - it was such a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent a couple of hours wandering through it, chatting, and people-watching.
Now, La Boca... that was quite the experience. The locals were incredibly kind (one shopkeeper even helped me find another vendor so I could buy a Messi jersey for our dog, LOL). But there were so many people there just taking photos for Instagram (which seems to be a trend everywhere these days, but it felt like it was on another level in Boca).
We did a lot of exploring on foot and stumbled upon some truly beautiful buildings like Congreso, the Supreme Court, the Water building, and the Basilica Maria Auxiliadora. Let me tell you, the basilica was absolutely STUNNING - if you've ever been to the Abbey of Saint Germain in Paris, it had a similar feel with its painted ceilings and all, a bit different from your usual basilica.
Puerto Madero was also really cool, especially at night. We had a fantastic meal there on our first evening in the city. And exploring Mercado San Telmo on a weekday was a blast - we indulged in some delicious empanadas. But the San Telmo Fair was a bit too crowded for our liking, though we did manage to snag a couple of beautiful watercolors from two artists and some handmade magnets for our nephews.
As for outside the city, we took the train to Tigre for an afternoon. We had hoped to meet up with a local friend who could show us around, but it didn't work out, so we explored on our own. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming - the Puerto de Frutos was packed with people, and it had a sort of "state fair" vibe to it, if you know what I mean. But we did enjoy a lovely boat ride in the evening. Looking back, I think we would have enjoyed Tigre more if we had been more intentional with our time there.
And then there's Colonia del Sacramento - oh, what a dream! We spent a full day there, taking the earliest Buquebus ferry and the latest return ferry. I could go on and on about how much we loved every second of our time there, but let me just say this: if you're planning a trip to BA, make sure to include a day trip to Colonia!
I know I've probably forgotten some details, but I wanted to jot down my thoughts while they are still fresh. And I want to thank this forum that provided me with useful information while planning this trip. I hope my summary can help someone else who is planning their first visit to BA.
Accommodations: We stayed in an Airbnb in San Telmo, specifically a one-bedroom apartment on the 4th floor of a 27-story apartment building. We chose this place more for the building itself than the apartment - the amenities were great. Locked security 24/7, a gym and pool on the top floor with stunning views, laundry facilities (in the basement), and two unbelievable terraces on either side of the top floor. All amenities were available for our use as "residents" of the building. The apartment itself was fine, albeit a bit dated and perhaps less furnished than we would have preferred.
Transportation: We typically rely on walking and public transportation when traveling, using subways/trains/buses to supplement anything that's too far to walk (or too dangerous at night, etc.). Most of what I'd read recommended getting the SUBE card upon arrival and using the Subte and buses to get around; we were pretty exhausted upon our arrival after an overnight flight, so we opted to Uber to our apartment from EZE. After realizing how economical and quick this option was, we ended up using Uber for the whole trip, any time we weren't walking. That's outside the norm for us, but it just worked.
Food: Oh, the food! You guys... the food. We didn't make it to Don Julio (this was a last-minute trip, and reservations weren't available; plus, we were fine just finding steak based on Google reviews, etc.). We did visit Café Tortoni, but based on some recommendations I found, we just went for merienda and had dulce de leche churros, hot chocolate, and a medialuna. The hot chocolate was fine, but the churros were insanely good. I don't know if I'd say it was worth the wait, but our wait was maybe 20 minutes to get in the door, and we were just killing time as we had a tour of Palacio Barolo scheduled that evening. It was a nice break in the afternoon after a lot of walking. We ate so much good beef (obviously), but I have to admit that my absolute favorite meal of the trip was the slow-roasted lamb shank at Negresco Bistro in the Palladio Hotel. Everything about this meal was perfection, from start to finish - the welcome cocktail and complimentary amuse-bouche, the bread basket, our appetizers, entrees, dessert, and cocktails (which the bartender was so kind to provide my husband with the recipes for, so that we can recreate them at home). The service was wonderful too. We ended up at Negresco because we were at El Ateneo Grand Splendid and dinnertime was rapidly approaching. Google made us do it. Highly recommend if you're in BA (we returned for our final meal of the trip - more lamb, this time in ravioli form). Honorable mentions go to Fervor in Recoleta (another wonderful dinner), the kouign amann from Merci in Mercado San Telmo, the choripan we bought from some guys over a wall in Boca, ribeyes in Colonia del Sacramento (day trip), the caramel cappuccino and fresh-squeezed OJ from Cafe Lezama near our apartment in San Telmo, the pisco sour at El Hipopotamo. Oh, and the blue burger at Burger Joint in Palermo!
Activities: We did guided tours of Palacio Barolo (nighttime wine tour) and Teatro Colon. Highly recommend these, as they're really the only way to fully see and explore these beautiful buildings (unless, of course, you see a show at the theater). I'm a huge fan of old cemeteries, so Recoleta Cemetery did not disappoint in the least. We both really loved it. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Recoleta blew us away. The permanent collection is really diverse and awesome! MALBA in Palermo was also a great museum, not too big to explore relatively quickly, but with a very cool collection (and a tasty bakery with excellent pastries and a great Aperol spritz). El Ateneo Grand Splendid was lovely - not quite as much as I'd expected, but I'm glad we popped in.
The Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays was absolutely stunning, a real hidden gem, and the fact that it was free was just icing on the cake! It was so peaceful, with very few people around (we went on a weekday, late morning), and it was just incredibly lovely. And let me tell you about the Ecological Reserve - it was such a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent a couple of hours wandering through it, chatting, and people-watching.
Now, La Boca... that was quite the experience. The locals were incredibly kind (one shopkeeper even helped me find another vendor so I could buy a Messi jersey for our dog, LOL). But there were so many people there just taking photos for Instagram (which seems to be a trend everywhere these days, but it felt like it was on another level in Boca).
We did a lot of exploring on foot and stumbled upon some truly beautiful buildings like Congreso, the Supreme Court, the Water building, and the Basilica Maria Auxiliadora. Let me tell you, the basilica was absolutely STUNNING - if you've ever been to the Abbey of Saint Germain in Paris, it had a similar feel with its painted ceilings and all, a bit different from your usual basilica.
Puerto Madero was also really cool, especially at night. We had a fantastic meal there on our first evening in the city. And exploring Mercado San Telmo on a weekday was a blast - we indulged in some delicious empanadas. But the San Telmo Fair was a bit too crowded for our liking, though we did manage to snag a couple of beautiful watercolors from two artists and some handmade magnets for our nephews.
As for outside the city, we took the train to Tigre for an afternoon. We had hoped to meet up with a local friend who could show us around, but it didn't work out, so we explored on our own. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming - the Puerto de Frutos was packed with people, and it had a sort of "state fair" vibe to it, if you know what I mean. But we did enjoy a lovely boat ride in the evening. Looking back, I think we would have enjoyed Tigre more if we had been more intentional with our time there.
And then there's Colonia del Sacramento - oh, what a dream! We spent a full day there, taking the earliest Buquebus ferry and the latest return ferry. I could go on and on about how much we loved every second of our time there, but let me just say this: if you're planning a trip to BA, make sure to include a day trip to Colonia!
I know I've probably forgotten some details, but I wanted to jot down my thoughts while they are still fresh. And I want to thank this forum that provided me with useful information while planning this trip. I hope my summary can help someone else who is planning their first visit to BA.
