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Newcomer Which neighborhood do you recommend?
- Thread starter Bobb
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I highly recommend Belgrano. It’s the safest of the three, a very nice and quiet neighborhood, and it’s also really easy to get to Palermo from there.
Belgrano R and Coghlan are fancy, clean and quiet neighborhoods, they are stick to each other so you could consider that whole area. Palermo has more nightlife which is nice, but may get noisy and you may suffer that over-time. Recoleta is near everything and some streets are quiet. Personally I would rule out Palermo but that's my subjective opinion.
Vince
Well-known member
All of these are fabulous neighborhoods. Belgrano is a bit further out but a very nice area. Recoleta is the most upscale and most central. Out of all of those areas I prefer Recoleta the most. Great buildings and close to everything.
Betsy Ross
Well-known member
Probably can't go wrong in any of these but just pick a quiet street whichever neighborhood you decide on. Palermo is a HUGE neighborhood and much different feeling in Palermo Chico vs. Soho and other areas. All are very safe areas but parts of Palermo are very crowded with tourists. I agree with Vince that Recoleta is great.
Melibaires
Well-known member
Palermo is the best and most complete neighborhood if you’re looking for a little bit of everything. It offers a great mix of culture, dining, and green spaces. With several parks and plazas like the Bosques de Palermo and the Botanical Garden, it’s ideal if you value being close to nature within the city. Plus, if you enjoy nightlife, you’ll have countless options to choose from.
Uncle Wong
Well-known member
I liked all of those areas. As a single guy without kids, Belgrano was just too quiet. A bit boring compared to the other areas that had more nightlife and stores and restaurants. It was nice that Belgrano had several houses which I didn't see too much in Palermo and Recoleta. I'd never need a house but families might.
Recoleta was very central. I liked that I could pop over to San Telmo or Puerto Madero or Palermo and it was never a long trip. Palermo had a lot of restaurants and stores. I think I would pick Palermo. I liked the area near Alto Palermo as it was close to everything. I could easily go over to Palermo Hollywood or Soho walking in a few minutes. But also a quick Uber to Recoleta.
Puerto Madero looked like a very safe area too but it was too sterile for me.
CecilM
Active member
If you like elegance and sophistication, Recoleta might be the option for you. However, if you ask me, it has very old buildings and almost no trees along its streets. I wouldn’t choose it for living, though it’s great for strolling around! I prefer Palermo, which, as @Melibaires mentioned, offers a mix of everything.
Yeah in the end Palermo and Recoleta are next to each other so you have great walkability and just a minutes away from the airport. If the choice is Palermo I would pick around the area that is next to Recoleta.
I heard from many people that Recoleta is much cleaner than much of Palermo so I guess it has that going for it too. Looks like the poshest 5 star hotels are all in Recoleta. I saw that the Park Hyatt, Four Seasons, Alvear Palace hotel are all within a few blocks away. That looks like a great area.
Everyone talks about Recoleta and Palermo but BA has a lot of great neighborhoods that are all nice and less expensive than those areas. Don't get me wrong. Those are really nice neighborhoods. Belgrano too but there are others that are nice and less expensive. I do agree it is nice being very central to the city.
You will save money going to areas like Chacarita, Caballito, Boedo, Parque Chas, and others. Lots of great areas. Expats seem like Palermo is the center of the universe.
You will save money going to areas like Chacarita, Caballito, Boedo, Parque Chas, and others. Lots of great areas. Expats seem like Palermo is the center of the universe.
You can't go wrong with Recoleta.
Blockchain
Well-known member
Agree! I stayed in several different areas during my trip and visited a friend staying in Belgrano.
Belgrano is just too much of a hassle if you're always going to be in Palermo or Recoleta. Most of the things every day where I was meeting up or restaurants I was going to were in Palermo or Recoleta. A few in Puerto Madero and major hassle getting from Belgrano to these areas. It was ok a few times but I wouldn't want to do this every day. So see how often you might be in these areas. I guess if you don't go out much to restaurants or bars this might not matter to you. But all the cool spots to eat were in Palermo or Recoleta.
I would avoid Soho to live if you're on busy parts of Soho. TONS of tourists around constantly. Everything seemed like it cost more there for the same stuff. Cool area for just a week or two but didn't like the noise and traffic all the time of tourists.
I also rented an apartment in Palermo Hollywood and I liked this much better. Was more quiet and cleaner. Didn't have as much grafitti and vandalism all over. Lots of great restaurants. Also, was more quiet than Soho.
My last apartment was in Recoleta and I liked it the most. Quiet and I could walk around and get anything I needed. Stayed near the Park Hyatt hotel. Great bakeries all over too. Sidewalks were much cleaner and less dog sh*t on the sidewalks. More residential area vs. a lot of Palermo.
In Soho any house could be turned into a bar anytime so is not a nice place for living long-term.
Johnny
Well-known member
Totally agree with this. My 2 cents. I visited a lot of these areas during my trip to BA. I actually stayed in an Airbnb in the northern part of Belgrano a few blocks from Nuñez and while the area was nice I agree with you @Blockchain. EVERY dinner and lunch we did was over in Palermo and many in Recoleta too. Traffic can be bad in the morning and especially the end of the day and royal pain going back and forth. I liked the actual neighborhood but I can't see wanting to transport too much back and forth.
I wanted to stay in Palermo but there weren't any Airbnb's available for the time I was going. All booked up for larger properties. I ended up buying an apartment in Palermo Freud area which I liked because it wasn't right in the busy part of Soho but I could easily get there quickly. Uber there is crazy cheap compared to the US. I also liked Palermo Hollywood.
I was in Recoleta a lot for meals and meetings. That area near the Park Hyatt hotel is very nice. Ate at many places in that general area. Very clean and upscale. Mostly older beautiful buildings. I didn't see many modern buildings there at all which may or may not be important.
@enbits very true! One night @earlyretirement brought me to an asado at a house in Soho. Right near Plaza Serrano. Beautiful big house but next door there was music blasting all night. We didn't finish with the dinner until 2 AM on a Thursday night and I'm not sure how people could sleep with that much noise. I asked and he said that it used to be a nice upscale restaurant and a loud bar went in. Seemed like all the owners put their places up for sale. I would hate to have a residential apartment next to any of that area. Not sure on the zoning laws but this is a big fear.
Recoleta was all quiet. I didn't see any big bars or clubs. Walked around a ton in that area at night and was quiet.
Puerto Madero reminded me of some modern American neighborhood. Didn't feel like BA but super high end and nice. We ate at Osaka and walked around and I was amazed how modern and clean it was there.
Yeah we forgot about Puerto Madero, is the most expensive neighborhood in Latin America though: https://www.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-venta-puerto-madero.html
Can't understand the prices there on some of these properties. Some are double the price per square meter vs. nice areas in Palermo. I heard a lot of people buy there to launder money. Nice area but prices are crazy there.
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