Buenos Aires is one of the most exciting cities in South America, a destination of historic sights on elegant boulevards; cosmopolitan eateries; invitingly lively wine bars; colourful street markets; and opportunities to dance until dawn. Old but vibrant, Buenos Aires has plenty of neighbourhoods with personality, which actually makes it much easier to work out where you should stay. Broadly speaking you have Retiro for historic sight seeing, Recoleta for romantic trips, San Telmo is fun and friendly, Palermo Soho has historic cool, Palermo Hollywood has the restaurants, Monserrat is culturally rich, and Centro and Puerto Madero are super central.
Map of Buenos Aires neighbourh
Recoleta is one of the most romantic parts of Buenos Aires. It could be because of its elegant Parisian-feeling architecture - thanks to a French wave of immigration in the 19th century? or its graceful museums, galleries and theatres, which lend a cultural edge? or the fantastic cafes, bars and restaurants the neighbourhood is known for? it may even be because of its famous cemetery, the Recoleta Cemetery, the final resting place of Bueno’s Aires icon Eva Perón? As well as the cemetery, Recoleta’s main sightseeing destinations are the National Fine Arts Museum, the National Library of Argentina, and the Recoleta Cultural Centre. This is a fantastic neighbourhood for smart cafes and boutiques, and colourful markets. It’s also a good place to experience tango… And it has some lovely parks and gardens - littered with statues. Some of Recoleta’s townhouses have been converted into boutique hotels or apartment hotels, but there are some high end contemporary hotels in Recoleta too. And the much lauded Alvear Palace Hotel.
Image by Nicolas Diaz from Pix
Recoleta’s neighbour, Retiro is another historic barrio or neighbourhood, this time known for its old palaces and plazas, including the Palacio Paz and the elegantly leafy Plaza San Martín. This is another neighbourhood of galleries, boutiques, and elegant cafes, bars and restaurants, many of them on graceful, flower-decorated boulevards. Retiro’s other major sightseeing sights include the Torre Monumental, the San Martín Palace, the Kavanagh Building - an art deco skyscraper which was once the tallest building in Latin America. Those who opt to stay in Retiro will also have easy access to the city’s main train and bus stations. This is one of the wealthiest parts of the city, and a hub for five star hotels and luxurious accommodation, but there’s a good range, so don’t be put off. This is also a part of town known for its shopping opportunities: Patio Bullrich and Galerias Pacifico are both in Retiro.
Buenos Aires’ historic charm continues in San Telmo, which is the city’s oldest neighbourhood, a bohemian barrio known for its colonial architecture, tango parlours and buzzing Sunday market. San Telmo is the place to come to admire artisanal jewellery, vintage clothes, leather goods and trinkets - and you’ll be doing it amidst a backdrop of music and a lively atmosphere. This is the sort of neighbourhood where music and dancing often spills out from the little bars and eateries and onto the cobbled streets. The ‘Illuminated Block’ is the liveliest street in the neighbourhood, but it’s also where to find many of the most historic buildings. Including the Argentine National Museum of History and the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art. San Telmo is also well known for its contemporary arts scene. San Telmo also has a number of lovely parks and gardens. The largest is Parque Lezama, which is close to the National History Museum and the San Telmo’s gorgeous Russian Orthodox church, and not far from the beautiful old Dominican convent. The antique fair has a semi-permanent address on the neighbourhoods main square: Plaza Dorrego, around which there are numerous antique stores. And there are loads and loads of places to eat, drink, and watch and partake in tango.
Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho are sub-neighbourhoods within the Palermo neighbourhood. They both have historic buildings and a cool vibe, but Palermo Hollywood is trendier, with better street art - abuzz hip kids revelling in quirky bars and chic eateries, and amongst independent boutiques. This is where you’ll find some of Buenos Aires best hip new restaurants, and best night life. Palermo Hollywood is just the bit between Juan B. Justo, Córdoba, Dorrego and Santa Fé, with a name that came from this being a base for several radio and TV stations. Palermo Hollywood has some super chic accommodation options, but there aer some more wallet-friendly options too, and a good number of aparthotels. This is a neighbourhood for eating, drinking and having fun, rather than than sight seeing, but you’re close to the flat market in Colegiales, and there are easy transport links to the city’s major sights. Palermo Hollywood is lively come the evening, but it’s relatively peaceful during the day.
Palermo Soho has the cool vibe and heritage buildings of all Palermo, but its speciality is actually the Buenos Aires of today! Expect the cobbled, tree-lined streets, with their converted Spanish-style homes and warehouses, to be the fertile ground for new businesses to spring up - boutiques, eateries, and other. Palermo Soho is fresh and international, with a myriad of new cafes, bars and restaurants to try, places to shop, galleries to check out, and market stalls to peruse. The best shopping streets are Jorge Luis Borges, Malaria and Gurruchaga, if you want a hint, while on the weekends you can also shop the markets at Plaza Serrano and Plaza Armenia. While Palermo Soho is fantastic for street food, if you want a classy meal you can find that here too, but there are plenty of affordable and easy options - the same can be said about the accommodation.
Image by manu talaixa from Pix
If you’re familiar with Spanish or Latin languages, you may recognise La Boca as translating to ‘the mouth’? and this neighbourhood is so-named because it’s close to the mouth of the Matanza River and the port of Buenos Aires. Another reason you might recognise the name is because of the Boca Juniors? this is the home neighbourhood of one of the largest football teams in Argentina. If you see photos you might recognise it as well - this is the part of Buenos Aires with the colourfully painted patchwork of houses - these were built by Italian shipbuilders in the neighbourhoods heyday. La Boca is also well known as a hub for tango - both dancing and the music of. The Caminito is the main pedestrianised street in the neighbourhood, and many of the main sights of La Boca are along this road - including the La Ribera theatre. The Caminito is a popular spot with visitors to Buenos Aires, and the area around it had started to court tourists, with a series of markets, souvenir shops, and cafes, bars and restaurants. The further you get from this road, the poorer the neighbourhood becomes, so most of the accommodation in La Boca is very close to the Caminito, though there is some close to the Boca Juniors stadium, which is called La Bombonera - which translates to bonbon box.
Image by julian zapata from Pi
The Monserrat neighbourhood is just to the east of the centre, and has some of the most important buildings in Buenos Aires, including the Casa Rosada - which is where the president works, and it has a museum too. The Casa Rosada sits on one edge of the Plaza de Mayo, which has edges lined with other significant historic sights and architecturally interesting buildings. Neighbouring with the Casa Rosada are Buenos Aires’ City Hall, the Ministry of Defence; Buenos Aires’ oldest church, and the Museo del Bicentenario. The Avenida de Mayo leads out of the square, a grand, tree-lined boulevard just one and a half kilometres in length, and running towards the Plaza del Congresso. This is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city, but proximity to the centre of town, and the presence of so many significant public buildings, means that it does have a business-y vibe at some times, but it really comes to life of an evening, when the many cafes, bars and restaurants fill up with locals as well as visitors. There’s plenty of accommodation choice in Monserrat, including some big old grande dame hotels.
Puerto Madero is Buenos Aires’ old port, but was abandoned for that purpose when ships became too large to dock here. Its red brick dockyards have now been reimagined as one of the city’s most contemporary neighbourhoods, known for its striking waterfront hotels and elegant waterside promenade. When it comes to sights to see on your strolls, you’ll come across the Presidente Sarmiento Museum Ship, and the Corbeta Uruguay - both museum ships, and the Puente de la Mujer bridge. Puerto Madero also has an ecological reserve: a huge one, between the neighbourhood’s high rises, and the Rio de la Plata. This is a fantastic place for birdwatchers, and has miles and miles worth of well maintained trails. This part of the city can be an expensive place to go out in, but it is known for its nightlife.
