So my step-sister is getting married in BA next year. We are trying to plan a ‘winter’ holiday (coming from LA). Does anyone have any recommendations/warning/stories about Buenos Aires? I’m kind of starting from zero here.
We’d like to rent a big place (5BR or 3BR and a 2BR) and I can look for that, but I would like to know what are the good areas, or the bad areas, or the popular areas.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
It is a cheap place to visit right now. A steak dinner for two, with drinks, will set you back about $40 in a top-notch place. Luxury accommodations will run you less than $50 per day with full services.
This will offset the airfare for you, big time.
I never stayed in Buenos Aires, and I last visited Argentina in the mid-1990s. I’m sure others will help you soon.
My sister’s family was in BA a couple of months ago.
My impression was that she didn’t have much of a chance to give it a fair shake, as they had torrential downpours most of the time she was there.
The other thing she commented on was the traffic - very congested with aggressive drivers. ISTR her saying (probable hyperbole) just about any time in a cab, she could have stuck her hand - not arm - out the cab’s windows and touch a vehicle on either side.
I got the impression they were not terribly impressed w/ BA, and considered it just a big crowded city.
I’ll ask her and her husband some more questions if I see them.
I stayed in a smaller provincial city, Bahia Blanca.
I never had a bad meal there, partied hard, and met some wonderful people.
I’ve only spent a couple of days in BA, but it’s dirt cheap and looks like Paris in a lot of respects. If you like eating meat, you’ll love it.
There are some of the usual stuff you see quite a bit outside the US, like touts on the street trying to get you into shops and the previously mentioned aggresive drivers. I hear street crime is an issue, but I didn’t see anything of it. I’m a largish young male though, YMMV.
Learn to Tango and then hit the clubs when you get there. They have clubs for college kids older couples, etc. It’s cheap and lots of fun.
Just strolling down Florida Street is fun. There are day trips to gaucho ranches, pure tourist stuff, but fun anyway. And fantastic steaks – best in the world, aside from Kobe beef in Japan.
And, if you can spare a day or two, go to Iguazu Falls – huge waterfalls in the jungle, on the border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Think double Niagara, with no t-shirt shops anywhere close.
BA is great, we’ve been twice. All the comforts of Europe( cushy hotels, decent infrastructure and good roads) with Latin American prices. Good shopping, cheap and delicious food, especially beef, and nice museums. Look for the Evita museum by the zoo for a unique perspective on Evita Peron’s life and accomplishments. The subway is cheap, clean and safe. Not much street crime to speak of if you take the same precuations you would as a tourist in any large city.
Great neighborhoods for walking around. Watch out for cab drivers, we got ripped off twice in four days. I second positive comments about Iguazu.
The first part is not hyperbole. You will go fast, in old crappy Renaults, iirc, and you will be very close to other cars. If you have money you can get a good hired car with driver, otherwise you can take cabs. It’s been a while, but the dollar used to exchange 1:1 and was useable as regular currency in B.A.
There are dirty, crowded parts of Buenos Aires, and there are some gorgeous, not so crowded places. Look for the nicer parts of the city with very European architecture. The steaks in the nicer places are fantastic, and so is the red wine, so just have that for most meals. It’s not like you’re going to find vegetables anyway. Plan a diet for your return. We did have some good pizza a couple of times, and the whole country has a huge Italian influence. If you or any of your friends are vegetarian, one of my colleagues took me to the Hard Rock Cafe where he could get some vegan options.
Take in a Tango club at least once. It’s a performance that you won’t forget, amazing, and not what I’d been led to expect. As C K said, mill with the crowds on Florida. We also went once for another cow-orker’s birthday to a Cuban club down at the piers. Very cool place, good food, good mojitos, then after dinner the wait staff became the band and they had guest dancers (performers) and others joined in the dancing.
The nightlife starts very late by most American’s standards and goes all night. I expect that the parties around the wedding will do so. If this is with Argentines there is likely to be barbeque (Argie style) and lots of music and dancing involved. Take a couple of dance lessons if need be before you go.
I had some incredible ice cream at a place not far from my hotel (I mostly stayed near the Obelisk on Avenida de nueve Julio(sp?). It was a semisweet chocolate to die for. Have facturas with cafe con leche for breakfast. These are nice warm croissants with a sweet glaze. Worth the calories. Try to take a nap in the afternoon or sleep late because you will be up late. Most restaurants don’t really open for dinner until 10 pm or so, although you may get served earlier. Also lots and lots of beautiful people to ogle there, both genders whichever is your preference.
That’s about all I got. Sorry to prattle on.
I second Iguazu Falls. It is stunning. There are crazy amounts of brilliantly colored butterflies (at least the time of year I was there in December), and a fair amount of cool birds.
You might want to pop over to Montevideo for a day (spend the night) by taking the ferry. I thought it was a nice side trip.
There is some way to pick up a stand by ticket to see an opera in the Teatro Colón. I think it only cost about $5, and was completely worth it even if you are not an opera fan.
Like everyone else said, if you like big honkin’ steaks, you’ll love Buenos Aires.
There was a rather bizarre scam going on when I was there in 2002. The oldest buildings in the city are a bit of a tourist attraction. Someone in a car will drive by you and squirt mustard or some noxious fluid on you. A couple of women will come running up to you and apologize for the rudeness of their fellow countrymen. They try to help you wipe up but are trying to pickpocket you. Do not let them drag you into a restroom. I don’t know if this is still happening, but I actually read about this in Lonely Planet, and it actually happened to me, but I knew exactly what was happening and blew them off.
If this is the sort of thing you would like, a popular thing to do is to go to ranches in the countryside and hunt doves, which are an agricultural pest.
You can shoot hundreds in a day, from what I’m told.
Wow, I got busy and couldn’t check in on my own thread yesterday, but wow. So much info. I’m really looking forward to the steaks now, and really dreading the dancing.
I’m gonna check into Iguazu Falls. Sounds like it would be fun for my nieces/nephew.
I’m hearing a lot about staying near the Obelisk, so that’s turning into the front runner for areas to stay in.
Thanks for all the help, dopers! I hope more is coming I’m getting excited about this.
Just in case you didn’t know, the Obelisk is in the middle of the world’s widest street. So, a hotel off said street won’t exactly be tranquil. Not that I have a better idea though.
Most of BA is not tranquil, at least not until late at night. Just make sure you ask for a room that is not on the street, unless you are a very heavy sleeper. Or go a block or two off.