Buenos Aires

Introduction

Tango, La Boca, Buenos Aires

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Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is a sprawling mass of a city on the banks of the Río de la Plata, not a river but the world's widest estuary. First impressions may be of a dirty, polluted and noisy city, but a scratch below the surface will unveil a wealth of character. This city lives for football, in particular the age old rivalry of Boca and River. It's a city of extremes, from the wealthy Recoleta (where a grave will cost you more than a house in London's rich suburbs) to the filthy but charming Barrio de Once, a flea market crowded with pickpockets and beggars.

Neighbourhoods

The city of Buenos Aires is divided in 48 barrios (neighbourhoods), grouped in 15 comunas (councils). Alongside their official names, many areas are also referred to by their traditional names: have a look here for an overview. The following list contains the barrios of greatest interest:

• San Nicolas and Montserrat are better known together as Microcentro. Here you will find tourist highlights such as Obelisco, Congreso and Plaza de Mayo. Avenida 9 Julio splits the barrio in two, and has to be seen to be believed. It is the widest in the world, and an entire column of city blocks (each 100m wide) from Retiro to San Telmo were demolished in its creation, with the Obelisco planted squarely in its intersection with Avenida Corrientes.

• Palermo is a massive northwestern barrio. Parts of it are famous for their Soho-feel, and have lots of fancy restaurants and little boutiques.

• San Telmo is one of the oldest parts of Buenos Aires, and is commonly regarded as the birth place of tango. It has many restaurants, bars and youth hostels. One of the main tourist drawcards, San Telmo is a beautiful cobblestoned sanctuary not far south of the chaotic city centre. It is here you find tango dancers performing for donations, along with the usual street artists you come to expect of any large city these days, some of whom are of a standard to have their own CDs, for sale on the spot. Rustic cafés and wine bars are all part of the charm here, along with historic churches and colonial architecture. The Sunday artisan market is a great institution in San Telmo, when the streets become a pedestrian zone for the day, and are lined with stalls selling crafts, clothes, leather goods, 'antiques' and jewellery.

• La Boca, at the mouth of Riachuelo (little river) and the city's first port is perhaps the most famous area of Buenos Aires. It was there on the promenade overlooking a now very polluted dock that the sailors of old danced the tango with prostitutes in the night. The cultural heart of La Boca would have to be the Caminito (little way), a brilliantly painted street even by Latin American standards. La Boca has always been a poor neighbourhood, and the buildings of the Caminito, each previously inhabited by several families at once, were constructed from a hodgepodge of materials scrounged from the area, and painted with whatever colours were available at the time. Although artists inhabit the streets and tourists wander around posing with tango dancers during the day, at night the area is too dangerous to visit. It is also home to the stadium of Boca Juniors, one of Buenos Aires' two leading soccer clubs.

• Recoleta, just east of Palermo, is the city's wealthiest neighbourhood and home to the famous Recoleta cemetery where a grave is as expensive as a flat in downtown London.

• Puerto Madero was once destined to become the city's port, but was closed in preference to the current port, a couple of kilometres or so north of the city centre. Puerto Madero fell into disrepair and disrepute until the 1990s, when a gradual revamp saw it transform into one of the city's trendiest (and most expensive) barrios. Harbour cranes - relics of the past - are lit up at night, standing guard over the channel which runs through the middle of the area.

Sights and Activities

The offer of cultural activities in Buenos Aires is huge, and most of them are either free (i.e., sponsored by the government) or charge very modest entry fees. The City maintains an excellent on-line cultural agenda in which information on numerous exhibitions, festivals, projects, etc. is collected. Besides that, there are various Centros culturales across the city center that organise their own activities, plus a large number of theatres.

Tango

Buenos Aires is renowned for the tango, a dance birthed in 19th century Argentina. While it isn't practised widely by Argentines anymore, the tango is still a major drawcard for tourists. Far from being a clichéd dance style, Tango has a depth of character and innovation that will draw you stepping and spinning into its soulful world.

For everything and more on Argentine tango and where to dance it, have a look at the Argentine Tango article.

Festivals

Various major annual festivals take place in Buenos Aires. This list mentions some of them; for up-to-date information, consult the city's cultural agenda.

• Festival mundial de tango (august) - a week of free tango activities in the streets and theatres of Buenos Aires. Although increasingly touristy, still well worth going.
• Campeonato mundial de baile de tango (august) - following the tango festival, yearly world championships of tango dancing. International competition (esp. from Japan and Colombia) is killing, but thanks to the 'impartiality' of the jurors, an Argentine couple always comes out on top in both competitions (stage tango and salón tango). Parallel to the campeonato, the city organises a singers' contest and a competition for composers, which generate much less attention, but are well worth attending.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Being close to the Atlantic, Buenos Aires has a moderate climate although it can be swelteringly hot in summer (December and especially January). Thunderstorms are common in late spring (October & November); winters tend to be cool (around 7 °C). Buenos Aires has a persistent smog problem, which is at its worst in December.

Getting There

By Plane

Buenos Aires has two airports: Ministro Pistarini International Airport (commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport) and Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. The latter serves mainly domestic flights, while the former is Argentina's main international airport. The official website of both is at http://www.aa2000.com.ar/index.php.

From the Ezeiza International Airport to the city centre:
There is a bus that runs from the airport to the city centre for 25 pesos. The trip takes approximately 45 minutes. Alternatively, it's possible to catch a taxi, although this works out to be much more expensive.

By Train

There are trains to Buenos Aires from the rest of Argentina, but there are currently no international train routes.

Listed below are the main routes, with rough prices in pesos (as of 1/1/2008):

• Alberdi - Buenos Aires (Retiro): $18-$31
• Junín - Buenos Aires (Retiro): $16-$24
• Pehuajó - Buenos Aires (Once): $23-$36
• Lincoln - Buenos Aires (Once): $19-$32
• Pinamar - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $35-$45
• Mar del Plata - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $35-$60
• Miramar - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $40-$50
• Tandil - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $20-$33
• Patagones - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $54-$60
• Olavarriá - Buenos Aires (Constitución): ?
• Baía Blanca - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $30-$48
• Daireaux - Buenos Aires (Constitución): $24

Check the Ferrobaires website for up-to-date times and prices.

There are three main classes: Pullman is air-conditioned and has reclining seats; Primera is similar to pullman class, but has smaller seats; Turista class is the cheapest. Some routes also have super pullman or pullman especial which are, predictably, the fanciest of the lot.

By Car

Embrace yourself for the suicidal Bonairese traffic, buy a good map and you're set to go. Not recommended for the faint-hearted.

By Bus

As buses are the main means of transport throughout South America, you are most likely to arrive by bus. Buenos Aires has a number of bus terminals, the largest of which by far is Retiro. From here, all major Argentine cities are served, as well as a number of international destinations. The ticket booths are on the second floor, grouped by region of destination; the ground floor is reserved for arrivals and departures, while luggage storage and other services are located in the basement. The other bus terminals are of lesser use to tourists, since they are located much farther away from the center, and are serviced by much fewer lines.

Retiro bus terminal is well connected to local public transport, as a large number of city buses call here, as well as the B-line of Subte. Minivans to Ezeiza (Aeropuerto Ministro Pistarini) leave at a 5-minute distance. The Retiro and Once train stations (see above) are located right next to the bus terminal. Aeropuerto Jorge Newbery, which serves many domestic destinations, is a 2-minute bus-ride away.

By Boat

Buquebus has several boats a day to Colonia, Montevideo and several other Uruguyan destinations. Their terminal is at Dársena Norte, on the easterly extension of Avenida Córdoba.

Getting Around

Buenos Aires is large, and though many barrios are built according to the classical rectangular colonial streetplan, the overall organisation is somewhat confusing. Note that most city maps on sale are 'upside down', and have the north to the bottom of the page. The City maintains an excellent digital map that you can access here.

By Car

Be aware that all streets and most avenues are one-way. Typically, streets that are decreciente (traffic running south or east) alternate with those that are creciente (traffic running north or west). On the avenues, frequent/continuous lane-changing is customary, as is trying to push other drivers off the road. If you want to blend in, try to approach traffic lights at the highest possible speed before skidding to an unexpected stop when they turn red.

Be wary of traffic police. Their salary is low, so they will continue searching your vehicle and documents until they find something not in accordance with some rule or other. Be diplomatic in offering an 'informal settlement', and never do so when you're stopped by federal police (PFA). If you suspect your ignorance is being abused, insist that you get a ticket and ask for badge number, or ask to settle it at the precinct.

By Bus

The Bonairese bus system is one of the very few examples worldwide of successful tendering of public transport. The city issues concessions to private carriers who do the actual transport. On a downside, it is rather difficult to make sense of the 300+ lines that traverse Greater Buenos Aires. Trying to defy the system using rational logic proves pointless; instead, you can buy a Guia T, in which itineraries of all lines are collected. The booklet divides the city into quadrants and gives a list for each of them with all the lines that call there. The trick is to find a matching line number between your quadrants of departure and arrival, but this is no easy task. Better ask a random stranger for directions, since there's a fair chance that s/he will know exactly which bus you should take to get from A to B.

Unless you travel very far, the usual fare is AR$1.00 for a one-way trip. Changing buses requires a new ticket. You have to tell the driver your desired fare and toss your coins in the machine and take your ticket. Drivers don't have change for bills, so have some coins ready.

By Subway

Besides buses, Buenos Aires has a five-line subway system known as Subte. Lines are numbered A-E. The network currently undergoes renovations, and most of the lines get extended as well. Bear in mind that the same stations have different names on all lines; for instance, Carlos Pellegrini, 9 de Julio and Diagonal Norte all refer to the same station underneath Obelisco. A map of the network can be found here. The fare has recently been upped, and is now AR$0.90 per ticket, valid for as long as you stay underground. You can buy tickets at each station; paying with exact change is much appreciated.

• linea A runs between the barrios Microcentro (Plaza de Mayo) and Caballito (Primera Junta) in the west. It is South America's oldest subway line, on which many of the original 1910s vehicles are still running.
• linea B runs from Microcentro (Leandro Alem near Plaza de Mayo) to Chacarita (Av. de los Incas) in the northwest. It skirts the southern boundary of Palermo district. Chacarita cemetery is on this line, as is Abasto shopping mall.
• linea C connects Constitución and Retiro train stations and is the only line that runs north-south.
• linea D runs from Microcentro (Catedral) to Belgrano (Congreso de Tucumán) in the northwest. It skirts the northern boundary of Palermo district.
• linea E runs from Microcentro (Bolivar) to Parque Chacabuco (Plaza de los Virreyes) in the southwest, where it connects to a local train to far-away suburbs. You are least likely to take this subway.
• linea H was scheduled for completion in 2007, but is not yet open to the public. It will connect Corrientes and Nueva Pompeya, running north-south.

By Tram and Lightrail

The third form of public transport in Buenos Aires is a network of nine lightrail connections for commuter traffic between the suburbs and the center. As a tourist, you are unlikely to have any need for using them. An integrated map can be found here.

• Trenes de Buenos Aires operates Linea Mitre, running from Retiro to Tigre and Bartolomé Mitre in the northwest, and Linea Sarmiento from Once west to Moreno.
• Metrovias operates Linea Urquiza, that runs from Chacarita (Federico Lacroze) west to General Lemos. They also operate the Subte network, including Premetro that runs southwest from Plaza de los Virreyes.
• UGOFE operates Linea Belgrano Sur and Linea General Roca that run south from Constitucion, and Linea San Martin that runs west from Retiro.
• Ferrovias operates Linea Belgrano Norte, that runs northwest from Retiro to Villa Rosa, and Tranvía del Este in Puerto Madero.
• Tren de la costa is a touristic ecological train that runs from Maipu station to the Parana delta.

On Foot

Although Buenos Aires is spread out, most touristic sights are within a 60-minute walking distance from each other, which makes going on foot an excellent way of exploring the city. By daylight, that is: although the city is nowhere near dangerous, it is not a good idea to walk the streets on your own after dark, especially not outside Microcentro.

By Bike

It is a good thing that you won't easily find a bike rental in Buenos Aires. Given the mayhem that is motorised traffic, you would likely get killed in under 10 minutes. Around Parque Centenario and Carioca Subte station, there are a number of bicycle lanes painted on the streets, but these are mostly used by car owners to park their vehicles...

If you have set your mind on exploring the city by bike nonetheless, at least stay off the main avenues and cross as a pedestrian. Exercise extreme caution. Helmets are obligatory.

By Taxi

Taxis are cheap to European standards, and many taxistas are great fun to talk to if you speak some Spanish. They will be only too glad to give you their two cents on Argentine politics, economy, culture, and their own married life.

Taxis come in two kinds: the ones you can stop on the streets, and radiotaxis that you can order by phone. The latter kind is generally deemed safer, but incidents involving taxis are getting increasingly rare nowadays anyway. Just don't accept rides from illegal taxis (not painted black and yellow, and no numerical ID printed on the doors), as their drivers may well be less well-meaning citizens.

Money

Be careful where you exchange your money in Buenos Aires. Generally, it's possible to get better rates at the airport than in the city itself.

Eat

Drink

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés abound; no matter where you are, there will always be one within a five minutes' radius. Kids use them for online gaming (and for secretly watching porn, until the city issued a decree that all locales install powerful filters in 2005). The going rate is around AR$2-3 per hour. Be wary of using these services for online banking etc., as there have been several reports of key-loggers, identity theft and the like.

Phone

Like internet cafés, locutorios are everywhere. Since public phones are scarce, they are also your best bet for local calls.

Post

Postal service is handled by Correo Argentino. Their central office in Buenos Aires is on Sarmiento 151, but there are countless branches throughout town. Their usual hours (but one never knows) are 10:00-20:00 mon-fri and 10:00-13:00 sat. On their website, you will find more information (in Spanish) as well as a CPA (postal code) generator.