If In Buenos Aires: Links, Ideas, and Suggestions

We’ve been in and out of Buenos Aires since September, finishing our trip with a good 6 weeks in the city. I’ll list some of our favorite experiences and most useful resources, including accommodation, restaurants, parts of town, and random details for getting around:

Extremo Sur Hostal
Located in the south of San Telmo, this hostal has been our home of sorts for many weeks. It is small, peaceful, clean and comfortable. The owners are a young couple who live at the hostal, Compared to many hostals, this is a quieter atmosphere, more couples and individuals who have reserved ahead of time than drop-in travelers looking for a social scene. They have both private and dorms, multiple bathrooms, kitchen for guest use, 3 terraces, free breakfast and internet. Prices are cheaper than many more central hostals, although being less central is actually really nice. You get to feel like you’re living in a neighborhood of Argentines instead of tourists, and there are bus/subway lines to all parts of the city. The winning feature of this hostal is the owner/managers, they are truly wonderful people who love to share their city and life with visitors, and learn from others as well. They speak great English, but are patient with those of us learning Spanish as well.


Rental Accommodation
(one week to multiple months), try Buenos Aires Housing, En Buenos Aires, By TA Argentina, or Craig’s List Buenos Aires. They don’t all have the best search interface, but good resources nevertheless. We met lots of people who were renting in San Telmo or Palermo, but it sounds like there are also some great options in more affordable residential areas like Congresso, Almagro, and Caballitos (all on subway lines).

Restaurants and Cafés
Los Loros in San Telmo, at Estados Unidos 302 esq. Balcarce, the perfect combination between small typical Argentine parrilla and hip, creative food. Really good, unique salads for 15 pesos, great steak for 30, Otro Mundo beer. It is small and fills up fast, get in early.
Pride Cafe in San Telmo, at Balcarce 869 (corner. Pasaje Giuffra) and also one up the street on Giuffra. Lunes a Viernes de 9.30 a 21 Sábado de 11.30 a 20 y Domingos 10.30 a 22hs. Big cups of coffee, some healthy and/or organic food, veggie options, cheap sandwiches, breakfast food, brownies and muffins. Great staff, good study atmosphere, fun music. Best typical coffee shop option in San Telmo.
Garbis in Palermo Chico (near the Zoo). Arabian/Armenian food, including good hummus, falafel, pita, etc. It’s not cheap, but it’s not outrageous, if you live in/near Palermo, they’ll deliver. This or take-out saves you the table cover charge, at least.
Il Horno (I believe this is the name, something Italian) is a fantastic bakery, also cafe, located in San Telmo on Bolivar between Estados Unidos and Carlos Calvo (across from the indoor antiques market, in the middle of the block on the west side of the street). Delicious Tiramisu. Their hours, if I recall correctly, are 9am-6:45pm Tues through Sun.
California Burrito Company in the business district on Lavalle has burritos! Imagine that. It’s almost like Chipotle, and they’re trying to match it’s decor as well. Quenches many cravings, including good cheese, tortillas, salsa, Corona, and margaritas.

The English Group is a group of locals, expats and travelers who meet on Friday nights to speak/practice english together. Most of the regulars are locals, so it’s a great way to hear about their lives, the city, the country, and some of them are interested in exchanging English and Spanish practice during the week (not to mention opening up their interesting lives to you). Accessible by subway, and if you stay later than the subway is open, ask someone in the group which bus to take home.

L.I.F.E. Argentina is “a not-for-profit, civil society organization that works in socially marginalized and extremely impoverished neighborhoods. Our objective is to raise the children’s standard of living and their environment, giving them new opportunities that will allow them to grow and develop better.” Volunteering with them is free, though you do have to contribute to the cost of transportation in a rented car or taxi to and from the location ($3-7 US each time). Most volunteer activities are playing with kids or working on homework with them, and occasionally celebrating a birthday, etc. They say you don’t need Spanish to volunteer, but I do recommend at least a little bit (it’s great practice, of course). Although you can sign up for multiple centers the LIFE works with, we would also highly recommend attempting to sign up for activities that take you to the same center every time you participate. Although the kids are used to new volunteers all the time, your time, energy and love might be best spent if you are able to know a few kids because you see them several times a week. This organization has its flaws, but it is providing a safe place for kids with encouragement, joy and peace.

Colonia Express is by far the cheapest ferry option to Uruguay, especially with seasonal deals. You can order by phone with a credit card (at present their web order option is under construction).

Walrus Books is the best English language bookstore I’ve seen, at Estados Unidos 617 near Peru in San Telmo. It’s cozy, has a great selection that is well organized, and has both used and new options (some affordable, some not). Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

El Ateneo is a chain of great bookstores. Their best branch is the Grand Splendid at Av. Santa Fé 1860 (off of Callao), which is in a gorgeous old theater. There is a somewhat pricey but comfortable and tastey cafe/restaurant on the former stage, overlooking the theater, and places to sit and read in what were once the balcony boxes. A great place to study, or pick up a spanish book to study (some English, huge children’s section downstairs if you’re looking for something to study!)

Calle Corrientes: This is one of the major thoroughfares in B.A., parts of which have an enormous book district and also a theatre district (even larger, Broadway-quality shows have some cheap seating options).

Palermo and Recoleta: These are the ritzier parts of town and thus, their supermarkets have more international food items (real orange juice, cheese selection, ethnic options). If you’re down there, grab some groceries before you catch your bus home.

Shops for fun and funky clothes, unique designs, etc. go to Palermo Viejo, specifically Borges street (from Charcas all the way up to the plaza) and the streets surrounding both plazas in that area. Some of it is expensive, but there are also some more independent shops and designers that are affordable. Really unique stuff.

Papelera Palermo is one of the most beautiful paper stores I’ve ever seen. Lots of really interesting designs, as well as uniquely argentine things like fine leather cases, notebooks, funky books, etc.

Parks: San Martin is my favorite city park, but it’s not really an escape. The reserve that is located East of San Telmo, past Puerto Madero, has a series of dirt trail loops, some of which goes past the ocean-er, river. A great place to run or bike, the longest loop is 4.9 miles. It does close at 6:45-ish, and the guards can be sort of nazis. Soooo many birds and wildlife to be seen, especially after a rainy day. This area and Puerto Madero really make you feel like you’re out of the city, and they are cooler when it’s hot, as well.

Movies: The movie theaters located in Recoleta (behind the cemetary), Puerto Madero (near the South end of the brick buildings, easy to miss) and Palermo (near Parque Heras) offer cheaper tickets (12 pesos) before 4:00 every day and on Wednesdays all day. Most films are in English with subtitles, but ask. They have a newspaper-type listing you can pick up of schedules, I can’t remember the website! Sorry.

Cemeteries: The most famous is in Recoleta but a larger cemetary that is also accessible on the subway is in Chacarita. You’ll read and hear about el Cemeterio de Recoleta everywhere, and it really is worth a visit. La Chacarita is less publicized, although it has some similar artwork, architecture, and history in its historic section. The crypts/tombs are absolutely gorgeous in both. If you only have time to see one cemetary, of course see Recoleta– it’s more condensed, it has more famous figures buried in it, it’s close to other sights, and the surrounding area is of more interest. But if you’re interested in cemeteries and would like a further look at the culture of burial and death in Argentina, the one in Chacarita is larger, more spread out, with great landscaping, and also has sections with modern and less lavish graves in addition to the historic, fancy tombs. There are still burials there on a regular basis, and not just for the wealthy, whereas to be buried in Recoleta today, either your old, wealthy family owns a mausoleum or you’re buying a new one for as much as the nearby real estate costs, probably more. The main entrance to the Chacarita Cemetary is across the street from Subte stop Federico Lacroze on line B (red). The Recoleta cemetary can be seen on any tourist map, it’s within a few blocks of all four of my next four recommendations…

Centro Cultural Recoleta, next to the cemetary in Recoleta, has some lovely exhibitions (currently an amazing photo exhibit from Africa), and is free. Check online for their current schedule. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, 2 pm – 9 pm. Weekends and holidays 10 am – 9 pm. Mondays closed.

Palais de Glace, at Posadas 1725 (also across from the cemetary) is another free exhibition hall with some fantastic permanent art as well. The upstairs is beautiful–it was created to be an ice skating rink! Tues-Fri 12:00-20:00, Weekends 10:00-20:00.

El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is free every day! It has a work by almost every major European master you can think of (Monet, Manet, Picasso, Rodin, and on and on) as well as an entire floor of Argentine art. Don’t miss the top floor (hard to find the stairs) which is the photo exhibit. Open Tues to Friday 12:30 to 20:30, Weekends 9:30 to 20:30.

The Park Hyatt Hotel: in Recoleta, South of the cemetary area atAvenida Alvear 1661, is in a beautiful renovated palace, el Palacio Duhau. Go explore it! It’s gorgeous. Guards at the gate and doormen are intimidating, but walk in with confidence and you’re free to explore the buildings, underground art gallery, and gorgeous gardens. Also a nice library in the palace to hang out and study/read in if it’s super hot. The Four Seasons, down the street at Posadas 1086/88 off of Alvear, also has a historic palace attached to its main building, and some nice places to explore/hang out in the air conditioning.

Bicicleta Naranja in San Telmo has really reasonable rates for renting bikes to explore with. Ask for helmets and locks, they do have them. I also advise against taking a tour with them, you can easily navigate the city on your own. If you’re freaked to ride in the street, head towards Independencia to ride past/through the parks of Recoleta and Palermo, where there are wider sidewalks to be shared with pedestrians (nearly impossible on normal sidewalks). It’s not a super bike-friendly city, but you get used to the buses narrowly missing you and cars weaving around you. They’re crazy, but they’re better drivers than they seem.

Random notes:
Most major museums have free days, check online.

The busses are less complicated than they seem, although there are many, many lines.
22, 24, 29, 162, 130, 62 and 17 (and then some) all pass through or by San Telmo.
You need to have change, as in coins, which can be hard to get, so keep hold of them when you get them. When you get on, tell the driver uno (or dos, if there are two of you, etc) por 90. He then enters in 90 cents or 1.80, which you then put into the machine that is behind him. It will give you change for your coins, but won’t take bills. Occasionally he’ll ask you where you’re going and tell you that you need to pay more (usually only a peso, and this rarely happens).
The busses run most of the night, very late. During the day they come extremely often–sometimes even following one another. To figure out where they go, check out the signs by the stops, ask someone who is waiting for one, ask the driver if he’ll be patient enough, or consult the Guia T, available at kioskos and magazine booths. It’s a small resource for all bus lines… it takes a bit to get used to and isn’t fool proof, but it’s really useful if you’re going to less common parts of town.
When asking someon, I usually ask by neighborhood or major landmark (plaza or park, major streets) rather than an address or something. There are signs at all of the stops with lists of areas they pass, but unless they say a specific park or plaza, it’s sometimes hard to tell what area the streets are located in.
When you want off, ring the bell, stops are every 2-3 blocks. If I’m not sure about where to get off, I follow where we’re going on my map as we go (streets have good signage).
Also note that many of these signs say Constitucion, which is near San Telmo. Few of the ones that pass through S.Telmo say so on their signs.
It sounds confusing, but once you get it, it’s super easy. Also, people are always happy to help.

Do leave me a comment if you have questions about any of these things! I will be happy to respond by email.

2 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Roger Danish  |  March 7, 2008 at 9:42 pm

    Awesome! Thanks so much for this.

    Reply
  • 2. jasmes Jeannette  |  March 8, 2008 at 10:24 am

    nice and clear to understand for non english speaking.
    Thank you

    Reply

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