Update:
At the time of
writing, one
Argentine peso
was equal to
exactly one US
dollar. Recent
political
upheaval,
however, has led
to a major
devaluation of
the peso and
rapidly
fluctuating
exchange rates.
Please keep this
in mind when
referring to any
mention of costs
throughout this
guide.
BUENOS
AIRES is a
city which lends
itself perfectly
to aimless
wandering.
Though vast,
it's mostly a
very walkable
place, and
orientating
yourself is made
pretty
straightforward
thanks to the
city's regular
and logical grid
pattern. The
city is
approximately
triangular in
shape and its
boundaries are
marked by
Avenida General
Paz to the
west, the
River Plate
to the northeast
and by its
tributary, the
Riachuelo
, to the south.
Holding the
whole thing
together is
Avenida
Rivadavia ,
an immensely
long street (Porteños
claim it is the
longest in the
world) which
runs east to
west for nearly
two hundred
blocks from
Plaza de Mayo to
Morón, outside
the city limits.
Parallel to
Avenida
Rivadavia run
four major
avenues, Avenida
de Mayo,
Corrientes,
Córdoba and
Santa Fe. The
major
north-south
routes through
the city centre
are, to the
east, Avenida
L.N. Além -
which changes
its name to
Avenida del
Libertador as it
swings out to
the northern
suburbs - and,
to the west,
Avenida Callao.
Through the very
heart of the
centre runs the
spectacularly
wide Avenida 9
de Julio - an
aggressively
car-orientated
conglomeration
of four
multi-lane
roads.
The city
centre is
bounded
approximately by
Avenida de Mayo
to the south,
Avenida L.N.
Além to the
east, Avenida
Córdoba to the
north and
Avenida Callao
to the west. At
its southeastern
corner lies the
city's
foundational
square, the
Plaza de Mayo
, centrepiece of
the Haussmann-style
remodelling that
took place here
in the late
nineteenth
century, and
home to the
governmental
palace, the
Casa Rosada
. Within the
centre lie the
financial
district, La
City , and
major shopping,
eating and
accommodation
districts. It's
a hectic place,
particularly
during the week,
but from the
bustle of
Florida ,
the area's busy
pedestrianized
thoroughfare, to
the
fin-de-siècle
elegance of
Avenida de Mayo
and the café
culture of
Corrientes ,
the area is
surprisingly
varied in both
architecture and
atmosphere. With
the exception of
the Plaza de
Mayo and the
Teatro Colón -
Buenos Aires'
world-renowned
opera house -
it's perhaps not
so much the
centre's sights
that are the
main draw but
rather the
strongly defined
character of its
streets, which
provide a
perfect
introduction to
the rhythm of
Porteño life.
The south
of the city -
for many
tourists and
locals alike,
its most
intriguing area
- begins just
beyond Plaza de
Mayo. It
contains the
oldest part of
the city and its
narrow, often
cobbled streets
are lined with
some of the
capital's finest
architecture,
typified by
compact late
nineteenth-century
town houses with
ornate
Italianate
facades, sturdy
but elegant
wooden doors and
finely wrought
iron railings.
From the
cultivated charm
of San Telmo
, setting for
the city's
popular Sunday
antique market,
to the
passionate
atmosphere of
La Boca on
match days, when
the
neighbourhood
seems to drown
in a sea of blue
and yellow, the
south offers an
appealing mix of
tradition and
popular culture.
It's also home
to one of the
city's most
unusual green
spaces, the
unexpectedly
wild Reserva
Ecológica ,
which lies out
to the east,
beyond the
chaotic rumble
of lorries which
trundle along
the city's dock
area.
The north
of the city is
generally
regarded as
beginning at
Avenida Córdoba.
Four of the
area's
neighbourhoods,
Retiro
and Recoleta
- jointly known
as Barrio Norte,
plus Palermo
and Belgrano
, are renowned
for their
palaces, plazas
and parks.
They're the
city's mostly
wealthy garden
barrios,
swallowed up one
after another as
Buenos Aires
expanded
northwards,
following the
fatal epidemics
that struck the
south in the
1860s and 1870s,
and as the
city's
population
swelled. Set off
against
luxuriant native
trees such as
jacarandas and
tipas, the
architectural
styles of the
many
aristocratic
palaces are part
Spanish and part
British, but
overwhelmingly
French. Some are
now open to the
public, and this
is where you'll
find some of the
city's finest
museums -
such as Retiro's
Museo de Arte
Hispanoamericano,
Palermo's Museo
de Arte
Decorativo, and
Belgrano's Museo
de Arte Español.
Despite
opposition from
the city elite,
Evita is buried
at La
Recoleta ,
one of the
world's most
astonishing
cemeteries, in
terms of
atmosphere and
the sheer beauty
of its tombs.
Further north,
incredibly wide
avenues sweep
past landscaped
gardens,
including a
Japanese Garden,
enormous parks,
such as Parque 3
de Febrero, and
some of the
country's major
sports venues,
including the
National Polo
Field. Pockets
of
mid-nineteenth-century
Buenos Aires are
still left, the
most atmospheric
of all being
Palermo Viejo
, whose cobbled
streets and
single-storey
houses contrast
with the
grandiose houses
and high-rise
apartment blocks
that populate
most of this
side of the
city.
Beyond
Avenida Callao
lies the west
, an immense,
mostly
residential
district which
has its own
commercial
centre around
the barrios of
Caballito and
Flores. There
are only a small
number of sights
to see in this
area, but two of
the best of them
are amongst
Buenos Aires'
most
idiosyncratic
offerings. No
one with the
remotest
interest in
tango should
neglect to pay a
visit to the
shrine-like tomb
of Carlos Gardel,
the nation's
most famous
singer, in the
huge cemetery of
Chacarita
, whilst the
Sunday gaucho
fair in the
barrio of
Mataderos
offers the
unforgettable
sight of
dashingly
dressed horsemen
galloping
through the city
streets, as well
as providing an
authentic brew
of regional
cooking and live
folk music.
