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Love Buenos Aires

10 Reasons to Love Buenos Aires

My partner and I spent a total of seven weeks in Buenos Aires this time last year at the beginning of our time in South America and absolutely loved it.

Were it not for the rapid inflation in Argentina and the fact that it’s pretty far away from Europe, we’d definitely consider basing ourselves there.

There are so many things to love about the capital of Argentina, but here’s a pick of just ten, in no particular order.

 

The red post boxes

Red post boxes in Buenos Aires

Red post boxes in Buenos Aires

Something I really didn’t expect to see in Buenos Aires were all the red post boxes, just like the ones I was used to growing up in the UK.

 

The great art scene

There are so many really great art galleries and museums in Buenos Aires, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some of my personal favourites: part 1 & part 2.

 

The food: ALL the food!

Argentinian meal

Argentinian meal

Oh my the food in Buenos Aires. Even though I didn’t once touch a steak as I’m vegetarian, I had some of the best food in my life in Buenos Aires. There’s simply so much choice, and you could easily spend a month eating at a different place every day and still only stretch the surface.

 

‘Big Ben’

The 'English Tower' gifted to Argentina by Britain

The 'English Tower' gifted to Argentina by Britain

The monumental tower outside Retiro train station is affectionately known to some locals as ‘Big Ben’. Clearly only those who’ve never been to London. Cute.

 

The many green spaces

Green Space in Bueno Aires

Green Space in Bueno Aires

For such a metropolitan city, Buenos Aires has a myriad of green spaces and parks, many with perfectly manicured gardens, and even a huge nature reserve right on the coast by the Río Plata.

 

Cool street art

Buenos Aires street art

Buenos Aires street art

Buenos Aires may just be one of the best cities in the world for high quality street art. The act of creating art in public wall spaces has been decriminalized and there is clearly a great respect for it, meaning you’ll find something noteworthy round most corners, especially in San Telmo and Palermo, perhaps the two trendiest neighborhoods.

 

Gorgeous, old-world architecture

Buenos Aires architecture

Buenos Aires architecture

Especially in the neighbourhood of Retiro, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in Paris. In fact, some of the buildings are actually constructed entirely of materials brought over by rich immigrants from France.

 

Cheap public transport

The locals may complain about it, but the public transport system in Buenos Aires is, by South American standards, efficient, easy to use and inexpensive. The Subte, with its six lines is quite extensive, and where it doesn’t reach, buses go and are easy to work out.

 

Coffee

Avante-Garde Cafe, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Avante-Garde Cafe, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Argentinians take their coffee very seriously, and there is a wide range of different ways to enjoy it, from a lágrima (literally a tear of coffee in mostly milk) to a cortado (mostly coffee, cut with a splash of milk), often served with light and fluffy medialunas (more or less croissants).

 

The markets

A market in Buenos Aires

A market in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is full of markets, especially on Sundays. The most famous is probably the Feria de San Telmo, which sells the usual tourist tat, plus a wide range of hand-made souvenirs and antiques.

 

- – -

Sam from Indefinite Adventure

Sam from Indefinite Adventure

SAM is a sometimes-EFL teacher, wannabe-minimalist, language geek who is trying to make it as a digital nomad with his partner, Zab. You can follow them on their blog Indefinite Adventure where they chronicle their journey, write about the places they visit, the food they eat (preferably vegetarian, organic and locally produced) and the people they meet. They are also on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

 

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18 Comments

  • Sam Says

    Thanks so much for sharing my contribution, guys! I hope many of your readers will visit Buenos Aires and find even more reasons to love this great city!

    • Zara Says

      It’s our pleasure to share your article here on Backpack ME, Sam!
      Furthermore, we’ve never been to Argentina but it has been on our minds for quite a while now.. so this is a good appetizer! ;)

  • Haha it’s the first time that I hear “Big Ben” instead of “Torre de los Ingleses” (English Tower).

    And I’m surprised with the red post boxes that you’ve mentioned. I’ve never noticed them ;)

    Great post. I really enjoyed it. Shame you are vegetarian ;) cheers
    RAYU

  • I love Buenos Aires and your post reminded me of many things I miss about it. Love the food, the arts, the wines, the architecture, the tango and its spirit. Funny I didn’t notice those red post. I’ll keep an eye on them the next time. I stayed close to the English Tower but didn’t realize locals called it Big Ben. Great post.

  • Zuzana Says

    You made such a great review of buenos aires that i ve got in love immediatelly…i want to try the food, i want to see the post boxes or the market right now…you ve got me inspired and i am considering to visit it once :-)

  • Lali Says

    Nice point of view… i’m from buenos aires and i think you captured some of the many beautiful things, Buenos Aires is a really extraordinary place. Hope you can return :)

  • Susan Says

    I hope to make it to BA this year! Beautiful country

  • So nice to read all those great things about my city: Buenos Aires!!
    A&Z, I know I’ve said this before but you should come visit Argentina someday!!
    Check my post about a visit to Plaza de Mayo: http://gonzavignoni.blogspot.com/2014/01/buenos-aires-plaza-de-mayo.html
    See you soon!

    • Zara Says

      Thanks for sharing the link, Gonzalo!
      I’m positive we’re gonna make it to Argentina before the end of 2014… boludos, be ready for A&Z! ;)

  • I love every content of this post. Buenos Aires is such a lovely place to visit. I might as well see it for myself. Thank you so much for sharing, Sam.

  • I miss BsAs! I agree with all of these things, except that we had a tough time finding vegetarian options sometimes. But once we discovered our neighborhood pasta shops, we were in carb heaven!

  • Pingback: January 2014 Report : Indefinite Adventure

  • All good reasons! For me it’s coffee, soccer, and architecture (ok I like the porteño accent too). It didn’t take BsAs long to become one of my favorite cities. It’s been almost a year since my visit and it’s still on my mind a lot.

  • Great pics.. I loved the street art and little markets in San Telmo.

  • Karina Says

    Im so glad u liked BA! Its really beautiful and amazing. As far as I know it is called “the little Paris of South América”. As an argentinian I can only say that my country is beautiful, and as a “tucumana” my heart belongs to Tucumán, so I invite you to come to this little province in the NW of Argentina, not as big or glamourous as BA but friendly enough to steal your heart

  • Sounds like a lot of fun. I met some people from there when I lived in China and was tempted to move there. When I’m done hopping around Asia I’ll have to head to South America.

  • Kaira Says

    NY has nothing on BA!

  • Good post – It reminds me of my trip to Patagonia Argentina where I visit the southern glaciers. Amazing and unique landscapes.

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