Five Days in Buenos Aires

Maybe you are a student, finishing up your study abroad experience. Maybe you are a bored elderly couple, passing through Latin America on a bucket list tour. Maybe you´re in Argentina for business,  and want to make your time count. No matter the reason, you are probably going through the same thought process if you are here in Buenos Aires: What do I do first. Well I´m here to answer that question for you.

In three days I will be picking up my girlfriend at the airport, and so this question is timely. How am I supposed to show her the whole city, my home of five months, in just 5 days? Read on, and you´ll find out.

Day 1:  You arrive at the Ministro Pistarini Airport (EZE). This airport might as well be in Iowa, because it is so far away from Buenos Aires, but since you are coming on an international flight, you are unfortunately stuck with it. If you´re lucky, you´ll be picked up by someone like as kind and awesome as me! You are going to want to get a taxi back, which will cost somewhere between $140 and $170 pesos. The taxi driver will inevitably try and screw you, so be careful.

I´d recommend getting a hotel or hostel in SoHo Palermo, because it is by far the most vibrant and exciting part of Buenos Aires. (Especially for young people as there are lots of bars and Boliches in the nearby Plaza Serrano). On this first day, take the afternoon easy. Head to Plaza Italia, and soak in the beautiful green areas. From there you can explore the Jardín Zoológico and the massive park in Palermo. It is a good relaxing way to start your five days.

I would then go and get lunch at a café in SoHo. That´ll give you a good glimpse of café culture in B.A. Then you should rest up for going out at night.

On this first day, you should go to Plaza Serrano after getting something to eat beforehand. When you arrive (no earlier than 11), don´t be surprised to see hundreds of people filling this outside terrace with bars and boliches all around. This is a great place to go bar-hopping for hours on and end, and you can end it with one of the many nearby boliches. I´d start at Congo, then head towards Tazz, and end it with Kika. Don´t be surprised if you get home to your hotel, and people are eating breakfast.

Day 2: Your activities from the night before, might make you want to sleep in, but since you´re only here for five days, you ought to get out of bed at a reasonable time. Once up, start the day off slow with another visit to a café. You´ll be doing a lot of this here. On day two, you should head to the Obelisko. This large structure, resembling the Washington Monument is southeast of Palermo. After taking your share of photos, walk down to the nearby Plaza de Mayo. This large square is home to the Casa Rosada (Pink House), the executive office of Argentina, and other beautiful buildings.

I´d then walk down Avenida de Mayo, and look for Café Tortonni on your right. Inside you´ll find their famous hot chocolate and other good food. After eating, you can then head back to your hotel either by taxi, collective, or Subte. If you want to find out which Collectivos/Subtes to use, you can go to http://mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/ and easily type in where you want to go.

That night, I´d recommend going to a Parilla called Cabrera. This place has amazing meat, and although it´s a bit expensive, it´s definitely worth it. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well, Argentines love steak, so don´t be shy and go to this parilla.

At night, you should then take a taxi to fun bar/club called Crobar. This place is a lot of fun, and is located in north Palermo.

Day 3: You´ve now been in Buenos Aires for two days, and you are feeling the pressure to see all the touristy places. Don´t worry. I´ll get you there. Assuming day 3 is a Sunday, as it will be for my girlfriend and I, this is the day to head to San Telmo and Boca.  Both are located south of Plaza de Mayo and Puerto Madero.

On Sundays, San Telmo is transformed into a massive market, selling artisan goods of many shapes and varieties. You´ll also find tango dancers, and a plethora of cafés around you. If you get hungry, feel free to stop and have lunch at one of these places. Then head down to Boca. This part of Buenos Aires is one of the coolest parts of B.A. for tourists due to its oddly painted walls. Supposedly, it was designed with paint that was left over from the decorating of the many boats in the area, and this is why they are covered in pink, yellow, blue, and other bright unorthodox colors. You will also find Tango at every turn in Boca. Make sure you visit the massive Boca Stadium in this area. Argentines love their fútbol, so this is a site to see.

At night, you will then head back to San Telmo for one of their famous Tango shows. Ask the front desk at your hotel or hostel for some cheap places, and I´m sure they´ll help. I will be going to a show at La Ventana for just $50 which is not bad, considering the price of some other shows.

If you still want to go out after that day, then you are a champion. Head over to Club Araoz or Lost, both in Palermo.

Day 4: Today you are going to go hang out at a cemetery. But it´s not as hipster as it sounds. The Recoleta cemetery, northwest of Palermo is a beautiful tourist site, with lots of great statues, and the resting place of Eva Peron. To get there, I would walk down Santa Fe. This street is lined with shops, so don´t hesitate to look around. However, you´ll quickly find that things aren´t really cheaper than they are in the U.S. After about an hour-long walk from Plaza Italia, you´ll be at the cemetery. Or if you are boring, you can take a taxi, and it´ll take you 10 minutes.

After enjoying the cemetery, you should definitely go to one of the many cafés and restaurants that surround this place. They are expensive and market to tourists, but they are still really good, so you should enjoy it!

That night, you should head down to Puerto Madero. Here you´ll find a series of beautiful buildings on the port (Including my school) as well as many amazing restaurants. You should stop at one of the many parillas in the area, and chow down on the juicy (and expensive) red meat. After paying the bill, and getting filled with a minor depression, you should then walk down to the Casino, just 25 minutes away (or taxi in 10) to try and win it all back.

The Puerto Madero Casino is massive, fun, and has low buy-ins. You can still lose all your money, but you´ll do it way more slowly!

Day 5:  You have just one more day in Buenos Aires. You are depressed. I´m so sorry. You can however make this last day count. After a coffee at a café, you should head to MALBA, the modern art museum in Buenos Aires. I was very disappointed by this museum, but maybe you´ll value this type of art more. After checking out this museum, I´d head down south of MALBA to Las Heras Park on the corner of Colonel Diaz and Las Heras. This is a good place to sit and relax, and take in the last bit of Buenos Aires you can get.

After resting up at the hotel, you can then come back to the Recoleta cemetery area at night. There aren´t wild clubs like in Plaza Serrano, but there are a couple dozen bars lined up in this area, so it´s not a bad place to come and drink a beer with friends. You can jump around a few places, and find one that feels right.  

*** Alternatively, Day 5 can be spent in Uruguay. It is just a quick boat ride away, and is not very expensive. The boat will take you to Colonia, Uruguay a great place for couples, families and people over 30. Montevideo would be more fun for a younger crowd, but that would be hard to fit into one day.

So, there you have it. Five days, and you hit every major site in Buenos Aires. Follow these steps, and you´ll have lots of good memories to take back home.