Buenos Aires is a truly cosmopolitan city in the heart of South America. She has so much to offer but if you’re pressed for time, use this as a guide to get the most out of your 24 hours in Buenos Aires.
Depending on where you are coming from, you may be lucky enough to fly over the Andes mountains. This is an amazing experience offering some pretty breathtaking views. So be sure to slide up your window shade and check it out. Once you’ve landed at Ministro Pistarini International Airport, jump into a cab and head on over to the chic neighbourhood of Palermo Soho. Use this as your base of operations for your stay in Buenos Aires. The area is full of tree lined streets dotted with cafes, restaurants and bars. I would highly recommend staying at the Vain Boutique Hotel. It is a quaint hotel right in the heart of where you want to be.
Once you’ve dumped your bags, spend your morning just getting lost in the streets of Palermo. Depending on when you travel, Buenos Aires can get quite hot. The large, leafy trees covering the wide streets are a welcome respite from the warmth of the day. Sit in a cafe and soak it all in, do a little people watching and enjoy. Soho Palermo is also the place to shop and it is here that you’ll find some amazing boutique clothing stores offering unique items. Schedule some time for shopping but try not to get too carried away.
No trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without a bit of a history lesson about the famed Eva Perón, better known as Evita. I would recommend a trip down to the Presidential Palace (Casa Rosada) at Balcarce 50. Here you can see the ‘Evita balcony’ from where she addressed the crowds. There are some other interesting buildings in the area so you may want to spend a little more time here.
Next, head on over to the residential neighbourhood of Recolleta. This area is dotted with enormous mansions once owned by the rich and powerful residents of Buenos Aires. Most of the homes are now Embassies for various countries but it is definitely worth the trip to see how the other half once lived. It is in this neighbourhood that the Recolleta cemetery can be found. Spend some time wandering down the eerie lane ways, it is a creepy experience to say the least. For those Evita fans, it is here that you will find her final resting place.
Perhaps the quintessential image of Buenos Aires is the colourful buildings of La Boca. They say that the paint used on the buildings was leftover from the freshly painted ships in the surrounding area. It is definitely a colourful neighbourhood in more ways than one. Perhaps a little touristy, La Boca is still worth the trip.
The tango is a dance that best describes Buenos Aires and seeing it performed should be at the top of your list. Most of us who don’t have local connections to underground tango bars will have to settle for a show. Again, a little touristy, but you still get a feel for the passion of the dance.
After your enlightenment into the subtleties of tango, head on back to where you started for dinner in Soho Palermo. With so many amazing restaurants, you wont struggle for choice here. I would recommend a juicy Argentinian steak washed down with a full bodied red. Bear in mind, dinner is a later affair with the busy times around 9pm. So if you are like me, eating ‘before the rush’ at 8pm suits just fine. After dinner head on down to Plaza Serrano in Palermo for a night cap. There are plenty of fun bars down here to enjoy and get a feel for the nightlife of Buenos Aires.
After a full day in Beunos Aires, nothing beats the feeling of your head hitting the pillow in your boutique hotel.
