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Street safety is always a major concern for travelers, especially when it comes to visiting any of our South American cities, with their tarnished reputation of social inequality and high poverty levels.
The city of Buenos Aires (including the suburbs, called “Great Buenos Aires”), has a population of more than 14 millions people, which places it second to San Paulo - Brazil as the most populated urban area in the continent. Nevertheless, while the suburbs have the largest rates of poverty and inequality, we should still remain alert within the capital especially in certain tourist preferred areas where special recommendations must be taken into account in order to enjoy successful holidays without a hitch.
It's a real pleasure for both tourists and locals to walk on the streets of the city’s most traditional neighborhoods such as Recoleta and Barrio Norte but it is almost impossible not to be tempted to take out the camera every minute to a shoot some of Buenos Aires’ interesting streets or its eclectic architecture best angles, or better yet, take a night walk to the hotel after a party night, but beware, do not drop your guard, keep your eyes wide open and take the necessary precautions not to get enchanted by the charming atmosphere of the Buenos Aires' streets.
In most of the city's central neighborhoods, you will feel confident with the environment for a sightseeing walk, however, when walking through the pedestrian streets of Florida and Lavalle -a mandatory plan while sightseeing in Buenos Aires- one must stay alert: the vast street art and commerce activity ofthese streets , accompanied by their many restaurants and stores are an excellent option to buy souvenirs but also a vulnerable place for tourists, due to the high number of people passing through, tourists are an easy target for street pickpockets.
San Telmo is another Buenos Aires sightseeing favorite. To walk through its cobblestone streets with its many antique and design stores, admiring the architecture of its old buildings and visiting its unique flea market on Sundays, makes San Telmo an unique place with the most original atmosphere, but what some tourists don’t know about this historical quarter is that some of these old houses were abandoned by their owners and were later illegally occupied by groups of squatters( locally called "ocupas") serving,in many cases, as the perfect place to hide thieves.
Another must-see place for tourists is the city of Tigre and its impressive Delta, located in the northern side of the city. The easiest way to get there is by train from Retiro Station. The station’s building, which is influenced by the European Architecture of the nineteenth-century, generates admiration for it’s characteristical second industrial revolution iron and glass structure. . Retiro is an obligatory place for tourists who want to visit Tigre by themselves, or for those visiting iconic places around such as the British Tower or the monument to fallen soldiers in the Falklands War, but as the Retiro station is an important place where hundreds of people arrive daily to work in downtown and due to its proximity to the Retiro Bus Terminal, tourists should take good care of their belongings and be wellaware of what is going on around them.
Finally, Another highlight while traveling in Buenos Aires is the neighborhood of La Boca, one of the most well-known quarters of Buenos Aires, not only for being closely linked to the history of tango, but also for being the home to La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors Stadium. Its touristic quarter called “Caminito” colorfully recreates the housing inhabited by immigrants who founded this neighborhood, but travelers must be very careful not to walk beyond the areas guarded by the local police -at least not without the company of a local. Visiting La Boca is recommended only during the daylight and it is recommended to stay within the tourist circuit, since it is surrounded by some poverty-stricken areas, prone to higher crime rates.
Although after reading this article the security situation in Buenos Aires might seem alarming, there is no reason to be worried.
The feeling in the streets is much better than in many other Latin American cities. In addition to this, the city government along with local police safeguard the main tourists spots due to the increasing number of visitors that the city is annually receives, however, thieves tend to be much more agile and resourceful than you can imagine, so the best advice is to always keep a low profile, an eye on your valuable belongings in order to avoid giving thieves a chance to steal from disoriented tourists.
Just bear in mind these basic recommendations and you will surely enjoy this magical city!
Although after reading this article the security situation in Buenos Aires might seem alarming, there is no reason to be worried. The feeling in the streets is much better than in many Latin American cities.
Happy travels!
Ruben Sanchez
Web designer
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