Buenos Aires for travellers: Get to explore the city

Buenos Aires is booming, attracting millions of visitors every year.  Buenos Aires and Tango are intimately connected in spite of the modern and vibrant energy of the city which contrasts with the slowness and romanticism of the tango.  Explore Buenos Aires and fall in love with this unforgettable city!

Five thousand miles south of the equator lies Buenos Aires, one of the most beautiful cities on the southern hemisphere, famous for its diverse culture, architecture, literature and cuisine – amongst innumerable other attributes. Buenos Aires is also known as Capital Federal or abbreviated to BsAs or Baires by the local Porteños. The city of Buenos Aires forms a small part of the district of Greater Buenos Aires and is the autonomous federal capital of Argentina. With an estimated population of 3 million living in the Buenos Aires City and 12 million in the Greater Buenos Aires district, this area accommodates over a third of the country’s total population and is Latin America's third most populated area.

Buenos Aires is a vibrant metropolis and has long been Argentina’s commercial, financial and industrial centre point. Its strategic location on the shore of the Rio de la Plata (also called River Plate) - the widest estuary in the world – makes Buenos Aires one of the world’s largest cities. This is probably a result of the commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural influence of its port, one of the busiest in South America, connecting Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Buenos Aires’ rich cultural agenda captivates its visitors and the city is regarded as the cultural capital of South America. If you’re lucky enough to visit Buenos Aires make sure you reserve plenty of time, as the city has a huge variety of things to do and see, some of which are an absolute must on your trip to Buenos Aires.

Things you should know about Buenos Aires

The best way to start to get to know Buenos Aires is by walking or setting off on guided city tour, to familiarise yourself with Buenos Aires.

Most of Buenos Aires is set out along an easy to navigate grid pattern. The city sprawls out along quaint cobbled streets lined with leafy trees and expansive Avenues which run all the way across the city. Abundant with a mix of classic belle époque architecture and stunning modern skyscrapers surrounded by carefully designed parks, squares, restaurants and coffee shops that resemble the European lifestyle while keeping the authenticity and magic of Latin America.

Made up of 48 neighbourhoods, Buenos Aires comes alive with its unique traditions and customs, characteristically different in every Barrio, offering a huge and varied range of activities for tourists. San Telmo, the oldest neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, is where the world famous Argentine Tango can be appreciated in its full glory – on warm nights out on the cobbled streets or hidden away in the dark and moody Milongas. In La Boca the renowned Argentine passion for football cannot be missed. And in Recoleta, in the North of the city, lies the legendary Recoleta Cemetery, with its unique above ground vaults, where many famous people – including Evita Perón - lie buried.

The Argentine experience cannot be complete without a succulent Argentine steak, Chorizos and Morcillas (black pudding) sizzling away on a Parilla (BBQ) - a common sight throughout the city. On your holiday in Buenos Aires you’ll be sure to spend an unforgettable night enjoying a mouth-watering Asado, which always goes hand in hand with a full-bodied bottle of Malbec wine. And after a late dinner, the Buenos Aires nightlife has a lot to offer too, from a quiet drink in a posh club to a night out in the livelier local boliches, there’s something to suit anyone’s taste on your trip to Buenos Aires.

For more things to do in Buenos Aires visit the bsas4u tour catalogue.