Buenos Aires is also known as the Federal Capital and is the seat of government of Argentina. It is the second largest city in South America and the Southern Hemisphere, with over 12 million inhabitants. It is also, along with Mexico and Sao Paulo, one of the three Latin American cities of alpha quality and has one of the best indexes of quality of life in the region.

Buenos Aires is the most visited city in South America.  It has 48 districts and is also the main cultural center of the country. It is the city with the largest concentration of theaters in the world, even more than cities like New York and Paris, the Teatro Colon being one of the five most important opera theaters in the world because of its history and impeccable acoustics. Architecture blends modern skyscrapers with art deco, art nouveau, neo-Gothic and French styles, which has been named and known as the Paris of America. Another feature of the city is the domes over the buildings, built by the bourgeoisie in the early twentieth century.

The city is located almost entirely in the Pampa region, off the coast of Rio de la Plata (north and east) and Riachuelo (south). Most of the population is concentrated in the Greater Buenos Aires,

The climate of the city is pampeano tempered, with a lot of humidity that exceeds 70%. The average temperature in Buenos Aires is 17° C. Rainfall is concentrated during the summer where intense storms occur. In winter on the other hand, the rains are weaker. It is also known for being a city with great presence of winds. 

History

Buenos Aires was founded in 1536 and was called Nuestra Señora del Buen Ayre, in a territory that was inhabited by an indigenous group called querandíes, which were eventually exterminated.

In the beginning, it was a dependent government of the Viceroyalty of Peru, far from any commercial center since the Spaniards preferred the Pacific ports; therefore, the locals began to live by trading, especially with Brazil, commercializing the leathers of the large number of cattle that roamed the pampas.

Buenos Aires became famous because of the battle where people, led by the governor Jose de Garro, succeeded in expelling the Portuguese invasion. At the same time, the Argentine leather industry began to be recognized. These details marked the character of Buenos Aires, since it became a city that began to emerge on its own merits, without names or aristocracy, unlike the cities of other countries.

It later became Viceroyalty in 1776, primarily as an attempt to stop the contraband and foreign advance in the territory from the Atlantic. At that time, in Buenos Aires free trade was allowed and goods could enter and connect with other ports without permits from the royal authorities. It did not have dependence from Lima and received a large amount of immigrants especially French and Italian.

Also, the city was invaded by several pirates, but they were expelled. However, interest in Buenos Aires remained and these attacks plus the liberal ideas of Napoleon's invasion of Spain permitted independent groups that were formed and initiated the Revolution of May in 1810 and the freedom of Argentina.

Since then, Buenos Aires has developed as one of the most important cities in South America, being the first that had a subway system, the subway opened in 1913. It is a city with a personality formed by the arrival of European immigrants and a large quality of museums, theaters and cultural centers. Its buildings also show the cultural mix, with all kinds of architecture and colorful colonial houses that may be seen in the neighborhood of La Boca.

The city celebrated its centennial in 1900 and its Bicentennial in 2010, with the reopening of the Teatro Colon.

Because of its location, Buenos Aires has good climate, low seismicity and a permanent source of fresh water from Rio de la Plata.

Where to go

Buenos Aires is the most visited city in South America and its attractions are especially in its historic towns, where we find the neighborhoods of Montserrat and San Telmo.

Plaza de Mayo:

One of the places to visit is the Plaza de Mayo, where the city began to be built. On the east of the street is the Casa Rosada, which is the seat of government in Argentina. To the north are the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Banco de la Nacion Argentina. The Cabildo is located to the west of the square and the building of the former National Congress, where the National Academy of History is. In the northwest corner is the Head of Government of the City, towards Avenida de Mayo.

Also in this historic town is the Manzana de Luces, where several buildings of great historical value, such as the San Ignacio Church and the headquarters of the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, which has several tunnels that connected the city during the colonial period are.

This is one of the most important avenues of Buenos Aires, known as Eje Civico, since it links the Casa Rosada with the Palace of Congress. In this area there are other historically significant buildings like the Casa de la Cultura, Café Tortoni and Palacio Barolo. Besides this, the Avenida de Mayo is the path where the Subte or subway lines A runs.

At the end of the road there are several places with monuments and sculptures like “una copia autografiada del pensador de Rodin”.

San Telmo:

The neighborhood of San Telmo is famous for its European-style buildings, cobblestone streets and where many hostels and accommodations are in downtown Buenos Aires. One of its main attractions is the craft and antique fairs on weekends where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs and collectibles. This fair surrounds the Plaza Dorrego, where free tango shows are performed and visitors can watch and learn this sensual dance which is an emblem of Argentina.

La Boca and Caminito:

Another neighborhood that you can't miss out on is Riachuelo, in La Boca, where Caminito is found and is a street that is named after a famous tango and is dedicated to the crafts and souvenirs related. There are also restaurants and tango in the street. Its colorful buildings are made of cardboard and metal and have paper mache statues representing important figures of Argentina, Carlos Gardel and Evita Peron.

This neighborhood also houses the famous La Bombonera stadium, owned by the athletic football club Boca Juniors.

Recoleta:

The Recoleta district also has great historical heritage sites like the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the Biblioteca Nacional and the Recoleta Cemetery, where the remains of important figures of the country are found. Another attraction is the Palais de Glace, or Palacio Nacional de las Artes, now a center for art exhibitions.

Puerto Madero:

This is one of the most modern and exclusive neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. Within its main buildings are several skyscrapers, important 5 star hotels like the Faena Hotel, Buenos Aires Hilton and Sofitel Madero. Here is also the Puente de la Mujer, which allows a view of the Rio de la Plata.

There are some museums, such as the Fragata Presidente Sarmiento, the first training ship of Argentina, the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires and Bosques de Palermo, which houses the Zoo and the Planetarium. In Puerto Madero there are also exclusive restaurants and bars.

Retiro:

In this neighborhood there are some important monuments, such as the Caidos en la Guerra de las Malvinas, the General San Martin and the railway station of the same name.

Avenida Corrientes:

This is one of the most emblematic Buenos Aires sectors. On this avenue you find theaters like San Martín and Estadio Luna Park. The interseion of Corrientes with Av. 9 de Julio is where the famous Obelisco and the Mercado de Abasto shopping center are located. It is an area of intense commerce, where several shops, cafes, pizzerias and hotels are found.

Palermo:

This is the largest neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It has two distinct areas: Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood. Soho is a bohemian neighborhood where several fashion designer stores, art and exclusive restaurants are found.

In Palermo Hollywood on the other hand is where most television channels and television production companies are. It is also a famous neighborhood of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Lakes and Forrests of Palermo:

It is a large part with 25 acres that can be visited and where there are beautiful attractions such as the Rosedal. There is also a lake that can be navigated with boats or pedal boats, and outdoor activities such as cycling or running.

In this area you can also find the Jardin de los Poetas, with sculptures of famous writers such as William Shakespeare, Dante Alighieri, Antonio Machado, among others. Here is also the famous Planetario Galileo Galilei de Buenos Aires.

Navigating through El Tigre River:

It is located in the north of Buenos Aires and if you travel through it you can see the islands that form the Parana Delta at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, as well as other attractions such as the the Mercado de Frutos and the Casino Trilenium.

Colonia:

From Puerto Madero you take a ferry towards this beautiful Uruguayan city of beautiful colonial architecture, located on the border of the Rio de la Plata. The trip can last from 1 hour to 3 hours.

To do

Buenos Aires, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America invites you to explore it on foot, walking through its cobbled streets, its European architecture and unique personality.

So, one of the musts in this city is to take a city tour visiting its most important places such as the Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada and the Catedral Metropolitana.

Also during the weekend you should visit the neighborhood of San Telmo and enjoy the antique fair in Plaza Dorrego and tango shows, where you can learn how to dance this beautiful style of dancing.

The corner of Tango is Caminito in La Boca neighborhood with its colorful buildings, crafts and tango rhythms and sounds. Here you can purchase music, crafts, paintings and memorabilia related to the bohemian culture of Argentina.

In Buenos Aires you can do cultural activities like shopping, or enjoying a typical coffee with croissants.

The streets of Buenos Aires also should to be traveled on foot. The Corrientes avenue, the Avenida Santa Fe and Avenida Cabildo are ideal for shopping for clothes or leather goods.

The city also has many bookstores to buy books at a good price, because in Argentina there is no tax on these products.

In Buenos Aires you can also do outdoor activities such as biking through the streets and avenues, as there are bike paths, like in the Bosques de Palermo, the Thays Park, Avenida Figueroa Alcorta and the Costanera.

Navigating the Tigre River and seeing the Uruguayan city of Colonia is one of the most interesting things to do in Buenos Aires.

You should not miss a tango show or a play in one of the theaters of Corrientes Avenue, featuring performances every day of the year.

Recommendations

Economy:

In Buenos Aires you should not change money at the airport since the exchange rate is very unfavorable for tourists. Within the city you must use the Argentine pesos and exact change for small shops and public transport.

Buy books, cigarettes and music, since these products do not have taxes in Argentina.

Transportation:

To move around the city you can take buses since the buses run through every neighborhood; or take the subway. We recommend using only the right change and coins and avoid peak times, between 8:00 am and 10:00 am; and between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

Communication:

The international code of Argentina is 54 and the code of Buenos Aires is 11. To call a cell phone you must use the code 54, but before you must put a 9 before the Buenos Aires code of 11. 

Where and what to eat