Buenos Aires Day Tours

An Enlightening Tour Of The City By Bus

When the in-laws came to visit we decided to take one of the many Buenos Aires day tours available.

It was an opportunity to get around all the “must-see” barrios, such as La Boca and Palermo and get a good feel for the city from the cool seats of an air conditioned bus. It was a good choice, as a walking or bicycle tour. in the sweltering summer heat is not an easy option, particularly for our guests who had recently arrived from a northern hemisphere winter.

A typical city tour
The city is not short of tours, you just have to stroll down Florida to have at least a dozen flyers thrust into your hand offering hour long, half day or even full day tours of the city. Most of the tours offer a similar package – it’s just the mini-bus and quality of the guide that differentiates them. They all follow a similar route around the main plaza and the key areas of the city, with a couple of longer stops in the more popular districts.

We chose a tour with a local historian
We had been recommended to take one of the Buenos Aires day tours run by historians from the University of Buenos Aires which is www.eternautas.com. It was a little more expensive then the others at $40 each, but had come highly recommended from a friend familiar with the city, and on further investigation from the Lonely Planet too.

We’d chosen a half day tour that picked us up around 9am from a hotel of our choice (we were renting an apartment and none of the tours pick up from apartments) and finished at around 2pm.

After being met at the hotel, we stepped up into the refreshingly cool mini-bus and were then whisked around a number of other hotels whilst we collected the rest of our tour group. When the bus was full, we all introduced ourselves and shared around the sun block – an essential accessory in this city, especially when you’re stood in the plaza with little shade.

Our guide, Mylena was a young graduate. She’d been studying history and politics, and after graduating was keen on becoming a full time Buenos Aires guide. She was extremely amiable and very knowledgeable of her country’s history. She gave us well rounded answers which satisfied our interest in the turbulent economical and political past of Argentina.

The first stop of most Buenos Aires day tours is Plaza de Mayo, the main square of the city around which nestles many governmental buildings. The history of this square has been the center of political uprisings and great gatherings throughout the years, especially so during the years of Perón.

Even today, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of Reinvention) still march here every week. Our guide gave us a thorough insight into the history the square and each of the buildings, including the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace), Banco de la Nación and the neo-classical Catedral Metropoliana. We were here for at least 30 minutes, before moving onto San Telmo and La Boca.

We literally drove around the edges of San Telmo, where we were briefly informed of the history of the area before swiftly arriving down at the port of La Boca. It was a surprisingly short drive around San Telmo, but as it was a half day tour we needed to keep to a strict schedule. San Telmo is worthy of an afternoon. Its pretty cobbled streets, superb bistros and Sunday antiques markets are a must see for a separate afternoon.

As we reached La Boca we were driven around the back streets to see the real side of this area. There were many houses along the back streets still made of corrugated metal sheets – a left over from the shipbuilding days where the poorest immigrants worked for pittance painting the ships.

When we got to El Caminito, La Boca’s famous painted street we quickly disembarked for a swift five minute bathroom break.

If you plan on wandering round the streets of this delightful little district, you’re better off finding your own way down here (make sure you get a taxi, don’t even thinking about walking). The tours have so much to get through, that they literally only drive around the streets. La Boca is charming, but touristy and worth an hour or two of your time.

After La Boca most Buenos Aires day tours drive across town to the wealthier districts of Palermo and Recoleta. These districts give you an idea of the past wealth of the city and are a stark contrast to the housing, people, sights, sounds and smells of La Boca.

From the comfort of our cool bus, we drove around the wide streets and green parks of Palermo. During which, Mylena enlightened us on the three sub-barrios of Palermo and offerings of this area. The different areas of Palermo cover a huge area, but our tour just drove around the green spaces to the south and then into Palermo Chico where embassies line the semi-circular avenues. This sub-barrio nestles into the edge of Recoleta and is also home to the uber-rich of Buenos Aires.

Recoleta cemetery and the highlight of the tour for me. Virtually all Buenos Aires day tours visit the cemetery and it’s a good idea to have a guide show you around this incredible tourist spot.

If you go alone, make sure you go on a day when there is a free English tour of the cemetery or you won’t be able to appreciate the history or find the mausoleums of past politicians and war heroes. Find out which days these free tours run and more.

The tour ended a half hour later. We thanked the knowledgeable Mylena, tipped her well and walked over to La Biela, a Parisian style cafe on the corner of Avenida Quintana for a much deserved coffee, and a gin and tonic for Stuart.

Other Buenos Aires day tours on offer

Fancy something a little more unusual? The tours in Buenos Aires vary wildly and if you fancy something different, you can take to your bike, go on foot or get a detailed tour of the life of ‘Evita’ - Eva Peron. Here are some of the tours on offer to discover this beautiful city and its people:

Alternative bus tours – www.opcionsur.com.ar - Ride a bus all over the city on a Buenos Aires day tour similar to the one we went one. This company also features video footage of historical events as you pass through each district of the city.

Friendly tour – www.cicerones.org.ar - This free service matches local volunteers with visitors to the city. These personal tours have a maximum of 6 people per tour. You’ll get a personal highlight of the tour guides favorite spots, local sites and a glimpse of how the porteños live.

Bike tour – www.biketours.com.ar - If you’re adventurous and feel you can handle the traffic, then a bike tour might be for you. Cycle through town and visit the various districts of Buenos Aires. With tours in five different languages, there should be a tour to suit all visitors.

Taylor made tour – www.eternautas.com - Explore the life of Eva Peron or discover Buenos Aires’ amazing architecture. These are just a few of Eternautas unique and taylor made Buenos Aires day tours.

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