Capital Of Argentina – Buenos Aires And It’s Barrios

The Capital Of Argentina – Its Diverse Neighborhoods

Buenos Aires city is the capital of Argentina and offers a fantastic array of diverse barrios (neighborhoods). There are over 77 square miles of Buenos Aires city, but only a handful of barrios are of interest to the tourist. The rest simply act as suburbs for the ever increasing population.

The main barrios in the capital of Argentina provide a unique viewpoint to the historical development of this buzzing city. Each is worth a visit so you can discover its merits.

The Microcenter or city center

The beating heart of the capital of Argentina, the Microcenter is the business district and the center of the city. Here you’ll find fascinating governmental buildings surrounding the main square Plaza de Mayo, tree lined avenues, superb examples of 19th century Italian and French architectural styles as well as plentiful shopping. To refuel pop in to the grand Café Tortoni, Buenos Aires oldest café.
It makes a great base for exploring the city with its easy access to the rest of the city via the subway, buses or taxis. There are also numerous hotels in the Microcenter to suit all budgets.

Congreso and Avenida Corrientes

From the Plaza de Mayo in the Microcenter head towards Avenida Corrientes, a street world famous for its theaters. There are plenty of interesting stops along the way including the Obelisco and numerous theaters all the way up to Avenida Callao. Just four blocks from there is the main governmental building of Palacio de Congreso which has some resemblance to Washington’s dome and columns. You can take tours of the Italian designed building on Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 11am for free, which we found really interesting.

In front of this is the Plaza del Congreso with its magnificent Monumento a los Dos Congresos. Now renovated and guarded by railings to prevent graffiti and destruction, it’s one of the most impressive monuments in the capital of Argentina.

Romantic walks in Puerto Madero

Puerto Madero is the most recent development in the capital of Argentina. Built on reclaimed land from the Rio de la Plata (east of the Microcenter), this barrio is a dockland development with stunning romantic riverside walk. The old warehouses have been considerately renovated to house an array of restaurants that stretch almost 1 mile down the edge of Puerto Madero.

Cross over the diques (dikes) and you’ll find prime real estate for businesses, investors and young professionals. Although still a little soulless, once the construction has finished I’m sure it will find some personality. Go further east and you’ll stumble on an ecological reserve with acres of walks through pretty grasslands and marshes - an oasis in the fume choked city center. Find out more about up-market and trendy Puerto Madero.

Rustic streets and antiquities of San Telmo

Just to the south of the Microcenter is the historical district of San Telmo. Its cobbled streets, rustic buildings and antiques stores are a big pull for tourists, especially the Sunday antiques fair with its intriguing stalls selling items from yesteryear, its buzzing atmosphere and mesmerizing street entertainers.

There’s also a fascinating history behind this barrio – it was once the home of the wealthy settlers with their beautiful colonial houses built around a central courtyard. After an outbreak of yellow fever and cholera in the early 19th century, the wealthy relocated to Recoleta, leaving their grand houses to be split up and turned into one room shelters for immigrant families. The area soon became unkempt and many of the buildings are quite ‘rustic’ to say the least. For decades the area has suffered from underinvestment and many of the buildings still display an un-kept but ‘rustic’ charm.

Now due to a recent serge in renovations this up and coming area, offers plenty of real estate opportunities and a charm that will captivate you. Uncover the charms of San Telmo.

Historical La Boca

The most colorful buildings in
the capital of Argentina

Further south is La Boca. Literally translated, La Boca means ‘the mouth’ as this barrio sits right on the mouth of the river. It’s an industrial port with a fascinating history that contains the iconic colorful, ramshackle, corrugated steel housing that Buenos Aires is famous for.

This barrio is not to be missed with the working museum of El Caminito, its links to tango and Argentina's favorite sport – football!

Trendy and cool Palermo

Palermo is one of the larger barrios and is split into several different areas. To north of Avenida Santa Fe you’ll find Palermo Chico which is home to rock stars and diplomats. They can literally step out of their mansions on to the extensive green parks of Palermo. In this area you’ll find several good museums, a zoo, botanical gardens, an aromatic rose garden and a Japanese garden.

South of Avenida Fe is Palermo Viejo, which itself is split into two: Soho and Hollywood which are conveniently split by a railway line. East of the line is Soho, which boasts designer boutiques, trendy bars and plenty of fine dining. Hollywood is where Palermo tends to be more low-rise and has a distinctly more suburban feel to it. You’ll also find plenty of stunning renovations, modern bars and more fine dining.

Rich Recoleta

North of the city and where the good air comes in from the river, is Recoleta. This area boasts the most exclusive eight blocks of real estate in all of South America and is home to stunning architecture, plenty of grand Embassies, luxury hotels, designer boutiques and green spaces.

Recoleta is most famous for its cemetery where the past rich and famous Argentineans are buried. The stunning Recoleta cemetery shows the lengths Argentineans will go to keep up appearances of wealth and grandeur after death – a must see.
Learn more about the famous district of Recoleta.

Retiro – a dichotomy of rich and poor

Home to the second most important plaza in the capital of Argentina, the Plaza San Martin lies just north of Av Florida. Here you’ll find a wonderful tribute to General San Martin beneath which stretches plenty of green space. It’s quite impressive and so shouldn’t be missed.

Towards the bottom of the plaza, you’ll find the black epitaph to the Argentineans that died in the Falklands/Malvinas War which is somberly watched over by two uniformed guards. Literally across the road, quite ironically, is the Tower of the English, which was a gift in 1910 from Anglo-Argentineans for the centennial celebrations.

Around the plaza you’ll find plenty of interesting streets which house grand apartments and several excellent hotels. The area borders Recoleta, so it’s no surprise that there is plenty of wealth in this area.

At the north end of the plaza are three railway stations serving most of Buenos Aires city and further afield in the province. Right next door is the bustling local and long distance bus station. Like most stations, you’ll find all walks of life here and plenty of stalls where you can get cheap (but not the best) food.

Walk further north and you’ll enter Villa 31, the best known shanty town in the capital of Argentina. It’s best to avoid this area completely. Shanty towns are not for tourists and although you won’t be welcome, your valuables will!

During the main tourist times, many of the inhabitants come to sell wares and beg at the top of Florida and on the Plaza, so watch your belongings. There are plenty of police around, so you’ll be safe, but best to avoid this area completely after dusk – as we say repeatedly, get a ‘radio’ taxi after dark, no matter how short the distance.

The capital of Argentina has so much to offer and there are many new barrios becoming more and more interesting to tourists. Watch this space for any new developments and in the meantime, enjoy your trip!

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