Buenos Aires surprised me in almost every single way. As my first foray into South America, I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it sure wasn’t a super European-looking city! But make no mistake, this isn’t quite like Europe. Buenos Aires has got its own Latin American charm, combined with Spanish, Italian, and French influences! I loved my trip so much, that here’s 10 reasons why Buenos Aires should be at the top of your bucket list!
The Architecture Is Phenomenal
Being a city in Latin America, you probably wouldn’t expect Buenos Aires to look the way it does. It’s often referred to as the Paris of South America with good reason! The bulk of the city really does make you feel like you’re in Europe. The reason for this is a mix of Spanish, French, and Italian influence due to a huge influx of immigration in the 20th century. As a result, you can enjoy the architecture just as you would in any European city!
Stroll around Palermo and Recoleta to see the classiest architecture in the city. Or visit Teatro Colón, the third best opera house in the world. But if there’s one architecture spot you cannot miss, it’s El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the world’s most beautiful bookstore, built inside an old palatial theatre!
The Food is Decadent and Delicious
I’m convinced that porteños, that’s what they call residents of Buenos Aires, subsist off of a diet of exclusively beef and carbs. Buenos Aires sits near plenty of ranches that export plenty grass-fed beef to the city, so the beef you have here will be second to none. Make sure you eat plenty of asado or parrilla, the Argentine word for barbecue. And eat it with a nice heaped topping of chimichurri, a delicious tangy, garlicky sauce.
Other than barbecue, the best foods to eat during meal times are milanesa, a cut of veal or chicken that is breaded and then deep-fried, and pasta. Yes, pasta! Due to the major Italian influence, Buenos Aires has some really amazing pasta! For dessert, you absolutely have to try an Argentine classic, dulce de leche. While this is often found in other parts of the world, the Argentines are obsessed with it!
Given the strange meal times of the porteños, you might get hungry in the meantime! If you’re looking for a quick snack, the best street foods to have are empanadas (meat wrapped in pastry) and choripan (chorizo in a sandwich).
If there’s one spot you have to visit to eat, it’s the San Telmo Market! Filled with tons of delicious food stalls, it’s a super touristy spot.
It’s Super Budget Friendly!
Consider this: you order a delicious steak made of grass-fed beef at a nice sit-down restaurant, complemented with a boat-load of french fries and nice wine, and then you order a delicious dulce de leche crepe for dessert. Would you believe me if I told you the bill would be less than $30??
Due to the conversion rate of Argentinian pesos to USD, prices are half of what you might expect in America! Most nights I would go out for a nice dish of pasta and a bottle of wine (no, not a glass, a bottle!) and the bill would sit right under $10 USD. I thought I was in heaven! And it’s not just food! Tickets for events, entrance fees, transportation, hotel rooms, are all far cheaper in Argentina than in America or Europe. The only thing expensive are the flights – but stay long enough and the other costs will make up for it.
The weather is perfect.
Buenos Aires has what’s called a humid subtropical climate, which means that extreme temperatures are rare and the weather is almost always great. The summer average temperature is about 74ºF (24ºC) and the winter average 55ºF (13ºC) – but remember that the seasons are opposite the ones in the Northern hemisphere – and it doesn’t rain too much year round. What this means is that no matter what time of year you go, the weather will be generally pleasant, allowing you to see everything you want!
Art Is Everywhere.
Buenos Aires is possibly the artsiest city I’ve ever been to. All around me, no matter where we went, you’d see art. From street art all around the walls to great art museums, to stunning architecture, it really was a great way to get to know the lifeblood of the city.
If you’re looking for the best art museum, the MALBA (Museum of Latin American Art, Buenos Aires) is a great place to start. Located in the gorgeous Palermo neighborhood, the MALBA features revolutionary works from a great number of Latin American artists!
Buenos Aires is also home to the largest mural painted by one person! Along the Matanza-Riachuelo River in Barracas, Alfredo Segatori painted one mural along several buildings. You can visit this one mural or take a street art tour, which I highly recommend due to the sheer amount of street art in the city!
Art also exists in everyday buildings in Buenos Aires. In a neighborhood called La Boca, the immigrant tenement houses were painted bright colors to cover up the fact that the buildings were simply built from scrap metal. Nowadays, it’s a tourist hot spot! Also you can’t miss the Recoleta Cemetery, in which every single grave is extravagantly designed and hauntingly beautiful.
Greenery is Surprisingly Abundant
Buenos Aires seems to have made a concerted effort to make sure that their city is still green, despite the modernity. And unlike cities like New York, where there are just buildings with occasional parks sprinkled in the middle, nature is incorporated throughout the city!
To see the best of it, visit the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden. There’s a castle-like mansion center that the designer of the garden used to live in, and a the Municipal Gardening School! The garden itself is divided into three different sections by style – there’s the Roman garden, the French garden, and the Oriental garden. It is also home to a number of abandoned cats.
If you’re more into flowers, check out Paseo El Rosedal, a gorgeous and sprawling rose garden in Palermo! It’s a super romantic place, with statues abound and a lake that you can paddle boat in. And while you’re there, head over to the restaurants at Palermo Chico. Each restaurant is under an arch of what used to be train tracks.
Their Culture is Unlike Any Other
Buenos Aires is a wonderful mix of Spanish, Italian, and French influences. You can see this in their food, their architecture, and their art. The official language is Argentinian Spanish, but you’ll also find tons of pasta in restaurants around the city, but you’ll also be amazed by how much some of their neighborhoods look like Paris! It’s a wonderful place where European influences come together in Latin America.
However, the people of the city prove even more diverse. Due to unrestricted immigration starting in the 19th century, Buenos Aires is home to an insane amount of cultures. Along with native Argentinians, you’ll commonly see Italian, German, Polish, Syrian, Jewish, and even Chinese people on the streets. All these cultures come together to produce a complex melting pot, and iconic parts of Argentinian culture, such as tango, were born.
Their Schedules Are Super Relaxed
Coming from the frigid Northeast of America where punctuality is key, Buenos Aires was such a welcome change! Locals don’t tend to eat lunch until 2-3 PM, and then don’t eat dinner until 9-10PM. Walking around the streets, I would regularly see entire families with infant children still roaming around at midnight, and the streets were lively all the way until 2 AM. As our guide said, if someone tells you to meet at a time in Buenos Aires, expect them to be late. As a night owl myself who is rarely punctual, I loved this schedule!
The only problem was that the huge break between lunch and dinner meant that I often got hungry. Luckily they have a solution for this too! A mid-afternoon snack called merienda helps you satisfy your hunger without eating too much. Locals will often eat some medialunas (croissants or other such pastries) during this time, kind of like a British afternoon tea.
The Nightlife Is Absolutely Wild.
New York City may be known as the city that never sleeps but if I’m honest, I’d actually hand that title to Buenos Aires. Therefore, it makes sense that their nightlife ought to respond to their nocturnal schedules. Nightlife in Buenos Aires is absolutely legendary!
If you’re looking for a nice bar experience, be sure to go around 12 AM-2AM, when the bar gets lively. Here are some of my faves! Buller Pub & Brewery is an industrial bar with two levels and an outdoor seating area, Shamrock, which you may have guessed is an Irish style bar, Caracas has trendy tropical vibes and amazing mixed drinks, Americos is an American wild west themed bar that just opened up in Palermo, Camping is a really cute outdoor bar with string lights, and Boticario if you have a lot of pesos to spare.
If you’re more into dancing the night away, head over to Niceto Vega, a street of nightclubs in Palermo. I loved Club Kika, but others also highly recommend Niceto Club and Club Crobar. If you’re looking for the wildest party, be aware that clubs don’t get busy until around 2AM, and the people in Buenos Aires often party until dawn!
The Surrounding Parts of Argentina Are Also Worth Exploring.
Argentina is such a vast, varied country, full of places to explore! Near Buenos Aires there’s the Tigre Delta, which is full of little islands that you can explore. Further north along the Brazilian border you can find Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world! A bit south of Buenos Aires you can find Mar del Plata, a gorgeous beach town. Further south there’s of course, Patagonia, a nature-lover’s heaven. And all the way south there’s Ushuaia, nicknamed “the End of the World” because of how far south it is. In fact, cruises to Antarctica regularly leave from Ushuaia!
In the end, Buenos Aires is worth a visit itself for a myriad of reasons, but it also works as a great starting point for exploring the rest of Argentina, and the rest of South America as a whole! For me, it was my first time in South America, and it was the perfect introduction.
PIN THIS!
Have you ever been to Buenos Aires? What was your favorite part? Let me know in the comments below!