Sights Overview

Buenos Aires's identity lies in its 48 barrios (neighborhoods) -- each with its own character and history. Several generations of many families have lived in the same barrio, and traditionally people feel more of an affinity to their neighborhood than to the city as a whole. Try to take things one neighborhood at a time, exploring on foot and by colectivo (bus), subte (subway), and/or relatively inexpensive taxis. Streets are basically laid out in a grid, though a few transverse the grid diagonally; these are helpfully called diagonales. Avenidas are broader, often two-way, streets, while regular streets (officially calles but actually referred to just by their name) are generally one-way. Streets and avenues running north-south change names at Avenida Rivadavía. Each city block is 100 meters (328 feet) long, and addresses are based on the building's measured position from the corner (for instance, 180 Calle Florida is 80 meters from the corner, and 100 meters, or one block, from 80 Calle Florida).