Buenos Aires 2 weeks - what to do?
 

We have made reservations to visit Buenos Aires mid May for two weeks. We would like a list of activities to give us a flavor of Buenos Aires and Latin America. Is it worth going on a 20 hr bus trip to Iguazu Falls? Should we venture down south? Or, should we just stay put in BA? Anyone have advice on what to put on our list during our two week stay?

Hi, I think you can find answer to most of your questions in previous postings. I would say that the way to go to Iguazu is by plane. The bus ordeal seems not worth it.

Hi dsd 162

Just got back 4 days ago from Touring South America for the month of March.

Buenos Aires is a lovely place.
here is a list of some place to visit.

1. Plaza De Mayo
this is the main square and is surrounded by beautiful old buildings
Walk into the Cathedral ..it is lovely inside and free.
You will also see the Pink Palace where Evita Perron used to preach from the Balcony.

2. See the National Congress Building and square with its super monuments and water fountain.

3. Avenida 9 de Julio ( This is the July 9th avenue...the widest in the world.
Walk along here for a few blocks.Take a picture of yourself cross this avenue!!! Cross it right near the Obelisk.

3.Opera House....... this is near the Obelisk but you cannot go inside because it is under renovations

4. La Boca area.... go to this area to see how the house are all painted in many different colors.
One building can be painted 10 different colors.
Here you will see the Tango done in the streets.

5.Florida Street is a must see and walk.
This is a long pedestrian shopping street, no vehicle traffic here.

At the start of Florida street is a McDonalds on one side and a nice restaurant called Munchies on the otherside. Go inside and have some ice cream !!!

Right infron of Muchies is the San Martin Park
...walk in here and take some pictures of the monument of San Martin.. the liberator of Peru , Argentina and Chile.
That nice red brick watch tower you see when in the Park , was given to Buenos Aires by England in 1916 to commemorate their 100 years of Independence.

In fact Argentina became Independent on July 9th 1816 and that is why the widest avenue is called July 9th.

6. You must see a TRAngo Dinner show.
A good one is at:
La Ventana Phone (54 11) 4334-1314

oops I posted before I was finished.

The Tango show was terrific at La Ventana.

7. Hire a tour guide and let him show you all the lovely place in Buenos Aires.

You will see a metal tulip like flower with five leaflets.
Although made of metal this flower's leaflets close at 7 PM and open up at 7 Am ..by a mechanical device ..neat

Lots to see have a good time.
and yes ..

I agree with Graziella5b...take the plane to Iguassu Falls...don' waste time on a gruelling 20 hour bus ride.
Wait till you see the Devil's Throat Waterfall, your first impression is WOW!!!
Percy

Hi dsd,
What made you want to go to Buenos Aires and South America to begin with?
Maybe it would be easier to help you with your plans..and you can use our advice to make your own lists.
We were there for 2 weeks, but we knew we wanted to see everything we could In Buenos Aires, we figured we would go to Colonia for a day and maybe an estancia. All as day trips.
But we were so involved in being in the city, enjoying the restaurants, sights, museums , parks etc, that we never left.
So what is it you want out of the visit and we might have more ideas.
In the meantime, Graziella has given you a good answer, just read everything everyone has written about BsAs and that will perhaps inspire you..
Good luck !

Spend a day or two in Montevideo (Uruguay). It's only a short plane hop away.

I found a street market on Sunday but can't remember where as I was wondering around.

2 weeks is far too long in BA. Definitely go somewhere else too.

Thank you so much for everyone's great advice. We are going to BA to visit our son who is studying there this semester (lucky fellow). He will be busy with classes so we will have lots of time to sightsee. We love to travel but have never been to South America, so this should be an experience. My husband is quite interested in wines, so maybe a trip to the wine country would be in order. We have booked what looks like a great apartment (although more expensive than I thought) and are interested in soaking in the whole experience. Sounds like the food will be good too. Any other advice you have, we would appreciate it so much. dsd162 in VA.

Oh how nice that you will be visiting your son as well as getting to go to Buenos Aires!

I guess the apt is through shortstay? That is a beautiful apt and I have heard great things about it, I think you will love it.

Food is good, especially if you eat steak ( we don't lol) but Italian and everything we had was quite good.
We enjoyed browsing the neighborhoods, Palermo Viejo and Soho are fun for eating and shopping.
Palermo Chico and the Museums and cafes and just walking and enjoying the beautiful parks.
Barrio Norte and Recoleta are good for walks, parks, shopping , and cinemas as well as the touristy things that you should not miss like the Recoleta Cemetary, the Belle Arts Museum, browsing the shops on Av Alvear and going to Patio Bullrich.
San Telmo on Sunday and going to a Tango show. That can range from a small not too fancy and expensive show at Cafe Tortoni to the big extravaganzas like Senor Tango and Esquina Gardel.
I would definitely do a day trip to Colonia and and estancia.

Hi dsd162

The flights to the Iguassu Falls depart from Buenos Aires about 3-4 times a day, so you should be able to get a flight there.

If you see dog walkers in Buenos Aires it is because dog walking is a lucrative profession.

They can earn up to $35.00 per month per dog!!
When you see 10 dog on many leashes ,then he is making $350.00 a month.

Doctors get a government salary of about $290.00 a month.. I guess dog walking is better !!!

Argentinains love their meat ( mainly steak), so if your husband loves steak , he will be in the right places.

Percy

Dsd..if you rented the Palermo apartment from short stay, there are many restaurants and cafes nearby, and the best ice cream store in Buenos Aires.

There are several wine shops in Buenos Aires that offer tastings if your husband does not talk you into a trip to Mendoza.....

I would suggest 3days/2nights in Iguazu by plane. I have stayed in a three star hotel that I liked, Cabins on the River, and at the Sheraton inside the park. All three are fine, depending on your budget/needs.

Take a day trip to an estancia while you are in BA and do take in a tango show. I like Estancia Dos Hermanos very much for a relaxing day in the country (Scarlett...you are never too old to ride a horse).

Be sure to visit cafe tortoni (for coffee...not for a meal) it is a perfect place to stop after visiting Plaza de Mayo and the National Cathederal....cafe la Biela in Recoleta , a nice stop before or after a visit to the cemetary. Visit the parks of Palermo, you will not be far away in the aparment where you are staying. I like Rosedel....You are also near the Bellas Artes and MALBA museums...both are worth a trip...and you are not far from the Evita museum.

kaneda talks of "seeing a street market".. not sure if she means in bs As or Uruguay... But Sunday in Bs As is great for markets. Scarlett mentioned San Telmo. There is also a weekend crafts market in Recoleta.
I would highly recommend the Feria de Mataderos on Sundays. Gaucho and folkloric entertainment, lots of food vendors and various stalls and stands for crafts and other things. its a bit off the normal tourist track, but worth the trip.

Though I personally disagree with kaneda who says 2 weeks is two much - you probably should choose one other destination just because you have come so far and who knows when you will be back again...

Buenos Aires is a great place for just walking around and wandering. You always just seem to come upon something interesting - be it a square or a park or a monument, fascinating buildings, or as Percy has noted the dog walkers with their dozen dogs in tow..

So eat steak, and ice cream, drink malbec, sit in a cafe and relax and enjoy the atmosphere...


good luck,
raquel

The apartment we settled on is from Apartments BA located at Billinghurst Santa Fe in Palermo. The one from Short Stay in BA was booked. I don't really have any idea where our apartment location is but our son said it is a good area near the Recoleta side of Palermo. He is staying with a host family in Palermo and likes it very much. Any suggestions for restaurants near Billinghurst and Santa Fe? (thanks so much for all of this great info) dsd162 in VA

Oh, I forgot to thank drdawggy and scarlett. We found our apartment for rent thanks to your help in a previous posting. I would not have had a clue how to start the process ... your info made it all very easy. dsd162 in VA

Hi
Great! I doubt I was much help, I just listen to dr dawggy and Graziela and raquel :)
I like that location, I think you will too.
and I am sure you will like the apt, it seems every apt that they offer is just beautiful!
I was tempted to dress the dog up in a hat and suit ((&)) and pretend he was my homely child - so we could rent one of the No pet apts lol.

I stayed about 3 blocks from there (on Bulnes near Santa Fe) and it is a great area. Very convenient for anything you need. You will be close to buses and the subte and to Alto Palermo mall. Check out Charcas Boulevard. There are lots of cafes.

I am pretty sure that technically Billinghurst is actually in Recoleta - the official border is one block away -on Colonel Diaz. But that really won't make a difference either way.

enjoy
raquel

Scarlett,

Will you be trusting one of the dogwalkers with your pup..:)
((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&)) ((&))

Or maybe once you are settled in you can start a new career yourself.

Scarlett, you must really be getting excited now...

raquel

lol, I am my own dogwalker.
Yes, I am so very excited, we finally got our own short term rental, a car to pick us up since no little Radio cab will fit everything into it and soon, I hope, the mail will have our Visas in it.
14 days til we are there :D

Ahhhh...the dog walkers...that explains it. We just got back from a week in BA and we were amazed by the dog walkers. We would be walking in the am in the Recoletta and see guys with 25-20 dogs on leashes. All very orderly and no one dog tripping over the other. We could not understand why one man would walk so many dogs...now we know it is lucrative. It also explains a lot of the piles we would encounter on the side walks!

Yes, we are gonna have to do something about those piles though :(
If Paris could start picking up after their dogs, BsAs can too :)

dsd...that apt on Billinghurst is fabulous.
I will copy it if I have to do renovations on whatever we get lol.

dsd162, Sorry I did not give you more information in my first posting ...frankly I thought that it was to vague, but then reading on, and reading what Scarlet
has written, I realized that we might be there at the same time and shall be more than happy to help. When are you going? This time we rented an apartment in Posadas and Montevideo, where is yours located?
We shall be in Bs As from April 24 th. on.

Oh Scarlett, I am so envious!!

Tell us all the details of your adventure. We've been to the Japanese Gardens, so I have an idea where you're looking to buy an apartment.

May your visa come quickly and you have a safe trip.

Granny (Carol)

Just came back from BA (8 nights), Iguazu (2 nights), Bariloche (3 nights) two weeks ago. In BA we stayed at Melia Recoleta Plaza Hotel (Posada) @ $230/nt. Inclusive tax and breakfast (WOW Arg. Rate) very close to Park Hyatt, Alvear Palace, Ceasar Palace, and love this area. We did a lot of walking and sometime taxi (only get on the Radio Taxi – metered), which is inexpensive. We do one district (barrio) per day. We follow Fodors guidebooks and just about see everything recommended. We took a horse drawn carriage in Palermo and got dropped off at the Japanese garden for a stroll – lovely. Do the flea market on Sunday in San Telmo, etc. Went to Piazzolla Dinner Tango show –$65.00 regular seating with shuttle bus transfer and menu include appetizer, main course, desert and drinks (1 bottle of wine for 2). Good restaurants: for lunch try La Bourgogne at Alvear Palace Hotel, we went there 3 times (2X for lunch and 1X for dinner). The lunch is the best ever for 66.00(200 peso) for 2 persons. Although pr. Fix you can still select each course (3), plus wine and coffee. You will not be hungry the rest of the day. Dinner is 2X more expensive. We also tried Nectarine (recommended by Fodors) – don’t go – more expensive than La Bourgogne. Sottovoce is also very good – moderately price – recommend reservation for dinner (we went 3 X for dinner). La Caballeriza (Porto Modero?) – NO, don’t go. Also tried the toasted sandwich at Francesca in all the shopping malls – 15 pesos for a big club sandwich. Try the empanadas (no more than 1.80 peso each) at Sanjuanino (on Posadas few doors down from Melia R. Plaza Hotel). Sirop – beneath Nectarine is also very good and moderate price. Park Hyatt has a French and Italian restaurant - $$$$. The Italian is better and on par with La Bourgogne for dinner. Yes do go to Café Tortoni for coffee or tea. Shopping – well there was not anything that I want to lug around. We went to Colonia by fast boat - $194/2 person for the day. Town seems to be deserted and we ate at a seaside café – El Torreon, the mosquitoes were bearing down on us as we stroll in the park. We decide to change tix for an earlier departure. There was great chaos at the ticket counter but we finally got general seating instead of 1st class seating with no refund. We were glad to be back in BA. We had also (thru WOW Arg.’s recommendation) booked an overnight at La Bamba estancia with private transfer from domestic airport at $766/2 persons staying at a master double room. But there was a thunderstorm that day and the road to the estancia was too muddy for driving thru so we were only able to go for the day a few days later (lucky we had many days in BA) and were refunded $393.00. Our experience at this estancia was not very good – the receptionist had no reservation for us but said it is ok just go and have lunch now (we didn’t bring the fax from WOW with the new changes). We decided to go horseback riding before lunch. They provide mosquito repellant for you – make sure you spray all over even the saddle we set out with a group of 6. We just rode along the road for about forty-five minutes. Open bar set up on the lawn, we were served empanadas and we set with some local tourist who came for the day. Even thou we don’t speak much Spanish we were able to communicate a little with them. They are all very friendly. There was a salad bar and 3 different cut of beef served – not the best beef we’ve had though. Desert was ice cream. After lunch we decided to ride horses again before heading back to BA. We were glad that we didn’t stay at the estancia, which is in a dilapidated form. The door handle to the restroom was about to come off any moment. We heard that this place is for sale.


We flew to Bariloche from BA. Upon arrival we checked out the car and started to head out to La Balsas in Villa la angostura. It is a very direct and simple route to follow. But we missed the sign and went directly into town. A very nice gentleman led us all the way down to the hotel. At first sight we didn’t feel that this place is worth the rate they charge and was a little disappointed. Since the restaurant just closed (very late 1:30AM) they made a sandwich for us for dinner. After a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast we felt so much better and head out for some hiking and exploring. Indeed it is very beautiful. But of course we had dinner at the hotel both nights – this is a Relais & Chateaux hotel so the food is very good. The next day we hired a boat and head out to do some fishing – no luck! We also went to the Myrtle (?) woods for a hike. In the afternoon I had scheduled a facial and my husband a message. It was the best facial I’ve had. On the day of our departure – we drove to the town of Bariloche and headed out to Llao Llao Hotel for lunch (one can go into the hotel if you tell them you are having lunch or dinner on the property otherwise you cannot go in). It was so so. Our flight back to BA was delayed (the thunder storm had caused a few problems for the airport) and we didn’t get back to hotel until 2 am.

Our flight to Iguazu was rebooked when I was in Bariloche and we had the early afternoon flight. We had a driver met us at the airport and took us to Sheraton inside the part. Hotel is OK and we had a fall view on the top floor. We head out to the top fall right away – it was very humid - lucky we had a small umbrella for shade but no hat. For dinner both nights we had their buffet. We follow the instruction we got from hotel and did our own walk both days - if you got tickets for the Zodiac ride (it goes under the fall and you’ll get totally drench) make sure you do it last (watch out for last ride time) so that you don’t have to spend the rest of the day walking around in wet clothes. Iguazu Falls is more spectacular than Niagara Falls! One more thing – must bring along OFF no mater when you go!

Hi Gamble, great report. I am glad you had a good time, thank you for your imput from restaurants it is very helpful, I like Syrop where we go often, but was on my way to try Nectarine....now I have your report.
It seems there are a lot of mosquitoes this year,
!! So Off will it be. Thank you again.

Was just able to get back on the PC and see a lot of new information for our visit. We will be in BA from 5/14-5/26. Sounds like if we want to see the falls or Bariloche, we should fly. How do you find a flight? Do I inquire while I am stateside,or wait until we get in country? Thank you to everyone for taking the time to answer ...dsd162 in VA

We made our first trip to BsAs in November 2005 and absolutely loved it. We went to Iguazu for two nights. I e-mailed a travel agent in BsAs before we left and she arranged flight and hotel for us. Worked out very well. The falls are incredible and shouldn't be missed.

You have received good advice from many, but if you are still open for more, I have a file I compiled when planning our trip. If you are interested, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.

We are going to spend two weeks May 01- May 15 in South America. I booked my flight BA – Iguazu Falls with Aerolineas Argentina on line. It was $237.16 for two one way tickets (we are going to Rio from Iguazu).