Guides in Buenos Aires
 

I will be in B.A. in Feb. for 6 nts and thought a couple of tours of the whole city and maybe one or two of the neighborhoods would be fun. Has anyone heard of Cicerones who gives free tours? Does anyone suggest a tour company or guide that they have used?
Thanks,
ShaynaK

So far, The Cicerones are the only tour guides I would want to use.

http://www.cicerones.org.ar/index_eng.php?newLang=eng

there is one lady who posts here sometimes... she posted about her experience with the Cicerones she used, a couple of times, I think.

Try doing a search at the top of the page, Search the Forums : ... put in Cicerones and see what you find :- )

Two very good companies for private or small group tours in BsAs are:

1. Eternautus @ www.eternautas.com &

2.Buenos Aires Historico
@ buenosaireshistorico.com/english.html

Cicerones are great - they have free tours as well, including a free tour of Recoleta Cemetary.

We have enjoyed our tours with each of these on our BsAs visits.

There are also great free walking tours; they are knowledgable Porteño guides. They work exclusively for tips, and there are several walking tours to choose from.
@ http://www.buenosairesfreetour.com

And there is the hop on-hop off bus now, too. So you can mix and match or whatever pleases you. I hope you do enjoy your stay. ~Marnie

MarnieWDC is spot on, as usual.

For a more personable and independent experience, I would highly recommend that you consult my guide's website: www.ciceroneba.com.ar.

I'm a senior and engaged this young man's services and expertise in October of 2007 (the spring of South America). He was my guide on five occasions, and each time we fulfilled a segment of our itinerary.

On one of the Sundays during my visit, Marcelo came to my apartment around 10a, we took a taxi to the Plaza de Mayo where the "Pink Palace" is located and walked throughout the area. This was a supreme time for photos.

By it being a weekend, the area was virtually devoid of a deluge of locals as well as tourists; we had the area to ourselves which felt great, great, great. I'd been to the area when it was complete; thus I cherished this time on that Sunday and contrasted it with the time that I'd spent in the area during the weekday!

From the plaza and its environs, we taxied to the Cafe Torteni where we had a rather inexpensive meal at this famed venue. Once we left I can't remember if we walked or took a taxi to San Telmo (which is a great Sunday adventure)-- took in all that was available, enjoying the ambience and people and cultural attributes.... A day I shall forever remember in mind and photos.

Eddwarm, have you ever used any other guides?

What you describe is the same thing the Cicerones do but they don't charge you for it.
If you are ever here in BA again, you should try The Cicerones and compare ..
They have been around for a while too, which is nice.

The Cicerones' website is:
http://www.cicerones.org.ar/index_eng.php?newLang=eng

Have a great time in our country.

Oops, I apologize, their website had already been mentioned in this thread.

I highly recommend the tour guides from www.bafreetour.com. Our guides did an outstanding job showing us the city. They answered all of our questions with much patience and grace.
Simply excellent and highly recommended!!

I have had three independent guides during my visits to Buenos Aires, but I have yet to receive free guiding. I did not mind paying for this service because what was provided was quite stellar on all three accounts, but of the three independent guides, I preferred Marcelo for his personal touch and professional expertise.

I will be engaging his services again if I manage to get back to Buenos Aires in April; I also plan to contact Cicerones, too, for one or two experiences.