Buenos Aires, located along the Rio de la Plata estuary in Argentina‘s Pampas region, serves as its capital city and offers a pulsating atmosphere of sophistication.
Argentinians love football (soccer) and tango. Buenos Aires offers many museums and art galleries for entertainment and is one of Latin America’s foremost publishing centers.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is Argentina’s capital and largest city in South America, serving as an industrial center and bustling port with one of the busiest ports worldwide. Buenos Aires draws thousands of visitors who marvel at its historic streets and avant-garde architecture each year.
Buenos Aires, located on the southern shore of Rio de la Plata, covers nearly 200 square miles and boasts a population of 16 Million. As one of Latin America’s cultural centers and travel hubs, this vibrant city is known for its music, literature, dance, and two of the world’s top opera houses: Teatro Colon and Teatro Argentino.
Buenos Aires is an incredible shopping center boasting numerous shops and boutiques. Avenida de Mayo’s main street features stately 19th-century buildings and some of its top museums like Casa Rosada (presidential palace). Other popular tourist attractions include Teatro Buenos Aires opened in 1908 for opera, ballet, and theater productions, and the MALBA Museum of Contemporary Latin American Art.
Buenos Aires is home to all three branches of Argentina’s government: executive (president and vice president), legislative (bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional), and judicial (Supreme Court or Corte Suprema). Furthermore, this bustling metropolis features the country’s most diverse media coverage, with numerous newspapers and magazines covering local and global politics and news.
Clarin, founded in 1870 and with immense circulation, became well known during the military dictatorship for its independence and open criticism of government policies. Other newspapers include La Nacion and Buenos Aires Herald, which also provide coverage.
La Recoleta
Buenos Aires is a city full of beauty and charm. The streets are lined with charming wrought iron balconies and cafe patios where most cafes serve delicious pastries and coffee. The city’s architecture is heavily influenced by European styles; during the late 19th century there was an architectural boom where grand buildings constructed using rich materials like boiserie roof tiles, slate roof tiles, marble for staircases, bronze and ironwork designs by some of the greatest architects of their day were constructed – some have even been demolished due to modernisation efforts by some of these same architects who designed them all but many have since been demolished despite these grand structures being created by some of these great architects who designed them; many grand buildings were constructed during that architectural boom; unfortunately many grand buildings designed by some of these same architects has long since been demolished and rebuilt as grand buildings designed by some great architects have either been destroyed or demolished over time due to modernisation efforts that affected their construction, such as boiserie roof tiles on grand building foundations built from rich materials like boiserie, slate roof tiles as well as marble for staircases with bronze and ironwork designs by some of these famous architects having gone before them being demolished since.
Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) is an exciting place to explore, like an open-air museum of death with artistic styles ranging from Neo-Gothic, forest rock caves and Art Deco mausoleums constructed by wealthy families who wished their loved ones to be laid to rest with dignity and exclusivity.
Wealthy Argentine families would construct huge mausoleums for themselves and their departed children, employing various architectural styles from French, Italian, and Spanish architecture. Some still stand, while others have since collapsed into ruin. Many are decorated with sculptures, such as the Virgin Mary statue commissioned by city founder Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, an independence monument by Antoine Bourdelle, and Eduardo Catalano’s Nude Male Torso bronze figure (Nude Man’s Body). Some crypts are lavish and feature modern decor, while others are neglected and overrun with trash. An interesting burial belongs to Luis Angel Firpo, Argentina’s most celebrated boxer during the 1920s, known for his powerful fighting style as ‘The Wild Bull of the Pampas.’
Visits to the Cemetery are a fantastic way of experiencing and understanding Argentine culture and history while providing access to some of the city’s most notable buildings and streets – Alvear Avenue is named after its creator, Mayor Torcuato de Alvear – that can also offer beautiful sights.
Colon Theater
The Colon Theater is one of the premier opera houses worldwide, alongside Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Opera Garnier in Paris, and Royal Opera House in London. Renowned for its superior acoustics and architectural features – making it a pride of the city and setting standards in opera, ballet, and classical music performances worldwide since 1857 when it first opened. However, its home on Nine de Julio Avenue near Obelisk was inaugurated on May 25, 1908, with Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida performance by Giuseppe Verdi himself!
Between 1857 and 1888, it stood on Plaza de Mayo until construction of its current home began. Francesco Tamburini and Victor Meano’s architectural team designed it at a scale unmatched in Argentina then.
Since its opening, several legendary singers and dancers have graced the Colon stage, leaving their mark and enjoying excellent career success. Arturo Toscanini and Enrico Caruso, Lily Pons and Titta Rufo, Margot Fonteyn Norma Fontanella, Maria Callas Rudolf Nureyev, to name but a few are just a few names that come to mind here.
At the Colon, some of the world’s leading orchestras, such as the Vienna Philharmonic and Philadelphia Symphony, have graced our stages, along with notable soloists like Martha Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Paco de Lucia, and Antonio De Raco.
The Colon is a national cultural landmark that draws thousands of visitors every year. Attending performances is highly recommended, but even taking a tour through its halls is highly advised.
Guided tours can be enjoyed for a small fee, allowing visitors to see the foyer, Bustos Gallery of Sculptures, and the smaller Golden Hall. Your tour guide will discuss the history and decoration of this theater as well as upcoming performances that may occur here.
Belgrano
Belgrano is an elegant residential neighborhood known for its wealth and the location of Argentina’s first presidential palace. Additionally, this area was the scene of the May Revolution and today serves as a historic district with multiple museums. Within reach from downtown Buenos Aires by subway or bus, its borders include Palermo, Nunez, and Coghlan bars for added peace in its leafy environs with old-world charm aplenty.
Belgrano Street and park were named in honor of General Manuel Belgrano, who designed the Argentine flag and led its independence movement. Though he achieved no tremendous military or political victories himself, he remains highly regarded by later generations and remains one of Argentina’s most celebrated generals; today, many streets, parks, and public buildings carry his legacy forward in their namesakes.
Belgrano stands out as a neighborhood in Buenos Aires due to its relatively low population density and quiet streets lined with shade trees. Here you’ll find commercial and residential spaces, such as Galerias La Recoleta’s upscale shopping mall, numerous popular bars and restaurants, the Instituto Nacional del Tango, and several prestigious private universities in this neighborhood.
Another cultural site of importance in Belgrano is Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepcion (“Redonda” or Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepcion). Construction on this church began when Belgrano was still an independent town and was inaugurated in 1878 – since then, its iconic status has grown immensely, becoming an indispensable destination. Surrounded by picturesque cafes and ice cream parlors that recall Ancient Rome and located within a square where fairs typically occur on weekends – visitors won’t miss seeing “Redonda.”
Belgrano offers more than museums; numerous restaurants and cafes serve excellent Argentine cuisine, such as traditional grilled meats, empanadas, dulce de leche, or local specialty yerba mate done in gourds with metal straws inserted. Furthermore, Belgrano hosts one of Buenos Aires’ three Chinatowns, filled with restaurants catering to Asian Argentines and visitors.
