Discover Buenos Aires

Just a few words on Buenos Aires as a city, on what you should visit and some recommended internet sites that are worth a glance.

First of all, the geography of Buenos Aires is very simple and responds to how the city originally mushroomed: the capital city expanded from South to North on the edge of La Plata river, starting from a neighbourhood called "La Boca" to the moden and residential Palermo and Belgrano neighbourhoods.

Sightseeing in Buenos Aires: what you must see.
- La Boca: it is a very famous neighboorhood that keeps the original vivid colours that the italian inmigrants gave it in order to disguise the misery and poverty it sheltered. Until the end of the 19th century, La Boca was the dockers' neighborhood. Later the docks were moved to Puerto Madero and this original part of Buenos Aires fell in disgrace and misery. The bad fortune of the italians dockers gave birth to the tango, an artistic means they created to express their sorrow and melancholy. La Boca is worth a visit. It takes 2 hours to get around what is worth visiting. You should always remain in the touristic zone, the one composed with colourful house. The touristic La Boca really consists of 3 blocks. Beware of pickpockets and crooks.

- San Telmo: it is a neighbourhood of antiques and art galleries. It symbolizes the past glory of Buenos Aires. It was the heart of the high society until the cholera epidemies in 1867 and 1871. At that time, the absence of water and sewage encouraged the whealthiest inhabitants to relocate from the hard-hit southern sections to Recoleta and Barrio Norte. It takes 2 to 3 hours to visit San Telmo.
Do visit La Boca and San Telmo the same day. You can combine both in a morning or afternoon "little tour".

- Recoleta: a very nice neighbourhood if you looking a place where you can enjoy a walk at random. Recoleta is a very famous for its cemetery and its cultural centre. I personnally like it for its architecture and its very traditionnal cafés.

- Puerto Madero: an extremely modern part of Buenos Aires. It once sheltered the docks of Buenos Aires harbour. In the late 80's, Puerto Madero was upgraded and now hosts the best restaurants and the most expensive apartements of the city.

- Palermo: Palermo is the argentine equivalent of "Le Marais" in Paris. Boutiques, cafés and "attitude". It is where the hype-cool-trendy people gather every day. It really has a little something that is worth a visit. It is good fun to go there and have a walk but all in all there is not much to see. At night, Palermo bursts with an infinite offer of restaurants of all types.

2 Excellent websites to start discovering the city before being there: http://ohbuenosaires.com/english/index.htm
http://www.bue.gov.ar/home/index.php?&lang=en