Buenos Aires is a magnificent city. The people are genuine and friendly, and the dollar stretches to allow even meager travel budgets feel expansive.
Where to Stay
Depending on your budget, you may be looking to stay in a hotel or hostel, but if you can afford just a little bit moreespecially if you are travelling with a friend, consider renting an apartment for the week. It is easy to find places on line. Craigslist and The Buenos Aires
Herald, and English language newspaper usually have listings.
Stay near the center of the city. These
neighborhoodsMicrocentro, Retiro, Recoleta, Barrio Norte, and Palermohave the most to offer for both lodging and entertainment.
What To Do
Eat. If you like beef, this is the place to have the best steak of you life, el bife de lomo. Places to eat steak abound, but it is worth asking locals where they would go. The places that cater to tourists charge more than their worth.
If you like pizza, Cafe Kentucky in Palermo has excellent pizza. It is right next to the Plaza Italia stop on the Subway.
Freddo is a reliable place for ice cream. They have stores all over the city. You can ask for a sample of any of there dozens of flavors so you can choose wisely.
Palermo is a great neighborhood for walking around the parks. Buy a mat, the traditional gourd, some
yerba, and thermos. Go to the park and drink mat with the rest of the porteos. Palermo also has cool restaurants and bars. On the weekends there is a fria (a open-air market).
Spend at least one afternoon in La Boca (definitely take a cab to La Boca as the walk from the center of town is both long and dangerous). You can stop in San Telmo on the way. It has an antiques fair that is a great place to people watch.
See a tango show. There are lots of expensive ones like Seor Tango and El Viejo Almacen. Skip those and find a place that has "Tango Show" written on a chalkboard in the window. These places are usually dark and smoky and fill up with an older clientele who remember the glory days of tango. The shows can take hours, so come around 10, order dinner and a bottle of wine and settle in for the night.
See a movie. This might sound like a strange suggestion, but Buenos Aires
has the nicest movie theaters in the world. All American movies are show in English with Spanish subtitles, but if you are feeling adventurous, there are usually some Argentine movies showing. The best theater is in Recoleta, it is called the Village.
If you feel like you've done everything there is to do in the center of the city, take the bus to the Tren de la Costa. To get there, find a 152 bus going north (make sure you have coins ready to pay) all the way to the Tren de la Costa station. The Tren de la Costa is a luxury train that winds its way to Tigre, a little resort town north of the city, a nice place to spend the afternoon.
Some General Customs
Argentines eat dinner late. 10 or 11 o'clock is a normal dinnertime.
Argentines almost always greet each other before doing business"Buen da" in the morning."Buenas tardes" in the afternoon. "Buenas noches" at night.
Tipping is customary but not in the same amounts as people to in the US. For cabs, just round up to eliminate any loose change. For restaurants 10% is generous.
Cab drivers usually appreciate it if you tell them where you want to go before you get in the cab. Also, they hate it if you slam the car door.
For all of the beauty of Buenos Aires, for all of the architecture and culture in the city, the best part of any visit to Buenos Aires is the people. So, with whatever Spanish-speaking ability you might have, strike up a conversation. It may be the highlight of your trip.