Buenos Aires: Sunday

Sunday is a busy day. Today you should definitely visit La Boca and San Telmo. I left these two for Sunday because the antique market in San Telmo is on Sunday and it is certainly one of the main attractions here.

First visit San Telmo. This is the one of the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, which has preserved the colonial feeling and bohemian charm. The main attraction here is the antique market located right on Plaza Dorrego. The whole neighborhood is full of cafes, antique shops, and tango places. The best way to feel is to just relax, walk around the market and the small streets, and have a coffee in one of the street cafes and people watch. There are a lot of artists singing and dancing on the streets so you will be well entertained. 

Buenos Aires: Saturday

Ok guys, I have been doing this itinerary and I know for a fact that you are not waking up before noon today.

Buenos Aires: Friday

I think it’s time to visit Tigre and the delta of the Plata river. You can get to Tigre by the picturesque Tren de la Costa with eleven stations on the way each offering a variety of tourist attractions including history, art displays, shopping, site seeing and more. The end station is the Delta, where you will also find access to Parque de la Costa, Casino, Handicraft Market, and access to various water sports. Here are some useful facts:

Buenos Aires: Thursday

One of the great advantages of Buenos Aires is that it is a very walkable and bikeable city. All along Libertador Avenue there is a long stretch of parks and lakes where you can run, rollerblade and bike. Also, this year the government of Buenos Aires followed the green movement of the larger neighboring cities such as Bogota and Mexico and invested in the development of official protected bike routes through the program called “Mejor en Bici”. You can’t use these bikes as they serve as an eco mode of transportation for the residents of Buenos Aires but you can certainly rent your own bike and explore the city in a safe manner using the official bike paths. Here is the link to the latest Map of bike designated routes.

Buenos Aires: Wednesday

Palermo, and to be more specific Palermo Soho, is by far my favorite neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is always full of life. Monday through Sunday the local artesans spread their hand made goods all along the stone streets of Palermo Soho and are perfectly complemented with the wide array of boutique shops where the local designers make a name for themselves. You can find anything from random Pop Art to fancy Polo shops and street markets. You can easily spend hours shopping around and stopping for break at the coffee shops with balconies overlooking the streets and plenty of tables right on the street. Plaza Armenia is the best place for people watching and taking a break.

Buenos Aires: Tuesday (Polo with Fernando)

Argentina is famous for its numerous “Estancias” (Ranches), “Asado” (BBQ), and Polo (and the Polo players for you ladies ;). So when you are here and it’s the Polo season, you have to go and see a match. The Polo season is very short from end September till December so if you are here outside of these dates you should still take a Polo lesson, which is so much fun. Fine print note…prepare for major butt pain but it’s all well worth it.

I recommend my lovely teacher and Polo player himself, Fernando Nieto. Fer, will take you for a full day experience with his eight beautiful horses, each named after a Tango song. It is a truly remarkable experience to visit the farm with Fer as his love and affection for these eight lucky horses will make you feel at home and fall in love with mother nature and her children. Let me tell you that it is not easy to hit a little ball the size of a billiard ball with a long skinny stick while sitting up in the air on top of a horse…but it is not impossible. At the end of the day you will even play a little match or what will resemble a parody of a match but still…we are here to have fun and learn something new right?

Buenos Aires: Monday

Buenos Aires in English means “Good Airs” and it certainly lives up to its name. It is by far one of my favorite cities in Latin America. First and for most, it is a very walkable city, a rare quality of a large metropolis in this part of the World. It is also a city that never sleeps and I really mean it. Sometimes it seems that the concept of week days and weekends does not exist or matter at all, which can be pretty dangerous for an office rat like me.

“Los Porteños” or otherwise the Argentines leaving in Buenos Aires (make no mistake mixing them with the provinces) looove to talk and will talk your ears out on literary any topic you may raise so be careful what you ask for. I once went into Freddo, a popular ice cream place, and couldn’t leave the place for 20 minutes as I was listening to the history of the Polish kings and the Prussian invasion…I really only wanted an ice cream. Though I do recommend getting into at a few lively conversations as it can be very entertaining.

There are a few interesting touristic sites in the city; however, Buenos Aires is a place you have to feel. It’s an experience rather than a mere check list of monuments and museums. Here goes your one-week adjustable itinerary. I am providing a Mon-Sun schedule as some places and attractions are best on specific days of the week.

Casa Coupage

Moving to Argentina

Yes, the "Good-Bye Chicken" was no joke. I have moved to the land of mighty cow proudly served on every corner, in every form, and in very generous portions. Interestingly enough, just as I moved to the big juicy steak paradise, I realized that I am not that into meat anymore. I mean I still appreciate a good bloody steak but I am on a mission to discover the hidden fish and seafood scenery of this protein rich country. My mission for now will be to discover the hidden land of ceviches. I will not abandon meat completely and I will only mention the noteworthy meat & pasta places.

I will aslo add other international travel and culinary adventures. It only makes sense as I have been riding my luggage to pieces this year. I managed to turn my Samsonite hard cover suitecase into what remindes me of a piece of Swiss cheese. Let the journey begin...