If you've only a few days in Buenos Aires, you may be overwhelmed by all there is to see and do. Sightseeing, history, tango, nightlife, shopping, the famous barrios: what should you be sure to see? Here's a suggested list to give you a variety of choices, a sampling that this great sophisticated city that never sleeps has to offer.
Many of the official buildings in the city are getting a facelift for Argentina's 2010 bicentennial celebrations, but don't let that stop you from enjoying your visit.
Casa Rosada and the Presidential Museum
Peter and Jackie Main
The Pink House, or the Presidential Offices, is one of the most visited and photographed sites in Buenos Aires. Dominating the Plaza de Mayo, or main square in central Buenos Aires, it is a good starting off spot for a feel of the city. You can watch the changing of the guard, tour the presidential museum (reserve first) and stand below the famous balcony, to the left of the main entrance, where Evita and presidents addressed the crowds in the plaza.
Museo Evita
Fifty years after her death in 1952, the Evita Museum opened in the building that once housed her charity, the Eva Perón Foundation. Her life and charitable works are represented here in a very personalized display closely linked to her family. A visit to see personal items, including some of her fabulous wardrobe, and historical mememtos is an excellent way to understand her life and times.Plaza de Mayo
ArtToday.com
The first plaza in Buenos Aires was laid out in 1580 as Plaza del Fuerte, and with independence was renemed the Plaza de Mayo. Impressive official buildings line the plaza, and it is here that many of the celebrations and protests take place. A well-known and sad gathering is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, a weekly gathering of mothers protesting the loss of loved ones called Desaparecidos, disappeared ones, during the Dirty War, a bleak moment in Argentina's history. The women wear a white kerchief, the symnbol of their organization and loss.
The plaza is also a place to rest and people watch, to see and be seen, or feed the pigeons.
Teatro Colón
Peter and Jackie Main
This grand theatre has been closed for restoration, but call in advance to see if guided tours are available.
Café Tortoni
Join the thousands, who since its beginnings in 1858, have gathered in the cafe for a cup of coffee, and good discussion about matters of the day, or a meal among the mememtos of a very long and illustrious history.Recoleta Cemetery
Les Inglis
Take a quiet walk through La Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron and other Argentine notables are buried. The narrow, tree shaded streets welcome walkers and most visitors head to the grave site seen here, the Duarte family mausoleum, where Evita and her family are memorialized.
La Boca
Peter and Jackie Main
The La Boca barrio, or neighborhood, in Buenos Aires, grew up on the bank of the Riachuelo, a narrow canal where meat packers and warehouses serviced the city. Italian immigrants found a home here, and their hastily erected tin houses formed the basis of the residential area.
Tango Show
Peter and Jackie Main
You can ask your hotel to make reservations at a noted tango hall, or join a tour to see Buenos Aires by night. You can also take in a tango lesson at a tango salon. Quite often, you might see tango dancers displaying their sensuous moves and expertise in the street.
Shopping
Buenos Aires is known for its fine and upscale shopping areas. Fine leather goods, international fashion and boutiques abound. There are shopping malls in the barrios, antique shops and the markets, such as the one in San Telmo, bookstores and art galleries to please a variety of tastes and budgets.Obelisk and Avenida Nueve de Julio
Roberto Ingledew
This famous Buenos Aires landmark dominates the intersection of Corrientes and Avenida 9 de Julio in the heart of the city. The avenue, named for Argentine independence, is extremely wide, making pedestrian crossing almost an impossibility, so underground passeways, many connected to the subte, or subway sustem, are in heavy use.
The Obelisk is the focus point for celebrations and demonstrations and no visit to Buenos Aires is complete without a walk around the base to view the bronze plaques celebrating Argentine provinces.
