, the Argentina capital, is the type of city that is longed for without having been there. It has traveled so much over time through its tangos and milongas, its writers, its most emblematic buildings and artists that it is difficult to imagine a life without having stepped on it. If you were thinking about travel to Buenos Aires, let me tell you that you will come across a modern city but that still maintains its traditions being able to enchant its visitors with its cultural mixes embodied in its architecture and cuisine with Spanish, French, and Italian touches. This passionate city offers endless activities, which is why in 2016, it was chosen as the best tourist destination in South America by TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice awards and entered the list of the 50 best places to travel according to Travel Leisure in 2018. Therefore, prepare to be dazzled, tour, get excited, and have fun in one of Latin America's most attractive cities. We present 10 good reasons why you should visit Buenos Aires right now.
1. Because of Free Attractions in Buenos Aires
If you travel to Argentina, more precisely to Buenos Aires, you can save some money doing free activities. Many of these activities can be done by yourself or if it is your first visit, with a guide who can speak in English and/or Spanish (which is also free) to tell you the history of each place you will visit.
What are the tourist attractions in Buenos Aires?
• Recoleta Cemetery
Yes, I know what you are thinking, it will surely seem a little creepy, and you will wonder why someone would advise you to visit a cemetery. The truth is this one of the places to visit in Buenos Aires is not like any other cemetery. Known as The Recoleta Cemetery (name of the neighborhood in which it is located), it is an open-air museum and has important tombs and mausoleums that are real works of art.
Here rest the remains of important personalities of Argentine history such as Eva Peron, Domingo F. Sarmiento, Raul Alfonsín, Victoria Ocampo, Hipolito Yrigoyen, Carlos Gardel, among others. Like all cemeteries, this one has its stories; it is full of legends, myths, and curiosities. You can visit it from Monday to Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and its entrance is free.
• National Museum of Fine Arts
This museum is one of the most important in Latin America, and it has the largest collection of Argentine art in the country, although it also has international art. It is located in the Recoleta neighborhood (in the same neighborhood as the cemetery) and was inaugurated in 1896. The museum is one of the must-see places to visit in Buenos Aires. The National Museum of Fine Arts building has two floors, and two terraces, and on the halls are paintings, drawings, sculptures, engravings, and other artistic objects.
You don't have to be an art connoisseur to visit this important museum worldwide. Anyone will appreciate the magnificent collections. If you travel to Buenos Aires, you have the doors open from Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Mondays, it is closed.
• El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
According to National Geographic, this bookstore is the most beautiful in the world. It works in a restored historic theater that preserves the original structure where it was the scene of ballet concerts, operas, and film screenings in the 20th century. Warm lights and ornaments complete the landscape of a living museum turned into a bookstore.
The respect for the original architecture is allowed to leave, among other elements, the boxes, the cupola decorated by Nazareno Orlandi, the Troiani sculptures, and the velvet curtain that are part of the visit. Its stage is a cafeteria where you can take books to read and sit comfortably. Visit it without paying your entrance from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Sundays from 12:00 to 22:00.
2. Because You Will Love Its Cuisine
Buenos Aires cuisine is one of the best cuisines in the world. Many tourists choose Argentine food because it stands out for both the quality of its meat and the way it is cooked. Over the years, Argentina has developed a rich and varied gastronomy thanks to its Italian, Spanish, and Creole heritage. If you travel to Buenos Aires, you will surely gain a few kilos. Let's start by mentioning some typical dishes in Buenos Aires that you should try: • Bife de Chorizo (Chorizo Steak) The Argentine, especially speaking of the Argentine man, chooses meat as the main dish, for example, the bife de chorizo. It is recognized for being a piece of meat without bone and without internal fat. It is delicious when it is juicy and pink inside. • Chimichurri The quintessential sauce of the country's gastronomy, the chimichurri sauce, is used to put almost any type of Argentine food, especially meat and fish. This sauce is made with many ingredients mixed, among which it can not miss parsley, garlic, vinegar, oregano, chili, olive oil, and salt. • Chorizo Criollo (Creole Sausage) Unlike traditional sausage, Argentine Creole chorizo is not smoked. Basically, the meat is prepared with wine and spices, and then in a maximum of 24 hours, stuff it to be cooked immediately as if you are cooking a barbecue. Usually, it is eaten with bread known as the typical Argentine "choripan." • Milanesas In Argentina, milanesas is a principal dish, and it does require adding some spices to the meat to give flavor. You add melted cheese on top of it, ham, and tomato, giving rise to the typical Neapolitan Milanesa, and accompany them with french fries, mashed potatoes, rice, or salads. Of course, this does not end here; there is much more that you should try, such as dulce de leche, typical Argentine pizzas, alfajores, provolones, etc.
3. Because of Colorful Neighborhoods
When talking about neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, we must mention 5 of the most tourist neighborhoods where each one has its own charms. If you travel to Buenos Aires, you should take a walk around here: • Recoleta This is the coolest neighborhood in Buenos Aires as it stands out for its architecture and the aristocratic character of its residences, surrounded by splendid gardens and beautiful green spaces. Here is the National Library, the cemetery mentioned above, the Basilica of Nuestra Senora del Pilar, and much more. • Palermo This is the largest and most modern neighborhood. Here you will find the best restaurants in Buenos Aires, fashion designer shops, pubs, bars, nightclubs, the botanical garden, the zoo, the Japanese garden, and much more. • San Telmo This is one of the oldest and most traditional neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. This place has a lot of history, and can walk through its Dorrego square, where it becomes an antique fair on Sundays. You will see museums and churches with Gothic style as well as having a good coffee in the shops in the area with elegant aspects that will give you the best service. • La Boca If you are looking for something colorful to post on Instagram, you should stop by this place. It is a very colorful neighborhood full of tourism and nice people who enjoy dancing the tango. Here you will see open-air museums, buildings from the colonial era, traditional restaurants, and the Boca Juniors Stadium. • Puerto Madero This is a very popular neighborhood where you can visit the Sarmiento Frigate, enjoy the gastronomic offer, cross the Puente de la Mujer (The Woman Bridge) and walk through the ecological reserve to watch the sunset.
4. Because You Can Learn to Dance Tango
Are you thinking of travel to Argentina and don't know how to dance tango? Then it is time to learn how to dance tango. Buenos Aires is considered the best place in the world to learn the tango, no matter if you have no idea how to do it. For this, there are the milongas (ballroom for dancing tango), and where they offer classes to tourists who want to experience this sensual and bohemian dance. You can find these milongas in the different neighborhoods that we have mentioned above.
5. Because of Its More than 300 Theatres
The city of Buenos Aires has a wide variety of theatrical shows considered to be the most intense in Latin America, ranking fourth with the most theaters in the world. Among the most famous is the Colon, considered one of the 5 best in the world with its impeccable acoustics. Its architecture and design are impressive. If you like opera or ballet, you have to come. Anyway, even if you don't go to a function, visiting with a guided visit and discovering all its history is worth visiting.
6. Because Its Football is Lived with Passion
Argentines are football lovers; it is much more than sport, it is an experience that is lived with great passion and fanaticism by their fans, which unleashes an incredible show in the stands. Buenos Aires is the city with the largest number of football stadiums in the world. "La cancha" (the pitch or field), as it is called in Argentine football jargon, is one of the main places tourists want to visit to experience the emotions that its fans generate closely. The unmissable show is the Superclasico. This is the game's name between Boca Juniors and River Plate, the most popular football teams in the country, who meet at least twice a year. Besides, of course, there is the National Football Team, where everyone wants to see Lionel Messi.
7. Because of Its Night Life
Are you a night person? Then you must travel to Buenos Aires. This is a great developed city, with culture, and well urbanized. It is also nice how people work but knows how to have fun; it is a city that hardly ever sleeps. Older people live and have fun just like young people; they do not lose interest in life for being of advanced age. The bars and restaurants in Buenos Aires remain open until late at night and the nightclubs too. You can listen to good music with friends and if you are alone, do not worry, Argentines are very friendly, I am sure that you will not return home without first having made friends. You will also find guided museum tours that remain open all night, where you can walk and enjoy art all night.
8. Because of Pope Francis
Although the pontiff has not returned to his native country since he was enthroned in 2013, the city of Buenos Aires remembers him with a tour of the places where he lived, trained, and worked before becoming the Catholic Church's highest authority. The Buenos Aires tourism area launched a free tour that travels by bus and with a guide only to the neighborhoods of Flores, Almagro, Devoto, and Agronomy, among others, to learn about the life and work of one of the most famous Argentines in the world - Pope Francis.
9. Because You Can Buy Without Limits
For tourists who have dollars or euros, shopping in Argentina is "cheap." This is due to the devaluation of the Peso (Argentine currency) that revived purchases among tourists who come from abroad. In 2019 was a record for Buenos Aires city since almost three million visitors from abroad were registered. The first-class shopping malls receive tourists from all over the world because Argentine fashion brands are very attractive and, in some cases, in particular, they are almost aspirational.
10. Because You Will Feel Like Home
If you travel to Buenos Aires, you will feel that you are at home and want to return, why? Because This cosmopolitan city is an excellent host and welcomes everyone who wants to visit it with open arms. Argentines are known for being very friendly, and they like to make their guests feel comfortable. In Argentina, they do not have any problem if you speak in another language, or you are from another religion or origin, it is a country with warm and friendly people.
Final Words
The truth is that there are many more reasons to visit Buenos Aires, but these are the main ones. To discover more, you must obtain an Argentina visa, book your flight travel to Argentina, and in this way, you will be able to realize that Buenos Aires is getting more and more beautiful every morning.
