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Travel insights from Jenna Buege, associate editor of The Compass
An Intro to Exploring Colorful Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a destination oozing with excitement. From the Spanish-inspired architecture and mouth-watering food and drink (hello, juicy steaks and fabulous red wines) to the city’s vibrant nightlife and exciting open-air markets, Buenos Aires deserves a spot on your travel radar. Here are a few of the area’s top attractions to inspire your next vacation.
Recoleta Cemetery
A cemetery that rivals the morbid beauty of New Orleans’ St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, Argentina’s Recoleta Cemetery is a collection of early 20th century tombs that are intricate in design and carvings. Standing above ground, many of the graves resemble small stone houses or miniature churches, making for unlikely graveyard scene to travelers from the U.S. A resting place for Buenos Aires’ rich and famous, Recoleta is also home to 6,400 Italian hand-carved statues that are certainly worth admiring. Admission to the cemetery is free, but don’t forget to grab a map as you might get lost wandering among the maze of headstones.
El Caminito
A row of colorful homes turned museums, El Caminito is a trendy portside neighborhood that gives travelers an inside look at typical immigrant dwellings in the city. Frequented by local artists and dancers, El Caminito draws in visitors with its tasty food, colorful art, and tango and folk shows.
San Telmo’s Sunday Fair
Thrift shop enthusiasts and flea market fans won’t want to miss the Sunday Fair in San Telmo, a weekly event filed to the brim with handmade crafts, vintage clothes, antiques and street food. But don’t write the Sunday Fair off if searching for treasures isn’t your forte; the event is also a great opportunity for people watching as local artists and tango musicians flood the street.
The Water Company Palace
Visit Buenos Aires’ elegant Recoleta neighborhood for a tour of the Water Company Palace, an ornately decorated building fit for a…Water and Health History Museum? Yup, that’s right, although the Water Company Palace appears fit for royalty, this gorgeous building has played home to the city’s water pumping station since 1877 (pumping water has never been more glamourous). The palace occupies a full city block and is covered in over 300,000 glazed terra cotta tiles imported from Britain. The building also features a tin roof, landscaped gardens and a number of busts carved by Norwegian sculptor Olaf Boye.
Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve
A place filled with rainbows and butterflies (literally, depending on the time of year), the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve is an 865-acre ecological reserve in the heart of the city. Enjoy the sights with a walk along the river which is lined with flora, fauna and a number of scrumptious food stands.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Among the finest in the world, Buenos Aires’ Museum of Fine Arts features works from some of the best artists of all time including Van Gogh, Degas, Monet and Picasso. Best of all, the price of admission is free so it will cost you a total of zero dollars to enjoy the museum’s collection of paintings, tapestries, carvings and rotating exhibits.
Teatro Colón
Established in 1857, Teatro Colón is a majestic opera house that totals seven stories high and is as wide as an entire city block. Teatro Colón is a Buenos Aires landmark that hosts performances by famous orchestras, ballets and operas from around the world.
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada
Plaza de Mayo is important to Argentinean history, as it has played the stage for a number of important events throughout history ranging from the city’s uprising against Spain in 1810 to modern-day demonstrations and protests. The area is extremely walkable and neighboring Florida and Lavalle Streets are where visitors will find a number of attractions and important landmarks such as Casa Rosada, the pink Presidential Palace where Eva Perón once addressed excited crowds. Also nearby is Avenida de Mayo, a stretch of beautiful buildings with impressive domes and facades.
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