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tango statue

 

Buenos Aires



Buenos Aires is a singular, open and integrated destination that allows the visitor not only to view the city but also to live an exceptional urban adventure.

There is always something going on in Buenos Aires! It has such a wide variety of incredible cultural offerings for entertainment. Museums, theatres, cinemas, musical comedies, guided tours and tango shows, are some of the possibilities for all ages, all year round.

The locals are called porteños and live actively. Buenos Aires’ cultural offerings make it a sleepless city year-round. Currently, there are about 175 theatres and 200 cinemas.

Buenos Aires is the birthplace and the world capital of tango, a rhythm that was created along the banks of the Ro de la Plata, at the end of the 19th century, as a fusion of European and African music. The Tango is manifested in the lyrics — many of the words used in the tango come from lunfardo (porteños’ slang); in the music — the bandoneón provided the music from the Ro de la Plata with its melancholic and somewhat sullen sound that characterizes tango today; and in the dance.

Tango shows are offered daily. Among the most popular houses to offer a superb performance are La Esquina Carlos Gardel, La Ventana, El Querandi, La Esquina de Carlos Gardel, and El Viejo Almacen. They feature an exquisite dinner followed by a first class tango event showcasing dancers and bands. Let us make your reservation beforehand!

There are also many tango teachers willing to offer private and group lessons to tourist. It is ideal to take four or five lessons. From the first lesson, teachers train beginners in the mastering of the basic steps: eight simple movements that may be learned in a few hours. Let us make arrangements for private tango lessons (all levels are welcome) beforehand!  

Finally, the gathering places for tango dancers are the milongas, where anyone can just dance tango. These places also sometimes offer band shows for listeners and dancers. Let us make arrangements to take you to the milonga club beforehand!  

Please contact us for more Tango info at Concierge@1stClassArgentina.com.

Buenos Aires’s pride, the Colón Theater, was inaugurated in 1908. It is on a scale with Le Opera of Paris and La Scala of Milan. It has hosted, and still does, worldwide artists known internationally in opera and ballet. Mara Callas, Caruso, Gigli, Victoria de los Angeles, Krauss, Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti, among many others, have performed at the Colón Theatre. Dancers perform on its stage, including Alicia Alonso, Paloma Herrera (ABT), Margot Fonteyn, Nijinski, Nureiev, Barishnikov and Julio Bocca (ABT). Orchestra directors such as Stravinsky, Toscanini, Von Karajan and Zubin Metha have also presented in the theater. The theatre offers daily, guided tours conducted in English for a small fee.

For information on gala events, concerts, operas, ballets, the gold saloon and/or guided tours please email our concierge at Concierge@1stClassArgentina.com.

Those who love classical music can choose from a wide variety of concerts performed in different theaters, besides the Colón; the San Martin and the Coliseo. Both the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphonic Orchestra offer free concerts periodically. Music shows by highly talented national and foreign artists are frequently staged at public and private facilities

For movie lovers, Buenos Aires showcases international releases simultaneously with most capitals all over the world. Important international chains, such as Cinemark, Hoyt’s, Showcase and Village Roadshow, can be found in the City.

Buenos Aires is a city characterized by the multiplicity of its artistic expressions, ranging from the great assortment of sculptures and monuments, to streets and facades that surprise the visitor with their allegorical relieves and murals. Those who admire or collect pieces of art will find wonderful galleries and art museums where works by Argentine and foreign artists may be admired.

There are more than 100 museums in the city that feature all kinds of art and history, and exhibit treasures of all kind. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) ranks at an international level and offers free admittance. Average ticket prices are between AR$1 and AR$2 and there are private collections that may visited for less than AR$5. The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) (Buenos Aires Latin American Art Museum) is also among the most visited. It has an important collection of contemporary Latin American art in a spacious and modern building designed for that purpose.

The National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Decorative Art, the National Museum Isaac Fernández Blanco of Spanish American Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum Eduardo Svori of Plastic Art, as well as the National Culture Halls and the Borges Cultural Center, among others, frequently show very important circulating exhibits.

Free admissions are available at Cultural Centers such as The General San Martn, Recoleta and Ricardo Rojas. They showcase movies, theatre, photography, and biographies, etc., of their current alumnae and important pieces of art are displayed.

The flea markets and handicraft markets are one of the most entertaining and picturesque proposals of the city. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, artisans in all kind of specialties offer their crafts in different parks and squares such as Plaza Francia, Parque Rivadavia, Parque Lezama, and also in the neighborhoods of Chararita and Mataderos (includes typical meals and popular traditions) and El Dorrego, that has a permanent flea market for design.

The most famous one is the Street-Museum Caminito, where over 60 plastic artists exhibit their work in the open air and colorful street. While you are here you may want to take advantage of the city hydrofoil services that depart right across Caminito. Look for the Catamaran excursion sign. It departs daily between 4:30 and 6 p.m. on weekdays, and there are additional departures at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on weekends. The two-hour trip covers Puerto Madero, the Ecological Reservoir and Buenos Aires Port. It’s an ideal sightseeing to enjoy a city view from the river.

San Telmo fair is one of the most important attractions offered by the City. On Sundays, in the heart of San Telmo, at Dorrego square the scene turns into a very crowded place where more than 250 stands are displayed to sell peculiar articles — “antiques and stuff.” The surrounding bars put their tables on the street and all the area is crowded by musicians, singers, tango dancers and mimes, among others. The fair also organizes popular dancing with the collaboration of the neighbors.

About 30 minutes from the tourist corridor Palermo-La Boca you may find the borough of Mataderos, which hosts a very interesting event on Sundays from April to November. The visitor may enjoy a colorful festival of music and dance, and see a number of typical gaucho skills, such as sortija races, and demonstrations of roping and shearing. In addition, there are traditional games for adults and children, including contests and prizes, like sapo, horseshoes, sack races, palo enjabonado. Regional food is also present — asado (barbeque), locro (corn stew), empanadas, tamales, tortas fritas and tortilla al rescoldo.

The Costanera Norte (Northern River Coast) is another option providing a series of recreational sites that highlight outdoor activities along the Costanera Rafael Obligado avenue, and comprise both dining and sports such as tennis, swimming, golf, basket, soccer, windsurfing, sailing.

On the opposite corner of the City, The Parque Natural Costanera Sur (Southern River Coast Natural Park) is the ideal spot for kids and adults whom enjoy contact with nature. Tourists may participate in guided outdoor walks, night-walks under the full moon, see the sunrise in the beach, go jogging, ride a bike, or simply sit and listen to the sounds of nature in action. Many of the migratory birds of Argentina stop here and build their nests in the emerged rush, and other tall grasses, the woods of alders, the river and willows, and the lagoons. It is recommended that you might want to take a snack and bottled water and make sure to remove all trash when you leave. A variety of animal life species can be observed, many of which may be easily photographed. Around the middle of the walking tour the buildings’ skyline can be seen on the riverbank.

The green heart of Buenos Aires, also known as the “Lung of the City”, is represented by The Parque 3 de Febrero (3rd of February Park) in the Palermo borough. Since the famous landscape architect, Carlos Thays, projected and developed this park in the decade of 1890, it offers leafy trees, beautiful sculptures, secret paths, fragrant gardens and a magnificent body of water. Within the park you will find the Buenos Aires Zoo, the city arboretum, the rosedal (garden of roses) and the Japanese Gardens, all with either free admission or a small fee.

Sports are an important element of every day life in Buenos Aires. The city hosted two volleyball world championships, one basketball world championship, one soccer world championship, countless Davis Cups, boxing world title, F1 races, international rugby matches and field hockey tournaments. Every year, the International Open Tennis Tournament and the Polo Open take place in the city. The rivalry and expectation it generates are traditional. However, the country is well known for its soccer (football) team and players. Football was introduced in the country by British Residents in the early 1800s, and since then it became the most popular sport. In the city there are many soccer stadiums, and on Sundays, thousands of fans support their team at the kick-off. The most popular match is when River and Boca play the soccer match (also called súper clásico) that attracts the largest number of people and is the most important sports event in the city.

For nightlife lovers, Buenos Aires reaches heaven. It is also becoming the gay mecca of South America, cultivating its image as a Latin American rebel that embraces the social values of Europe more than macho culture and Roman Catholic doctrine. The city offers handfuls of options such as, concerts, festivals, theater, cinema, cafés, Milonga and tango houses, pubs, discos, bowling, and casinos. Night activities in Buenos Aires are long lasting. As of 7 p.m. (in winter, it’s already dark at that time; in summer, the sun is beginning to set) you may start to live the porteños’ night — which ends when the day breaks after café con media lunas at a local cafeteria in the early morning.

If you would like us to make reservations or check for event schedules or simply request more information please email us at Concierge@1stClassArgentina.com.