Argentina

Where we stayed

We stayed in a high rise condo building in Buenos Aires. We went through airbnb because we wanted to truly experience the city as a local. We stayed in the Palermo neighborhood. We stayed in a condo called Soho Sunset Studio and the sunsets were incredible. You were so high up that you could also see storms coming into the city. The city seemed to go on forever, you couldn’t see the end of it. Host Ralf is also highly rated. He arranged transport to and from the airport for a fee and ensured we were safely settled in and comfortable with our place. We highly recommend a stay at any of his properties.

What we ate

Where do I start?! The food in Argentina is so good. I’d say most common are empanadas and beef. Argentinians love a good barbeque and we found out why. They cook meat low and slow all day – it’s juicy and tender. If you like steak, steaks are as big as your head! We highly recommend La Carniceria. Everything was was delicious – drinks, sides, dessert – all delicious. We do recommend you make reservations. Most restaurants don’t open until 7:30pm or 8pm. For early birds (ermm, us), that was tough. However, the food is so good, it’s worth it.

If you need snacks or any essentials, hit up a Supermercados Dia. Since we were in a condo, we had a full kitchen. To help reduce food cost, we picked up groceries for breakfast, snacks and sometimes lunch/dinner.

If you are around the Recoleta Cemetery, there are some great places to stop for a coffee or bite. We stopped at Bartola. Really cute little place to rest your feet and grab a bite.

What we did & recommend

Our airbnb was right down the street from parks and gardens so our first day of wandering led us to some of those. We started in the Japanese Botanical Garden. Tickets were only $3-$5 a piece.

One of the most famous places to visit is the Recoleta Cemetery Entrance into the cemetery cost around $10. It feels weird to say, but it is a beautiful cemetery with very ornate tombs. However, cost of upkeep of these tombs is on the family, many of which have fallen into disrepair. So you may see coffins lying in various states – nothing morbid thankfully. You feel transported back in time as you walk through the cemetery. Search out Eva Peron’s tomb if you saw the movie Evita – can’t help but hear “Don’t cry for me, Argentina” as you walk by.

The city is incredibly walkable and at no point did we wander into an area we felt unsafe. Our friends did warn us at night may not be a great time to be walking around, so we caught an Uber after dark. One thing – DOUBLE check you’re in the right car. We got into a car that was not ours. Our driver didn’t speak English and our Spanish is not good. So that was a fun, momentarily scary adventure. We wandered all over, taking in as much as we could. We went inside the Metropolitan Cathedral.

A must see and experience is the San Telmo Market.

If you want to get out of the city and see some of the Argentinian country side, we recommend a day trip to a ranch with some gauchos, aka cowboys. We booked through Viator, a tour called Gaucho Day Tour Ranch in San Antonio de Areco from Buenos Aires. They will transport you to and from your hotel, you will be with a small group, and you’ll be with them for the day. They stop at a shop or two so you can make purchases. You stop in the small town for a visit to a gaucho museum so you learn a little history of the gaucho. Once at the ranch, you’re welcomed with warm empanadas and something to drink. The gauchos take you out on a horse back ride around the ranch (if you’re interested). Once you’re back a the ranch, you enjoy a big family style barbecue and the food seems to never stop coming. Once you’ve eaten, you all gather outside so they can sing and teach you to dance. It was a wonderful day and great way to get out of the city. We loved this tour.