Buenos Aires – A European City in South America?

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina located at the east coast of the country was a very welcomed contrast to Brazil.

The city feels very European, with avenues reminding us of Paris and Rome filled with restaurants, cafes and independent stores.

European architecture is throughout the city, including churches and mansions. The most spectacular of these is the Cathedral in the Plaza de Mayo.

The city is kept very clean considering the amount of cream tiles along the main avenues.

There is also a well established transport system across the city. You can easily get from one side to the other with the use of the Metro or the numerous buses.

The metro runs on 6 lines named: A,B,C,D,E and H. A single trip costs 12.90 Peso’s. You can get a card for 60 pesos which can be topped up.

Taxis are also popular, however if you take one remember to take change as they don’t take change. Uber exists in Buenos Aires but is limited due to city taxi drivers disliking them so much. When we took a Uber from our hotel to the bus station, Nadine was told to sit in the front so the car didn’t look like a Uber taxi. After looking this up, we found that some Uber drivers have been beaten up and their cars set on fire!

Argentina’s economy has slumped in recent years with the exchange rate (£ – Peso) being £1 – 50 Argentine Peso. This makes Buenos Aires a cheap city to visit, however the country is overall poorer with the rise in inflation and cuts to spending, meaning citizens are generally poorer. A coffee will set you back 55 Peso’s (£1.10) and a decent meal will set you back 250 Peso’s (£5).

LGBTQI+ Rights:

Argentina legalised same sex marriage in 2010 and has the most advanced LGBT rights in South America.

Buenos Aires definitely has the scene to prove it. The area of Palermo has a variety of LGBT night clubs, with some being more male dominated.

Check out our experience in a female ranabaret/retro game/club.

Nearly all the restaurants in Buenos Aires are gay friendly and this was definitely the city we felt most comfortable holding nhands in public.

Our top 5 recommendations:

1. Evita Museum
2. Mercado San Telmo
3. Catedral Metropolitana
4. Plaza de Mayo
5. National Museum

The Evita Museum tells the story of Eva Peron the the actress to Evita the national hero of Argentina. How she fought to build up her career to how she installed a social system in Argentina, helping woman to earn the right to vote. Spending approx. an hour there will leave you absolutely fascinated.

Mercado San Telmo is an indoor market where you can get anything from fresh fruits, one the best coffees in Buenos Aires to antiques of all kind. You can easily spend two hours there.

The Cathedral is beautifully decorated. You can take pictures insight and probably spend 15-20 minutes there.

Plaza de Mayo is a beautiful 19th century square in the heard of Buenos Aires with cathedrals, museums and a government building around.

The national museum tells you the political story of the country. It has the first ever painted Argentinien flag and time spent there is approx. 40-50 minutes.