Oh, Buenos. This place holds a big chunk of my heart. I got to spend a sweet five months here learning Spanish, dancing the tango, and volunteering with a nonprofit . This city is vibrant, beautiful, and so unique. I lived in the tiny little barrio of Once where on my walk to class I would pass 17 flower vendors on the streets. This city will challenge you, but it will also love you. The porteños are full of kindness and passion for their city, get to know them. You will love it here, I know I did.
Stay
L'Hotel Palermo - located in the heart of the trendy Palermo, this adorable boutique hotel won my heart. I stayed there for a week when I first moved to BA and would highly recommend it. Located in a beautiful, safe neighborhood close to some of the best restaurants and shopping.
ART Factory Hostel - Perfect if you are young and traveling on a budget. Located in the historic San Telmo barrio, it is close to nightlife and the Sunday fair.
Eat
Burger Joint - Located in Palermo and has some of the best burgers in BA. It's always packed, but well worth the wait.
La Galette - Located in Retiro (near the Oblisque), this was my go to lunch spot with delicious crepes and one of the few restaurants with hard cider! Delicious, beautiful, and inexpensive.
Oui Oui - Located in Palermo, one of the best brunch restaurants in the city AND has mimosas!! If you are in need of typical American food this is for you.
Ninina - Super hip, super cool. My go to cafe for getting work done. Has an amazing atmosphere and equally great food.
Rey de Copas - ultra trendy bar in Palermo. A great place if you are just looking to grab drinks, but wouldn't suggest as a pregame location.
Can't miss
There is so much to do in this city, it's hard to even narrow it down. If you are only in BA for a short while I would definitely suggest going on a bike tour with Biking Buenos Aires that will take you to all of the major BA stops. I would also recommend both the San Telmo and Recoletta fairs that happens every Sunday and feature tons of local artisans. And you can't go to BA without doing a little bit of the tango, check out a milango! A milango is (usually) a tango lesson followed by open tango - free to anyone. My favorites are Tuesday at La Catedral (Sarmiento 4006 in Almagro) and Monday-Saturday at Salon Canning (Scalabrini Ortiz Avenue 1331). One last thing - La Bomba de Tiempo, a percussion show located right within the confines of my barrio home, Once.
** If you will be staying in Buenos Aires for an extended period of time and want to get involved with the community check out Pilares for volunteer opprutunities.**
