Buenos Aires Activities

Although Buenos Aires has a distinctly adult air to it, there are several attractions here which the kids will find interesting. Besides typical shopping malls and cinema’s, there’s a great zoo and a couple of kid-focused museums.

Buenos Aires Zoo
This wealthy city is blessed with one of the best zoos in Latin America, a testimony to its past status. The zoo has an impressive diversity of animals which are all housed in eclectic and kitschy environments, reflecting the places they have come from. The elephant’s house is the highlight, with its Indian Temple enclosure overgrown with jungle vines. Camels, lions, polar bears, monkeys and kangaroos are just a few of the other animals on display. Peacocks and other small animals roam freely and can be fed with special food which is for sale.

Museo Participativo de Ciencias
This fun-filled science museum in the Centro Cultural de Recoleta has two floors packed with science displays, which kids are encouraged to touch and play with. They can learn how electricity, gravity and other phenomenon work in a simple and entertaining way. It’s interactive learning at its best.

The Children’s Museum (Museo de los Niños)
This interesting interactive museum is designed to teach kids about different careers in a fun hands-on environment. They also get to learn about Buenos Aires, as many of the displays relate to the city.

Buenos Aires has long been considered one the most sophisticated cultural hubs in the world and as such, it has a long list of things to see and do. Despite the peso crash in 2001, this city is currently undergoing a cultural revival as Porteños have rediscovered their love and pride for all things Buenos Aires. The shopping, fashion and dining here are all world-class and offer endless choices. They also embrace their nation’s turbulent political past and celebrate the triumphs of Evita in museums and monuments. And of course, let’s not forget the tango. This quintessential Argentine dance is as popular as ever in Buenos Aires and visitors are offered the chance to learn, watch or dance it.

Calle Florida (Florida street)
This wonderful pedestrian-only street is a vibrant collage of local Porteño life. All kinds of people flock here, especially at lunchtime. Crowds are entertained day and night by musicians, tango dancers, comedians and more. This is one of the best places in the city for people-watching.

El Museo Historico Nacional (National History Museum)
This museum is housed in an expansive Italian-style mansion, with over 30 rooms filled with items saved from Jesuit missions and relics of the War of Independence with Spain. This is the best place to get an understanding of Argentine history from the 16th through the 19th centuries. The focal point of the collection are Candido Lopez’s paintings of the war against Paraguay in the 1870s.

Manzanas de las Luces (Blocks of Enlightenment)
This old city block was the intellectual centre of the city during the 17th and 18th centuries and remains an important symbol of its status. The city’s oldest church, San Ignacio, still stands at one corner as well as the National High School of Buenos Aires, where many of Argentina’s leading lights once studied. Many of the school’s students helped to bring about the country’s independence in the 19th century. English tours are given at the weekends and during the week there are a variety of cultural activities held in the square.

Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA)
This is the place to go to experience the modern art movements of Argentina. The museum’s extensive collection of paintings provides an excellent insight into Argentina’s unique artistic heritage. The building itself is also a fascinating piece of art, particularly the escalator, which must be seen to be believed.

Plaza de Mayo
The historic core of Buenos Aires was established in 1580 and remains the heart of this vibrant and politically active city. The plaza’s impressive buildings are a physical timeline of the city’s architectural evolution. In the centre of this massive plaza are fountains, palm trees and benches, which make for a wonderful spot to hang out and watch the locals. If there’s a protest in Argentina, it happens here. The Mothers of the Disappeared have demonstrated here since 1976 and continue to do so today. To help understand the political evolution of Argentina, you should spend some time in the Plaza de Mayo.

Tango shows
The tango is a beautiful and soulful dance which tells the pained story of the city’s immigrant poor as they arrived here in the early 20th century. Watching an expert dance the tango is an essential Buenos Aires experience. There are several venues which present the tango as an attraction, ranging from an authentic historical perspective to a flashy cabaret-style production. Go with the authentic version on this one.

The Changing of the Guards
One of the more fun and touristy things to do is watch the Changing of the Guards at the historical sites throughout the city. There are great photos to be had of the men in their 19th century uniforms parading through the Plaza de Mayo on the way to their next station. There are several kinds of guards, each with a unique and traditional role.

Although you can find a wide range of ethnic food in Buenos Aires, it is the traditional parilla (restaurants serving grilled meat) that most Argentines patronize, as Argentine beef from the Pampas is considered by many to be the best beef in the world. Tripe, sweetbreads, blood sausage and kidneys are usually grilled alongside the beef and the dishes are accompanied by salad or french fries

A big part of Buenos Aires culture is its many cafés, which are as important to Porteños as they are to Parisians. During afternoon tea time, they are packed with locals and offer a typical café menu of relatively light fare. In Recoleta, you can check out La Biela for a coffee and a dose of local ambiance. But to really experience the pinnacle of café life, you must visit Café Tortoni, a Buenos Aires institution and one of the city’s most lovely and traditional eateries.

Confiterias are bigger versions of the cafés and offer a wider variety of food such as thin sandwiches, stuffed croissants and the ubiquitous empanadas (savoury or sweet-filled pastry turnovers). Meat lovers will have a field day in this city. The trendiest neighbourhoods for dining can all be found in Palermo. The Microcentro and Recoleta districts also have some outstanding restaurants which have been around for years.

Porteños have their own timetable when it comes to eating, which resembles the eating habits of the Spanish. They don’t eat breakfast until 10:00 then take a long, leisurely lunch between 12:00 and 16:00. Dinner is eaten late in Buenos Aires, usually after 21:00, although many restaurants start serving around 19:00. Eating out is a huge part of life in this city, so every decent restaurant will certainly be full around the 21:00 peak time. Make reservations to be sure you’ll have a table.

Throughout South America, Buenos Aires has always been renowned for its shopping. There are a number of different ways to go about shopping here, from glitzy malls and dedicated boutique streets to open-air markets and hidden antique shops.

Not surprisingly, given its love of beef, leather goods are among the best buys in Argentina. Since the peso crash in 2001, the shopping in Buenos Aires has become an unbelievable bargain. The crash also sparked a fashion trend among young local designers, who found a new domestic market of desperate buyers. The choices of women’s wear is astounding, with a trove of quirky and feminine fashion at great prices.

Argentina slaps a 21 per cent VAT tax on almost everything, but visitors can get a full refund for purchases over $200, so keep your receipts. Many stores in the city which cater to tourists offer tax-free shopping. They have a blue and white logo on their doors.

The best shopping in Buenos Aires can be found in the various neighbourhoods that make up the city. Calle Florida in Microcentro sells just about everything, while Avenida Alvear in Recoleta is the place to find designer labels and elegant boutiques, and San Telmo and La Boca are the places to hunt for antiques and local art. Palermo Viejo is where you can find all the great local fashion that’s become the rage.

The many open air-markets are another place where you can enjoy the local atmosphere while you shop and get entertained by street performers. The San Telmo Antiques Fair happens every Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. The Cabildo Patio Feria is good for local arts and crafts every Thursday and Friday from 11:00 to 18:00, while the Recoleta Fair is the city’s largest and happens every weekend from 10:00 until sunset.

Unless you consider shopping a sport, Buenos Aires only has a few choices in with regard to outdoor activities. Apart from golfing and walking, spectator sports rule this city.

Horseracing
Argentina is famous for its thoroughbred horses and you can watch some of the world’s best horseracing at the Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo, right in the city centre. Open all year, entry is free and races run from late afternoon until midnight.

Polo
The world’s most important polo event, the Argentine Open Championship, is held here every year in late November. Argentina has won more international polo tournaments than any other country, so if you’re into polo you shouldn’t miss the action at the world-famous stadium, Campo Argentino de Polo. There are two polo seasons: March through May and September through December.

Football
Argentina is extremely passionate about its football. However, this national unity completely dissolves when discussing their favorite local clubs. Boca Juniors are world famous and they play their home games at the Estadio Boca Juniors, nicknamed La Bombonera, during the season, which runs from February to November. The atmosphere inside the stadium is positively electric.