Buenos Aires Barrios

Buenos Aires.  A city like no other.  One that blends Latin American and European cultures into a unique one that’s distinctly Buenos Aires.

But Buenos Aires is a massive city of about 12 million people.  The city and surrounding neighborhoods, called barrios, is absolutely huge, and the variance between the 48 different barrios is vast.

For travelers planning a visit to BsAs (how the locals abbreviate it), it can be overwhelming when deciding where to stay.  While the city and suburbs are split up into 48 separate barrios, most tourists only have to choose between one of six:  Microcentro, Retiro, Recoleta, Palermo, Puerto Madero, or San Telmo.

Deciding between any of the six barrios does require a bit of homework, as even though close in proximity, they are distinctly different and offer their own unique feel and vibe.  This guide will go over what each of the six has to offer, including accommodation, restaurant, and entertainment options.

Palacio del Congreso in the Microcentro

Microcentro

Pros-The microcentro is the area around the Plaza de Mayo.  The area itself is quite beautiful, with impressive architecture and sites to see, including the Casa Rosada, National Bank, Cathedral, and Congress building.  Florida Street can be viewed as both a pro and con depending on you.  It’s basically a massive outdoor mall, which is great if you’re looking for things you can find at home, bad if you’re looking for anything authentic.

Cons- While there are plenty of things to see in this area, it is very touristy and not the most authentic Argentine experience out there.  Florida Street is like a giant outdoor mall, with all the stores you’d find at any mall around the world.  There are some decent restaurants around, but there are also tons of chains and most are a bit overpriced, especially considering what you can get around the rest of the city.  A good place to visit while in BsAs, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

Retiro

Pros- If arriving by bus, Retiro is where you’ll arrive, with a massive bus and train station housed here that are very impressive.  The Plaza San Martin is also worth a visit and is not far from the train station.  There’s also a good amount of restaurants and partying possibilities in Retiro, though if you’re a backpacker, it may be a bit out of your price range.  Cheap options can be found here, but they aren’t the norm

Cons- Accommodation options are a bit limited as compared to the more popular barrios of Palermo, Recoleta, and San Telmo, and dining options tend to be on the more expensive side.  A good place to stay if you have a bit of a higher budget, but then again, if you have a decent budget, I’d recommend Palermo over Retiro any day.  Like the microcentre, it’s certainly worth a visit, but I wouldn’t stay here.

One of thousands of intricately desinged mausoleums in Recoloeta Cemetery

Recoleta

Pros- One of the nicer areas of the city, Recoleta has tons to offer, from the famous cemetery to the big green spaces to the top notch restaurants.  Several museums are housed in Recoleta as well, and a nice walking tour is a must for photographers with all the French-inspired architecture.  The restaurants in Recoleta are some of the best in the city, and accommodations are fantastic as well.

Cons- The only real negative to Recoleta is the price.  If traveling to BsAs for a short trip with a large budget, this would be a great place to stay.  If backpacking it as part of a longer trip, you may want to look elsewhere.  Cheap places to stay and eat can be found here, but they aren’t the norm.  With the ease of getting around in BsAs, hanging out here is quite easy even if staying in another part of the city.

Palermo, home to a myriad of entertainment and dining options

Palermo

Pros- If chic, modern, and classy are what you’re into, then look no further than Palermo.  It’s a very hip place to be, and the different neighborhoods within Palermo (Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood) offer a little different atmosphere than other parts of BsAs.  The large, beautiful tree lined streets sometimes have you forgetting you’re in a city of 12 million, and the little boutique restaurants and cafes give this barrio a very cool feel to it.  Palermo offers tons of shopping, dining, and accommodation options, and also has plenty of green space to enjoy as well.

Cons- There aren’t many bad things to say about Palermo.  We’re more hippies than chic and classy, but we didn’t get any type of pretentious vibe from any place we visited in Palermo.  Although we didn’t stay here, this is definitely the neighborhood we spent the most time in (outside our own barrio), and it’s a wonderful option.  There are options of all kinds, from cheap and budget to expensive and classy.

Puerto Madero

Pros- This Buenos Aires port has been recently restored and now houses some very nice restaurants and hotels.  Most eats and place to lay your head down are higher end, but a few budget options can be found.  Another highlight of this area is the Reserve Ecologica Costanera Sur, a beautiful conservation area and park great for walking, biking, and people watching.

Cons- Prices are pretty high here, some of the highest in the city, so budget travelers may not find this the best place to stay.  They also have a Hooters, so file that on your own pros and cons list.

The small streets of San Telmo, our "home" in BsAs.

San Telmo

Pros- The hippie barrio of Buenos Aires has a great blend of budget and class, with tons to offer.  The highlight of time spent in San Telmo is its Sunday Antique Market in and around Plaza Dorrego.  San Telmo is teeming with people, both tourists and portenos (locals), and it’s fantastic vibe.  Great restaurants, live outdoor tango shows, narrow cobblestone streets, and options for all budgets highlight this barrio.

Cons- I’m a bit biased as San Telmo just fit our personalities perfectly, so the cons are few, if any.  I felt that San Telmo just offered that perfect mix of laid back and classy, and it had tons of options for food and entertainment.  You aren’t going to find restaurants and bars as nice and chic as Palermo or Recoleta, and the laid back vibe can certainly turn some people off, so keep that in mind when looking at San Telmo for accommodations.

Where we stayed and why

As you can probably guess, San Telmo was where we chose to call home for our month-long stay in Buenos Aires.  As stated in the description, it was just perfect for us.  Everyone was very friendly and laid back (even moreso than the rest of BsAs, who are all pretty laid back), and we just fit right in.  This barrio in this city is one of the few places we have visited that we honestly would have no problem calling home.  I really think we could move here tomorrow and not skip a beat.

What type of accommodations to look for

If you’re only going to be in Buenos Aires for a short period of time, then you probably just want to go with a hostel or hotel, depending on your travel style.  But if you plan on visiting for a week or longer, look into renting an apartment.

Hostels- The city is huge with many different options, so your choices really are limitless.  I suggest first choosing a barrio then checking in each barrio for what you’re looking for.  Remember that eating out in BsAs is pretty damn cheap compared to Western standards, so a kitchen might not be necessary.  There are plenty of supermarkets and butchers though, so if you are a cook and want to try making your own steak dinner, keep that in mind, too.  We loved having a kitchen in our apartment, and we cooked often, but we were also there for a month.

Hotels- Hotels of varying prices and comfort levels are available in pretty much any barrio, so again, just like when choosing a hostel, pick a barrio and go from there.

Apartments- Renting an apartment is highly recommended for those staying for a week or more.  They can actually be cheaper than hostels, depending on neighborhood and the size of course.  There are plenty of companies who rent apartments, and we went with ByT Argentina.  We booked before leaving the US, and they were top notch in every aspect of the process.  You can even search online by barrio, number of bedrooms, and price, and the pictures were a very accurate depiction of the apartment we stayed in .

We paid $750US/month (~$25US/day) for a studio apartment that was actually pretty good sized.  It had a balcony, bed, kitchen table, couch, bar and counter area, and a decent sized kitchen.  I can’t say enough how happy we were to have done this, and I honestly wish we would have taken a few weeks or a month in a few other cities around the world and done the same thing.

What’s Next?

Now that you have the lowdown on everything Argentina, from bus rides to eating to what barrio to stay in while in Buenos Aires, next week will focus on the capital city itself.   So be sure to check back for the very thorough guide to everything BsAs and individualized posts about what to do while in one of our personal favorite cities in the world.