About Buenos Aires
Le Guide ai Quartieri
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong Italian flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the city of Genoa.
As one of Buenos Aires's 48 barrios, La Boca is located in the city's south-east near its old port. The barrio of Barracas is to the west; San Telmo and Puerto Madero are to the north.
The neighborhood may derive its name from its location at 'La Boca' (the mouth) of the Riachuelo, as the Matanza River is usually called.
History
In 1882, after a lengthy general strike, La Boca seceded from Argentina, and the rebels raised the Genoese flag, which was immediately torn down personally by then President Julio Argentino Roca.
Among sports fans, Boca is best known for being the home of world-renowned football club Boca Juniors. The club plays their home matches in the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, popularly known as La Bombonera (Spanish for "the bonbon box").
La Boca is a popular destination for tourists visiting Argentina, with its colourful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito, where tango artists perform and tango-related memorabilia is sold. Other attractions include the La Ribera theatre, many tango clubs and Italian taverns. The actual area visited by tourists is only a few blocks long and has been built up for tourism very actively over the last few years, with many market stalls and restaurants catering to tourists. Outside this tourist area, it is a fairly poor neighborhood that has had many regular occurrences of petty crimes reported.
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La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong Italian flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the city of Genoa.
As one of Buenos Aires's 48 barrios, La Boca is located in the city's south-east near its old port. The barrio of Barracas is to the west; San Telmo and Puerto Madero are to the north.
The neighborhood may derive its name from its location at 'La Boca' (the mouth) of the Riachuelo, as the Matanza River is usually called.
History
In 1882, after a lengthy general strike, La Boca seceded from Argentina, and the rebels raised the Genoese flag, which was immediately torn down personally by then President Julio Argentino Roca.
Among sports fans, Boca is best known for being the home of world-renowned football club Boca Juniors. The club plays their home matches in the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, popularly known as La Bombonera (Spanish for "the bonbon box").
La Boca is a popular destination for tourists visiting Argentina, with its colourful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito, where tango artists perform and tango-related memorabilia is sold. Other attractions include the La Ribera theatre, many tango clubs and Italian taverns. The actual area visited by tourists is only a few blocks long and has been built up for tourism very actively over the last few years, with many market stalls and restaurants catering to tourists. Outside this tourist area, it is a fairly poor neighborhood that has had many regular occurrences of petty crimes reported.
Recoleta is a downtown residential neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an area of great historical and architectural interest, due to its Beaux-Arts architecture as well as the distinguished Recoleta Cemetery. It is also an important tourist destination in the city.
It is also one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, with some of the priciest real estate in the city.
The name of the neighborhood comes from the Monastery of the Recollect Fathers, members of the Franciscan Order which was established in the area at the beginning of the 18th century. They founded a monastery and a church dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Pilar with a cemetery attached. The Recoleta pathway is nearly the exact geographic center of the neighborhood, and one of its highest points in the city, which, at the end of the 19th century attracted wealthy families from the south of the city who sought to escape from the deadly yellow fever outbreak which began in 1871. From that time on, the Recoleta has been one of the most stylish and expensive neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, home to private family mansions, foreign embassies, and luxury hotels, including the Alvear Palace Hotel.
The historical center of the neighborhood is the Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, construction of which was completed in 1732. For that reason, the neighborhood was occasionally called El Pilar. The church was originally situated at the edge of the banks that sloped down to the Río de la Plata and Manso Creek.
When Buenos Aires suffered terrible cholera and yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s, the population of the city spread out to avoid the contagion. It was for that reason that, while the underprivileged classes settled in the south-southwest of the city, the most wealthy settled in the Recoleta area, where the height of the terrain reduced the presence of insects which transmitted the diseases.
These families (many of which were members of the ruling national elite, considered of "noble" ancestry (although there were no noblemen in the former Hispanic territories) for having descended from respected historical figures from the period of Argentine independence), built mansions and other notable buildings in several European architectural styles of the period (many of which were demolished towards the end of the 1950s and beginning of the 1960s and once again during the 2000s). Consequently, Buenos Aires has often been referred to as the "Paris of South America". Nowadays, what is left of these traditional buildings coexist with elegant modern constructions.
Together with some sections of the neighboring communities of Retiro and Palermo, Recoleta forms a part of the area known as Barrio Norte, Buenos Aires, a traditional residential zone for the city’s most affluent families, where a great portion of the cultural life of the city is concentrated.
The Recoleta neighborhood is distinguished by its great cultural spaces. In addition to historical monuments, it is home to the National Fine Arts Museum or Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the National Library of Argentina, the Recoleta Cultural Center, and other exhibition venues.
Recoleta Cemetery
The Recoleta Cemetery is one of the main tourist attractions in the neighborhood. It was designed by the French architect Prosper Catelin, at the request of President Bernardino Rivadavia, and was dedicated in 1822.
Museums and cultural centers
Next to the cemetery is the former General Juan José Viamonte Shelter, administered in the past by the Recollect Fathers. When it ceased functioning as a shelter for the indigent, it was acquired by the city and converted into the Centro Cultural Recoleta, one of the most important exhibition halls for the plastic arts in the city. 150 meters away, across Libertador Avenue, is the el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA), which holds in its permanent collection works of art by Argentine artists such as Berni and Seguí, as well as works by European masters such as Titian, Goya, Rembrandt, Gauguin, and Manet. To the east, along Posadas Street, is the Palais de Glace, which was, at the beginning of the twentieth century, an ice skating rink. It has since been turned into a multimedia exhibition center. Behind Carlos Thays Park is located the Centro Municipal de Exposiciones, which houses a wide variety of exhibitions and cultural events.
Education
Several of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the capital are in the Recoleta neighborhood. Among them are the Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, the Escuela Argentina Modelo, the Scuola Edmundo de Amicis, the Colegio Champagnat, the Colegio Mallinkdrodt, the Colegio San Agustín [es] and Normal School 1, the oldest portion of which has been declared a National Monument.
Many university schools are also found in Recoleta: Derecho (University of Buenos Aires School of Law), Medicina (University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine), Odontología (University of Buenos Aires School of Dentistry), and the Farmacia y Bioquímica (University of Buenos Aires Schools of Pharmacy and Biochemistry). Additionally, the neogothic style building which formerly held the University of Buenos Aires’ School of Engineering can be found on Las Heras Avenue, although today it serves only as an auxiliary building for the School, characterized by the cold, humid air typical of gothic structures. (From WIKIPEDIA)
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Recoleta
Recoleta is a downtown residential neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an area of great historical and architectural interest, due to its Beaux-Arts architecture as well as the distinguished Recoleta Cemetery. It is also an important tourist destination in the city.
It is also one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, with some of the priciest real estate in the city.
The name of the neighborhood comes from the Monastery of the Recollect Fathers, members of the Franciscan Order which was established in the area at the beginning of the 18th century. They founded a monastery and a church dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Pilar with a cemetery attached. The Recoleta pathway is nearly the exact geographic center of the neighborhood, and one of its highest points in the city, which, at the end of the 19th century attracted wealthy families from the south of the city who sought to escape from the deadly yellow fever outbreak which began in 1871. From that time on, the Recoleta has been one of the most stylish and expensive neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, home to private family mansions, foreign embassies, and luxury hotels, including the Alvear Palace Hotel.
The historical center of the neighborhood is the Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, construction of which was completed in 1732. For that reason, the neighborhood was occasionally called El Pilar. The church was originally situated at the edge of the banks that sloped down to the Río de la Plata and Manso Creek.
When Buenos Aires suffered terrible cholera and yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s, the population of the city spread out to avoid the contagion. It was for that reason that, while the underprivileged classes settled in the south-southwest of the city, the most wealthy settled in the Recoleta area, where the height of the terrain reduced the presence of insects which transmitted the diseases.
These families (many of which were members of the ruling national elite, considered of "noble" ancestry (although there were no noblemen in the former Hispanic territories) for having descended from respected historical figures from the period of Argentine independence), built mansions and other notable buildings in several European architectural styles of the period (many of which were demolished towards the end of the 1950s and beginning of the 1960s and once again during the 2000s). Consequently, Buenos Aires has often been referred to as the "Paris of South America". Nowadays, what is left of these traditional buildings coexist with elegant modern constructions.
Together with some sections of the neighboring communities of Retiro and Palermo, Recoleta forms a part of the area known as Barrio Norte, Buenos Aires, a traditional residential zone for the city’s most affluent families, where a great portion of the cultural life of the city is concentrated.
The Recoleta neighborhood is distinguished by its great cultural spaces. In addition to historical monuments, it is home to the National Fine Arts Museum or Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the National Library of Argentina, the Recoleta Cultural Center, and other exhibition venues.
Recoleta Cemetery
The Recoleta Cemetery is one of the main tourist attractions in the neighborhood. It was designed by the French architect Prosper Catelin, at the request of President Bernardino Rivadavia, and was dedicated in 1822.
Museums and cultural centers
Next to the cemetery is the former General Juan José Viamonte Shelter, administered in the past by the Recollect Fathers. When it ceased functioning as a shelter for the indigent, it was acquired by the city and converted into the Centro Cultural Recoleta, one of the most important exhibition halls for the plastic arts in the city. 150 meters away, across Libertador Avenue, is the el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA), which holds in its permanent collection works of art by Argentine artists such as Berni and Seguí, as well as works by European masters such as Titian, Goya, Rembrandt, Gauguin, and Manet. To the east, along Posadas Street, is the Palais de Glace, which was, at the beginning of the twentieth century, an ice skating rink. It has since been turned into a multimedia exhibition center. Behind Carlos Thays Park is located the Centro Municipal de Exposiciones, which houses a wide variety of exhibitions and cultural events.
Education
Several of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the capital are in the Recoleta neighborhood. Among them are the Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, the Escuela Argentina Modelo, the Scuola Edmundo de Amicis, the Colegio Champagnat, the Colegio Mallinkdrodt, the Colegio San Agustín [es] and Normal School 1, the oldest portion of which has been declared a National Monument.
Many university schools are also found in Recoleta: Derecho (University of Buenos Aires School of Law), Medicina (University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine), Odontología (University of Buenos Aires School of Dentistry), and the Farmacia y Bioquímica (University of Buenos Aires Schools of Pharmacy and Biochemistry). Additionally, the neogothic style building which formerly held the University of Buenos Aires’ School of Engineering can be found on Las Heras Avenue, although today it serves only as an auxiliary building for the School, characterized by the cold, humid air typical of gothic structures. (From WIKIPEDIA)
San Telmo is the oldest barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers. A street named the "Illuminated Block" is where many of these important historical buildings can be found.
San Telmo's attractions include old churches, museums, food halls and stalls, antique stores and a semi-permanent antique fair (Feria de Antigüedades) in the main public square, Plaza Dorrego. Tango-related activities for both locals and tourists are in the area.
San Telmo began to improve particularly after Rosas' removal from power in 1852. The establishment of new clinics, the installation of gas mains, lighting, sewers, running water and cobblestones and the opening of the city's main wholesale market led to increasing interest in the area on the part of the well-to-do and numerous imposing homes were built in the western half of San Telmo. This promising era ended abruptly when an epidemic of yellow fever struck the area in 1871. The new clinics and the heroic efforts of physicians like Florentino Ameghino helped curb the northward spread of the epidemic; but as time went on it claimed over 10,000 lives, and this led to the exodus of San Telmo's growing middle and upper classes into what later became Barrio Norte.
At first hundreds of properties became vacant. A few of the larger lots were converted into needed parks, the largest of which is Lezama Park, designed by the renowned French-Argentine urban planner Charles Thays in 1891 as a complement to the new Argentine National Museum of History. Most large homes, though, became tenement housing during the wave of immigration into Argentina from Europe between 1875 and 1930. San Telmo became the most multicultural neighborhood in Buenos Aires, home to large communities of British, Galician, Italian and Russian-Argentines. The large numbers of Russians in San Telmo and elsewhere in Buenos Aires led to the consecration of Argentina's first Russian Orthodox Church in 1901. Expanding industry to the south also led a German immigrant, Otto Krause, to open a technical school here in 1897.
San Telmo's bohemian air began attracting local artists after upwardly-mobile immigrants left the area. Increasing cultural activity resulted in the opening of the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art by critic Rafael Squirru in 1956, as well as in the 1960 advent of the "Republic of San Telmo," an artisan guild which organized art walks and other events. San Telmo's immigrant presence also led to quick popularization of tango in the area: long after that genre's heyday, renowned vocalist Edmundo Rivero purchased an abandoned colonial-era grocery in 1969, christening it El Viejo Almacén ("The Old Grocery Store"). This soon became one of the city's best-known tango music halls, helping lead to a cultural and economic revival in San Telmo.
A great number of contemporary art galleries, art spaces and museums are located in this area. In 2005 the gallery and artist-run space Appetite opened and the Argentine public and media immediately noticed the crowds attending its openings and parties. Other art galleries began setting up in this neighborhood and it became a Mecca of contemporary art. The first to talk about it was Rolling Stone magazine which said in late 2006: "When all the movement seemed to be getting installed at Palermo, the Daniela Luna tornado opened the appetite with an art gallery in San Telmo and little by little is monopolizing the neighborhood and transferring the scene." A few months later the New York Times said that "To find Appetite, an avant-garde gallery that everyone I met recommended, I had to return to one of San Telmo's less atmospheric blocks. Many media remarked the transformation of San Telmo into a destination for contemporary art lovers, such as the newspaper La Nacion which counted around 30 galleries and art centers in 2008.Later that year, the same newspaper published another article that started: "Contemporary art moved into the neighborhood. San Telmo Art District is born"
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San Telmo
San Telmo is the oldest barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antique shops line the cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers. A street named the "Illuminated Block" is where many of these important historical buildings can be found.
San Telmo's attractions include old churches, museums, food halls and stalls, antique stores and a semi-permanent antique fair (Feria de Antigüedades) in the main public square, Plaza Dorrego. Tango-related activities for both locals and tourists are in the area.
San Telmo began to improve particularly after Rosas' removal from power in 1852. The establishment of new clinics, the installation of gas mains, lighting, sewers, running water and cobblestones and the opening of the city's main wholesale market led to increasing interest in the area on the part of the well-to-do and numerous imposing homes were built in the western half of San Telmo. This promising era ended abruptly when an epidemic of yellow fever struck the area in 1871. The new clinics and the heroic efforts of physicians like Florentino Ameghino helped curb the northward spread of the epidemic; but as time went on it claimed over 10,000 lives, and this led to the exodus of San Telmo's growing middle and upper classes into what later became Barrio Norte.
At first hundreds of properties became vacant. A few of the larger lots were converted into needed parks, the largest of which is Lezama Park, designed by the renowned French-Argentine urban planner Charles Thays in 1891 as a complement to the new Argentine National Museum of History. Most large homes, though, became tenement housing during the wave of immigration into Argentina from Europe between 1875 and 1930. San Telmo became the most multicultural neighborhood in Buenos Aires, home to large communities of British, Galician, Italian and Russian-Argentines. The large numbers of Russians in San Telmo and elsewhere in Buenos Aires led to the consecration of Argentina's first Russian Orthodox Church in 1901. Expanding industry to the south also led a German immigrant, Otto Krause, to open a technical school here in 1897.
San Telmo's bohemian air began attracting local artists after upwardly-mobile immigrants left the area. Increasing cultural activity resulted in the opening of the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art by critic Rafael Squirru in 1956, as well as in the 1960 advent of the "Republic of San Telmo," an artisan guild which organized art walks and other events. San Telmo's immigrant presence also led to quick popularization of tango in the area: long after that genre's heyday, renowned vocalist Edmundo Rivero purchased an abandoned colonial-era grocery in 1969, christening it El Viejo Almacén ("The Old Grocery Store"). This soon became one of the city's best-known tango music halls, helping lead to a cultural and economic revival in San Telmo.
A great number of contemporary art galleries, art spaces and museums are located in this area. In 2005 the gallery and artist-run space Appetite opened and the Argentine public and media immediately noticed the crowds attending its openings and parties. Other art galleries began setting up in this neighborhood and it became a Mecca of contemporary art. The first to talk about it was Rolling Stone magazine which said in late 2006: "When all the movement seemed to be getting installed at Palermo, the Daniela Luna tornado opened the appetite with an art gallery in San Telmo and little by little is monopolizing the neighborhood and transferring the scene." A few months later the New York Times said that "To find Appetite, an avant-garde gallery that everyone I met recommended, I had to return to one of San Telmo's less atmospheric blocks. Many media remarked the transformation of San Telmo into a destination for contemporary art lovers, such as the newspaper La Nacion which counted around 30 galleries and art centers in 2008.Later that year, the same newspaper published another article that started: "Contemporary art moved into the neighborhood. San Telmo Art District is born"
If you feel like getting out of the city for a breath of fresh air, take the train to TIGRE to explore the delta for the day.Tigre is a municipality in the province of Buenos Aires located 30km from the city. In the last years it has become a showplace where thousands of tourists attend to enjoy the river and its surroundingsThe best day to visit is Sunday when you can check out the city’s Puerto de Frutos, a large market with crafts, foods, and handcrafted furniture.
There’s also an artist’s market on the main dock, a park, and a few museums.
It’s easy to take a boat tour, rent a kayak, or grab a ferry to some of the waterfront restaurants and clubs while you’re there.
TRAIN: It is the fastest and cheapest way. Departs from Retiro train station in Downtown. The line you need to take is called Mitre. Line Mitre has many branches. You need to take the train of line mitre that goes to Tigre which is the last stop . We recommend asking at the station if you are not sure. Runs daily every 15 minutes from 5am to 11pm. The schedules are predetermined . The trip takes 54 minutes and you need to get off at the last station.
BUS: a bit more expensive and depending on traffic can be a very long journey, between 1:30hs or more. The line is number 60 and can be taken in different parts of the city as it begins in the neighborhood of Constitucion and crosses the entire city.
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Tigre
If you feel like getting out of the city for a breath of fresh air, take the train to TIGRE to explore the delta for the day.Tigre is a municipality in the province of Buenos Aires located 30km from the city. In the last years it has become a showplace where thousands of tourists attend to enjoy the river and its surroundingsThe best day to visit is Sunday when you can check out the city’s Puerto de Frutos, a large market with crafts, foods, and handcrafted furniture.
There’s also an artist’s market on the main dock, a park, and a few museums.
It’s easy to take a boat tour, rent a kayak, or grab a ferry to some of the waterfront restaurants and clubs while you’re there.
TRAIN: It is the fastest and cheapest way. Departs from Retiro train station in Downtown. The line you need to take is called Mitre. Line Mitre has many branches. You need to take the train of line mitre that goes to Tigre which is the last stop . We recommend asking at the station if you are not sure. Runs daily every 15 minutes from 5am to 11pm. The schedules are predetermined . The trip takes 54 minutes and you need to get off at the last station.
BUS: a bit more expensive and depending on traffic can be a very long journey, between 1:30hs or more. The line is number 60 and can be taken in different parts of the city as it begins in the neighborhood of Constitucion and crosses the entire city.
Visite turistiche
This is one of the tours in BA not to be missed. Take the guided tour in English, and admire the beauty of one of the finest opera houses from around the world.The Colón theatre is considered one of the best opera houses in the world, together with La Scala in Milán, the Opera Garnier in Paris and the Royal Opera House in London, and is renowned for its acoustics and architecture.
Designed by Francesco Tamburini, Victor Meano and Jules Dormal, and built over 20 years, the theatre opened in 1908 and went on to host some of the most important conductors, singers and dancers of the twentieth century, including Igor Stravinsky, Herbert von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Rudolf Nureyev, Julio Bocca and Maximiliano Guerra.
It reopened to the public in 2010 following an ambitious restoration and renovation project undertaken by the city government.
When? Every day including public holidays, except May 1, December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1. Tours in English and Spanish start every 15 minutes from 9.00am until 5.00pm. Times vary when the theatre is in use for productions. Tours last around 50 minutes.
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Teatro Colón
1171 CerritoThis is one of the tours in BA not to be missed. Take the guided tour in English, and admire the beauty of one of the finest opera houses from around the world.The Colón theatre is considered one of the best opera houses in the world, together with La Scala in Milán, the Opera Garnier in Paris and the Royal Opera House in London, and is renowned for its acoustics and architecture.
Designed by Francesco Tamburini, Victor Meano and Jules Dormal, and built over 20 years, the theatre opened in 1908 and went on to host some of the most important conductors, singers and dancers of the twentieth century, including Igor Stravinsky, Herbert von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Rudolf Nureyev, Julio Bocca and Maximiliano Guerra.
It reopened to the public in 2010 following an ambitious restoration and renovation project undertaken by the city government.
When? Every day including public holidays, except May 1, December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1. Tours in English and Spanish start every 15 minutes from 9.00am until 5.00pm. Times vary when the theatre is in use for productions. Tours last around 50 minutes.
Consejos para la ciudad
Cómo moverse
Colectivos (City Buses)
COLECTIVO (city buses) work well. You will need to obtain a SUBE card from a kiosko that shows a Blue Circle sign that says SUBE (first 90 Pesos pay for the reusable card and rest is for the buses) and then “fill” it with a payment of AR Pesos . Either the Kiosco owner will charge your card or he/she will point you at a machine that will take your Peso bills and charge your card (the shop operator can be asked to help if you fail to make the machine understand you!).
Google shows most routes with some errors and with theoretical timing - not yet reported by bus equipment so some patience may
Cómo moverse
Taxis
Taxis are easily available and are not expensive compared to US or EU prices. Check that the meter is running when you start moving. Try to both enter from the sidewalk side into the back seat to avoid the traffic on the other side. Late nights and during heavy traffic, fares will be higher.
Costumbres y cultura
Be careful to cross on the pedestrian crossing
When walking around, do not assume the cars (or larger vehicles) will stop for you. Whether driving or walking, you should be aware that drivers are not allowed to turn right at a red light in Argentina.