Every Country

What makes an awesome city? This is the question I asked myself when I fell in love with Buenos Aires at first sight. Was it the people,
architecture, history, culture, nightlife, restaurants or general vibe? Well to be honest it’s a combination of all of them, however after BA another one that I added to the list was diversity. I love how within one city there can be five to ten different neighbourhoods each with their own personalities and styles. The only tricky bit is deciding where to stay! In a nutshell, here are the top five neighbourhoods in BA:

City Centre
Right in the thick of it, the city centre around the Plaza de Mayo is a great place to stay and use as a base for visiting all the other neighbourhoods. An interesting place in its own right; it has beautiful buildings that look like they belong in Europe, the iconic obelisk and the bustling streets of Florida (place for changing money) and Av 9 de Julio. The main places to stay here are the infamous Millhouse party hostels; one is on Hipólito Yrigoyen and the other on Avenida de Mayo.

San Telmo
The oldest neighbourhood in BA has been preserved so well that a visit here is like walking back in a time. One minute you are in the modern city and then six blocks south from Plaza de Mayo you are stepping on cobbled streets, with colonial architecture to match, looking at old churches and guessing prices for old, original furniture in all the antique shops. Most of the accommodation here has a trendy, bohemian and boutique style.

La Boca
A neighbourhood in the south-east of BA, it is home to the football stadium of the famous Boca Juniors. Other main attractions of La Boca are the brightly coloured houses and Caminit, a pedestrian street lined with tango clubs, cafés, restaurants and shops. Because La Boca is quite a poor neighbourhood, it is not recommended to stay here, however is a must visit in daylight hours.

Recoleta
One of the richest and safest neighbourhoods in BA, Recoleta is where you will find the city’s elite upper class. Here the buildings are well maintained and the footpaths for the most part are in tact. An unusual tourist attraction that can be found here is Recoleta Cemetery. Almost as impressive as the surrounding houses of the living are the houses of the dead, which are giant marble mausoleums in a variety of different architectural styles. 

Palermo
If you are looking for a cool, funky place to hang out, Palermo is your place. Filled with great restaurants, lively bars and cute cafés, this is the number one place to meet young porteños (people from BA) and backpackers alike. To avoid committing social suicide, you will have to eat dinner at 11pm and not even think about going to clubs before 1 or 2 am!