Early 2024 provided us the opportunity to explore Buenos Aires several times. Living and travelling on a cruise ship we arrived in Buenos Aires at the cruise terminal and ventured out into the city from there. This is our standard operating procedure while Dragon is working aboard the ship. Travel Log: Buenos Aires shares our experiences in Buenos Aires from that perspective.
Lessons Learned
If you’ve been following our adventures up to this point you’ll know by now that we frequently do most of our explorations on foot. We tend to walk most places. It’s kind of our thing. Our first day in Buenos Aires provided a valuable lesson. Our intention was to walk to the fabulous Japanese Gardens. Google maps provided the most direct route of course. We ended up walking over 3k through Barrio Padre Mugica, a place we discovered was once one of the most dangerous slums in Buenos Aires. Fortunately it was Sunday, people were barbecuing with their families, and we just kept going until we were on the other side. We learned we need to be more aware and educated on our visits versus blindly following what the robot tells us. There are many parts of Buenos Aires you shouldn’t go, especially at night. Uber and Cabify are both available in Buenos Aires as well.
Hop On Hop Off Bus
Our next trip ashore we decided Buenos Aires may not be the best location for our standard operating procedure. We purchased a ticket for the Hop On Hop Off bus and toured the city from the upper deck. The full loop was three hours that included narration in English telling us about the different parts of the city. You have the option of sitting in an air conditioned space or riding on the upper level in the sunshine. We also enjoyed the Hop On Hop Off bus in Cape Town and it turned out to be a great way to discover what Buenos Aires had to offer. Dog and Dragon recommend it for sure.
Puerto Madero
One of our favorite parts of Buenos Aires we visited multiple times was Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is a refurbished industrial port along the river that now offers sight seeing, shopping and dining. You can walk across the stunning Puente de la Mujer, built in the image of tango dancers in honor of the Argentina women’s movement. Enjoy a craft beer at Temple, an incredible steak at Villegas, and artisanal gelato at Lucciano’s. From Puerto Madero it is only a short walk to the relaxing ecological preserve at Costanera Sur.
Caminito
With its colorful buildings and artsy expressions Caminito in La Boca neighborhood is one of BA’s most famous tourist destinations in Buenos Aires. If you are a soccer fan you will find clever likenesses of Boca Juniors football heroes like Diego Maradona, Juan Román Riquelme, or Carlos Teves, get your picture taken with a statue of Argentine hero Lionel Messi, or walk in the shadow of The Bombonera only a few blocks away. There is plenty of shopping, entertainment, and dining to keep you satisfied while you enjoy this iconic, world famous street museum. Lots of lively activity during the day, but we were warned not to go here after dark.
Other Cool Places
Considering the sketchy first day of our Travel Log: Buenos Aires adventure we weren’t entirely sure about it as a vacation destination. We ultimately discovered the city is beautiful, the weather is perfect in February / March, and there is so much to offer visitors. Explore the many museums and art galleries, eat at a Michelin rated restaurant like Basa, enjoy the beautiful architecture, discover the elegance and excitement of tango, take in the Palermo Rose Garden, shop at Galerias Pacifico, or simply walk the neighborhoods in search of great street art like we do. Buenos Aires is a huge city with a ton to offer and much more for Dog and Dragon to explore. We only scratched the surface and found it to be full of energy with plenty to see on future visits.
Prana Women’s Summit Pant
Check out one of Dragon’s favorite travel pants from Prana. Super light and breathable. They don’t wrinkle and they have functional pockets. Beyond that they are really comfy and cute.
Good to know you guys made it through the hood ok! I think you both could talk yourselves out of any situation though, and end up making life-long friends!
It’s a good warning for me to make sure I know where I can walk at 5 am in Rome when I can’t sleep in. I have planned walks to cafes across the city from where we are staying….but Eric is not going to wake up that early to be my body guard 🙂
You’ll have to WhatsApp me your location in Rome. We felt pretty safe there, but our apartment was only a block or two away from an area with a lot of homelessness and drug use. Its good to have someone to walk with, especially during the wee hours.