Travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina – Episode 378

Hear about travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Leandro Gonzalez about his hometown.

Buenos Aires is a large cosmopolitan city of 13 million people. Leandro tries to help us find options for travelers from the backpacker to the upscale traveler.

“The city has a very strong European influence. That being said I think it has its own Latin American identity. One of the things that is well known about it is its nightlife. If you go out on a Tuesday night you can stay out in a bar until 2-3 in the morning and there is always going to be something open for you. As the capital city is has a lot of things to offer.”

Leandro starts us in the San Telmo neighborhood which has been closely connected with the Tango culture. It has beautiful cobblestoned streets and bars that date back to the mid 19th century. You can easily feel that you went back in time 200 years in San Telmo. There is a fantastic flea market in the area on Sundays.

He also recommends going to a local soccer game that is passionate and colorful. Most tourists try and get to a Boca Juniors or River Plate game which are the two most popular teams.

As a side trip and a break from the city Leandro recommends a trip to the islands in the Tigre Delta.

The southern neighborhoods of Buenos Aires have a lot of crafts and a bohemian vibe. “They are the place to see the milongas. Tango is the music, milonga is dancing tango music. When people talk about tango you are exclusively talking about the music. When you talk about the dance you talk about milongas.”

In addition, Leandro recommends some of the best restaurants, hostels, walks, and sites in this fascinating city.

right click here to download (mp3)
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Show Notes

Buenos Aires Travel Guide
Top 10 Things to Do in Buenos Aires
San Telmo
San Telmo Flea Market
Boca Juniors (in Spanish)
Tigre Delta Islands
Viejo Almacen
Teatro Colón
Casa Rosada
Buenos Aires Cabildo
Café Tortoni
Palacio Barolo
Puerto Madero
Pan Y Teatro (in Spanish)
Portal del Sur
La Recoleta Cemetery

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From our guest Leandro:
Hi Chris,

There is one very important piece of information that I did not get to mention during our interview. Argentina applies a reciprocity tax to Australians, Canadians, and US citizens. The reciprocity tax costs the equivalent that a tourist visa costs for an Argentine citizen wanting to visit any of those 3 countries (e.g. US citizens must pay U$S 160 since an Argentine citizen must apply for a tourist visa before going to the US and it cost is U$S 160). This fee needs to be paid BEFORE arriving in Argentina. The reciprocity tax is relatively new (about 2 years old), so most travel guides do not include this info. Furthermore, it used to be possible to pay this tax upon arrival, however, since December last year, Australians, Canadians, and US citizens must pay this fee online in advance. All other citizens are exempt from this tax. If any citizens of these countries arrive in Argentina without proof of payment, they won’t be able to enter the country. For more information, travelers should contact the Argentine embassy or consulate.

Let me know if this is confusing.

Leandro

On the episode Travel to South Australia – Episode 377 Cas writes:

Hi Chris,

Love your podcasts. Your questioning really draws out both good and bad features of a place, brings it alive. And I love how you seem so genuinely interested in all the places and all the guests’ experiences…such a lovely manner! I often go to sleep with Amateur Traveller sending me on my travel dreams. As I am going to Europe for two months later in the year, I have been avidly searching the podcasts for everything on Central Europe, Ireland, and Croatia. and yes, there’s loads.

But listening to the podcast on “Southern Australia” last night forced me to send you the correction, in case no Other Aussie has yet done so. There is no such terminology as Southern Australia- unless one is talking about some geographical landmass south of a latitude for some reason. Eg there WAS a line drawn in WWII south of Brisbane or maybe just north, that the army had decided they would defend, leaving the rest to the Japanese as indefensible. Did you know that? Anyway, aside from such a use, we NEVER use the term. The state is South Australia. Every time the guests mentioned Southern Australia, my mind jumped, ” where are they referring to.? Oh yes, the state.”

And yes, we do talk a lot about sharks. When I visited Western Australia ( the state) in November 2011, there were three shark fatalities in three weeks there. I certainly went dipping in the sea with one eye scanning vigilantly!

Anyway, keep up the great work. Just had to make this little correction.

No worries, mate! 🙂
Cas