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Walking Tours Buenos Aires

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:33:41 +0000

Walking your way around Buenos Aires is by far the best way to discover our great Metropolis.

Nowadays, the traffic in Buenos Aires is just horrible during the week. It is often blocked by people rallying or forming a “piquete”, and camping on Avenida de Mayo is not unheard of either (although it’s hardly what we call glamping!). So being stuck in a car that restricts your view, or travelling en-masse in a hot stuffy bus, struggling to hear your guide, is not the way to explore…

Buenos Aires Experience provides a number of Buenos Aires walking tours with expert guides to uncover the history of Buenos Aires and Argentina, as well as important national figures such as Eva Maria Duarte Peron (affectionately known as EVITA) and the city’s vibrant art history or modern art scene. Your wish is our command, and your interests will determine both the guide and the content of the tour.

One of our most popular walking tours is the Orientation Tour. In 4 hours our guide will take you to La Boca, San Telmo, Retiro, Plaza de Mayo, Plaza San Martin, and last but not least, Recoleta and its famous cemetery. On the way you will walk, take a colectivo, and try out the wooden subway. You will learn to get around on your own and to orientate yourself in the city. Our guide will walk you through the history of Buenos Aires and its people, giving you all the tips you need to better enjoy this fascinating and exotic South American city.

Our goal is to unearth the ‘real’ Buenos Aires tourists often miss!

Although we are predominantly a private tours company, recently, at the request of Buenos Aires Stay, we have run two group walking tours a week on Monday and Friday. These are restricted to ten guests and so get fully booked very quickly, especially now during high season. If you would like to do a group walking tour please call us in advance to avoid missing out.

To get a feel of the Buenos Aires known by the locals, we also make use of the city’s brilliant public transport system. There is always a bus or a train that leaves you minutes from your desired destination. The other day I went from my house to an island in the Delta using public transport and it took me half the time of going by car and private speed boat.

Our subway system dates back to 1913, the 3rd oldest in the world and the first of the Southern hemisphere. One can still travel on the first wooden subway cars and admire the old school craftsmanship and marvel at the porcelain lamps and leather straps.

Walking has always been a big part of my life. Ever since I can remember my dad would drag me and my brother out of bed for a “walk”. Rather than an enjoyable stroll, however, we would be forced into a marching marathon reminiscent of Mao’s Long March. Be it New York, La Paz or Paris, summer or winter, we walked for hours on end, hardly ever stopping. His favourite of all cities is Buenos Aires. Every corner holds a secret; every neighbourhood has a spectacular history. Everywhere in Buenos Aires has its own charm and personality, its own aroma (not always so charming, however).

The city boasts 750 different species of trees. From the beautiful purple flowered Jacarandas of Avenida Libertador, to the eucalyptus trees of the 3 de Febrero Park. There is nothing like the perfume of jasmines when passing by a flower stand, combined with the smell of freshly brewed coffee which lingers around the many cafes.

I was ten when I first wandered the streets of Buenos Aires. The city seemed endless, a never-ending labyrinth of streets and high-rise buildings, a huge urban creature. According to the United Nations ranking of urban agglomerations by population, Buenos Aires is the 11^th largest city in the world, ahead of Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing. It has more than 13 million inhabitants, almost a third of the whole countries population. To represent this uneven spread of the population here in Argentina we have a saying, “God is Argentine…and his office is Buenos Aires”.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Buenos Aires is truly the city that never sleeps. At any time, night or day, you can eat, drink, shop and party. On Avenida Corrientes people browse books at 2am. Hoards of cars circle the streets of Palermo Soho all through the night, far exceeding those in the Soho or Tribeca of NYC.

All this and more is missed sitting in a vehicle. As is the feeling of joining in with the locals and getting to know the colourful characters that roam our historical streets. So take advantage of our private and personalised walking tours to get to know what really interests you about Buenos Aires. Ask our guides to adapt the tours to your particular tastes, be it literature, architecture, nature or art. Alternatively join one of our group tours to have fun and explore the “real” Buenos Aires.

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Cabildo Buenos Aires – Great Exhibit for Tourists

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:00:44 +0000

The Cabildo Today

The “Cabildo” is witness to 418 years of political and social history in the Republic of Argentina. The Argentine government declared the building as a national monument in 1933 and the building is now a museum.

The building and its patrimony evoke the rich social and political history that formed Argentina, and is testament to our proud heritage and national identity.

Long before Casa Rosada, Colon Theater and the Obelisk were constructed, the Cabildo was the main political institution and architectural attraction in Buenos Aires city.

I remember my first field trip to the Cabildo. A classic that sticks firmly in my mind, just like when I lived in the United States and my teacher took us to see the Liberty Bell.

On any day you will see scores of schoolchildren, white coated ‘cherubs’, flocking to the Cabildo in order to re-live our history. Every Argentine child knows that during a rainy week of May of 1810, porteños stood in the muddy Plaza de Mayo with their umbrellas waiting for news from inside the Cabildo (very similar to the faithful crowding the square of the Vatican while waiting for the smoke that signals a new Pope). The news they eagerly awaited was about the self-determination of the Viceroyalty of the Rio del la Plata whilst a Joseph Bonaparte usurped the Spanish throne.

In commemoration of our bicentennial year, the museum has recently undergone a full restoration and the many exhibits that chart our history modernized with the latest technology and media to ensure a fun and enlightening exhibit for visitors of all ages.

Amazingly, restoration work took just 50 days and involved an investment of over 3 million pesos. Some 50 workers toiled 7 days a week. Workman used two thousand six hundred liters of donated lime to whiten the Cabildo’s façade riddled with graffiti from protests that take place in the square. The original door, damaged by spray-paint, needed full and costly restoration. This mindless defacing of our proud history tolerated. Every time somebody sprays paint on the walls of the Cabildo, they cause more damage than they know.

The Cabildo, built for eighteenth century suffers a daily twenty-first century pounding from the vibrations of the Subway to air pollution from the traffic – we must care for our heritage.

Elina Tassara, who also worked in the restoration of the Sistine Chapel, expertly completed the work with amazing results. The exhibit halls are spacious, luminous with new furnishings and ‘giantography’, and new technologies that allow visitors to interact with history.

On the ground floor is the reconstruction of Buenos Aires first prison. This is the only section of the original eighteenth century structure that suffered the changes of architectural tastes and style. At the end of the nineteenth century, city planners decided to change the colonial face of Buenos Aires to ensure a progressive modern European feeling throughout the city – it worked.

On the first floor, visitors find the town hall, refurbished with original furnishings circa 1810. In addition, for the first time, the visitors can access the balcony of the Cabildo from where our early government announced to the eagerly awaiting crowd on the Plaza De Mayo that we would not recognize a new king imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. The views of the square and the Pink House make for a great photo opportunity. In addition, the new exhibits feature the first printer ever, an original invitation to the Cabildo dated 22May 1810 and a flag captured from the British Invasions.

The Cabildo you visit today is a reconstruction of the original building completed between 1938 and 1940 by the architect Mario Buschiazzo. The windows, door, the tower and the clock are not original. Notwithstanding that, this exhibit captures our glorious history so wonderfully that tourists must make time to visit!

Stroll through the patio amongst the trees that protected our founding fathers from the scorching summer sun. Thursdays and Fridays, a select group of the city’s best artisans offers their handcrafts and interacts with the visitors exploring the roots of the Argentine culture.

The Cabildo Museum, (Bolivar 65)

Open Tuesday to Friday from 10.30am to 5pm.

Sundays and holidays from 11.30am to 6pm.

Telephone:4342-6729 or 4334-1782.

E-Mail: cabildomuseo_nac@yahoo.com.ar

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Buenos Aires Shopping Tours

Buenos Aires Experience — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:03:29 +0000

Buenos Aires shopping for woolens, local art and leather goods is a big favorite for most Buenos Aires tourists.

Buenos Aires Experience pledges our patrons, colorful visual experiences, which encompass wonderful flavors and moving sensation. Buenos Aires Experience invites you on unforgettable tours right into Buenos Aires’ very soul.

That is no tall order! Therefore, our panel of experts design and direct shopping tours that take you well off the ‘beaten tracks’ used by tourists to private viewings and outlets that even locals would not find unless they work in the Buenos Aires fashion industry.

Shopping in Buenos Aires will probably get even cheaper for tourists because the Peso seems likely to devalue against the major currencies as their economies start to improve.

Conversely, the outlook for Argentina in the short-term is poor, but hard times are good for tourists – currency devaluation and cut price retail makes for bonanza vacations!

Already, North American tourists get nearly four Argentine Pesos to one American Dollar and Europeans will no doubt get seven Argentine Pesos to their Euro in the coming months – check out our links. The good news is shopping in Buenos Aires is still great value for Buenos Aires tourists.

Buenos Aires Experience provides shopping tours for women and more recently, quite a few men who want to get on the Buenos Aires shopping inside track.

We do not give the ‘same-ole’ advice – go to Florida Street, Avenida Santa Fe or Alto Palermo and Patio Bullrich shopping malls. BORING! YAWN! YAWN! You no doubt already know about these places and although this is good, tried and tested Buenos Aires tourist information, which appears on nearly every website you browse, we are not every other website.

Buenos Aires Experience caters for discerning men and women who tend to think outside the box and who want something entirely different.

Our team often gets calls from tourists, ‘we went to all the places suggested on various websites, it is always the same when we shop – we found nothing in our color or our size.’

We plan our Buenos Aires shopping tours. They are cleverly executed operations that fill your bags with booty.

You have malls at home – you want to find the best and cheapest Argentine woolen, Buenos Aires leather, art & craft, quality silver and gold adornments, chic clothes from independent designers, great hand-made shoes and handbags with the Jimmy choo looks, style and quality without the price tag. You want shopping your friends will rave about.

Shopping in Buenos Aires is an art. It is all about good research and knowing who make the ‘best what where’ in every Buenos Aires barrio – this is local knowledge – professional knowledge – Buenos Aires tourists would really have to strike lucky to find off the beaten track private viewing factories and Buenos Aires fashion salons you might know exist, but seldom find.

Buenos Aires experience retains a fashion consultant who directs either half day or full day Buenos Aires shopping tours in English, Spanish or French – you choose – the guides chosen by our consultant are multi-lingual and know everything about buying the very best shopping in Buenos Aires at the very best prices.

If your passion is antiques, just state a genre, Buenos Aires Experience retains art dealers in furniture, porcelain, silver, glass, painting and sculpture.

Simply give us your travel dates, tell us what you want to buy, any special requirements (like I am the tallest women in the world) and Buenos Aires Experience will set an itinerary of the best auctions; set up meetings with the best art dealers; arrange private viewings with independent Buenos Aires fashion designers, leather factory outlets, shoemakers, other leather and woolen goods designers of every kind. Just let us know what it is you want to shop for in Buenos Aires and your wish is our command.

Buenos Aires Experience takes the disappointments out of Buenos Aires shopping. Your shopping experience will not leave you or your shopping trolley left empty, rusting in the wilderness!

Buenos Aires Experience shoppers spend both your time and money as if it was their own – shopping is big business – Buenos Aires shopaholics (tourists) need to let the experts do the business and just enjoy their Buenos Aires shopping experience!

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Buenos Aires Guided City Tour – History & Culture

Buenos Aires Experience — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:46 +0000

Our Buenos Aires tours guide takes you on a riveting historical journey that highlights the milestones that shaped Buenos Aires City and Argentina.
Your journey is about discovering real Buenos Aires. Our goal is to tell Buenos Aires’ story with both passion and enthusiasm, no less than the great city of Buenos Aires deserves.
Buenos Aires is unique in South America and, in many respects the world, with stunning ‘euro-tectures’ of a bygone era that signpost the various regional power influences, the tastes of the elite travelling classes, and importantly, the mass immigration of the nineteenth and early twentieth Century.
Home to the Rioplatense baroque style, French neo-classical Corbusier rationalism, art noveau, art deco and even Cesar Pelli’s skyscrapers, the architecture and monuments are towering Buenos Aires guides that with a little help tell Buenos Aires and Argentina’s rich social history.
Walk the streets of San Telmo where British marines battled the Porteños during the early nineteenth century. Relive the legendary British retreat – the marines forced down narrow streets of San Telmo back to their ships by small arms fire, scalding water and projectiles aimed from the rooftops.
See where General Belgrano first raised the famous Argentine flag, later adorned with the Sun of May.
Stand before the balcony of Pink Palace, Casa Rosada, where Peron addressed the masses with Eva Peron (Evita).
There is only one way to see Buenos Aires city to appreciate its eclectic barrios (districts) and find your bearings for later solo adventures – Buenos Aires walking Tours.
We strongly suggest that you take a Buenos Aires tour early in your program to improve both your geography and understanding of city. You even learn to navigate like a local with the GUIA-T.
Our Buenos Aires walking tour starts at Congreso in the heart of the city, then on to the main square of Plaza de Mayo, scene of successive revolutions . From the old to the new, we traverse the city from La Boca to San Telmo, from Puerto Madero and finish in Recoleta.
La Boca is home of Buenos Aires’ sultry tango sounds and home to the bohemia; SanTelmo is the oldest part of the city, witness and stage to most of Buenos Aires’ proud history; Puerto Madero is Buenos Aires’ newest barrio and docklands; then off to Recoleta, the Paris of South America, with Its rococo style mansions, neo classical palaces and Alvear Avenue’s luxury shops to finish in your tour.
Our tours can include breakfast and/or lunch and will most definitely finish at Recoleta’s café La Biela for an espresso and people watching.
Please contact us to design your Buenos Aires City Tour.

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Buenos Aires’ Campo (farmlands) tours – San Antonio de Areco

Buenos Aires Experience — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:57 +0000

Your journey (day) starts with a drive through the Pampas, meaning plain, from the ancient Quechua language, adopted by the Incas as their language of administration, spoken before the Inca empire by the proud warriors of the la Pampa.

Your journey takes you north of Buenos Aires through the heart of Argentina’s Campo – wonderful estancias, built by the province’s landed classes and quaint villages adorn your route through the world’s most fertile flatlands to San Antonio de Areco.

Located 113 kilometers from Buenos Aires City, San Antonio de Areco is the capital of the partido of San Antonio de Areco, declared a city of historic national interest. A sleepy gaucho town ‘adorned’ with rows of antique colonial houses, built in a very neat grid system of one-way streets around a grand plaza. The quaintness of this idyllic rural gaucho enclave so close to Capital Federal makes it a great favorite for tourists wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires.

It gets better! You and your party pre-select your Asado (the mouth watering barbeque made famous by Argentina’s cowboys, the Gaucho) from the very best cuts of meat and farm produce chosen especially for your day, combined with fine Argentine wines chosen to meet your budget.

Whilst your host prepares your lunch, you can explore San Antonio de Areco or stay for a cooking class!

Your host teaches you (not obligatory) how to create a perfect Asado and prepare the premier sauces, Criolla and Chimichurri. This is an art folks, taken seriously by Argentines. Whilst you wait for lunch your host will acquaint you with local cheeses and petifore. Not least, you will taste various Malbec and learn the origins of this outstanding grape, which flourishes at the foot of the Andes in the province of Mendoza.

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Tango for Real

Buenos Aires Experience — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:00:45 +0000

For many, the Tango is a way of life in Buenos Aires. It characterizes the passion and intensity of our great city and is a true expression of Buenos Aires’ very essence. Tango dance and tango music constantly evolve, its reincarnations capturing the hearts of souls of every new generation. No dance form rivals the Tango’s sophistication and sensuality.
The Buenos Aires Experience is not about Hollywood glitz or cheesy shows. You got this far and we believe your tango experience should be through the eyes of the Tango movement’s disciples. To see a glitzy stage performance you do not need to come to Argentina, but if you want to immerse yourself in the world of the true Tango then our host intends to treat you to a rip-roaring local Buenos Aires Experience well off the typical tourist beat. Our “tanguero” (he who tangos) will take you on a magical journey into the very heart of tangos’ birthplace.
We start our tour at the oldest café in town with presentation of the different Tango dance styles.
Then we are off to an intimate atypical bodega where our host is both our chef and our waiter who will delight with Porteño fare accompanied by a fine Malbec.
We complete our tour in one or maybe two of Buenos Aires’ happening Milongas. A Milonga is often wrongly translated as a dance hall. Nothing like it! A Milonga is where the tango aficionados meet to dance and demonstrate their particular Tango styles amongst their contemporaries. The word originates as slang for a party. Here men take the girls out to dance “cabeceando” (shaking of the head side to side), just like the tango men of yesteryear.
Our Buenos Aires Tango Experience is no show, this is Tango for real.
The Milongas are social clubs, art-nouveau cafes, Belle Epoch Ballrooms or private homes. The venues are ever changing and adapting to the crowd. Our “tanguero” will ensure you are part of today’s main tango vibe.
***If dancing is your thing, the sights and ambiance will most certainly be all you need, however, we can also arrange some private lessons in a charming colonial setting. It takes two to tango, so if you need a dance partner just let us know***.

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Tigre and Paraná Delta Tours

Buenos Aires Experience — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:07 +0000

Our Tigre and Paraná Delta tours are unique. The tours are luxury packages individually tailored according to taste and budget. We find that most people miss the natural beauty of the Parana Delta because most tours simply walk the riverside promenade or operate by water taxi with no stops to explore the fauna and flora rich delta islands.
Our Tigre and Paraná Delta tour suggestion:
Luxury tours set off early in a private car or SUV with your host. The drive north takes you through the upper class neighborhoods to enjoy Buenos Aires sights such as San Isidro’s magnificent gothic cathedral and the many colonial mansions on route.
On arrival to Tigre, we visit the recently restored Tigre Hotel, which transports you back in time to the roaring 20’s for a breakfast.
After breakfast, we take a riverside walk of Tigre; you will marvel the English-style rowing clubs, countless marinas, and elegant mansions of the “Belle Époque”, as well as upscale lodges, restaurants and teahouses.
We then take our river expedition of the Paraná Delta aboard a vintage mahogany long boat. The Paraná Delta is un-spoilt labyrinth of waterways filled wildlife and islands.
We stop for lunch and a lazy afternoon at wonderful Italian style Estancia on the monumental Parana de la Palmas to b-b-q “the gaucho way” and drink good Malbec wine.
After lunch, you may go canoeing, horse riding, trekking or simply swing in a hammock by the waterside to absorb the stunning natural beauty of the Paraná River.
You may also stay the night at the rustic Italian style Tigre estanicia where you lunch. Please make this request before travel to Buenos Aires to avoid disappointment.
If you want to know more about standard and group tours on a Saturday, please email us.
Established 1611, the name Tigre is derived from ‘tigres’ or Yaguaretes (South American tiger) hunted to extinction in this region. Tigre is a wonderfully leafy, waterside, weekend retreat that lies on the Paraná Delta, bordered to the north by an important branch of the Paraná River, the Paraná de las Palmas River, and to the east by the Río de la Plata. The Luján River, flowing southeast into the Río de la Plata divides this region, creating a maze of waterways and islands given over to first-class tourism, waterside living, sports and agriculture. These navigable waterways connect to the major rivers of the region making Tigre an attractive centre for exploring, yachting, rowing, and fishing.

We head back to the port around 5pm to 6pm and then take a leisurely drive to Buenos Aires City. It is possible to arrange a boat to take you back to the city, arriving at Puerto Madero early evening. We needsuch instruction at least 14 days in advance.

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