EYEWITNESS TRAVEL TOP10 BUENOS AIRES 3( 0 / ' 3LD]]ROOD %DQFR 2 $ $'(52 $/ 7DQJR +LSRWHFDULR &$/ 3(// (5 10 1DFLRQDO /D&DWHGUDO $95 Great tango clubs & dance halls (60 0HWURSROLWDQD ([HGLILFLR %DQFRGHOD & &$//(68 /D3UHQVD &$//( 3DODFLR 1DFLµQ $ 10 &DI« ' 9HUD $BUFESBM , 7RUWRQL 0LAZAŽDE % Best restaurants in each area &DVD 1BSRVF 1FSÞ 5 !VENIDAŽDEŽ-AYO -AYO 5RVDGD $PMØO 10 "WEF 1JFESBT $ (O&DELOGR $9,1 / Unmissable museums & galleries .BZP (GLILFLR 9 'UDEEOH 1MB[B $ .BZP #PMJWBS 0LQLVWHULRGH 10 &$//($$/6,1$ (FRQRPLD * Liveliest bars & clubs 0DQ]DQDGH 0XVHRGH +8( OD&LXGDG ODV/XFHV $/&$5&( 10 7$&8$5 %2/9$5 % &$ &$//( 025(12 Most impressive buildings 10 Historic plazas & green spaces 10 Artisan shops & best boutiques 10 Best hotels for every budget 10 Fun activities for children 1010 Insider tips for every reader YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING TOP 10 BUENOS AIRES DECLAN MCGARVEY JONATHAN SCHULTZ EYEWITNESS TRAVEL Left Tango show Center Painting at Kelly’s shop Right Cementerio de la Recoleta Contents Contents Buenos Aires’ Top 10 Design, Editorial, and Picture Research, by Buenos Aires’ Highlights 6 Quadrum Solutions, Krishnamai, 33B, Sir Pochkanwala Road, Worli, Mumbai, India Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore Plaza de Mayo 8 Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd First American Edition, 2009 Cementerio de la 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Published in the United States by Recoleta 10 DK Publishing, Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Copyright 2009 © Dorling Kindersley Limited, Teatro Colón 12 London, A Penguin Company All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions. No part of this Avenida de Mayo 14 publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Museo Nacional de copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Bellas Artes 16 A CIP catalogue record is available from the British Library. ISSN: 1479-344X San Telmo 18 ISBN: 978 0 7566 3954 9 Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in the Avenida 9 de Julio 20 editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. Floors are referred to throughout in accordance with American usage; ie the “first floor” is the floor MALBA 22 above ground level. Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay 24 Tango 26 Moments in History 32 The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly. Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. Cover: Front – Alamy Images: James Brunker main; Blaine Harrington III bl. Spine – DK Images: Demetrio Carrasco b. Back – DK Images: Demetrio Carrasco tl, tc, tr. 2 Contents Left Exhibits at MALBA Center Café Tortoni Right Interior of Galerías Pacífico Striking Buildings 34 Around Town Plazas and Green Spaces 36 Barrio Norte, Recoleta Argentinian Artisan & Around 64 Stores 38 San Telmo & La Boca 72 Intimate Museums 40 Microcentro, Puerto Festivals 42 Madero & Retiro 80 Tango Clubs and Milongas 44 Palermo 86 Nightclubs 46 Beyond Buenos Aires 94 Gay Clubs and Hangouts 48 Streetsmart Culinary Highlights 52 Parrillas 54 Practical Information 102 Restaurants 56 Places to Stay 112 Porteño Personalities 58 General Index 118 Activities for Children 60 Phrase Book 126 Left El Caminito, La Boca Right Congreso Nacional Key to abbreviations 3 Adm admission charge BUENOS AIRES’ TOP 10 Buenos Aires’ Highlights BUENOS AIRES’ TOP 10 6–7 Plaza de Mayo 8–9 Cementerio de la Recoleta 10–11 Teatro Colón 12–13 Avenida de Mayo 14–15 Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes 16–17 San Telmo 18–19 Avenida 9 de Julio 20–21 Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires 22–23 Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay 24–25 Tango 26–29 Buenos Aires’ Highlights Argentina’s romantic, reinvigorated soul, Buenos Aires is la Capital, where tango combos keep time in crowded milongas (dance halls), young men cry out deliriously at gargantuan soccer stadiums, and taxis swap lanes across some of the world’s widest avenues. Porteños, as the residents of this sophisticated metropolis are called, move to a rhythm all of their own, while making time to dine, dress, and even rest, extraordinarily well. With spectacular museums, lovely open spaces, and rich architecture brimming with history, the city is warm as well as energetic. Plaza de $ 8 ! 7 2 $9 3 Mayo ( , 6 1 7 $ ,'$35 This square has seen $ 9 ( ( 6 ) , * 8 post-World Cup 1 , ' $ ( soccer victory dances 5 2$ ' ( $/ as well as the deaf- / & 2 / , % ( 5 5 7$ 7 ening silence of the $ ' 2 5 $9(1,'$* Mothers of the Plaza $9 Buenos Aires’ Top 10 1 de Mayo’s weekly ' 5( 3/$=$ 5HFROHWD (1(5 (<5 $/9($5 marches (see pp8–9). 38 $//$6+(5$6 $ ,' 1 ( 2 Cementerio de 9 $ @ $ la Recoleta & $// $9 As monument and metaphor for a country’s %DUULR1RUWH $ 9 fortunes – both gained and 6 $ 1 7 $ ) ( lost – la Recoleta contrasts 3/$=$ 52'5,*8(= impeccable mausoleums 3($ with crumbling marble $9( 1,'$ $ 2 tombs (see pp10–11). // & $ &$//( Teatro Colón $9(1,'$ ' $ £ , Having celebrated its 1 9( &$//( centennial under scaffold- $ 3/$=$'(/ ing, the grandest of all Latin &21*5(62 American opera houses reopens in 2010 after an exhaustive restoration. El $9(1,'$ Colón is arguably the most beloved building in all of Argentina (see pp12–13). $9(1,'$ $9(1,'$(175(526 % Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes The modest scale of Argentina’s $9(1,'$ national fine art museum belies a wonder- fully curated permanent collection, which ranges from imposing Rodin bronzes to oils depicting the $ Avenida de Mayo mythical Buenos Aires’ prized avenue Argentinian is a boon to architecture buffs – Pampa. The it contains the continent’s best museum holds preserved Belle Époque, Art great works by Nouveau, and Art Deco address- many inter- es. Old bookstores and cafés add national artists to the charm (see pp14–15). (see pp16–17). 6 Preceding pages El Caminito, La Boca & Avenida 9 de Julio The grandest of Latin American avenues is flanked by dozens of cultural highlights, the biggest of which is Teatro Colón. Take care when crossing its 12- lane width, which takes a few traffic-light Buenos Aires’ Top 10 cycles to accomplish (see pp20–21). ^ San Telmo Among the city’s oldest barrios, cobblestoned San Telmo guards the lyrical spirit of the bodegón – the quintessentially porteño bar/café where a vermouth or croissant can be arranged anytime. Lanes lined with 19th-century homes brim with performers on Sundays (see pp18–19). 3 $ 5 $ 9 ( 9 ( 1 , '$ ( 6 1 , $ 3 ' 5 5 $ 78 (6 & 52 5 6&$ 2 Museo de Arte Latinoamericano 6 67,// 7 * 8 $ 0 1 ( de Buenos Aires (MALBA) % 2 5 ( $ 5 7 2 5 MALBA has quickly asserted itself since , 2 / % / / its 2001 opening. Its collection of Latin '(/ , , $ * / $ ,%( ' American artwork, which includes Diego 57 2 $' 25 Rivera and Xul Solar, has been sup- plemented with film screenings and a unique museum gift shop (see pp22–23). $9 3/$=$ $ ( NP 6$1 9(1, 1, 5HWLUR 0$57,1 ' $ $ ' 9 $ ( $1 1 ( , ' 0$ 7 $ 5 * $ / /,%(57$' ' ( 5 2 1 ( $ &5'2%$ 1 7 /( $9(1,'$,17&$5/2612, ,1$ 0 $9(1,'$'(-8/,2 &$//(60$571 /$9$//( 3/$=$'(/$ 5(3%/,&$ &255,(17(6 $956(1=3($0LFURFHQWUR *(1 -'3(51 &$//( 3/$=$ $9(1,'$'(0$<2 '(0$<2 $9(1,'$$/,&,$025($8'(-8672 ( Colonia del $9(1,'$,1*+8(5*2 Sacramento, $9-$52&$ %(/*5$12 Uruguay Founded by Portuguese traders, Colonia is a &%2/9$5 $93$6(2&2/1 ,1'(3(1'(1&,$ picturesque town. Its colorful colonial streets, &$//(6$/7$ 6DQ $9(1,'$'(-8/,2 7HOPR Portuguese architecture, 6$1-8$1 and relaxed pace, make it a popular weekend $-8$ 1' (*$5 $< 1,' spot (see pp24–25). $9( ZBSET NFUFST Tango ) Jaunty and humorous or dirge-like and mournful, tango – the capital’s dance, musical, and poetic art form – is still in full swoon, 120 years after its creation. With classes and performances galore, it is integral to the city’s culture and continues to captivate the people of Buenos Aires and the rest of the world (see pp26–29). Share your travel recommendations on traveldk.com 7 Plaza de Mayo Like spokes on a wheel, some of Buenos Aires’ most important avenues radiate outward from Plaza de Mayo. Nearly every era of the city’s history is reflected in the plaza’s surroundings. The 18th-century government’s diminutive seat of power, El Cabildo, is divested of any official duty, yet it still manages to exude an imposing aura opposite the much larger current executive governmental offices, the Casa Rosada. The landscaped space in between has been the scene of Argentina’s fiercest internal struggles and greatest joys, from the naval attacks of 1955 to pulsating parties following World Cup soccer victories in 1978 and 1986. For all its formidable history, Plaza de Mayo can still offer a quiet bench to read the paper or sip a maté.