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Palermo, located in the northeast section of Buenos Aires, is the city’s largest neighborhood, and it offers tree-lined streets and intersections packed with the trendiest restaurants, bars and boutiques. San Telmo, in the southern part of the city, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, and offers a step back in history, with its cobble-stoned streets and buildings from the colonial era. San Telmo features churches, museums, antique shops and a weekend Antique Fair in historic Dorrego Square, which also includes tango performances.
Culture plays an important role in Buenos Aires. An opera house, several symphony orchestras, numerous museums and theaters form its exceptional cultural life. Art is not only found in the many museums in town, but also on the street walls in the city. Street art in Buenos Aires became popular in 2001. It was the Porteños’ way of protesting against the economic crisis. Another crucial part of Argentinian culture is undoubtedly the tango. In 2009, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage declared tango as a world’s cultural heritage. If you fancy some shopping in Buenos Aires, you’ll find some luxurious shopping malls. The most popular mall among tourists is the Galerias Pacifico, located on Florida/Av. Córdoba. For antique shops, visit San Telmo. For leather outlet stores, go to Murillo street.
Buenos Aires’ buildings are a medley of different architectural styles. Considering the cultural background of the Porteños, there is overall French and Italian influence to be seen in the architecture. The economic upswing during 1880 and 1920 brought out many buildings in neoclassical style. Being an international trend at that time, there are worldwide neoclassical examples of architecture, including the Old Museum in Berlin or the White House and Capitol in Washington, D.C. Many of these architectural examples — Teatro Colón, Galerias Pacifico or the National Congress can be seen on Avenida de Mayo between Plaza de Mayo and Plaza del Congreso.
The cuisine of Argentina is uniquely distinctive in South America because of the strong influence of Spanish, Italian, French and other European cuisines rather than other Latin American cuisines. Another determining factor is that the country is one of the world's major food producers. It is a major producer of meat (especially beef), wheat, corn, milk, beans and, since the 1970s, soybeans. Given the country's vast production of beef, red meat is an especially common part of the Argentine diet and is featured prominently on most restaurant menus. And considering the large wheat production in Argentina, white bread is also popular, as is Argentine pizza.
For dining out, La Cabrera Norte in Buenos Aires serves fantastic steaks and side dishes and attracts a primarily tourist clientele. Another great steakhouse in Buenos Aires is El Establo Parrilla. For fresh seafood, including fantastic grilled squid, try Oviedo. For authentic Argentine pizza, don’t miss El Cuartito. And save room for dessert. Persicco, with locations throughout the city, blends the gelato techniques of Italians with excellent dairy product from Argentina to create a truly memorable treat.
The cruise ship terminal Benito Quinquela is located ½ a mile from the city center. Sometimes ships dock at the outlying piers. In this case, a complimentary shuttle bus is provided. Even for short distances, the streets around the pier area are not considered safe to walk around on your own.
For visitors, Buenos Aires is extremely accessible, not only because of the integrated and modern transport system (metro, train and buses), but also because tour operators have caught onto the tourist’s desire to see the city in different mediums, including getting around with a downloaded MP3 audio guide, on an organized walking or bike tour, or via a sightseeing bus. Taxis are readily available at reasonable prices at the pier.
A free wifi network with more than 300 access points is available throughout Buenos Aires.
Shop hours: General store opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. Many businesses close for a long lunch break around noon.
Shopping tip: You'll find prices listed with the sign “$.” However, this is the local currency, the Argentine peso, not the U.S. Dollar. Don’t be confused.
Tipping: Tipping in restaurants in Buenos Aires is not mandatory, but certainly desired. A tip of 10% of your total bill is generally sufficient. Tipping taxi drivers is also not required, but many people leave the change for their driver in order to round up to the nearest peso.
Safety: Pickpocketing and robbery are common crimes against tourists. Take maximum caution, and it is strongly recommended to stay with a group guided by a local.
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