Which neighborhoods you should you stay in Buenos Aires (and which ones you shouldn't)

Mariana Radisic Koliren • August 31, 2021

Colonial, artsy and foodie? San Telmo

San Telmo one of the oldest parts of the city and a place with so much to see.

Like art? From contemporary arts museums like MAMBA or MACBA, to cool little art galleries like Sach and Quorum, to crazy performances at CCMA, to antiquing in Defensa, San Telmo's got you covered. During the weekends you can get a glimpse of Max Regueiro's drag performance as Tita Merello, catch living statues  at the San Telmo fair or enjoy some live candombe on Sunday evenings.

Getting hungry from all that culture? Head to the San Telmo Market or to Caseros Avenue to try amazing restaurants and food stalls. Eat asado at Hierro or La Brigada or go 180° with a vegan meal at Jaam. If you feel like empanadas, try out the famous deep fried meat empanadas Beto does at El Gauchito or go for an unconventional spicy lamb at El Banco Rojo.

Nightclubs, graffiti and vegan dogs? Palermo it is.

We ain't even joking. Palermo was the first neighborhood where the trend of veganism first began... and it even took over petshops! Jokes (and unconventional veterinary decisions) aside, Palermo Soho and Hollywood is the area with the highest amount of cool restaurants, vegan or otherwise.Here you'll find 2020's Latin America's Top 50 Best List #1 choice, Don Julio as well as places like Chori, El Preferido or Lo de Jesus. 

Hollywood and Soho area also the epicenter of nightlife, with some of the coolest nightclubs in the city around the Niceto Vega and Juan B. Justo area. This area is full of hostels and small boutique hotels just steps away from wineries, restaurants, bars, clubs and shopping!

If you feel like living a slightly less nocturnal, greener version of Palermo, stay in the area closer to Libertador Avenue, where you'll find nice, small hotels by some of the largest green areas in the city, and just steps away from the Evita Museum.

Live out your fanciest life in Recoleta and Retiro

Recoleta and Retiro have some of the fanciest, classiest hotels in the city. If you are not much of a night explorer but enjoy a great hotel, then look no further than the hotels on Alvear and Posadas streets, which have amazing restaurants, high teas and even rooftop bars.

Stay clear of the areas around the Recoleta Cemetery and Plaza San Martin, tho: they can get kind of sketchy at night.

Dubai... my bad, Puerto Madero.

Puerto Madero is the newest, glossiest district in the city... and one of the most expensive neighborhoods in all of South America. It's certianly a romantic neighborhood, with many high end restaurants facing the glimmering lights glistening on the water. It also has the hotel rooms with some of the nicest views of the city, the Rio de la Plata and the green expanse of the Ecological Reserve.

Feel like making worse choices than drunk-dialing an ex? Then head here.

If you are up to making some regrettable choices, stay in the city center. The city center has some of the coolest places to visit in Buenos Aires. That doesn't mean you should stay there. Plaza de Mayo definitely is both sketchy and uninteresting at night. Same goes to the area around the National Congress and the area of Tribunales and Microcentro.

Is Once a CURSED neighborhood?

By Mariana Radisic Koliren • April 3, 2023
The neighborhood of Once in Buenos Aires is known for many things: its vibrant street life, bustling markets, and diverse mix of cultures. This is, after all, a neighborhood where you will find Chinese, Bolivian, Peruvian, Senegalese and Jewish communities. But there is another side to this lively community, one that is shrouded in darkness and shrouded in mystery. For those who dare to delve into the history of Once, they will find a tale of tragedy and terror that has left a lasting mark on the community.

The Jewish Gauchos - trading kneidelach for asado!

By Mariana Radisic Koliren • January 4, 2023
The Jewish gauchos were a group of Jewish immigrants who took their love for kosher deli sandwiches and matzo ball soup to the wild frontier of the Pampas region in Argentina . These immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, were drawn to the Pampas by the promise of land and opportunity (and maybe just a little bit by the thought of being the only Jewish cowboys in town). Many of them had fled persecution and poverty in their home countries and saw Argentina as a place where they could build a better life for themselves and their families. But life as a Jewish gaucho wasn't all latkes and lox: actually, no lox at all in the beef-producing heart of the Americas. These immigrants had to contend with the challenges of settling in a remote and harsh region, including drought, disease, and isolation. Many of them lived in poverty and worked as farmers and ranch hands, enduring physically demanding and often low-paying labor. However, the Jewish gauchos persevered and made a lasting impact on the Pampas region, establishing farms, ranches, and small businesses, and contributing to the growth of the region's agriculture and industry. They also played a vital role in the creation of a Jewish community in Argentina, building synagogues, schools, and cultural centers.

The Argentinian Style - 5 Gestures you have to know before coming!

By Jana Dostert • December 29, 2022
It’s been a few days since I arrived in Buenos Aires for my internship at Lunfarda and I’m only starting to learn about all the cultural differences- it’s the first time I live in a country that is that distinct from mine and, for me, the ways of the Argentines, and their coded body language are still kind of strange. I’m on my way to the bus stop, not paying attention to where I positioned myself. Quickly, a slightly upset-looking person gives me the four-finger-to-one-thumb-pointing-upside-down-sign or as well known as “What do you think you are doing??” This is when I learned that it does not matter that Argentines are disorderly about everything else: the bus line -and its order- is sacred. Quick side Note: You have to wave the bus down at a 45-degree angle arm to the body to stop it! Just telling you because on my first day of university here, I missed about five buses in a row running between the different bus stops until I got to understand that.

La Scaloneta brings glory to Argentina, closure to Messi and a new dawn for an inclusive football

By Mariana Radisic Koliren • December 19, 2022
After 36 years, Argentina wins the World Cup again. Here's what it means to the women of Argentina.

This 2022, we walked the talk. Here's how we transformed words into action and positive impact.

By Mariana Radisic • December 10, 2022
This is what we did for sustainability , historic preservation and equality in the last year.

Don’t take it as an insult, it’s just Argentina

By Jana Dostert • October 5, 2022
Language is a way to show norms, and communicate values. It’s a way of expression, status, and policy that reveals the culture that’s lived in one’s homeland. On the Argentinian menu, language comes with a side of insults, jokes, Lunfardo , and Argentinian history. Don’t assume the speaker’s intention too quickly, and even less if you are from a country with a let’s call it: more subtle -or literal- usage of wording. ⚠WARNING⚠ Some ways of expression might sound harsh but they are often not meant that way. On the contrary, it shows how history is carried along and still lived and spoken day-to-day, mouth-to-mouth among 45 million Argentinians, who are the makers of today’s Lunfardo, the local slang. Which is -indeed, a marvelously unique, and eccentric version of its own. If it’s about the very complex humor that doesn’t only often entail one of the many slang or so-called Lunfardo words but also infinite history-rich anecdotes- including years and years of politics flowing into the subtle humor of an Argentine. Be it a pastry that’s named “Friar balls’ or “Nuns sigh” or a “Vigilant” - coined by the worker's movement, that they are eating in all tranca (chill) while sipping through a Mate’s bombilla , professors quoting the Simpsons in their PowerPoints or a bunch of extremely funny memes digesting the daily life, joking about the president, football, or the seeming immortality of Mirta Legrand, the oldest host of the Argentine TV, who, believe it or not, is still at it at age 95 with the energy of a teen.
a group of afro argentine kids sit by a church with a guide explaining about Black History

Black History Tour for Kids: finally, it's time to give back

By Lunfarda Travel • May 29, 2022
Black kids with tight curls and broad smiles flocked to the gates of the National Historic Museum on a cool, sunny fall afternoon in San Telmo, Buenos Aires. Just their presence there, running freely and playing tag in the patio of the museum seemed like a small act of justice: these kids were laughing and playing on top of an old slave trade market, by a house that had been built by enslaved Black people. Now, 169 years after the abolition of slavery in Argentina, our young audience gathered to experience something momentuous: a Black History Tour to learn the value and the contributions of the Afro-Argentines.

Argentine Money, Explained

By Mariana Radisic • December 6, 2021
Argentine currency is messy . Its value changes daily, there’s an official rate, a parallel “blue” rate, different looking notes, reduced daily ATM withdrawal fees, and navigating it can be frustrating. Do not worry though, we’ve got you covered! Here’s how to get the best value for your money when you travel to Buenos Aires and across Argentina.

Our Black Heroine's Homecoming

By Mariana Radisic • December 2, 2021
It was 5.30pm, the print shop was about to close, and our files were in the wrong format . While Analía -known as Afro Ana , a 30 year old digital artist- cursed, I sprinted towards my apartment to get a laptop to hopefully fix the issue. In less than 24hs, on November 20th, the day of Black Awareness on Argentine Black History Month, those files would be turned into the first ever mural about Revolutionary Black Heroine María Remedios del Valle, an obscured character with a Netflix-binging story.

Why is Argentina so OBSESSED with fútbol?

By Agustín Canzani, Fernando Olomudzki • November 19, 2021
Every Argentinian can include a football-related memory as one of their earliest memories. It is either the first World Cup match you got to watch, a historical goal by your favourite team, or just playing a good old picadito on the streets of your neighborhood. Don't get us wrong, though, not everyone is maniacally obsessed with the sport. It just happens that most of us are. The truth is that barely anybody can remain indifferent about football in Argentina, as it has played a central role in the development of the folk of our country. Whether we like it or not, fútbol as a practice is deeply interwoven with our history and its events; people have extended the jargon used in the pitch, recalling it heavily for everyday things regardless of age or gender * . Others denounce the show-biz around it, pointing out its use as a distraction from every other thing, from organised gang violence to the atrocity of state sponsored terrorism decades ago.
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