An "Iconic" Family Adventure

For winter break this year we went back to our roots! We traveled to Buenos Aires to sightsee and visit family, then off to Punta Del Este for a well needed beach break. This post will begin in B.A., next in Punta Del Este, for an easier read.

Sightseeing in Buenos Aires can encompass SO many areas of the city. We kept our roaming to the areas of Recoleta, Palermo, San Telmo, La Boca and El Tigre. Note: February is hot so be ready! Wear good walking sneakers and wear crossbody bags. Fun: There are plazas everywhere and playgrounds are filled with kids into the evenings, so there is a good chance you may find yourself spending time in one of the many green spaces.

Recoleta – We stayed in Recoleta, which is a very nice, centrally-located, area of Buenos Aires. We went to see the Recoleta Cemetary, which sounds strange, but it is like a museum of the country’s most important people, including Eva Peron. There are tours you can take, but we just wandered through on our own (it’s about $15 pp). In the area are also many cafes and restaurants to choose from. Breakfasts usually consist of coffee and a pastry, lunches and dinners can be anything from steak to pizza to pasta. On the weekends there is a famous artisan fair that is great for buying souvenirs and trinkets to bring home.

Palermo – Palermo has many different neighborhoods with different vibes. We ended up at the EcoPark (the Zoo) and hit up an art installation about Diego Maradona, one of the best soccer players to ever live. The EcoPark was ok, not too much going on, but it was free, so we weren’t too upset about it. The art show was at La Rural, an event center, within walking distance. It was very cool to see his life shown and it had a few interactive elements as well which the kids enjoyed. We also visited the Japanese Garden which is a big tourist attraction but is very lovely inside; a nice way to spend some time. Finally, a nice dinner at Carneros nearby – delicious food and great service.

San Telmo – I booked the family an English walking tour via TripAdvisor for this part of town and was glad I did. We got to get a bit of history and context for all the things we were seeing, plus got insight about where the best parts of their artisan fair was.

La Boca – Another tour booked here, La Boca is definitely a fun place to go during the day. We visited the Boca Juniors stadium and walked through EL Caminito, an area of colorful houses and art. More history and some live street entertainment here as well.

The tango show at Tango Porteno (booked on TripAdvisor) was back near Recoleta, on the main street, 9 de Julio. It was a nice show but Note: The show didn’t start until 10 PM, so if your kids don’t stay up late this might not be a good choice. There are several other shows in other locations that may start earlier. Also, there are options to include dinner, but even if you choose not to have dinner, empanadas and wine/soda is included.

We decided to get out of the city one day and took a trip to an estancia (a ranch) in San Antionio de Areco, to see how the gauchos live and their culture. I booked this trip via Expedia and had door to door service for the 2-hour bus ride out of the city. The day included food, free time on the ranch relaxing, there was a pool and horseback/horse and carriage rides. There was also traditional dancing/music and a gaucho presentation. Though the ride was long we were able to stop at a couple of places along the way and see some traditional gaucho items for purchase, as well as meet an artisan who designs pieces for the gauchos and horses. All in all, it was a very chill, lovely way to get out of the city for a bit.

El Tigre – At the end of the trip we chose to head outside the city to El Tigre to visit AquaFan, a nice waterpark/theme park. We took an Uber and it was very affordable (Uber is very affordable in B.A.). It was about 95 degrees, so we needed to catch a break from the heat. We really enjoyed our time there and the entrance was very reasonable. Definitely recommend for a fun day with the kids, and there is also a theme park you can add on to your ticket to do both!

Overall B.A. was fantastic but be prepared for A LOT of walking/sightseeing…My kids love that kind of stuff and are always trying to beat 20K steps in a day, but not all kids are like that. There are definitely lots of ways, though, to scale back and choose things to do that suit your family.