Neighborhoods

Puerto Madero

Puerto Madero is home to some of the newer, more expensive hotels in Buenos Aires. But it's also off the beaten path, so you'll need to use taxis as your mode of transportation. There is a sense of isolation, being cut off from the rest of the city in Puerto Madero, which might be a benefit for people on business trips or those who like the sense of being whisked away from one scene to another or slipping away peacefully to bed when the day is over. Staying here puts you near the restaurants of Puerto Madero's historic dock district, meaning you'll never want for places to dine at night. Finally, sunset-viewing from hotel rooms in Puerto Madero is a magnificent sight. The water in the port turns a fiery red, and the city's skyline is magically silhouetted, adding a touch of romance to an area that by day can seem clinical and desolate.

There are no convenient metro stops to this neighborhood.

Microcentro

Most of the best and most convenient hotels are found in Recoleta and the Microcentro. The Microcentro is an ideal place to stay if you want to be close to Buenos Aires's shopping and all of the subte lines that converge in this region. Theater buffs will also appreciate this location, since most performance venues, including Teatro Colón, are within walking distance of the hotels here. The Microcentro will also give you easy access to the majority of local travel agencies that seem to cluster in this area, which can be convenient for last-minute changes of plan or adding a few day trips outside of the city to your itinerary. Low-cost Internet and telephone centers are everywhere too, so from the standpoint of service, the Microcentro is ideal. If you arrive in Buenos Aires without any reservations, come to this area, since the density of hotels alone will probably mean you won't have to walk around for long before you find something.

Monserrat

The neighborhood of Monserrat borders San Telmo and is more easily accessed by subway. There are also more four- and five-star hotels here, so staying in Monserrat might be a compromise for people who want San Telmo's romance but a more convenient location for subways and shopping in the Microcentro. Monserrat is distinguished by old turn-of-the-20th-century buildings similar to those in San Telmo, as well as enormous midcentury Fascist-style government buildings where it borders the Plaza de Mayo. While, like San Telmo, it is rapidly gentrifying, parts of Monserrat can be desolate and a little dangerous at night, so use caution near your hotel and avoid empty streets.

San Telmo

I find San Telmo both romantic and the most authentic of all the touristy neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. San Telmo is rapidly becoming gentrified, so it's nowhere near as dangerous as it was in the past, but you still need to be more cautious here at night than you do in other parts of the city. This is, after all, where the Bush twins were supposedly robbed. Most hotels here are hostels, B&Bs, or boutique hotels. If you can live without certain luxuries, focusing more on absorbing the extreme Porteño flavor of the area, I highly recommend staying here. The area is accessed by stations for subte C running along Avenida 9 de Julio, and these can be a slightly long walk away from some of San Telmo's accommodations.

Recoleta

Most of the best and most convenient hotels are found in Recoleta and the Microcentro. Recoleta is more scenic than and not quite as noisy as the Microcentro, but if you stay here, you'll probably find yourself spending more money on cabs; the area is not accessible by any of the metro (subte) lines, except in areas bordering nearby Barrio Norte. Even though taxis don't cost very much in Buenos Aires, using them several times a day can add up. Of course, if you can afford to stay in Recoleta, then the extra cost of taxis might not be an issue for you! Public transportation aside, Recoleta is exceedingly beautiful, and staying here puts you close to the Recoleta Cemetery and Evita's grave as well as the parks and museums of nearby Palermo, which are best accessed by cab to begin with, no matter where you are coming from in the city.

There are no convenient metro stops to this neighborhood.

Barrio Norte

Barrio Norte borders Recoleta, though some people -- especially real estate agents -- say it is actually a part of it. However, the area is distinctly busier and more commercialized, with more of a middle-class feel than in the upscale Recoleta. Its main boulevard is busy Santa Fe, full of shops, restaurants, and cafes. This can make staying in Barrio Norte noisier than Recoleta, but still less so than the Microcentro. You also have easy metro access in this neighborhood.

Congreso

Congreso is a historic district that surrounds the building Congreso, at the western terminus of the Avenida de Mayo. In addition to Congreso, the neighborhood contains other grand and imposing buildings, some almost imperial in scale and design. While there is a lot to see in the area, it can seem desolate and seedy at night, especially in the Congreso Plaza, which serves as a hangout for the homeless. The intense government police presence in the area, however, means that, in spite of appearances, it is relatively safe at night. With increased tourism to Buenos Aires, more hotels and other activities are beginning to move into this neighborhood.

Tribunales

Tribunales encompasses the area surrounding the Supreme Court building and Teatro Colón, which borders the Corrientes theatre district. It's full of government and other important buildings and is close to the Microcentro's shopping, but is far less noisy. Its most important feature is Plaza Lavalle.

Palermo Viejo

Palermo Viejo is divided into two sections: Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, with Juan B. Justo as the dividing line. This is the trendiest part of Buenos Aires right now, yet it still retains a small-neighborhood feel with its old low-rise houses, cobblestone streets, and oak-tree-shaded sidewalks. Subway access is not the best in this area, however. Being trendy, it's also where the newest and most fashionable boutique hotels are located. Some of those mentioned here opened since the last edition of this book. For the young and chic, this area can be a great place to stay.

Abasto

The Abasto neighborhood lies a little outside of the main center of the city, along Corrientes but beyond the theater district. In general, it's a working- and middle-class area -- busy, but not distinct architecturally. Historically, it's associated with singer Carlos Gardel, the country's greatest tango star of the 1920s and 1930s. The area, along with the bordering Once neighborhood, is also the historic home of Buenos Aires's Jewish communities, though most have long since moved to the suburbs. This neighborhood is anchored by the enormous Abasto Shopping Center, which is home to many things of interest to families with kids, such as the Museo de los Niños.