Best of Buenos Aires
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Port
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$174.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 8 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
This comprehensive visit to Buenos Aires takes in many of the city's most popular attractions as well as less-known places that are quite special but are often missed.
Exploring Barrio Norte -- the up-market northern neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta -- is the perfect way to ease into an appreciation of the life and times of Buenos Aires. As you travel by coach, you will pass through Palermo's wonderful parks and skirts its beautiful lakes, which cover more than 200 acres of the city.
Near the Rose Gardens, you will leave the coach to see a peculiar 75-foot-tall metal flower sculpture.
Continue to Recoleta, perhaps the city's most élite neighborhood. Palatial buildings, built at the turn of the 19th century by Argentina's powerful gentry, grace shady lanes and perch among manicured gardens. The architectural style here is predominantly French, and many of the buildings today house luxurious hotels and embassies. You will visit the Recoleta Cemetery where Evita Perón is buried and stroll the café-lined streets to the craft market.
Continue the 9th of July Av. And pass the meticulously restored Colón Theater and the Obelisk, and head down Corrientes Avenue -- Argentina's own version of Broadway -- home to the city's many theaters.
In the Puerto Madero area, lunch will be served. Puerto Madero is the old docklands of the city. The area fell into disrepair after construction of the new port in 1926, but a recent renovation has been hugely successful, turning this district into the most sought-after real estate in the city.
After lunch, heading to Plaza de Mayo to see the Casa Rosada (Government House), the Cabildo (Town Hall) and the cathedral -- three of Buenos Aires' most important landmarks.
In the city's southern suburbs, you will discover the lively, colorful neighborhood La Boca, with its distinctive, brightly painted buildings. Between 1880 and 1930, almost six million immigrants landed at the port of La Boca -- mostly from Italy, Spain and Central Europe. The diversity of the population had a huge effect on the area and, as the new settlers started constructing their homes, paint supplies were very limited.
The obvious solution was to use any and all leftover paint that could be scavenged from the shipyard. The result of this painting frenzy was a one-of-a-kind neighborhood that is today adorned with every color of the rainbow.
Stroll through the El Caminito open-air art market and you might run into street performers and couples practicing the Tango. The vibrancy and cheerfulness of La Boca is evident everywhere. Re-boarding the coach to return to the ship.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes. Walking is required at La Boca and Recoleta. Tour duration may be extended, and itinerary may vary due to traffic delays. Shade is limited; to avoid sunburn, wear light, long clothing suitable for use as a cover-up. Bring a hat and sunglasses; wear biodegradable sunscreen. Bring bottled water.