The Neighborhoods of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is not only one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America but it's also becoming a hot spots for expats. The city is massive. With almost 50 official neighborhoods, or barrios, the newcomer to Buenos Aires has a difficult time figuring out which neigborhoods are the best.

Of course, the "best" neighborhood is a relative judgment. The favorite of one person may be not so well liked by the next person. But each neighborhood in Buenos Aires has its own charm and all are worth exploring.

Barrio Norte: The grandest, most elite neighborhood is actually not even an official barrio. While there is often confusion about what actually comprises Barrio Norte, this name is generally used by locals for the official barrios of Recoleta and Retiro.

Retiro: Located in the northeast sector of the city, Retiro is filled with historical mansions and Parisian style apartment buildings. The writer Jorge Luis Borges lived in this neighborhood. The name Retiro also refers to the train station and the city's bus terminal, both of which are located here.

Recoleta: Just to the west of Retiro is the elegant neighborhood of Recoleta, which shares its name with the city's most famous cemetery. The most famous woman from Argentina, Eva Peron, is buried in Recoleta Cemetery. Recoleta is also home to several embassies and many of the richest residents of Buenos Aires. Recoleta and Retiro together form the area known as Barrio Norte.

Palermo: Continuing west beyond Recoleta is the very large neighborhood of Palermo. Once the estate of an early 19th century dictator of Argentina, Palermo is commonly divided by locals into subsections with names such as Palermo Chico, Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Viejo, and Palermo SoHo. While there really isn't much very old about Palermo Viejo, the area of Palermo SoHo is beloved by foreigners for its trendy restaurants and boutique stores.

Belgrano: An upper-middle class neighborhood to the northwest of Palermo, Belgrano is about twenty-five minutes by subway from downtown Buenos Aires. Just on the edge of Belgrano is Barrio Chino, the relatively small Chinatown of Buenos Aires.

Since the late 1800s the northern neighborhoods have constituted the wealthier parts of the city. The poor and working classes largely live in the southern parts of Buenos Aires while the barrios in the middle of the city are mixed neighborhoods with large middle class populations.

Puerto Madero: This recently revitalized area along the riverfront is a notable exception to the wealthy barrios being only in the north of the city. Many high-rise construction projects featuring the city's most expensive real estate per square meter are attracting the newly rich and those who want to forget that they are living in Buenos Aires. The cleanliness and modernity of Puerto Madero is unlike any other area of Buenos Aires.

The downtown of Buenos Aires is referred to by locals as the microcentro. Filled with office buildings, financial institutions, and governmental offices, the microcentro is a significant part of the city. Most visitors will pass at least once along the busy pedestrian street of Florida and wander into the Plaza de Mayo, the political and social heart of Buenos Aires.

Monserrat: As one of the most picturesque sectors of Buenos Aires, Monserrat features the city's most splendid street. Avenida de Mayo is lined with the best architecture in the city and is bookended by the Congress and the Presidential mansion.

San Telmo: Just south of Monserrat is San Telmo, the oldest part of the city. Cobblestone streets and hundred year old buildings provide an old world, European feel to the neighborhood. San Telmo is one neighborhood where both the very wealthy and the very poor can be found living side-by-side. Many of the old buildings feature stylishly renovated lofts in which reside artists, photographers, musicians, and writers. San Telmo is internationally famous for its antique stores and most visitors will find themselves in San Telmo on Sundays for the weekly antique fair in Plaza Dorrego.

La Boca: To the south of San Telmo is La Boca, an underdeveloped neighborhood along the river that features one of the city's biggest tourist destinations. The small street known as Caminito near the river is surrounded by brightly painted houses that are spotlighted in every guidebook to Buenos Aires. While the area is now unabashedly a tourist zone, La Boca deserves a visit and isn't as dangerous as its reputation. Soccer fans will immediately know that the name of the neighborhood is also the name of the leading soccer (football) team in Argentina - Boca Juniors.

Barracas: West of La Boca is the former factory zone of Barracas. While most of the factories in Barracas have closed and moved their facilities elsewhere, many of the large, old brick factories are being converted into lofts.

While there are dozens of more neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, two of those deserve special attention.

Boedo: This barrio in the south of the city has many fine, old houses, cafes, and places for tango. Few tourists make it out to Boedo but it's certainly an area whose qualities have a lot of appeal.

Chacarita: Known mostly for being the location of the city's second most well-known cemetery, Chacarita is the burial place of the world's most famous tango singer - Carlos Gardel. Former Argentine president Juan Peron also was buried in the same cemetery until his body was moved outside the city in late 2006.

Finally, there are two areas of Buenos Aires known to all the city's residents but that are not officially barrios. Abasto, located not far from Palermo, is the area surrounding the former farmer's market. Abasto is also one of the centers of tango in Buenos Aires. Many of the great tango musicians and singers lived in the Abasto area. In the 1990s the abandoned building housing the farmer's market was turned into one of the city's best shopping malls. The food court in the Abasto shopping center has the only Kosher McDonald's outside of Israel.

The other area worth mentioning is Once, named after the number eleven in Spanish (pronounced OWN-say). Buenos Aires has the largest Jewish population in Latin America and no where is that community more present than in Once. During the weekdays the narrow streets of Once are bristling with garment workers moving all sorts of textiles from store to store, truck to truck. Come Friday evening and Saturday, Once is subdued with members of the Orthodox community walking to and from synagogues.

It's impossible to sample all the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires on one visit. Indeed, even many lifetime residents never make it to all the barrios but exploring the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires is a brilliant way to pass the time.