Buenos Aires

Getting around / Eating, drinking and nightlife

The easiest way to get into central Buenos Aires from Ezeiza international airport – your most likely arrival point – is by taxi, but once there the city has an extensive if confusing bus network and one of the world’s oldest underground train systems, which unlike everywhere else in the Spanish-speaking world (where it’s the Metro) is known colloquially as the Subte. The main barrios to visit as a foreigner are fairly close together and if you’re adventurous, energetic, if you get up early enough and you’re not there in the height of summer, it’s even possible to walk right from Palermo in the north of the centre to La Boca in the south (though you'll be exhausted at the end of it).

Buses, like the Subte, are cheap and frequent, but it’s best to ask a local for the number you need – they seem to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of routes which renders timetables and written explanations all but unnecessary. Confusingly, many suburban buses operate slightly different routes on the same number – the giveaway is the final destination and the colour of the sign displaying the bus number. Of the typical tourist destinations, La Boca is the only one for which it’s easier to get a bus than to get a Subte or go on foot. Trains serve the outlying partidos of Gran Buenos Aires and don't run through the city centre - as a tourist your most likely use of one will be the Tren de la Costa, running from the Zona Norte out to the town of Tigre.

The grill at DesNivel in San Telmo, one of the best places in Buenos Aires to grab a hunk of steak.

Gastronomically, there are two things which aside from any considerations of culture, football, history or curiosity, will cause Argentina to linger in your memory long after your visit. Some of the world’s best wine comes from the Mendoza region in the west of the country (the exported stuff in supermarkets isn't a patch on it - Argentines definitely save the best for themselves), and you’ll be accompanying it with the finest steak to be found anywhere on the planet. Finding a decent place to eat won’t be a problem – the difficulty lies in stumbling upon a restaurant that does less than fantastic meat. The best cuts are asado de tira (a rack of ribs) and the heavenly bife de chorizo (thickly-cut sirloin). They’re generally accompanied with fries or salad, and make sure you try chimichurri, a lightly spiced sauce for the meat. For the complete experience, a parrillada (and here, since you'll have to order it, it’s worth pointing out that the Argentine accent pronounces this ‘pa-ree-sha-da’, not the Spanish ‘pa-ree-lya-da’) is a full mixed grill with far more of everything than you can possibly eat. Price-wise, if you’re arriving from northern Europe or North America, everything will be cheap. A full parrillada for two at probably the city’s best restaurant costs around AR$30 (UK£5).

Argentina’s traditional drink is mate (mah-tay), but due to the length of time it takes to serve you won’t see it on many restaurant or café menus. If you make acquaintances with any locals you may well be invited to drink it, but be warned that, to say the least, it’s an acquired taste. Very hot and very bitter, it’s best tried with sugar at first - and as long as you're polite, turning down the offer of a second go is unlikely to cause offence. Many Argentines will be impressed that a foreigner has even been brave enough to give it a go!

Nightlife in Buenos Aires begins at a time when much of the rest of the world are thinking about how to get home from the nightclubs. If you’re fortunate enough to know a local you’ll probably be gathering at a friend’s house any time after midnight, but whether you're with locals or not, don’t even think about hitting any dancefloors before 3am at the earliest. This writer once met someone who had been unimpressed with porteño nightlife and, when pressed further, it transpired they'd been going out every night between midnight and 3am - getting back to their hostel just as the Argentine night was really getting started. Typically the club will stay full until around 7am, but those with real stamina can keep going until 8 or even 9. Have a coffee or an energy drink - not to mention an afternoon / evening nap! - before you get started.

(next to Football in Buenos Aires)