Buenos Aires - the place to visit this autumn
Tuesday, 7th July 2009
Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is a city that manages, like no other, to combine sophistication with flair, Latin American culture with European, and big-city excitement with a warm, welcoming vibe.
Overview
Unlike its neighbouring cities in the Americas, Buenos Aires or the ‘Paris of the South’ as it is also known, is the type of place that can satisfy your every need, feed your hunger for tradition, culture, gastronomy, and shopping, and leave you happy, exhilarated, and wanting more.
Home to almost 13 million people, Buenos Aires comprises more than 40 distinct neighbourhoods, each equally unique and representative of a part of the city’s extensive history and evolution into the cosmopolitan city it is today.
A city of immigrants with a heavy influence from the Italian, Spanish, and French cultures, Buenos Aires is truly a diverse mix of Latino and European culture, making any visitor question whether they really are in South America and not Europe when wandering through its streets. 
Wide avenues, narrow cobblestone streets, tree-lined boulevards, colonial buildings, and historical statues and sites are just a few of the architectural features of the city, the rest being made up of a mix of modern and antique apartment buildings, corner cafes and restaurants, shopping streets and centers, green plazas and parks, theatres and cinemas, galleries and museums, cultural centres, inside and outside markets, and much, much more.
Attractions
Living up to its energetic reputation, Buenos Aires offers both locals and visitors something to do every night of the week, all year-round, including hundreds of first-class gastronomy options, world famous nightlife, international theatre and dance, global concerts, and some of the most exclusive events and festivals on the continent.
Visitors can enjoy daily tango shows, world famous Argentine beef, local Argentine wine, Argentine polo, gaucho (cowboy) shows, Argentine folklore concerts, and much, much more.
Upcoming events
This winter, Buenos Aires will feature a myriad of events including one of the world’s great tango and dance festivals in August, ‘Tango’ and the ‘7th Dance World Cup’, featuring free tango shows, exclusive performances and tributes, as well as seminars, lectures, and special appearances, and concluding with an impressive dance contest. In September as spring begins in Buenos Aires, the game every football fan wants to see, Argentina vs Brazil, will be played at home in Argentina for the last stages of the World Cup qualifiers, one of the biggest football events there is! Diehard football fans need not worry if they cannot make it in September, from August until December and then March until May, football season is in full swing and games are frequent. As summer begins in December, the city will hold their annual Buenos Aires Jazz Festival, featuring jazz artists, shows, and concerts in various venues around the city.
Practicalities
Buenos Aires is a city that grows on you in no time at all. The people are warm and friendly, offering kind salutations whenever they can and often chatting with strangers on the bus or while waiting in line, sharing their personal thoughts and showing a genuine curiosity about others. Living is easy; transportation can be found any moment of the day and on just about any road or avenue, making getting around the city fast, convenient, and often inexpensive. Buenos Aires, in general, is not a fan of the big corporate stores, meaning every neighbourhood is littered with supermarkets, hardware stores, clothing boutiques, furniture stores, butchers, bakery’s, deli’s, florists, and more, placing every convenience just at your fingertips.
For a city of this grandeur, Buenos Aires is extremely affordable for most foreign visitors. Since the devaluation of the peso in 2001, Argentina has once again found both of its feet on the ground and the economic stability of the country has greatly improved, however after such an economic hit, the value of the peso has remained quite stagnant, making travel, studying, and living in Buenos Aires very economical.
Spanish is the official language, making Buenos Aires the go-to place for any sort of Spanish studies or study abroad opportunities. In addition to standard Spanish language courses, it is also possible to study Spanish in conjunction with a range of fantastic activities, including painting, tango and polo in Buenos Aires. This really is a city where it’s impossible to get bored!
Tags: buenos aires, language course, language, course, argentina, culture, spanish
Posted by Joanne Hurley 2009-07 under Experience Cultures, Food and Drink,
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