TRAVEL AND TOURS

The city of Buenos Aires is a big glamorous gateway to South America. Modern, dynamic, bustling with activity, and full of history, the great capital of the Argentinean republic, however, has managed to conserve old traditions and treasure small niches. It captivates the traveller with its ambience, with the very different personalities of each of its barrios or neighbourhoods, with the sympathy of its people and its ample offer of cultural events as well as shopping opportunities.

"La Reina del Plata" The Queen of the Silver River, as it is also known, will not cease to surprise the visitor with its contrasts. Here you will find the fondness that can be felt for ones own local barrio or neighbourhood, the melancholic tango, the never ending talks over a cup of coffee, side by side with the mirror surface windows of modern buildings and mobile phones. It is also the most elegant city in South America, and the city that best expresses the diverse and contradictory essence of Argentina itself.

It was founded by the Spaniards on more than one occasion. In 1536 Pedro de Mendoza gave it the name of Santa Mara del Buen Ayre, using the same name he had given to the fortress he had built to defend it, both in honour of the Sardinian Virgin venerated by sailors. Juan de Garay founded it for the second time in 1580.

The first foundation took place, according to some, in la Vuelta de Rocha (La Boca), although others argue that it was in the Parque Lezama (San Telmo), where the river came to at that time (all the way to the present day Avenida Leandro N. Alem. This area has lately been recovered from the waters.

Thus the city was born, lost in contemplation between the port and the river, wide and muddy, but in the XIX century it grew, in a European dream of elegance, with wide boulevards, tree shadowed streets, with mansions and public buildings designed by famous architects.

Located on the banks of the Ro de La Plata, and surrounded by the majesty of the Argentinean countryside, you will here find a harmonious mixture of old buildings like colonial time mansions, with modern skyscrapers and museums, theatres and coffee shops. And its population has grown due to the constant waves of immigrants, mainly of European stock, all of which has given it a very interesting cultural frame.

La Reina del Plata, surrounded by the Province of Buenos Aires on one side and the Ro de La Plata river on the other, proudly boasts of being the "City that never sleeps". For those that enjoy night life, and have nothing else to do, there are restaurants and pastry shops open 24 hours a day. They can even shop until midnight in many commercial malls and shops.

Buenos Aires offers a large variety of attractions: monuments, churches, museums, art galleries and theatres; plazas, parks and gardens with old trees, characteristic barrios or neighbourhoods, big shopping malls, traditional and modern style hotels, restaurants offering local and international cuisine.

It is connected to the rest of the country and the world by a large transport network, with hubs like the port which receives cruise ships and ferries, two airports -one international called Ezeiza, located 22 km (18 miles) from El Obelisco, which traditionally marks the centre of the city.

There is a also a feeder and domestic lines airport 6 km (4 miles) from the centre. There are railroads, highways, National Routes and a bus terminal for public transport of passengers only a little more than a kilometre away from the city centre.

Its sheer size obliges travellers to plan well their visit. Without a good guide, the city may look like a diffuse and isolated place. We suggest choosing the tours according to the time that the traveller has available for his visit.