3 Things to do in Argentina
Argentina is one of the largest countries in South America. Argentina is home to gorgeous mountains, to incredible wine, and to old, European-style buildings in bigger cities like Buenos Aires. Oh, and I pigged out on the Churrasco.
And I learned not to say “Che Boludo” too loosely.
How I Got There
As usual whenever I travel, I either take a United flight or search for the cheapest flight on kayak.com. I wrote an article about how I stick to flying on United as much as possible to cash out big with my miles.
For this trip, I flew to Buenos Aires from Houston on a United flight using my miles.
1. Buenos Aires – Obelisco
The iconic monument you always see on the news or in pictures easily identifies the city of Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires – Obelisco
This monument sits on the intersection between Avenida Corriente and Avenida 9 de Julio. The great thing about the monument is that it’s walking distance to a lot of great places.
2. Iguazú Falls
There are two sides to the waterfall. the Argentinian side “Iguazú”, and the Brazilian side “Iguaçu”.
The best way to get to Iguazú is to fly.
The main difference I noticed between Niagara Falls and Iguazú was that Niagara Falls felt more like a mini city and Iguazú was more of a national park.
I didn’t book anything beforehand because I didn’t need to. I stayed at the Tucan Hostel and reserved transportation for Iguazú the day before. I spent a full day on the Argentinian side. It would not have been sufficient if I had spent less than a full day.
By the way, I wrote a separate article on How I Choose Where I Stay when I Travel.
Iguazú Falls
Iguazú Falls
During the evening after I came back from Iguazú, I stopped by the intersection point among the three countries: Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil.
This place is called Hito Tres Fronteras. Standing from Argentina, on the left side we have Paraguay, and on the right side we have Brazil:
Hito Tres Fronteras
The next day, I made it over to Iguaçu, the Brazilian side – although (and this is the part where I avoid eye contact with my Brazilian friends)… although the Argentinian side is way better, I’m really glad I went over to the Brazilian side to get the full experience of the national park.
National Park
It took about 1-2 hours for passport control one way, and 1.5 hours to complete the Brazilian tour. I easily made it to my flight on the same evening at the Iguazú airport.
3. Buenos Aires Caminito
Caminito is a bit far from San Telmo and Palermo in Buenos Aires, so I took an Uber. I came across a lot of local mini-shops as well as delicious restaurants.
Side Note: I was tempted to stop by a parrilla stand because the area has meat stands everywhere.
Havana Gaminito
Havana Caminito
Honorable Mentions
Puente de la Mujer, Plaza Del Congreso, Cafe Tortoni.
I want to mention that I also stopped by Cordova for 3 days. I really liked Paseo del Buen Pastor – and right next door you have the most famous church, Iglesia de los Capuchinos. The street markets called Paseo de las Artes were also great.
Where I Stayed
Buenos Aires – Palermo
When people talk about places to stay in Buenos Aires, it’s typically down to two neighborhoods: Palermo (modern, lots of bars/restaurants) and San Telmo (good, central location to tourist areas).
I chose to stay in Palermo at an Airbnb. There are many great options in the vicinity.
Pros of Palermo: Great neighborhood, safe, walking distance to bars and restaurants. Would recommend staying there for the first time in Buenos Aires.
Cons: Far from San Telmo (and the market), El Camino.
If I had more time, I would have…
Too many to list. First that comes to mind:
Patagonia – Argentinian side. I had already done the W-Trek in Chile, so the Argentinian side is definitely next.
2022 Edit: I did it. Here was the blog post.
Bariloche is another place on the West side that I would love to visit one day.
And then Salta. I heard amazing things about the Northern parts of Argentina.
Closing Remarks
There’s a huge European influence on this country, and you also see that in the buildings. It only took me a week and lots of white hairs later to understand the Argentinian Spanish accent. Regardless, I loved my experience in Argentina.