Buenos Aires, Argentina — Activities
Buenos Aires Culture
The cultural life of Buenos Aires is incredibly rich. Although the city is most famous for its tango, it also has good ballet, theater, opera and classical music. There are many large cultural centers that offer a multitude of options, including free tango sessions, art exhibitions and concerts. A few good ones are: Centro Cultural Recoleta, Calle Junín 1930, Centro Cultural General San Martín, Sarmiento 1551, or Centro Cultural Borges, Viamonte and San Martin. Most concert halls and theaters are shut mid-December to the end of February, when many porteños take their holidays.
The entertainment sections of newspapers The Buenos Aires Herald (www.buenosairesherald.com), Clarín (www.clarin.com) and La Nación (www.lanacion.com.ar) list events, performances and screenings. The tourist office and kiosks can always supply the most up-to-date details about what's on. The Agenda section of Buenos Aires Day & Night magazine, available at tourist offices and cultural centers, has extensive entertainment listings. Bars, bookshops and hotels are also good sources of information along with flyers and posters at the city's cultural centers and museums.
You can buy tickets at the individual venues but there are also centralized ticket agencies (carteleras) in the center, where music, theater and cinema tickets can be obtained at discounted prices, for example Cartelera, Lavelle 835 (tel: (011) 4322 9263). Ticketek (tel: (011) 5237 7200; www.ticketek.com.ar) has a ticket booth at Alto Palermo Shopping on Santa Fe and also sells advance tickets.
Music and Dance
Teatro Colón
Classical music is not as widely on offer as live music in bars, despite Argentina having world-class performers, such as soprano Maria Cristina Kiehr and tenor José Cura. The Teatro Colón is where the Buenos Aires Philharmonic plays and there are usually free classical music recitals held in the Salon Dorado (Gold Room). Opera, also performed by the Philharmonic, is of a high standard. Ballet is also performed here. However, tango is by far the dominant dance form and tango shows can be viewed in countless bars, cultural centers and even in the city streets.
Avenida Libertad 621
Tel: (011) 4378 7344.
Website: www.teatrocolon.org.ar
Theater
Complejo Teatral de Buenos Aires
Theater is very popular in Buenos Aires, with a good mix of international and Argentine productions available to both locals and visitors. Complejo Teatral de Buenos Aires is a complex of five theaters, scattered throughout the city center, which stage a varied program of Argentine and international plays, as well as children's theater.
Tel: (011) 4371 0111.
Website: www.teatrosanmartin.com.ar
Teatro del Pueblo
The Teatro del Pueblo stages modern and independent Argentine productions.
Avenida Roque Sáenz Peña 943
Tel: (011) 4326 3606.
Website: www.teatrodelpueblo.org.ar
Buenos Aires Tours
Walking tours
The Buenos Aires tourist office can supply a map detailing 17 self-guided tours around the city's most appealing neighborhoods. It also organizes a program of free, guided cultural walks in key areas of Buenos Aires, including those devoted to locations and attractions associated with Evita and local writer Jorge Luis Borges. Cicerones de Buenos Aires is a non-profit greeter program for tourists to explore the city with a local resident. The guides are all volunteers who know and love their city and give visitors a chance to see a different side of Buenos Aires. They can also tailor visits to cater for special interests. The service is free.
Buenos Aires Tourist Office
Tel: 0800 999 2838.
Website: www.bue.gov.ar
Cicerones de Buenos Aires
Tel: (011) 5258 0909.
Website: www.cicerones.org.ar
Bus tours
Day and night bus tours of Buenos Aires and its surrounds visit cultural areas, passengers disembarking to take guided walks in English. Travel Line Argentina provides a wide range of tours, while Buenos Aires Tur offers a tour of the city as well as explorations outside.
Travel Line Argentina
Tel: (011) 4393 9000.
Website: www.travelline.com.ar
Buenos Aires Tur
Tel: (011) 4371 2304.
Website: www.buenosairestur.com
Bicycle tours
Guided English or Spanish pedal tours of Buenos Aires are available from Bike Tours. The three-and-a-half- to four-hour informative ride through key districts, including Puerto Madero, La Boca, San Telmo and the Plaza de Mayo, includes the use of a three-gear bike, a helmet, a bottle of water and rain gear if necessary. Child seats are available.
Tel: (011) 4311 5199.
Website: www.biketours.com.ar
