Buenos Aires Experiences You’ll Come Back For

The complex Buenos Aires locals, known as Porteños, were once described to me as people who “speak Spanish, look Italian, act French, but secretly wish to be British.” This interesting mix of cultures drew me to visit and is the reason I come back. Buenos Aires is a good introductory city for anyone who has traveled extensively in Europe or America. These Buenos Aires experiences, in addition to the amazing food and wine, will make your travels more than worthwhile.

Watch a football match

Argentina is a football-obsessed country. In Buenos Aires, the atmosphere is electric, especially when the home team is playing a match. Time permitting, watching a football match ought to be on your to do list of Buenos Aires experiences. Staying in the Argentinian capital, you’ll can catch one of the two local teams: Boca Juniors and River Plate. Boca was the former team of Argentina’s most famous footballer, Diego Maradona. 

Drink mate with locals

Buenos Aires has a buzzing café culture, thanks to Italian immigrants who arrived between the late-19^th to mid-20^th centuries. But for many locals, mate, instead of coffee, is the preferred beverage – particularly with friends and family. 

Its contents are very much like tea. The taste is similar to green tea but stronger, and it’s typically served in straw-laden cups. Some cafés have it on their menu, but it is best to experience it with the locals themselves. 

Learn to tango

Buenos Aires is the birthplace of tango. It originated near the ports of Rio de Plata and became a popular act in bars and brothels in the mid-19^th century. Despite its seedy origins, the dance became synonymous with the city and was ingrained in the country’s culture. Nowadays, learning to tango is atop many travelers’ must-have Buenos Aires experiences.

San Telmo is likely where you will end up taking tango lessons within the city.  We Are Tango offers a show and a lesson that is relatively inexpensive. It was what I expected a tango show to be: intimate and sensual. And because the audience is small, the lessons are more personal.

Take a polo lesson from a pro

Polo is the second most popular sport in Argentina after football. Argentina’s dominance is exemplified by the fact that seven of the nine best polo players in the world are Argentinians. Puesto Viejo is an estancia and polo club approximately 75 km southwest of Buenos Aires. It offers polo days for locals and tourists alike. Polo days include transportation to and from Buenos Aires and a lesson with a professional polo player. An asado luncheon is served at the hotel and on certain days there may be a match. The price is $195 with a minimum of two people per lesson.