Patrick's guide to Argentina

Argentina is one of my favourite countries. Here are some recommendations and notes from my 3 months living there in 2022.

Random recommendation lists:

• Google Sheet of Argentina recommendations. I don't know who this is from, but it has some good restaurant suggestions and other things.
• Itinerary from a friend's trip to Argentina (and a few other countries). Good reference on prices from 2023.

I found Argentina, as a whole, incredibly welcoming and friendly despite the awful economic situation at the time. I have heard of people having the opposite experience, though. The country is a weird mix of Latin machismo culture, mixed with European posh-ness. Some people don't like that mix and don't seem to get the Argentinean vibes and way of doing things.

Speaking Spanish is amazingly helpful, of course. Without Spanish, I think my experience would have been massively different. I was able to meet Argentinean friends quite quickly who showed me around, brought me to parties, and showed me the way of yerba mate.

Things that are normal in Argentina that take some time getting used to:

• Dinner doesn't happen until around 10pm. Going to a restaurant at 6pm is either a terrible idea because nothing is open yet, or an amazing idea as it is still happy hour and you get cheap drinks while eating dinner.
• Everyone is late to everything. I love this, but it annoys a lot of foreigners. Going on dates is especially complicated because of this.
• The Spanish is amazing, but some find it difficult to understand. I've lived all over Latin America and have spoken the language for years now, and I fell in love with the accent and slang of Argentina. My Spanish is now heavily doused with Argentine slang which confuses a lot of people. The Argentinean Spanish isn't as heavy as a Chilean accent, but it can be tough for some people.
• Yerba mate is the way, the truth, and the life. Trust me.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires might be my favourite city on the planet. Palermo Soho was hands down my favorite area, and honestly, the vibe of the city in whole is just perfect - you've got this amazing mix of bustling city life but with these beautiful quiet European style streets. You could honestly just stay in the Palermo bubble and have everything you need, but you'd be missing out on some of the charm of the rest of the city.

Neighborhoods Worth Staying In

• Palermo Soho - My favourite spot, perfect balance of everything
• Palermo Hollywood - Tons of cool restaurants
• Palermo Chico - where I'd live if I went back. Much quieter and more posh than the other Palermos. A little far from the hustle-and-bustle, but a good place to live.
• Recoleta - This place is absolutely stunning. All the international embassies are here so it's super fancy and safe. Perfect for long walks if you're coming from Palermo

For the Runners: There's this massive green space north of Palermo that's perfect for running. You've got Japanese gardens, this huge park area along the water near the airport, and a golf course somewhere around Lago de Gatas near the Belgrano area. Quick heads up though - the waterfront isn't really a beach scene. The water's pretty rough, so save your beach plans for Mar del Plata.

Culture & Entertainment

• La Bomba de Tiempo - This happens every Friday and wow, it's incredible. You walk in thinking it's gonna be some traditional drum circle thing, but it turns into this wild EDM-style show with like 15 people on traditional drums. People are dancing, drinking, going crazy - it's a must-do.
• Art Scene - The National Museum in Recoleta is incredible. The whole city is filled with amazing museums and art exhibits.
• Yerba Mate - I fell in love with mate - you'll see it everywhere there. It's a cultural phenomenon in Argentina / Uruguay. Either find an Argentinean friend to show you the ropes, or buy yourself a mate and some yerba and figure it out yourself. Nothing better than hanging in a park in Buenos Aires and sharing mate with a bunch of friends.

Daily Life Stuff: I was there for almost three months, so I got into this nice routine of playing tennis, golfing, walking around, and just living normally. As long as you stay in areas like Palermo, Belgrano, Villa Crespo, and up towards Recoleta, it's super safe. I never felt scared.

Day Trips: Tigre is this popular weekend spot everyone talks about. To be honest, it was a bit underwhelming for me - nice river, streams, natural area, but super touristy. Still worth checking out if you want a day trip 30-40 minutes from the city.

Weekend trip to Iguazu

By far the most pure touristy thing I did in Argentina, but absolutely worth it. Flew to Iguazu area, stayed in an Airbnb with my buddy Jhana, and then grabbed a random taxi on the street who brought us over to the Brazil side (passes through the border with no issues, really fast) and showed us around.

Once passing into Brazil and heading towards the falls, you pass by a helicopter place. I'd never been in a helicopter before, so we decided to bite the bullet and pay something like $200 each for a (short) trip in a helicopter over the falls. Absolutely worth it. Amazing experience.

After that, we took our taxi to the falls themselves and did the typical tourist circuit walking around the boardwalks. Highly recommend this. You will feel like a proper tourist, but it's an amazing spot. Feels like Niagara Falls, but 1000x better because it looks natural still (and you aren't surrounded by casinos).

Patagonia

Bariloche

• Could honestly spend weeks here, especially in the summer. Would love to go back in the winter for skiing.
• Cool hostel with amazing view: https://penthouse1004.com/
• Has this crazy European influence - lots of German cafes, Swiss vibes
• Do the Nazi tour on Airbnb Experiences - sounds weird but it's fascinating. They show you this house where this famous Nazi lived and ran the German school, there's this whole CNN video story about Israeli spies arresting him.
• Circuito Chico - Rent a car or take buses around this circuit of lakes and mountains. Looks just like Canada.
• Route 40 - If you have time, rent a car and hit all these tiny mountain towns like Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes. Every stop has incredible food, cafes, and views. You will forget you are in South America.

El Chalten

• El Chalten is THE hiking town. Limited wifi, basic amenities, but if you're into hiking or climbing, it might be the best place in the world
• Skip spending too much time in El Calafate - it's mainly just the gateway to Chalten (though check out the glacier in the national park)
• You can walk to pretty much every trailhead
• Sunrise hike to Fitz Roy is unreal
• I stayed 4-5 days but could've stayed weeks
• Book ahead in high season if you can - accommodation is limited

Ushuaia

• Feels like the end of the world (though it's not)
• Much more developed than El Chalten - lots of hotels, restaurants, actual locals living normal lives.
• Great food scene.
• Hiking isn't as accessible as Chalten - you need buses/taxis to trailheads
• Lots of people starting their Antarctica expeditions pass through here, so tons of interesting conversations and people to meet.
• Worth 3-4 days minimum.

Places I Missed But Heard Are Amazing

• Cordoba area - supposed to have an incredible party scene
• Northwestern Argentina - more desert vibes, feels like the southwestern US but with heavier Spanish influence
• Mendoza - wine country, Malbec central (seriously regret missing this)
• The whole wine scene in general - definitely do some Malbec tasting wherever you end up

Personal Tips

• I've got this Google Maps list of great cafes to work from if you want it.
• Know a bunch of solid vegetarian restaurants if that's your thing.
• The whole culture is incredible - art scene, music scene, cafe culture
• Get into the mate drinking scene - everyone just hangs out after work, drinking mate in parks
• Be careful, there are pickpockets. Don't be dumb.

Let me know if you want more specific details about any of this - tried to cover everything but there's always more to share! The economy's been through some stuff so things might've changed, but the natural beauty and culture are definitely still going to blow your mind.