"Terrific Combo" a Buenos Aires Travel Page by jakelorenzo

Buenos Aires is a terrific place. Part New York and part Europe it exudes a cosmopolitan serenity I've never experienced before. The restaurants are varied with delicious food, excellent service and good wine lists. Taxis are ubiquitous, more than 38,000 and most rides in the city are under $4 US. Buenos Aires has distinct neighborhoods with individual personalities. There are several good museums, lots of flea markets, beautiful buildings and old churches. In 2007, it was an incredible bargain with the exchange rate running 3 pesos to the dollar. Get there soon, before the peso gets strong.

We had such a good time last year that we returned this March for another two weeks. We appreciated the great city of Buenos Aires even more, but we were aware of an inflation of about 20% since last year's visit. Go sooner rather than later, because it won't be a deal for long.

We were fortunate to return to Buenos Aires for a third consecutive year in April 2009. The exchange rate had ballooned to 3.6 pesos to the dollar, so the city is even more of a bargain than it was. We noticed that wine prices have edged up and so have taxi fares (about 20 %) but still most rides are still under $6 US. Either we are chosing better or had great luck, but the food was spectacular, the best on any of our trips.

If we had the money, we'd go to Argentina every year and stay for a few months at a time. By then, we'd be fluent in Spanish, but we'd likely weigh 300 pounds each. In any case, if you have a chance to go....take it. Right now, Buenos Aires gives you the most of any great city for the least amount of money.