Where to Stay in Buenos Aires — a Fair and Balanced Guide
Short term visitors to Buenos Aires are encouraged to stay in either Palermo, Recoleta, or San Telmo. Collegiales is another up and coming neighborhood with a more relaxed vibe.
It is a weighty decision. Where you stay determines not only the surrounding vibe, but also how easy it will be to get around and what you can easily see in a short stay. This is because getting around the city can be slow, as the city’s poor road design means a ride of just a few kilometers can be painfully slow, even outside rush hour. Meanwhile, the metro system is fast, but with with limited coverage.
Palermo
Palermo is a large area that is the more gentrified hip neighborhood. It has several defined subregions — Soho, Chico, Hollywood, all with subtly different characteristics, but we were happy with our selection of the more local Palermo Soho. Characteristic of much of Palermo are streets with tall trees towering above them, though here they seem particularly baroque and towering, as if they have banded together to take over the neighborhood
Palermo is also supremely “livable” — not only does it have plentiful chic cafes, eateries, and grocery stores, it is also lively without being noisy or crowded. It has the feel of Los Gatos or “that town” in Marin, but saturated with life and color rather than snootiness or sadness. There are people on streets going about their lives, as well as just relaxing
Palermo varies quite a bit from block to block — 2-3 story houses intermingle with 15 story housing high-rises, but somehow it all flows together. It does mean, though, that some areas can get rowdy, especially in places like Plaza Serrano with happening nightlife.
San Telmo
The advantage of staying in San Telmo is that you’re walking distance from Plaza de Mayo, Palacio Barolo, Teatro Colon, and, of course, the Sunday San Telmo market.
However, aside from a few hip Bohemian blocks, it is very “up and coming”, much like certain areas of Oakland, where you wouldn’t leave your car. Also, when we were looking for housing, there were very few options in this area.
Recoletta
This area is one of the more posh in Buenos Aires, abutting Av. 9 de Julio, the famous cemetery and the business district. It feels more like an urban center of a large city — such as Paris — with wider streets, more impressive buildings, posh hotels, and fancy street lamps.
But at night, this land of Four Seasons, malls, and boutiques is mostly dead.
Collegiales
With McDonalds and KFC at its center, Collegiales doesn’t come across as particularly hip. Avenida Elcano, however, is more appealing. Many streets here are wide, with decent cafes and bakeries, and it generally looks well to do. This is also where you will find La Mezzetta and Strange Brewing, a hip establishment slinging great craft beers.
Overall, Collegialies is a more low key, locals-oriented neighborhood, with less hip shops than Palermo. If you are looking to get away from the expat crowd, this could be a good pick.
In the end, we loved our Palermo place and would wholeheartedly recommend it for a short to medium stay. It is colorful and lively and with a reasonable amount of housing options. It is also central to parks and close enough to Recoletta and other tourist attractions. For a good price, you should book ahead. We’ve had good luck with Booking.com as well as AirBnB.
