We have had great experiences in South American countries and Argentina was no exception. Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina is vibrant with significant European cultural influences from Italy, Spain, and others. Our experience with interacting with locals was very positive, people were friendly and helpful. The city has lots to offer tourism wise with family and Argentinian cuisine is fantastic!
Our Top 5 Tips for Travel with Kids to Buenos Aires:
#1 Visit La Boca
La Boca is one of the most, if not the most colorful and lively neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Photos are the best souvenirs that can be brought back from visiting a travel destination, La Boca is a neighborhood practically made for Instagram worthy photography. The entire area is extremely colorful and full of character.
As vibrant as La Boca is, it is best suited to tour during the day and avoided at night as safety can be a concern in this working-class neighborhood. Highlights while walking through the area include absorbing all the colors on various housing and commercial buildings, watching numerous Tango dancers that can be seen on the streets as well as inside cafes/restaurants. Estadio Boca Junior is another attraction, it is the colorful home of the Boca Juniors (a very popular local soccer team).
#2 Explore the beautiful parks & playgrounds in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a naturally lush and beautiful city and has a wide array of parks and playgrounds to stroll through and for kids to play in. Parque tres Febraro Park, also known as Los bosques de Palermo (The Forests of Palermo) is a massive open space park which covers an area of over 60 acres. There is no shortage of open space in this park to go on long relaxing walks, run, roller skate and bike. There are lakes within the area where pedal boats can be rented and there is a fun carousel kids can ride. Other activities in the area include a planetarium and Rosedal de Palermo (rose garden). Aside from Parque tres Febraro, there are many cool parks in other neighborhoods of Buenos Aires such as Recoleta,
#3 Floralis Generica
The Floralis Generica is one of those signature monuments that should be visited. This stainless-steel flower sculpture is the main attraction in Naciones Unidas (Plaza of the United Nations), a vibrant four-acre public green space that was named after the United Nations. The Floralis Generica is a truly unique sculpture which opens(blooms) each morning and closes at sunset every evening. We had a great time taking pictures in the plaza and letting the kids play in the open green space.
#4 Recoleta Cemetery
It’s not often that you go to and then recommend going to a cemetery on a family vacation. However, Recoleta Cemetery is a major tourism spot in Buenos Aires because it sits on roughly fourteen acres of beautifully organized rows and is structured like a small city with amazing sculptures and some of the most decorated crypts in the world. This cemetery is the final resting place for many of the richest and famous people in Argentina.
#5 Try Argentinian food
As a foodie family, trying local cuisine is a critical component when we go to most destinations. Argentinian food is fantastic, especially if you enjoy eating quality beef/steaks. Argentina produces world class meat and is home to some of the best steakhouses in the world. Don Julio in Palermo is one of the best of several steakhouses we ate at in Buenos Aires.
This will sound controversial, but we have tried pizza at the most renowned pizzerias in New York, Chicago, cities in Italy and many other places but we still believe that some of the best tasting pizza we have had anywhere was in Buenos Aires. The Italian cultural influence blended with Argentinian flair is what makes the pizza unique, El Cuartito is one of the legendary pizzerias in Buenos Aires and we rate their pizza as excellent.
Other food to try in Buenos Aires includes Empanadas, which are puff pastries folded and filled with a different type of filling such as beef, chicken, cheese etc. For a dessert snack, alfajores are an absolute must try Argentinian staple. Alfajores are basically two round biscuits filled with Dulce de leche (delicious South American comfort food filling) and covered in chocolate. We got addicted to these and brought boxes of the premium brand (Havanna) alfajores back with us.
Recently, we were thrilled to find Havanna alfajores listed on Amazon https://amzn.to/3waAuOz. We highly recommend trying these whether you end up visiting Argentina or not!
