City of Tango and Football: The Historic Streets of Buenos Aires

We have been traveling in South America by campervan for about three months. Staying in big cities with a campervan is quite difficult, which is why Buenos Aires wasn't originally in our plans. But when you are on the road, you never know where the wind will blow you. Setting off early one morning, we drive 1,000 km to reach Buenos Aires. We book a hotel room for two days and take a short break from van life.

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Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. Located on the shores of the Río de la Plata, the city grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming one of South America's major cultural and commercial hubs. Home to approximately 3 million people today, Buenos Aires forms a much larger metropolitan area with its surrounding settlements. As we began exploring the city, its wide avenues and lively squares greeted us first.

The Heart of the City: July 9 Intersection

Our first stop in the city center is the Obelisk, the most famous landmark of the city. Standing 67.5 meters tall, this monument was erected in 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Buenos Aires. It also rises on the site of the former San Nicolás de Bari church, where the Argentine flag was raised for the first time in 1812. Today, it serves as the center for many public gatherings, from football fans' victory celebrations to political demonstrations.

July 9 Avenue, where the Obelisk stands, is one of the widest avenues in the world at 140 meters across; in fact, according to the official tourism site of Buenos Aires, it is defined as the widest avenue in the world. Crossing the street is genuinely a major task; navigating through several traffic lights and broad lanes can take a few minutes.

European-Inspired Architecture

Our initial impression of the city was that it looked like a blend of Barcelona, Paris, and Milan. This is partly why Buenos Aires is often called the "Paris of South America." Avenues, parks, and magnificent buildings inspired by French architecture—especially from the late 19th and early 20th centuries—shaped the city's appearance. When Buenos Aires became the federal capital of Argentina in 1880, it began transforming into a rapidly growing metropolis with strong ties to Europe.

One of the premier examples of this architectural richness is Teatro Colón. Renowned for its acoustics, the opera house is considered one of the most important opera venues in the world. Buenos Aires stands out not only for its architecture, but also for its cultural and artistic life. The city boasts hundreds of public libraries, with theater, music, and literature forming essential parts of daily life.

Another reason why Buenos Aires resembles Europe lies in its immigration history. Starting in the late 19th century, millions of European immigrants came to Argentina; diverse communities, particularly Italians and Spaniards, influenced the city's culture, cuisine, language, and even its football. Traces of Italian immigration are particularly visible today in La Boca.

Economic Challenges on the Streets

The economic side of the city presents a starkly different face behind this majestic exterior. The long-standing issues of the Argentine economy and the depreciation of the peso against the dollar have seeped into daily life. We encountered a visible reflection of this on the streets: many people were offering to exchange currency for tourists in an effort to save dollars. It was our first time seeing so many people actively attempting to exchange money on the street.

Plaza de Mayo and the City's Founding

Arriving at Plaza de Mayo, we reach an even older layer of the city's history. Buenos Aires was actually founded twice. The first foundation was established in 1536 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza, but this settlement did not last long and was abandoned in 1541. The city was re-established in 1580 by Juan de Garay, and the area around present-day Plaza de Mayo became the political and social heart of the city.

The city's name is tied to this initial founding. The name given by Mendoza was Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. Thus, the origin of today's name, Buenos Aires, roughly translates to the expression "good air" or "fair wind." The weather must have been truly nice back then; today, the city air is dominated more by exhaust fumes.

In one of the historic arcades we walked through, we passed in front of a barbershop where Pope Francis used to get his hair cut. I also recommend watching the movie The Two Popes, which tells the story of Francis, the first pope from outside Europe.

Medialuna: A Traditional Breakfast

We stop at a cafe to try the traditional breakfast of Buenos Aires: medialuna. The name means "half moon," and this small, croissant-like pastry is usually enjoyed with coffee. European influence shows itself here as well in the city's culinary culture.

Puerto Madero and San Telmo

Transitioning from the historic texture to the modern port area, we were greeted by skyscraper-style buildings and luxury hotels like the Hilton. From here onward, we rented a scooter through an app and continued exploring the city this way.

San Telmo is the earliest historic district established in Buenos Aires. Here, we tried empanadas—a cheap and practical snack found almost everywhere in Latin America. Similar to our Turkish börek, this pastry can be filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables; we opted for the vegetable version. For dessert, we encountered a sweet treat reminiscent of homemade baklava made without walnuts.

La Boca and Caminito

Continuing to read the history of Buenos Aires through its streets, we reach La Boca. This is not only the neighborhood of Boca Juniors, but also one of the places where the city's immigration history is most visible. In the late 19th century, Italian immigrants, particularly from Genoa, settled here in large numbers. In fact, the nickname "Xeneizes" given to Boca Juniors fans comes from the Genoese word for Genoa.

Football in Buenos Aires is a culture unto itself. Alongside a strong national team, the country is home to many well-established clubs. We also visit La Bombonera Stadium, considered the sacred temple of Boca Juniors. One of the greatest figures in Boca Juniors' history is undoubtedly Diego Maradona. Joining Boca in 1981 at just 20 years old, Maradona became one of the club's most beloved players during his short stint here. Today, coming across his traces in La Boca makes it easy to understand why football is far more than just a sport in this city.

Caminito here is one of the most vibrant streets in the city. Featuring colorful buildings, tango melodies, and street artists, the neighborhood turns into an open-air museum. There is a practical story behind why the houses are painted in different colors: immigrants working at the docks used leftover paint from ships to paint their homes.

We conclude our first day in Buenos Aires sitting at one of the colorful cafes in Caminito.

Recoleta: An Elegant Neighborhood

On our second day, arriving in Recoleta - one of the most famous and aristocratic neighborhoods in Buenos Aires - we are met with a quieter and more refined side of the city. With its broad avenues, green areas, historic structures, and cultural centers, Recoleta is one of the most visited areas in Buenos Aires. However, among the most notable spots in the district is the famous Recoleta Cemetery, where important Argentine figures are buried.

Recoleta Cemetery

Established in 1822 as the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires, it has transformed today into a giant open-air architectural museum housing the graves of Argentina's most notable figures.

Here lie the graves of important national figures, ranging from former presidents to artists. One of the most famous among them is Eva Perón. Affectionately called Evita by Argentines, Perón became one of the most influential figures in the country through her efforts for the working class and women's political rights in the late 1940s. She passed away in 1952 at the young age of 33. Today, her tomb remains one of the most visited spots in Recoleta.

Floralis Genérica

In Recoleta stands a giant flower sculpture made of steel and aluminum named Floralis Genérica, designed by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano. The most special feature of this design is that it moves mechanically to open every day at sunrise and close at sunset; Eduardo Catalano intended to symbolize that every new day carries new hope with this design.

El Ateneo Grand Splendid

The bookstore named El Ateneo Grand Splendid, which we visited in the Recoleta neighborhood, is a historic building that opened in 1919 as a theater and cinema hall. Host to tango legends like Carlos Gardel and venue for the premieres of Argentina's first sound films, the site was converted into a bookstore in 2000 while preserving its original architecture. The original theater stage now houses a cafe, while the magnificent paintings on its ceiling, velvet curtains, and carved balconies remain intact. It was one of the most impressive spaces we have seen since the Starfield Library in Seoul.

Before Leaving the City

Throughout our trip, we used the Uber app; it was much cheaper than taking taxis. For example, we paid around 2 Euros for a 4.5-kilometer ride. An interesting detail: most Uber drivers asked one of us to sit in the front seat so as not to look like an unauthorized taxi from the outside. We learned that the reason behind this was local issues caused by taxi operators.

Before coming to Buenos Aires, we had read various warnings about purse snatching. Locals we met also specifically advised us to keep our phones and cameras in our bags when not actively using them. A heavy police presence in tourist areas was also noticeable. Despite this, we did not encounter any negative situations over the two days.

Our final stop before leaving the city was a Flamenco show.

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Buenos Aires is a layered city that cannot be summarized in a single sentence: on one side, its European-style architecture and opera houses; on the other, the marks of economic crisis reflected in the streets; on one side, well-kept mausoleums; on the other, graves left unvisited for years; on one side, tango and art; on the other, the raw passion for football in the streets where Maradona grew up. Perhaps what makes this city so memorable is its ability to carry all these contrasts within itself at the same time.