Buenos Aires, Photo Credit: Patagonia Chopper
There are so many sides of Buenos Aires to see — the historic and the youthful, the culinary and the artistic. We’ve shown you how to spend three perfect days in this vibrant city, and now we’re rounding up three different ways to see the Argentine capital — by foot, by bike and from the air.
Walking Tours
Much of Buenos Aires is walkable, and the city’s tourism board runs free guided walking tours every day of the week. On Monday, visit the city’s oldest square (Plaza de Mayo), on Wednesday, take in the colorful neighborhood of La Boca (named for the futbol team) and on Thursday, explore upscale Recoleta area, best known for the architecturally rich cemetery where Eva Perón is buried.
Other tours bring you through the verdant Buenos Aries Botanical Garden, to San Telmo and its popular market and, a bit off the tourist circuit, Balvanera, a neighborhood associated with tango. Most tours are three hours and in English, but if you’re keen to pound the pavement and practice Spanish, join one of the longer bilingual tours of three, five or a whopping 11 miles. Reserve your space early, as these tours fill up quickly.
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If the tourism board’s groups are full, Free Walks Buenos Aires and BA Free Tour both offer similar guided walking tours.
Street art tours run by Graffitimundo and BA Street Art are a fun way to explore and see an ample selection of colorful graffiti. Both companies’ guides are cheerful and engaging, and their enthusiasm for the city’s street art is infectious.
For a more academic angle, sign up with Context Travel. Excursions are led by professors, historians, chefs and other pros. Capped at six people, they cover themes like Jewish Buenos Aires and Belle Epoque Buenos Aires, a treat for architecture buffs.
Bicycle Tours
If you’re comfortable with urban cycling, a bicycle tour is a great way to get around Buenos Aires. In the company of a guide and safely kitted out with a helmet, zip through the city’s streets as you learn about its history.
The tourism board offers three free bicycle tours several times daily. The one-hour family ride uses cargo bikes; the tours for ages 13 and older (Palermo and La Boca) are an hour and 15 minutes.
If you’ve got kids under 12, another alternative is Biking Buenos Aires, which organizes family-friendly cycling jaunts that are a little slower than its regular adult tours.
BA Bikes has several specialized tours, including a five-hour food-and-cycling excursion and a day trip to UNESCO World Heritage town Colonia del Sacramento across the river in Uruguay. Bike Tours and Urban Biking both run day-long trips to Tigre where, in addition to exploring on two wheels, you’ll also kayak in the Paraná Delta.
Helicopter and Balloon Tours
This is a bit of a stretch — hot-air balloon tours take off about an hour and a half outside Buenos Aires — but the views of the surrounding countryside and villages are worth it. Balloons depart from either Capilla del Señor or Lujan and take off at sunrise and sunset.
Helicopter tours leave from central Buenos Aires and provide a shorter, easier experience to fit into a packed sightseeing schedule. These trips give you a bird’s-eye view of Buenos Aires as you soar over La Bombonera football stadium, Puerto Madero and its towers of bright shipping containers and the lush ecological reserve.
Patagonia Chopper and Buenos Aires Helitours are both great options for flight-seeing; Argentina Flight Adventures runs both helicopter and balloon tours.
