Argentina travel tips

7 days of advice from 2 months of family travel in Argentina.

Despite being in Argentina for nearly two months, my family and I barely scratched the surface of this massive, diverse, and culturally rich country.

Arguably one of the most famous of South American countries, Argentina is home to 45 million residents and stretches a staggering 3700 km from north to south. Our purpose for visiting Argentina was less about ground coverage and more to visit my brother and his fiance, who were expecting their first child. Visiting Argentina had long been on the family’s bucket list; and in order to make the trip happen, we actually had to sell our only vehicle.

Damn, it was worth it!

We landed at Ministro Pistarini (aka Ezeiza) International Airport in the capital city of Buenos Aires. We stayed in El Centro area (the downtown centre) where we strolled through the older barrios—San Telmo and La Boca—and the newer, trendy barrios of Palermo Soho and Puerto Madero. We crossed the widest avenue in the world—9 de Julio—and shopped on the pedestrian street, Calle Florida. We squeezed as much as we could into our week in this metropolis, but most of our time was spent in the quiet mountain village of Bialet Masse in the province of Córdoba.

El Condor - Sierras Chicas Mountains – Cordoba Province Argentina

Day 1

It’s a 12-hour overnight bus ride from Buenos Aires (BA) to Córdoba, which is in the middle of Argentina, nestled up against the Sierras Chicas. The long haul bus is the best damn bus you’ve ever ridden on and you’ll be perfectly comfortable should you choose not to fly. The seats recline so you can get a decent night’s sleep and you won’t miss much along the way as the terrain is virtually pancake flat.

Day 2

Finding some shade for a Picnic in El Condor

Instead of heading right to the capital city of Córdoba (also called Córdoba), we stayed along the Rio Cosquín in the quiet mountain town of Bialet Masse. It has one main street and most of the roads are unpaved. Time moves at a pretty slow pace there. Horses, cars from the ’80s, stray dogs, and kids on bikes make up most of the traffic.

However, within a 30-minute drive in either direction are the beautiful and bustling towns (at least in the summer) of Carlos Paz, La Falda, Alta Gracia and Cosquín. Rich in history, it’s rumoured that Che Guevara used to live in these mountains and Hitler was apparently once spotted there as well.

Alongside dozens of local families, we drank yerba mate (pronounced “mátay”—like a very strong green tea) and ate pastries filled with dulce de leche (a sweet spread made of milk) while wading in the local river.

Day 3

Traditional Argentine Breakfast in Bialet Masse, Cordoba Province

Breakfast is usually a simple affair in this country. With European influences, a few medialunas (miniature sweet croissants) or criollito (savoury pastry), orange juice, and cafe con leche (coffee with milk, or not) is usually all there is.

After lunch, you practice your siesta followed by more light pastries and mate around 5:00 in the afternoon.

In Argentina, dinner happens late (around 10:00 p.m.) and the children stay up even later—often just going to bed alongside their parents around midnight.

The quintessential Argentine family dinner is the asado (similar to what we’d call a BBQ…but oh so much more). Usually hosted in a quincho (aka asador—outdoor barbeque area), the preparation is an all-day affair.

First, you visit your local butcher for the best cuts of meat including sausage and entrails and innards and maybe some cheese. Then to the bakery for fresh bread and, finally, to the corner store for a selection of your favourite Malbec—wine from the neighbouring grprovince of Mendoza.

Wood is carefully turned to coal over a large grill and, over the next few hours or so, the meat is cooked to perfection.

Amongst the loving and energetic atmosphere of some 20 family members and friends, we ingested the entire experience until the wee hours of the night.

Day 4

Rest and digest.

Day 5

The Pasteries of Panaderia Independica, Downtown

We took a jam-packed local bus to the recently awarded Cultural Capital of the Americas—the city of Córdoba. It's becoming one of the nation's hot spots. We immediately headed to Panadería Independencia for some medialunas with dulce de leche and a couple of jolting-to-life cups of espresso with foam (cafe con espuma). All the ingredients used by this iconic bakery and cafe are locally grown. If you go, go early because the freshest stuff is sold first and once you’ve tasted freshly baked Argentinian pastry, you’ll agree it was worth waking up for.

As we walked down the disjointed, crumbling sidewalk to El Centro, buses zipped past. We marvelled at the colourful graffiti lining the walls of aging buildings. The Iglesia Catedral in Plaza San Martin was worth a look; however, the girls prefered feeding (and chasing) pigeons.

With seven universities, the city has a youthful feel; it comes alive at night. The stairs at Parque Sarmiento, are great to visit at any time. People run the steps for exercise and to take in one of the better views of the city. The National University is the oldest university in Argentina, founded in 1613. You can stroll the grounds, check out more graffiti, see their bicentennial monument, and other statues and works of art. We did this all.

Live Music at the Paseo de las Pulgas Artisan Market Belgrano Street – Downtown Cordoba

After working up an appetite, we headed to Don Luis for the local pizza served with faina which is essentially a secondary pizza made of chickpea flour and seasoned with dried onions, parmesan and pepper. To keep it traditional (or so we were told), we paired it with a bottle of Muscat.

Although Córdoba doesn’t entirely shut down for siesta, the tradition is still strong. If you happen to be there during their summer you’ll know why—it hot! So, go back and lie down in an air-conditioned room to rest those legs and digest that carbs. Yes, we partook in the siesta as much as we could.

After waking up and lounging around for a while, we hired a taxi-driver to take us to Chapitas for a meat-tastic sandwich called a lomito. Argentina has a few local brews and our favourite was Quilmes—perfect for washing down lomitos.

Finally, we made it to the artsy Belgrano Street for a walkthrough of the world-class Paseo de las Pulgas Artisan Market. Everything here is locally made—no cheap, gimmicky tourist items and no hard-selling vendors. Prior to being able to exhibit, artists are reviewed by a panel to ensure they are in fact making their own goods by hand.

Day 6

After resting for most of the morning , Come evening, it was microbrew and delicious picadas (like a charcuterie board or antipasto) at Parado Antares in the Güemes neighbourhood. The food and incredible view of the beautiful Iglesia de Los Capuchinos, as well as the Iglesia Buen Pastor, made the early afternoon pass far too quickly. And it’s worth noting that the artisan beer here rivals that of Portland and so do the vibes; it’s not what we expected of a microbrewery transplanted in the heart of South America.

Parado Antares Micro Brewery in the Güemes neighbourhood. View of the beautiful Iglesia de Los Capuchinos

Finally, it was time to try the Argentine Tango. Although some locals will tell you that the tango is considered a Buenos Aires thing, the crowds of locals, young and old, dancing in the square each Sunday night would suggest otherwise. The later you arrive, the more people there will be.

For a solid two hours, we tried to dance the tango; but, even with the generous help of many local dancers, it was “No Bueno.”

Now, well past 9:00 p.m., it’s just about dinnertime in Argentina. Back to Belgrano Street and its fantastic little restaurants. It was recommended we try Infernales de Guemes. To start, we sipped a Fernet (usually with Coke) and then switched to an Argentinian Malbec. The girls drank submarinos (chocolate bars melted directly into warm milk). We chose locro, the traditional soup, and although it was a little heavy for the hot summer months, it was damn good.

We sat there for another few hours, as diners (including families with young children) kept arriving until as late as 11:30.

Day 7

Back to Sarmiento Park where we enjoyed listening to a local musician play music inspired by her travels around the country. Then we grabbed a choripan from the famous (yes, also famous) El Dente food truck and stroll the park.

Finally, on our last evening, we took a drive past the revamped and brightly lit city hall.

Despite being 715 km from the autonomous Buenos Aires, Córdoba is far from an afterthought for a traveller. If you want to splurge a little, it’s only a 40-minute flight; or, if you want to splurge a little less, you can book a first-class bus seat.

Still, somewhat off the tourist path, Córdoba offers an amazing look at daily life in Argentina. But, with all it has to offer, that may not be the case forever.

Joel PrimusApril 20, 2019Comment