Argentina - 1st time to BsAs

A friend & I will be first-time visitors to BsAs over the Christmas holidays and would like to ask what you would recommend for tourists to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Argentinian Christmas traditions sound family- and home-oriented, so we are wondering what will be open and what special activities you could suggest. Thanks for all the great info!

Not sure about Buenos Aires but I would expect it to be a tough time for visitors as most Argentines like to be at home for Xmas eve. On Xmas day where I stay things won't get going till later in the evening when the cafes open so don't expect anything to be open during the day.

The main tourist hotels will be your best bet.

I would recommend that as soon as you arrive, you make a reservation for Xmas eve dinner. You'll probably be limited to some better / tourist-driven / hotel options, but if you don't do this, you may end up eating snacks out of packages from a kiosco.

Xmas day if the weather cooperates (i.e., no nasty thunderstorms) will be your perfect day to take a lovely walk and do your picture-taking. By the afternoon, there should be a few places opening up to eat. And, you may stumble on one or two places open earlier in the day. If you are staying at a hotel, have a nice big late breakfast.

The Xmas and NYE Gala events at the top hotels are nice lavish, and expensive...... excellent options for visitors.

Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions for visitors on 12/24 & 12/25. Your ideas were excellent and will be incorporated into our plans. Again, thanks for ALL the help on this thread. It's fabulous! Cheers.... Flyerjo

Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions for visitors on 12/24 & 12/25. Your ideas were excellent and will be incorporated into our plans. Again, thanks for ALL the help on this thread. It's fabulous! Cheers.... Flyerjo

No problem. My one and only New Year's Eve in Buenos Aires (as clueless tourists), before there was a Flyertalk, and before there was much interwebs, ended up being one of life's great disappointments. A little knowledge and planning would have avoided that.

If you are there for a few days, I highly recommend these great free walking tours around the city to get a good feel for BsAs.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/argentina/1040570-free-walking-tours-buenos-aires.html


http://www.bafreetour.com/english-home