Just moved to Buenos Aires

[SA2011]

Hi All,

Having already visited as a tourist, I've just returned to Buenos Aires to live and work for a year. I was hoping to meet some expats as well as some native speakers to practice my broken Spanish with.

I was hoping that some of the people on here who have lived here for a while might be able to advise me on where the best place to live is? I'm on my own and looking for a nice apartment in a good part of town. My company will pick up the rent tab so I'm not too bothered about price. So far I've been advised Palermo for it's expat community and night life, Puerto Madero for outstanding apartments and safety and San Telmo for a more Argentine experience. Also can anybody recommend a good reliable property rental agency. Any advice would be welcome.

If you would like to meet up sometime, please PM me and we'll arrange a time and place. I'm currently living in a hostel in Boedo but am well connected with the subte.

 

[braytrain]

haha dont move to San Telmo, IMO. Its gross, far from a lot of stuff, too close to el centro

I would say stay in Palermo, near the D line. More stuff to do, nice places everywhere, connected with everything.

my email is [email protected] best way to reach me if you want to meet up or plan something

 

[shoush]

Definitely not puerto madero! At night it's a ghost town! I love palermo as well as las canitas!

 

[Aguafresca]

Agree with the comments above, Palermo and close to line D if you work in Microcentro. I live close to Palermo subte stop and I have everything handy. Also across the D line Belgrano is very nice. Las canitas is nice but you will need a car. Same for Belgrano R. PM if you need any other tips. Welcome to Buenos Aires!!

 

[jlsronce]

Im with everyone else. DO NOT move to San Telmo. That is a place to visit one sunday for the street fair. Puerto Madero is nice but very expensive. It is also not very centrally located. Palermo north of santa fe is where you want to be. Trust me. That or Las Canitas. Ill be happy to show you around. My email is [email protected]. I have no plans tonight or tomorrow night if you are looking for some people to get together with.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Another no for San Telmo or Puerto Madero. San Telmo is a dump. It's full of foreigners; I'm not sure how that would equate to a real Argentine experience at all. Puerto Madero is nice for an evening walk, but it's artificial, lacks character, and really quite pretentious.

Palermo has its share of foreigners, but there are quite a few Argentinos that live there as well. It's closer to things, and well connected to everything else.

I live in Belgrano. It's absolutely delightful. Another decent barrio is Caballito.

 

[SA2011]

Thanks for all your advice. I didn't realise that San Telmo was such a no-no. Looks like I should concentrate my apartment search on Palermo or the nearby Las Canitas / Belgrano (although I don't have a car and have no intention of attempting to drive here.) Does anyone have a recommendation for a good rental agency, I already have one for BA Habitat.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Another vote for "no" in San Telmo and Puerto Madero. I've been here 6 years and have lived in Belgrano and Colegiales, both west of Palermo on Santa Fe / Cabildo. Belgrano is awsome, Colegiales is a little cheaper.

Try ApartmentsBA.com for starters. There office is in Recoleta.

 

[DontMindMe]

Thanks for all your advice. I didn't realise that San Telmo was such a no-no. Looks like I should concentrate my apartment search on Palermo or the nearby Las Canitas / Belgrano (although I don't have a car and have no intention of attempting to drive here.) Does anyone have a recommendation for a good rental agency, I already have one for BA Habitat.

Oh look, the San Telmo haters are out and about again. San Telmo's not a no-no for all. I loved living there, and did for over a year. You either love it or hate it. The ones who love it, LOVE it. Great restaurants and nightlife, stunning architecture, plenty of local porteños of all ages that makes for a neighborhood feel. Easy access to the rest of the city via subte (line C) or a zillion buses. I hated Palermo--also a love or hate neighborhood, I think. IMO--Overpriced, little to no character in the newer areas, with tons of the most obnoxious scenester expats in many parts (the brunch crowd...ugh.) Some good bars and restaurants but mostly a lot of overpriced, overrated crap. Tons of petty crime. Stand outside at Magdalena's Party at night and wait for thugs to run by and snatch your bags (and drinks!) before hopping in a car and driving away, for example. My boyfriend and I used to watch people getting robbed outside of the boliche across the street from our place in Palermo. I had to run away from a paco-head in broad daylight walking to the Palermo subte stop (a pretty gross part of Palermo, admittedly). It's not some green oasis like everyone here seems to think it is. Belgrano is pretty boring with very little of the cool architecture which is appealing to so many. You do not need a car if you live in Cañitas. That's ridiculous.

The point is, these are all opinions (except for the part about not needing a car in Cañitas. There are tons of buses up and down Campos). Everyone on this site has their favorite neighborhoods and reasons why, based on their lifestyle and AGE. (How old are you?) There are no reliable crime statistics, so everyone goes by friends' anecdotes and their own experiences, like mine in Palermo above. (I experienced nothing of the sort in San Telmo, though others surely have. The city is not the safest.) Why don't you check out the neighborhoods yourself instead listening to strangers' opinions on the internet, all of whom will have completely different opinions, tastes and needs? Only you know what you like. You are already in town, so get out there and see for yourself what you like and don't like.

ETA: Read this thread for an example of the variety of opinions you will get about San Telmo. There really are no universal opinions about most of the barrios in BA in terms of their suitability for residence: http://baexpats.org/expat-life/21143-trouble-san-telmo.html

 

[ScarlettTango]

Many people here mean well by offering you their personal preferences as objective advice (which it isn't). However I suggest you explore the city for a week and look at these areas for yourself.

I currently live in San Telmo, and I like it here. I heard some negative opinions before moving here and have found them to be false: many people here are locals, and I don't hear much spoken English unless it's Sunday (market day). People are friendly, but like any major city you must be careful where you stray at night.

Palermo and San Telmo are very different, but equally wonderful places to base yourself. You must find out what suits you, instead of listening you what suits other people. Good luck!