Researching Buenos Aires - where to live

Hello,
I am planning an upcoming stay in Buenos Aires, possibly for an indefinite amount of time. Right now I am researching the different "barrios" of Buenos Aires and would like to get input from people who are there right now and can give better insight than any guide book probably could. I keep hearing wonderful things about Recoleta, but am curious about Palermo. What is the social scene like? Is it easy to get to Micro Centro? Is it safe? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you & kind regards
Teresa

 

[igor]

First of all, just to give you an idea on geographical location, this is a map of the city barrios

"What neighborhood do you live at?" is a social status question here. An equivalent of "What kind of car do you drive?" in the states. So, if you talk to a person that lives in Recoleta, he will never even suggest you even to consider other options.

Recoleta is the most desirable place. A lot of reach people live there. It is very expensive and touristy.

Barrio Norte is a real estate term of the area surrounding Recoleta that includes parts of Palermo, Retiro and some other barrios.
Technically it includes the Recoleta itself, but if somebody lives in Recoleta he will never say he lives in Barrio Norte.

Palermo is close to Recoleta, but the barrio itself is very big and diverse. Las Cañitas is very different from Palermo Viejo and both are parts of Palermo. Most parts of Palermo are within 10-20 minutes by
subway from the downtown (Linea D - the green line).

Barrio Norte and Palermo are populated by upper and middle-upper class people. This area has intense social life, there are a lot of activities and it is fun to walk around. Barrio of Palermo has it's own web portal (In spanish, naturally).

As a general advice. A reasonable approach would be to rent something for a short term and investigate different areas yourself just by walking around. You need to find a place that you feel like you belong to. If you are an artist, you may like San Telmo better. If you like theaters, part of ave. Corrientes may be a good choice (barrio Congresso). I like downtown area a lot, though it feels deserted at nights and on the weekends.


--------

This message is also available as an audio file (recorded at sayandpost.com).

 

[DBonello]

HI Teresa,

I've been in BsAs about three months now and have lived in Palermo and Belgrano and am now in San Telmo. Palermo's a nice neighbourhood, but kind of dull and upper class. The same can be said for Belgrano. Both can be reached in about 20 -25 minutes on the Subte. We're living in San Telmo, which is great. Really old fashioned neighbourhood, antiques market, great bars and lovely apartments. It has its squatter side, but hey, c'est la vie.

deborah

 

Dang, there's some real quality info on this board. Thanks to all the little helpers.

 

I've lived here for about 4 years, and first lived in Palermo. I love Palermo (esp. Viejo), and do recommend it. It is easy to get to the microcenter from there, and yes, is safe. It has loads of cute cafes and shopping, and parks, and a nice atmosphere. I now live in Belgrano, which is close to Palermo, and is another very nice barrio. It is also convenient to get to the center (but not the part called Belgrano "R"), there are beautiful homes, and has a sort of european feel. It is safe, esp, since there are many embassies around, and lots of police.

Las Cañitas is another barrio, which is very "in " now. It has great night life and is located between palermo and belgrano.

Good luck! It's fun living in BA!

 

[kevin_tky]

I've lived here for about 4 years, and first lived in Palermo. I love Palermo (esp. Viejo), and do recommend it. It is easy to get to the microcenter from there, and yes, is safe. It has loads of cute cafes and shopping, and parks, and a nice atmosphere. I now live in Belgrano, which is close to Palermo, and is another very nice barrio. It is also convenient to get to the center (but not the part called Belgrano "R"), there are beautiful homes, and has a sort of european feel. It is safe, esp, since there are many embassies around, and lots of police.



Las Cañitas is another barrio, which is very "in " now. It has great night life and is located between palermo and belgrano.



Good luck! It's fun living in BA!

HI THERE I ENJOYED YOUR POSTING ...IM LOOKING TO BUY IN TO AN AREA IN PALERMO AN UNRENOVATED HOUSE GORITI AND URIARTE DO YOU KNOW THIS AREA? THEY TOLD ME ITS PALERMO SOHO..WOULD YOU SAY THIS AREA IS SAFE FOR FAMILIES WITH VERY YOUNG KIDS?

 

[SilverMallard]

HI Teresa,



I've been in BsAs about three months now and have lived in Palermo and Belgrano and am now in San Telmo. Palermo's a nice neighbourhood, but kind of dull and upper class. The same can be said for Belgrano. Both can be reached in about 20 -25 minutes on the Subte. We're living in San Telmo, which is great. Really old fashioned neighbourhood, antiques market, great bars and lovely apartments. It has its squatter side, but hey, c'est la vie.


deborah

My wife is a German artist and we're thinking about moving to BA. San Telmo sounds very interesting to us. We won't have a lot of income at first...about the same as 2 median-income workers in Argentina = 3,000 pesos/mo. Is that right? How would we do in San Telmo on that kind of income? What would a middle-grade 2 bedroom apartment go for in San Telmo if we rented on a 2-year lease?

 

[bigbadwolf]

Let's turn the question around: what areas should a greenhorn newcomer avoid? Where are the danger areas? And what kinds of risk exist? Purse-snatching? Robbery at gunpoint? Kidnapping? I'll be in town next month for about four weeks and, well, forewarned is forearmed.

 

[Grazie]

If there is one word that you could use to describe Las Canitas, what would that be? And for those that are very familiar with this barrio, what are the streets that boundary Las Canitas?
Question for Kimbee: A year later after your original posting, would you still say that Las Canitas is "in" with the in crowd?
Thanks. Grazie

 

[pablosantelmo]

It's a bit hard to say which areas to avoid, as like in London, the worst thing can happen in the best areas.....
Generally, like any big city a street (which is not a major thoroughfare) with a few cafes and shops, perhaps a school or hospital (or embassy!) will be safer than an area which is dark and deserted at night.
As regards charm, San Telmo takes some beating. It is also very central and you can walk to Monserrat and Puerto Madero as well as the main shopping areas. Within San Telmo, Defensa is probably the best street although Peru, Bolivar, Chile etc are also fine. I get a bit tense in the areas near Constitucion station but it is probably aesthetic rather than a real sense of danger.
Palermo Viejo is lovely, no denying, but quite a long way from the centre.
Las Canitas is nice but a bit anodyne - you could be anywhere. You can rent great flats with pools there though - always a plus in the summer.
Congreso is impressive architecturally (esp Avda de Mayo etc) but away from Corrientes it can be a bit quiet at weekends.
I suppose, like everyone else, my vote is for La Recoleta (it's a lot nicer than other chic barrios in other major cities as it still has a villagey feel) but it is quite expensive now, even to European standards. San Telmo is second choice (MUCH cheaper) as it is has that Notting Hill/Le Marais/Barrio Alto/Eixemple/Greenwich Village vibe in spades.
PS Areas I'm not so keen on: Belgrano (too much concrete); La Boca (unsafe); Constitucion (feels unsafe, lots of streetwalkers),
PS2 outside of the centre the following are verrrrry nice: San Isidro, Tigre, Pilar, Adrogue (to the south), parts of Temperley, Hurlingham and my favourite, Villa Devoto