Touristy Things To Do When Visitors Stay With You?

Don't forget the Rosedal. quiet, beautiful roses, and The Sivori Museum and it's cafe. Fun to sit outside and enjoy a bite or just a coffee.
 
I want to thank everyone for the great suggestions on things to do while my friends from out of town were here, I got some great ideas.
A few people recommended "Fuerza Bruta", but a few people also mentioned that you stand through the whole performance looking up, which would be murder for my partner, so we didn't try that.
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MACBA) was closed on Monday, bad timing
Cafe Tortoni http://www.cafetortoni.com.ar/en/ had a line out front to get in, so we didn't want to wait in the rain
MALBA is closed on Tuesday - argh! worse timing
We walked into the Lighthouse building / Palacio Barolo http://www.palaciobarolotours.com/ for a tour, the lobby is incredible! We didn't want to wait for the next tour as it was freezing and raining, but I will be back (this thing shines in my living room window every night at 8pm and I want to see it!)
Japanese Garden was 30 or 35 pesos to get in, but if you have a DNI residency card it's either free or discounted (I don't carry my DNI for fear of losing it) We had an amazing lunch in the Japanese restaurant, although it was pricey, it was VERY good.
The Sivori Museum nearby and it's cafe was an unexpected treat and they only wanted a 5 peso donation! Quite a large collection.
The Hop on / Hop off bus was great http://www.buenosair...ervice.htm��Our experience was that it runs every 35 minutes, not every 20. I know this is totally dictated on traffic, but we went around 11:30am when I thought traffic might be minimal and it was stop and go most of the way through downtown/congreso/La Boca. I bought my tickets online with a USA based credit card and you receive a small discount buying tickets online.
Finally visited my friend's Indian restaurant, "Tandoor" www.tandoor.com.ar and had a wonderful meal! Laprida 1293 at the corner of Charcas.
The Casa Rosada has bilingual tours on Saturday and Sunday for FREE! We even got to walk through Christina's office single file (no cameras). You get to walk in the front doors, I've never even seen them open before, the tour is an hour and you exit where the president walks into the building (at the left as you face the front of the building)
The Maipo theater on Esmeralda had a great drag cabaret show called "Caviar" http://www.maipo.com...po.com.ar/��The best seats were 270 pesos, but I think the ones in the back were only 80.
Thanks again! My friends had a great trip and I lost kilos walking my butt off for 9 days!
Pete & Ron
 
I wanted to thank all those who contributed to this thread - it gave me many insights on what to do with my friends.
Unfortunately in late January a lot of places were closed wither for vacation or for maintenance, so we had to change our plans a little (after spending hours to get to our destination, of course).
  • Fuerza Bruta is no longer performing in Buenos Aires, last show was just days before Christmas.
  • Japanese Gardens - the restaurant was closed for vacation, and it was too hot for roses - they were a little run-down. There was limited staff available and therefore limited accessibile attractions in the garden (the architectural building was closed, there was no burning ceremony like on December, etc.)
  • Rosedal - as beautiful as ever
  • Bus amarillo (hop on/off bus tour) - we didn't take it, since it was 270 ARS per person, which meant 750 ARS for the three of us. Instead, we used plenty taxis (usually around 40 ARS per ride).
  • Tango show - we found a very nice show at Centro Cultural Borges (http://www.ccborges.org.ar/) for about 200 ARS/per person. It is next to Galeria Pacifico, within walking distance from Retiro train station. They have 3 or 4 shows which are performed on rotation once or twice a week, around 19.30-20.00.
  • Museo Evita - the exhibition lacks of a coherent explanation of why Evita became Evita, why she was so much loved, etc. It is just a collection of item on display with some moving captions, but it looks like a lot of marketing and very little historical facts. At the café we were not allowed to just have a coffee because it was 11.45 AM and it was about lunch time (the place was empty). Not pleased with that, since it reads restaurant-cafè on their sign.
  • Palermo - We found most of the places closed (from Plaza Serrano and on Thames) at noon. It was a delusion. Definitely not the best time of the year/hour to go there for lunch.
  • Recoleta - We had lunch at Pani, which was recommended on this forum, but I was disappointed by their bread, which I found like any other Argentinian bread (too much yeast, with a thin crust). I hadn't the chance to try desserts, though. Pricey and not worth it, imho.
  • El cuartito pizzeria - closed on Monday, damn!
  • Las violetas café - Based in Almagro, this old fashioned café is 192 years old and it is a classic at tea time. Go there on a empty stomach, though, and order a Maria Cala to stuff you with a load of salty and sweet stuff. Two blocks before the cafè, we walked next to a strange place with sort of witch doctors preaching to the crowd and a long queue. Not sure what it was, it looked kinda scary.
  • Talabarteria - I strongly recommend to make your shopping at Arandú (http://arandu.com.ar/) which has three locations in town. The main one (where I went) is on Paraguay 1259. On the pricey side, but very high quality stuff. Personally, I liked it more than Cardon on Alvear, which I found perfect for old tourists, lacking of vibe and young apparels. The prices are about the same in both places.
  • Puertos de frutos - we went there on a weekday, and in summer. There were 10 shops open in total and most of them sold furnitures. A delusion.
  • Estancia - we went for a 2 days/1 night stay at Estancia Don Silvano (http://donsilvano.com/), where I went on December 24th for a Dia de Campo. It was the only estancia offering transport and with a decent price (50 USD dia de campo, 100 USD for 2d/1n), with a discount for clients of the Hospital Italiano. The other estancias recommended were either pricey or didn't provide transport in our days (some estancias offer transfers, but only on Saturday when they usually host special shows).
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Serafina, this is a great list. I am trying to put together the same thing. (I will posts my hits and misses with my guests, once I see how it turns out.) I have had the same problem with Palermo.

I am a Recoleta dweller. When I have taken visitors in the past to Palermo during the day, es un bajón! Everything is closed. I'm like, look, there is apparently some stuff here in Palermo, like residences and shops closed up tight. And they have trees. I was hoping to at least window shop in Palermo Soho, show them the cutesy shops. This forum must have a million Palermo-dwellers/experts whose advice is spot on. Any recommendations for where to go for early afternoon on a weekday in Palermo for window shopping?

So far, I've got:
Morning: start with the joggers in Bosques de Palermo, enjoy the Rosedal, aire libre, etc.
walk south on---down what street, what is there to see late morning/early afternoon??
Lunch: this part is easy as Palermo is just FULL of cute lunch places!
I guess I will have to take them by the new Distrito Arcos since it's on the way, though I am not a fan. I will probably walking them past the US Embassy because that is neat for US visitors to see.

But then, what? What is there touristy to do in Palermo besides eating in cute restaurants?
 
I would like to add some other nice places to visit up north (I am in San isidro), and they can be reached by public transport (railway Mitre, mostly).
  • Villa Ocampo, Beccar (linea Mitre, Beccar stop, then walk 7 blocks) - Former summer residence of the Ocampo family, this big house became writer Victoria Ocampo's all-year personal residence. On Sunday there are guided tour (free, in Spanish) every hour, starting at 2 PM. You can have lunch/tea sitting in the house porch, it looked quite a classy café for a museum. Entrance fee 40 ARS, no pets allowed. It is part of UNESCO Heritage since it was donated by Victoria Ocampo to France (where she had lived extensively). [www.villaocampo.org]
  • Quinta Pueyrredón, San Isidro (linea Mitre, San Isidro stop, then walk 5 blocks)- This very old building housed many important Spanish families, among which the famous Prilidiano Pueyrredón which restored it to its former beauty. It has a small collection of items inside, showing portraits of former occupants and antiques. There is an awesome painting that is a masterpiece (imho) on the ground floor. Very nice garden, from where you can admire a stretch of the River Plate. In the garden are planted some of the oldest trees in the Buenos Aires area. Entrance is free but donations are welcomed. [www.museopueyrredon.org.ar]
  • Quinta Los Ombues, San Isidro (linea Mitre, Beccar stop, then walk 4 blocks)- This old Spanish house has reminiscences of Arabic influences and a beautiful garden, from where you can enjoy the sight of the River Plate. Free. Last time I was there it was closed for maintenance (usually every January), with no end date posted. There is also a library open on some days. [www.quintalosombues.com.ar]
  • Perú Beach (Elcano 794, Acassuso. Take tren de la costa and get off at Barrancas stop) - Despite its name, there is no beach, rather a starting point to sail on River Plate, play hockey, water sports, or simply enjoy a drink on a Sunday afternoon. Very popular among the young crowd on weekends. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday, the Barrancas station also hosts an antique fair very popular in the area. [http://peru-beach.com.ar/]
 
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