After Class Activities

Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture, traditions, and everyday life after your class is over. Buenos Aires flourishes with culture. The city has to much to offer and it’s neighbourhoods are full of tradition, entertainment and diversity. Take a stroll through Avenida Corrientes where there are large theatres and cinemas, cafes, and bookstores. Architecturally, the historic buildings in Buenos Aires are some of the highest visited in the world. Numerous historical museums and art galleries, such as the Museo de Bellas Artes, provide hours of interesting viewing. Get yourself started for a trip to Buenos Aires with the links below.

Excursions: Explore More of The Region

Rosedal

Rosedal is the most famous and most visited park in Buenos Aires. The park is home to a botanical rose garden that offers hundreds of different types of roses. During the summer months, many people enjoy the park by taking in the sights of bridges, piers, and sculptures. It is also a very active park, its gardens are surrounded by a trail where visitors exercise, jog, bike and even participate in free aerobics classes. Occasionally, live music is played in areas of the park and many people picnic and nap on its vast lawns.

Carilo

Carilo is a small town with lots of charm. The town features high quality amenities, including traditional inns and hotels, restaurants, stores and bars. The wide beaches in Curilo are blessed with calm water and fantastic climate conditions provide a pleasing sense of peace for vacationers that frequent the area. What makes this area unique is that not only does it have beautiful beaches, but also plenty of forests. Visit over six thousand hectares of nature at the Salada Grande Lagoon, an outdoors persons dream.

Lújan

Commonly known as Argentina s holy city, Lújan is another favourite weekend retreat for the Portenos. Just 69 kilometres (43 miles) west of Buenos Aires, it is primarily a place of pilgrimage and many arrive at the place specifically to explore the grand neo-Gothic Basilica Nuestra Senora de Lújan together with the statue of the Virgin of Lújan - Argentina s patron saint. The building s interior is a hive of pilgrim activity and there are countless religious masses to cater for the crowds. People arrive in the hope of salvation and cures and the priests openly and expectantly wait for the confessors. The statue of the Virgin came to live in Lújan when it was being moved between churches by cart in 1630. The cart got stuck and couldn t be moved, which was taken as a sign that the Virgin should stay - and the whole town has grown around it.

Also deserving of a look is the Complejo Museografico Enrique Udaondo. Covering the tale of the Virgin and the history of Estancias, Gauchos and Indians, in addition to the country s history, it has to be one of the most extensive museums in Argentina. A visit to Lújan, however, does not have to be a pilgrimage and it is possible to just savour the town - wander the streets, opt for a relaxing boat ride or wile away the time in the plentiful outdoor restaurants. On 5 October, a major pilgrimage takes place when nearly a million people walk here from Buenos Aires.

Tigre

Tigre is a unique natural attraction set on an island at the opening of the Parana River Delta, about 30 kilometres from Buenos Aires. Around the town, river houses can be seen on the waterway and where the elegant landscape is open for exploration. The area is known for its eco-tourism and adventure activities, photographic tours, fishing expeditions and bird watching.

For the thrill seekers, the Parque de la Costa is an amusement park with many attractions, rides and rollercoasters. Visit the Fruit Port, a former fruit and vegetable market which has now become known for crafts. For a more relaxed pace, visit the Naval Centre Museum and the Tigre Art Museum.

Architecture: Discover Unique Styles & Structures

Plaza de Mayo

The square has much significant history. Many times it has been the centre of large rallies and demonstrations. It was the site of independence in 1810 which is commemorated by a pyramid at the centre of the square. Surrounding the Plaza is the City Council building, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Government House.

Metropolitan Cathedral

This Catholic church was designed in a neoclassical style and is considered the most important chuch in Buenos Aires. Its architecture does not resemble one of a traditional cathedral as there are no tall towers and it actually resembles a temple that may belong in the Mediterranean than one in South America. The burial site of most important hero of the Independence of Buenos Aires, General San Martín, are kept there.

Puerto Madero

Set on a coastal strip where former docks and warehouses sat, Puerto Madero has undergone reconstruction for the past two decades to integrate it into an extension of Buenos Aires downtown. Now stands modern designed commercial offices, luxurious restaurants, shops and a movie theatre. A must see for visitors.

City Legislature

An architectural landmark in the city s Montserrat section, City Legislature was inaugurated in 1931 and built in a French academic style. The exterior of the building is known for its 26 caryatids (column statues) and for its bell tower that houses 30 bells. The interior architecture is impressive and features large legislative chambers, two libraries, salons and halls. The luxurious space called the Golden Salon is often used for galas and other formal events and was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors inside the Palace of Versailles, France.

Neighbourhoods: Find Cities Within The City

Recoleta

Some say that this neighborhood is a piece of Paris in Buenos Aires. Recoleta is a beautiful place to walk, where tourists will find many upscale stores, restaurants and boutiques. It is one of Buenos Aires most visited cultural quarters. It is famous for its French style buildings, large parks, the National Museum of Fine Arts, and aristocratic bars, plus the craft fairs held every Sunday in Recoleta s "Plaza Francia". One of the most spectacular sights in Recoleta is the "Recoleta" cemetery, one of the oldest in Argentina. There one can find the impressive tombs of national heroes, former presidents, and the world famous Eva Peron, better known as Evita.

La Boca

This neighbourhood was being settled in the 1850’s by poor Genovese immigrants during the same time that the port shipyards, warehouses and stores were being built. Many of the immigrants built their own homes out of materials they found near the port and were painted in a myriad of colours leftover. This created a unique aesthetic style only common to this neighbourhood. This neighbourhood is also well-known for its soccer club, Boca Juniors, and whose stadium, La Bombonera was built in 1940.

San Telmo

Considered the first colonial suburb of Buenos Aires, San Telmo was an affluent neighbourhood until the city was hit with the yellow fever epidemic. Many families retreated from the city and the neighbourhood was invaded by immigrants and squatters. The large homes became "conventillos" and it wasn’t until 1970 that these residents, mostly devoted to arts and trades, began to characterize the neighbourhood with their style and refurbished and renovated the buildings, many of them over 100 years old. Today, many visit the San Telmo Market, where local artists sell antiques, artwork and crafts.

Nightlife: Let s Get The Party Started

Nightlife

Buenos Aires has a reputation for being one of the best South American cities to party in. Many don’t start the night until 10 or 11pm and the nightclubs and bars don’t open or get busy until after midnight! To party in Buenos Aires, visitors will need to learn to push their schedule into the early hours of the morning to really say they have partied there.

For being such a cosmopolitan city there are numerous venues, styles and music tastes - something for everyone, every night of the week. The fashionable and trendy head to Palermo where modern bars, clubs and dining establishments are packed into the areas Las Cañitas and Palermo Hollywood. On the weekends, many flock to the streets around La Recoleta Cemetery where bars and cafés are kept busy until patrons head to the clubs nearby for more drinks and dancing. For less active nightlife, head to the pubs and lounges around Calle Reconquista and Avenida 25 de Mayo, catch some tango shows in San Telmo or head to Puerto Madero for drinks and good eats while watching the sunset.