It’s about a 13-hour bus ride from Mendoza to Buenos Aires but we opted to take a flight for this journey. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9 PM but it ended up being delayed until 11.40 PM. The flight time was only 1-hour 30-minutes and we arrived at the El Palomar Airport in Buenos Aires at around 1.10 AM. Getting through customs was quick and we managed to use the airport WiFi to order an Uber1. The city is quite big and the Airport is located in the outskirts of the city. Our hostel was in the Monserrat area of the city center which took about 30 minutes to get to with no traffic and cost 360 ARS2. It was now around 2 AM so we checked in and went to get some sleep.
The City
Since we were staying close to the Boca Juniors stadium La Bonbonera, we decided to head there first. We took a quick 10 minute Uber ride there for 67 ARS. On the way, the Uber driver turned out to be a Boca Juniors fan and was telling us many stories and history about the stadium. He recommended we check out El Caminito after the stadium but told us to be wary of pickpockets and scam artists. He dropped us off at the museum entrance and at the ticket office, there are 3 types of tickets – Museum Only; Museum, Stadium, and Locker Room Tour; and Museum, Stadium, and Locker Room Tour plus a walk into the pitch. We chose to get the Museum, Stadium, and Locker Room Tour which cost 410 ARS each. The next tour was scheduled to start at 1 PM so we had about 20 minutes to wander through the museum. There are lots of memorabilia and footage of historic matches playing on several screens. The footage which has sound allows you to picture the energy at the games played in the stadium. Being on the opposing team must be truly intimidating.
You can also step outside from the museum onto the south stand for a view of the pitch. Once we were done exploring the museum, we headed to the meeting point a couple of minutes before the start of the tour and the guide starts the tour promptly. First, he takes you to the east stands and on the way, he gives a history of the stadium and the team. At the stands, we get some time for pictures before walking over to the north stands. Here we can walk out onto a part of the pitch behind the goal for some pictures. We then head up the stands for a couple more pictures before continuing to the locker room. At the locker room, there is a professional photographer who takes your picture sitting at your preferred player’s locker. This is then the end of our tour and we’re directed back to the museum. Those who bought the ticket for sideline access are taken to the pitch. When we left the museum, we headed to El Caminito which is a short walk away from the stadium.
There are several shops and restaurants in this area. Many of the restaurants have Tango shows while you eat. We picked a restaurant which had the famous Churrasco steaks and a Tango show. A thing to note is that nearly all the restaurants only accept cash, so make sure you take some with you. After lunch, we took a 10-minute taxi ride to Plaza Dorrego for 190 ARS. From here we walked to the Puerto Madero area which is a nice riverside walk. After resting at the park in the area, we continued up the riverside and passed the presidential office – La Casa Rosada. Next, we followed a road that took us to the Obelisco which had some scaffolding on it for an event that weekend. From here, we then walked to the Torre Monumental, stopping at the shopping center Galerías Pacifico. By this time, it was dark so we took an Uber back to the hostel. It was a quick 10-minute Uber ride and cost 149 ARS.
