Talking Travel – Buenos Aries

Hello and welcome to Talking Travel Women Radio Station's new weekly show for travel news from around the world, fascinating guests and answers to your burning travel questions. Now, in this first episode, I'm going to shine the spotlight on Buenos Aires for a very good reason. Until recently, BA was starved of direct, affordable flights from the uk. But happily, listeners change is on the horizon. So from Valentine's Day, budget airline Norwegian Airlines will be showing its love for Argentina's charismatic capital with the launch of the longest ever non stop route from Gatwick to Buenos Aires. So the good news is in Buenos Aires is that regardless of whether you're down to your last dollar or you have oodles of cash to splash, there's plenty of plenty to see and do. So I'm going to give you a few tips. And let's start with those who are suffering from that January skint feeling. So probably number one, first up, you have to visit Recoleta Cemetery. By far and away, this is BA's number one tourist attraction. This city of the dead is where generations of Argentina's great and good, including Evita, were buried. And the best bit, it's absolutely free to visit and see Evita's final resting place. Our tip would be to join the complimentary tour that's offered in English at 11am every Tuesday and Thursday. Now, number two, you have to go to San Telmo market on a Sunday. It's an unmissable Sunday market. It sells some of BA's best arts, craft and souvenirs. And even if shopping isn't your bag, it's worth visiting for the atmosphere alone. You'll see so many colourful street performances and vendors loudly selling freshly squeezed orange juice. It really is unmissable. Tip number three, for those of you who are suffering this right now from broke problems will be La Casa Rosada. The pink presidential palace is is home to the balcony where Argentina's most famous son, footballing God, Diego Maradona, greeted crowds from the balcony after winning the 1986 World cup for Argentina. And of course, it's also where Evita used to address her legion of fans. And you can actually tour the building for free on a Saturday. On Sunday all you need to do is show your passport. Now, tip number four is the reserver. So when the hustle and bustle of BA gets too much, and trust me, it will, it's a big bustling city. You should escape to the Reserva. It's about 360 hectares of wetlands and it's a really popular place for hikers. Bird watchers, nature lovers, anyone who basically likes the great outdoors. So definitely check that out. Tip number five, La Bocca. If you've picked up any guidebook to ba, you'll see on the COVID no doubt the colourful corrugated metal buildings that is La Boca. And the best bit, it doesn't cost a penny to stroll El Caminito, that's La Boca's most famous street, and to watch the tango dancers strut their stuff. So my next tip, tip number six is the mataderos market. Now this, this is probably BA's best kept secret. It's held every Sunday in the working class neighbourhood of Mataderos. Now, admittedly it's a bit of a schlep to get there. You'll have to take a bus for about 90 minutes from downtown, but it's so worth it. You'll get to watch the gauchos, that's Argentine cowboys and folk singers entertain the crowd. So definitely check that out on a Sunday worth the journey. Tip number seven, Malongas. Now, a Malonga, if you don't know, is a traditional tango dance night. And Argentina is of course synonymous with the tango and nowhere more so than ba. The spirit of tango literally oozes on every single street corner. There's too many tango clubs to mention, but if you are on a budget, I'd look to La Glorietta. It's a free outdoor malonga. It takes place every Saturday and Sunday evening and honestly, you can't go to Buenos Aires and not try a molonga. So you can check out all these tips on what to do on a budget on the women's radio station website. And let's listen to a little bit of Latin American music now and choose a tango song. To see the huge range of programs on women's radio station and head to our presenters page on womensradiostation.com. Deep insar. Ilvida. Sam, you. Right now. Welcome to women's radio station, the voice of women worldwide. So I do glitter for a living. Coming up next on women's radio station wrs. Women's radio station. Hey, this is Jessie and I'm a life architect. So what has made you say effort, enrage or effort Enjoy. This week I love listening to women's radio whilst driving in my car. My spirit and me. Listen online on your smartphone and on your computer. If you wanted to find out a little bit more, do go to our website womensradiostation.com welcome back to Talking Travel on women's radio station where we're shining the Spotlight on ba, Argentina's charismatic capital. Now, we've just run through all the tips you can do if you're on a budget. But if you're feeling flush, you're also in luck. For while BA can be a bargain destination, it's also a fantastic place to really blow the budget. And if you're feeling a bit guilty, don't worry, you know, consider this. Life is short. You work hard, you deserve it. So my tip number one would be a place called the Clubhouse. If you end up doing what I did, not coming home, extending your flight and looking to work remotely from ba, you're going to have to find an office and co working in Argentina is on the rise. But as remote offices go, the Clubhouse stands head and shoulders above the competition. It's really a place and destinations for all things cool. They've got reliable wi fi, which is a really rare thing in Argentina. And at night it's sort of a lively stream straight, straight out of a magazine. Cocktails are served by the pool and there's other after work events, for example, talks, theme parties, fashion shows. So definitely worth a look. That's the Clubhouse and their website is clubhouseva.com Tip number two would be a fabulous bar called Floria Atlantico. It's a secret basement speaker. Easy. And it's probably the best bar in BA right now. And that's saying something in a city where there's no end of trendy places to go. So you'll actually enter a flower shop and then just descend down the stairs to this decadent drinking den. And it's a long, narrow bar, fantastic cocktails and a great place to meet both hip locals and expats. And if you're not hip, it doesn't matter. The whole point of traveling is that you don't have to be yourself. Now, if you're looking for somewhere to stay, that would be my tip three. Hotel Classico. It's probably the hottest address in town, something its occupancy rate bears testimony to this place is permanently full. So if you do want to stay there, don't leave it to the last minute. Book way in advance. Each floor is accessed by a leather adorn lift. It's been decked out in a different colour and every single room boasts marble bed frames. Walk in, rainfall showers, chandeliers. The rooms really do ooze Argentine charm, so it'd be pretty easy to stay put. Although that would be a real shame when you are in a city like ba. Tip number four, if you're after a sophisticated dinner, you could try Elena at the Four Seasons Hotel. Now, the Four Seasons is where stars ranging from Sex and the City's Kim Cattrell to U2 and Madonna all stay when they're in town. I'm not usually one for staying to the confines of a hotel, but this restaurant, Restaurant Elena, is worth making the exception floor. And it's fabulously furnished. There's a marble butcher's table manned by an expert chef, carefully sourced antiques, and the food. It's the perfect place to throw yourself into a feast of local cuisine. So that's Elena at the Four Seasons Hotel. Now, tip number five, for those of you whose wallets are well stocked, is to look to La Bombenera. We spoke earlier about how you can't visit Argentina and not try tango. You also can't visit Argentina and leave without watching a live football match. To say that the Argentines adore football is probably the understatement of the century. Football isn't just a game in this country, it's a religion. And if you're visiting BA in particular, there's no getting away from football. There's at least around two dozen professional teams. That being said, the country's favourite team is Boca Juniors who play at the legendary La Bombenera Stadium. In working class, La Boca. La Boca was the first club of Maradona and who of course was a street kid with a gift from God. So bagging tickets to a Boca game isn't cheap, but you'll have to part with a crazy amount of pesos through a ticket agency. But definitely something you should put on your itinerary if you've got the cash. And then lastly, my final suggestion would be to check out a closed door restaurant. It's an underground dining concept that's sweeping BA right now and it basically sees talented chefs serve private dinners in their own homes. Dining with, I guess what are in essence strangers probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I did go along to One Casa Felix and for me that was a big part of the attraction. It was fantastic to meet fellow foodies, fellow travelers and just, you know, by the end of it, after a few glasses of Malbec, they all feel like old friends. So yes, my tip would be if you are going to go to a closed door restaurant, don't forget to bring cash. It is a cash only world in Argentina card isn't accepted anywhere. And also book ahead because the buzz surrounding them is so big that they do tend to fill up very, very, very fast. So guys, there you have it. That's the lowdown on ba. Certainly it can straight there's weekly power cups, there's corruption. So you couldn't exactly describe this city as an effortless destination. Nonetheless, the rewards are immense. It's probably one of Latin America's most exhilarating cities, where it's still possible to bag tickets to a big gig only a few days beforehand, something that's really unheard of here in London, and also where dinner reservations don't need to be made a month in advance either. For me, it's one of those places you feel better just by being there. So if you get a chance, take advantage of Norwegian Airlines new flights and make a beeline for ba. And don't forget, all these tips are available on the Women's Radio Station website.