The Ultimate Buenos Aires: A Two-Day Tour
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Port
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Activity Level
Easy
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$199.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
2 Days
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Meals Included
Meals included
This tour is a 2-day package that covers all the best sites of Buenos Aires, including some of the city's most popular attractions that are often missed on regular city tours. This tour also features an unforgettable Tango Show performed exclusively for Holland America guests, on day 1. The tour returns to your cruise ship at night. You only need to purchase this tour once; a single purchase covers both days.
Day 1:
Exploring Barrio Norte -- the up-market northern neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta -- is the perfect way to ease into an appreciation of the life and times of Buenos Aires. As you travel by coach, you will pass through Palermo’s wonderful parks and skirt its beautiful lakes, which cover more than 200 acres. Near the Rose Gardens, see a peculiar 75-foot-tall metal flower sculpture.
Continue to Recoleta, perhaps the city’s most élite neighborhood. Palatial buildings grace shady lanes and perch among manicured gardens. The architectural style here is predominantly French. You will visit the Recoleta Cemetery, where Evita Perón is buried, and stroll the café-lined streets to the crafts market.
Pass the meticulously restored Colón Theater and the Obelisk, and head down Corrientes Avenue -- Argentina’s own version of Broadway.
In the Puerto Madero area, you will have free time to purchase a snack or early dinner (at your own expense). This former docklands area fell into disrepair in 1926, but a recent renovation has turned it into the most sought-after real estate in the city. Explore on foot.
Your guide will point out the impressive Congress building en route to one of the capital’s most famous tango theaters. Here, the passion and stamina of Argentina’s legendary tango will captivate and enchant you -- it is a spectacular show organized exclusively for Holland America Line guests. Delight at the intensity of the dancers, singers and live orchestra as they take you on a journey through the ages of Argentina’s most celebrated cultural asset. Enjoy a beverage during the show; then, you will return to the ship.
Day 2:
This morning, head to the Plaza de Mayo to see the Casa Rosada (Government House), the Cabildo (Town Hall) and the cathedral -- three of Buenos Aires’ most important landmarks.
In the city’s southern suburbs, you will discover the lively, colorful neighborhoods of San Telmo and La Boca. These are widely regarded as Buenos Aires’ most historical and artistic centers.
San Telmo is full of quirky colonial houses dating back to the 1700s, many of which are now home to art galleries, restaurants and antique shops. At the picturesque Plaza Dorrego, where Independence from Spain was sworn in 1816, take some to explore on your own or have a coffee (at your own expense) on the Square.
Continue by motorcoach to La Boca, with its distinctive brightly-painted buildings. Between 1880 and 1930, almost six million immigrants landed at the port of La Boca -- mainly from Italy, Spain and Central Europe. The diversity of the population had a huge effect on the area, and as the new settlers started constructing their homes, paint supplies were very limited. The obvious solution was to use any and all leftover paint that could be scavenged from the shipyard. This painting frenzy resulted in a one-of-a-kind neighborhood adorned with every color of the rainbow. Stroll through the El Caminito open-air art market, and you might run into street performers and couples practicing the tango.
Note:
The order in which the tour itinerary is conducted may vary depending on traffic and guest participation.