Making the Most of Buenos Aires: Studying Abroad in Argentina
LOCATION
Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina. It’s located on the western side of the Río de la Plata and is on Argentina’s east coast. The city itself is an autonomous district, separate from the Buenos Aires Province. It makes a great base for exploring South America’s southern countries, especially nearby Uruguay and the long thin stretch of Chile along Argentina’s western edge.
STUDYING ABROAD IN BUENOS AIRES
When you study abroad in Buenos Aires, you’ll attend either the Universidad de Belgrano or the Universidad Del Salvador. The Universidad de Belgrano is in a quiet residential neighborhood and has about 13,500 students, including 2,00 international students. The Universidad Del Salvador is in the center of Buenos Aires and has 24,000 students, about 500 of them international. You can decide which vibe suits you and your learning style best.
Your level of Spanish can be anywhere from beginner to advanced and will dictate whether you take classes in English or in Spanish or a mix of both. Both offer intense language learning options.
If you’re studying abroad for a semester, you can choose between an Argentine homestay and a shared apartment. Summer students live in Argentine homestays.
WHAT’S BUENOS AIRES LIKE?
As a capital city, Buenos Aires has a lot going on: impressive architecture, beautiful parks and botanical gardens, a lively foodie scene, both market and high-end shopping, and the cosmopolitan vibes compared often to Paris as well as to Madrid and New York City.
You’ll have inexpensive and efficient public transportation at your fingertips which makes exploring easy. Every neighborhood has its own individual character. It’s culturally and religiously diverse, known as inclusive and open-minded, and has a lively music and arts calendar.
One thing to keep in mind: It’s in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons here are opposite to what we’re used to back home!
HOW CAN I SPEND MY FREE TIME?
Whether you thrive on exploring the fascinating chaos of sprawling street markets and watching street performers dance or prefer a quiet moment tucked away in a tiny bookstore or an afternoon whiled away in a park watching the world go by, Buenos Aires has will cater to your interests. Here are a few ways we like to enjoy the city:
BOOKS. This is a city for book lovers, often called the bookstore capital of the world. The New York Times ran an article in May 2022 talking about how the independent bookstores of Buenos Aries thrived through both recession and a pandemic. Don’t miss a visit to the world-famous Ateneo Bookstore which is inside the former Grand Splendid theater. It is both grand and splendid and worth a trip for the architecture alone. There are also many places to find English language books in Buenos Aires.
TANGO. Whether you give it a try yourself or go see a live tango, you’ll be enchanted by the beauty and passion of the dance. You’re likely to see street performers dance too, and for a tip, they may even let you join in. (Note: Tango has a long and complicate history worth reading up on!)
MARKETS. The historic indoor market San Telmo is one for your list. You’ll find just about anything there: vintage clothes and jewelry, antiques, crafts, mate gourds, fresh fruit and veggies, tasty bakes and coffees. There’s also the huge Sunday outdoor market, Feria de San Telmo, which is one of the biggest and best. Sunday also brings the Feria de Mataderos where you’ll find traditional music, traditional items to buy, and locals performing in traditional dress. Head to Recoleta for the weekend artisan market. There are many more. Be sure to bring pesos in cash!
SOCCER. Locals are passionate about their soccer teams. Book a ticket to see a game with a registered tour company so you have round trip transportation, are shown around the stadium by someone who knows it well, and are guaranteed a seat – especially if it’s an important match like Boca vs. River.
PARKS & GARDENS. Buenos Aires has beautiful green spaces like Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays with its different gardens, statues, waterways, pretty pathways, and 5,000 plant species. There’s also the Reserva Ecologica which used to be a dump, but is now an oasis of grass, lagoons and 300 bird species. Jardin Japones is also a lovely calm retreat. You can even feed the koi fish for a small fee.
ARCHITECTURE & HISTORY. Architecture and history often intertwine. Among many others, a few stops for your trip: Museo Evita, which explores the life of Eva Perón who was known for her role as the First Lady and for her labor rights activism; Círculo Militar for its architecture and interiors; the pink Casa Rosada; Recoleta Cemetery; the colorful La Boca; and Palacio Barolo, with a theme of Dante’s Inferno. Keep an eye open for neoclassical, art nouveau, and art deco architecture as you walk around.
ART. Buenos Aires is one of South America’s most important cities for art. One place to spend some time soaking it in is MALBA – the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires. The National Museum of Decorative Art (Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo) should also be on any art lover’s list as well as the Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes).
PATAGONIA. You’ve made it this far; take the opportunity for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and visit southern Argentina’s Patagonia and see a stunning, unspoiled, exotic wilderness of mountains, glaciers, forests, fjords, and steppes.
WHAT (AND WHERE) SHOULD I EAT?
Buenos Aires has long been a city of meat eaters, with the parrilla (steakhouse) given central attention, but in recent years there’s been a shifting focus to more veggie-centric meals. There are vegan and vegetarian options popping up more and more, so whatever your dietary requirements, you’ll find food here that you enjoy.
CAFES. Taking your books to a café can be a welcome change of scenery and a chance to immerse yourself in the daily life of the city when you’re studying abroad. A few we recommend: El Gato Negro (named as a “café notable”, which is a special designation for remarkable traditional cafeterías that form part of the city’s cultural heritage), Libros del Pasaje Bar (for book lovers), Vive café (boho vibes), Varela Varelita (another “café notable”, more than 70 years old), La Biela (declared a Place of Cultural Interest), Full City Coffee House (check out their IG at @fullcitycoffeehouse for vibes), and the iconic French-style Café Tortoni.
FOOD. There is steak, of course. Las Cabras in Palermo is a great choice, but there are parrillas everywhere you look so take your pick! For the tastiest empanadas, visit El Hornero in the food stalls of San Telmo Market or the famous La Cocina. You’ll want to try a Milanesa (thin chicken, beef or veal covered in breadcrumb) one of the most popular foods here, and probably a Milanese Napolitana which is a Milanese covered in ham, sauce and melted mozzarella. You’ll find a traditional and authentic one at Don Ignacio. Taste a choripán at a restaurant called Chori. Try Nola for fried chicken, which is loved by locals. Pizza is taken seriously here. Head to La Messetta for El Cuartito for some of the best. Pizza is often served with faina, which is made of chickpea flour. Satisfy your sweet tooth with strawberry alfajores from Atelier Fuerza Dos. Italian-style gelato is big in Buenos Aires and you can find plenty of the good stuff at Heladeria Gruta. Also, try Cadore which was named one of the 10 best ice cream parlors in the world by National Geographic!
MUST TRY. We covered many of the must-try foods above: Local beef, choripán, empanadas, Milanesa. You might not guess it, but pasta is huge in Buenos Aires, especially the fresh stuff thanks to the wave of Italian immigrants in the early 1900s! For breakfast, tuck into a medialuna or sweet factura. Try something made with dulce de membrillo (quince jam). Don’t miss the sweet alfajores con dulce de leche (or dulce de leche on anything for that matter).
And last but not least, we can’t talk about Buenos Aires without recommending the traditional tea-like herbal drink, Yerba Mate. It’s an important part of the local culture, made from the leaves of a holly plant and is packed with vitamins and minerals. Read up on the history, making, and etiquette of mate drinking before you arrive!
ANY OTHER TIPS?
A few other things to keep in mind to make the most of a study abroad experience in Buenos Aires…
DIALECT. In Argentina, there’s a different Spanish dialect called Riverplate Spanish or Rioplatense. A few notable differences come in with vocab like “fresilla” instead of “fresa” for strawberry and certain sounds like the “ll” which you likely know as a “ya” sound, but in Buenos Aires, you’ll hear a “sh” sound instead.
SCHEDULE. Like the typical daily schedule in Spain, meals in Buenos Aires are shifted a few hours later than we tend to eat in the US! They usually eat a mid-morning breakfast around 11am, lunch around 2pm, close up shop in the afternoon for a siesta during the hottest hours of the day, enjoy a “merienda” snack around 5pm, and start dinner close to 10pm. On weekends, they go out late, stay out all night, and sleep in!
CASH. There can be high withdrawal fees at ATMs, so bring enough pesos with you (keep it safe and don’t carry more than you need when out and about). You’ll also find that sometimes it’s simply more convenient here and often preferred to pay in cash.
WALKING TOURS. It’s worth tagging along on a free walking tour when you arrive. Check out Free Walks Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires Free Tour and have a local show you around the city.