Black trees, stunning green squares and architectural magic- welcome to Recoleta, Buenos Aires.

This time i decided to take a free tour with Free Walks Buenos Aires- if you want to see architectural gems, hear the stories behind them and walk around one of the best neighbourhoods- this tour will be great for you.

I got up, had breakfast and decided to walk to Recoleta, it’s about an hour from Palermo if you take Avenida Las Heras and more if you go through Santa Fe. I recommend taking Las Heras it’s right after plaza Italia and you will walk under the beautiful trees. It will also give you a chance to explore another part of BA, not central, but if you want to see everyday life in BA, like i did, it is a great option and safe.

I arrived at theatro Colon as it was the meeting point and we started exploring the streets with our great guide Mariano. The tour is available in English and Spanish. He showed us amazing buildings, proof to the golden era in Argentina, took us to San Martin square- a green square with black trees, massive and branching out over the entire square, perhaps they were planted to grow and be another proof for th golden era. We then passed the famous and widest street in the world- avenue 9 Julio- crossing it is quite and aventure! The tour ended in Recoleta cemetery. I have to say, at first walking in a cemetery sounded a bit strange to me and creepy, but when i entered my jaw dropped to the floor. These graves are simply a work of art, sculptures, marble and engravings create a monument for the deceased. If you have confidence issues, want to show off and flaunt your money and social class- you can promise yourself a place for only $8,000.

Right behind the cemetery you can find the impressive building of law school and next to it the Floralis Generica, a construction shaped as a flower, generaing energy with water. Amazing sculpture, worth visiting only if you are in the area.

I finished my day by walking back ti Palermo, getting lost(with a map) and exploring Palermo a bit more.

I found getting around BA a bit challenging, i went lost in Recoleta, but people there are super nice and helpful, i asked police women and a concierge for help and managed to understand their explanation in Spanish. If you plan to explore BA by foot make sure you study the map, know where you are going and ask for help only local people- be careful who you ask. Another tip- there are no name signs for the small streets, so make sure you are good with maps- i am not and therefore went lost a couple of times, but i got the chance to explore the city a bit more even if i couldn’t feel my legs:)

Good luck!