Palermo Buenos Aires: BAStay LUXURY City Guide to Buenos Aires

Palermo Buenos Aires

Palermo is a barrio that tastefully contrives the old and the new, more recently designed by and for the young burgeoning glitterati of Buenos Aires is the largest and most extensive barrio in the northeast of the City of Buenos Aires close to both Belgrano and Recoleta. Palermo has absolutely everything; quiet residential streets, vast parks, and more recently Palermo has stolen the crown as Buenos Aires’ shopping and partying Mecca. The more sophisticated travellers will appreciate its fine culture, architecture, amazing parks and history. The Japanese garden in Tres de Febrero Park, a typical Japanese garden that benefits from a great contemporary Japanese restaurant; the polo fields; the hippodrome; Bosques de Palermo and the Rural Society Convention Centre are all located in Palermo.

Buses are abundant and route 152 is ideal to get to Recoleta in 10 minutes and El Centro (downtown) in 25 minutes. Subte line D runs through this barrio and stations are Palermo, Plaza Italia and Scalabrini Ortiz. From Scalabrini Ortiz station (closest to El Centro), the subte should take less than 17 minutes to arrive downtown. A quick tip, plan breakfast and your high tea at peak transport times as it stinks!.

Palermo gets its name from the Franciscan abbey of Saint Benedict of Palermo. In the mid 1800’s much of the greener parts of Palermo were the weekend property of the dictator General Rosas, more recently, you will find the Zoo, Planetarium, the Palermo race track, Parque Tres de Febrero and Plaza Italia. These attractions came to fruition throughout the 19th century, with many grand projects started by Argentina’s first presidents and renowned statesmen, Bartomele Mitre and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who also led an impressive free educational program still active today.

Within greater Palermo, you have a grand family of smaller neighbourhoods explained in greater detail for your convenience:
•Alto Palermo, is downtown Palermo, with the main shopping areas and transport. Villa Freud, based around Plaza Güemes, is a residential area known for its high concentration of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists. It is said that Buenos Aires has more shrinks per square meter than any other district in the world.
•Palermo Viejo or old Palermo is home to much Spanish architecture, which betrays its early origins. It is divided by a train track, to the north is Palermo Hollywood, so named for its links to TV and radio and Palermo Soho in the south, so named for its likeness to London and Manhattan Soho - these fabulous areas are explained in greater detail on this website.
•Palermo Chico (Small or exclusive Palermo) is the most up market part of Palermo, and it borders Recoleta. The Buenos Aires Museum of Decorative Arts is located in Palermo Chico in a dazzling old palatial home. Neighbouring Barrio Parque is a strictly residential area laid out in winding streets by Carlos Thays; many very wealthy and famous own homes are found in Palermo Chico and Barrio Parque.
•Las Canitas is a small but thriving part of Palermo; it is named after the crops of cane that once grew there. It is a former slum that has been given a great makeover and although approximately six blocks square (growing) at the north end of Palermo, it is fast becoming a favourite of the young middle classes. It warrants its own section on our website.

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