Carnival in Rio Cruise: Buenos Aires
In this eleventh post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Buenos Aires after finishing her Carnival in Rio cruise on Azamara.
Back for my second cruise on Azamara…this time I am exploring South America. The 15-night Carnival in Rio cruise is round-trip from Buenos Aires, going up to Rio de Janeiro and back. Join me as I explore the many wonderful ports in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil along the way!
Carnival in Rio Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Post-Cruise Day 1 in Buenos Aires. Looking for info on earlier stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- Pre-Cruise – February 9 & 10: Buenos Aires, Argentina (embarkation)
- Cruise Day 1 & 2 – February 11 & 12: Montevideo, Uruguay
- Cruise Day 3 & 4 – February 13 & 14: At Sea
- Cruise Day 5 – February 15: Santos, Brazil
- Cruise Day 6 – February 16: Ilhabela, Brazil
- Cruise Day 7 – February 17: Parati, Brazil
- Cruise Day 8 – February 18: Buzios, Brazil
- Cruise Day 9-11 – February 19-21: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Cruise Day 12 & 13 – February 22 & 23: At Sea
- Cruise Day 14 – February 24: Punta del Este, Uruguay
- Post-Cruise Day 1 – February 25: Buenos Aires (disembarkation)
- Post-Cruise Day 2 – February 26: Iguazu Falls, Brazil
- Post-Cruise Day 3 – February 27: Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Post-Cruise Day 1: Buenos Aires
After an amazing 15-night cruise, it was time to bid a fond farewell to the Azamara Pursuit on the morning of February 25. I enjoyed one last breakfast on the ship before heading off. After snapping one last selfie up on the pool deck, I disembarked, collected my luggage, and met my guide in the cruise terminal.
I booked a personal guided tour of Buenos Aires with a company called Tours By Locals (ToursByLocals – Private Tours By Local Guides). Normally I explore cities on my own, but this time I did not have an easy place to store my luggage for the day before my flight. My travel agent suggested Tours By Locals and it was a wonderful choice. I had a private guide and driver, so I could store my luggage in the car during the tour. My guide, Yenni, is a native of Buenos Aires and a former teacher. She was a fabulous guide for my four-hour overview of the city. We set off in the car into the land of Evita…her name and likeness can be found all throughout the city!
Plaza de Mayo
The first stop of the tour was Plaza de Mayo, the main plaza in this beautiful city. The central attraction here is Casa Rosada, or the “Pink House.” This is a government building and may be best known for its balcony, where Evita Peron made many of her famous speeches. In front of Casa Rosada is a statue with hundreds of stones with names and dates painted on them. These were left by family members to remember those who died during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plaza itself is large and has some gorgeous buildings and monuments around it. Standing in the middle of the plaza, you can see some beautiful sights from all angles!
Metropolitan Cathedral
One of the buildings in Plaza de Mayo is the Metropolitan Cathedral. From the exterior, it appears more like a government building or perhaps a courthouse. But inside is a gorgeous cathedral.
My guide took me inside this stunning cathedral where we took some time to walk around and see the gorgeous interior. The floors were intricate and colorful tile mosaics. The main alter was gorgeous gold. There were several other small alters and other displays tucked into several small rooms along the sides of the cathedral.
The cathedral is also home to the flag-draped mausoleum of José de San Martín, an Argentine general known as the Liberator of Argentina, Chile, and Peru (we visited a park with a large monument to him on my first day in Buenos Aires…remember?). Today just happened to be his birthday, so there was some extra pomp and circumstance! There are always guards here and they do the changing of the guards’ ceremony a few times every day. But today’s ceremony was large and there were several local and state dignitaries there in the audience as well. My guide was very excited to be here today to see the extra excitement!
La Boca
My tour continued onto the colorful La Boca neighborhood. This area started as the neighborhood for Italian immigrants. Today it is full of very colorful buildings that have lots of shops and restaurants.
Since we are in Argentina, the birthplace of Tango, there are also numerous dancers performing sultry Tango shows throughout La Boca. Many stages, like this one, are tucked within the local restaurants.
This open-air shopping center is bustling with activity. Argentina is also very proud of its (delicious!) meats, so there are also several churrascarias to choose from as well. It is definitely a fun and vibrant area to explore while visiting Buenos Aires.
Recoleta Cemetery
The last stop of the tour was the amazing Recoleta Cemetery. This small area in the middle of the city is full of grand mausoleums of the rich and famous Argentinian families.
The mausoleums are arranged in tight, narrow alleyways. Some are larger than others. Each one is more beautiful than the last. It is truly a remarkable place to see!
Many of the mausoleums also have stunning sculptures made of granite or bronze. Of course, no visit to Recoleta Cemetery would be complete without seeing Evita’s (the Duarte Family plot). It’s fairly easy to spot this one, as you just need to look for the very long line of people patiently waiting to step before the mausoleum which is tucked about half-way down one of the alleyways.
Flying to Iguazu
After a fantastic half-day tour of Buenos Aires, my guide and driver dropped me off at the airport. This is the smaller, primarily domestic airport, not the larger international one I arrived in a few weeks ago. This one is very close to the city and there are some fantastic views of the skyline from the gate.
My flight departed just as the sun was setting over the city, so I got to enjoy a few more gorgeous views as we taxied and took off. This flight was taking me from Buenos Aires to Foz do Iguaçu Cataratas, where I would have a fabulous two days at Iguaçu Falls. But for now, I had thoroughly enjoyed my brief time in Buenos Aires.
Conclusion
Although my time in Buenos Aires was very short and I only got a very quick glimpse of the city, I really enjoyed my day here. The city is full of different neighborhoods, each with its own personality. It’s a vibrant city with a great mix of history and modern. There is truly something for everyone here.
Links
Click the button below to read the next post in the series:
Click the buttons below for earlier parts of the series:
Click the buttons below for more information about Azamara, and to read about my first cruise on Azamara in June 2022:
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