Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 56

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museums. he Museo de Arte Decorativo ,
Libertador 1902 (Tues-Sun 2-7pm;
AR$5; T 011 4801 8248, W mnad.org.ar),
is housed in Palacio Errázuriz, one of the
city's most original private mansions,
with a lovely café in its patio. The
collection is of mainly European
sculpture, art and furnishings, all
beautifully displayed.
At Libertador 2373 you'll find the
small and inviting Museo de Arte Popular
Hernández (Wed-Fri 1-7pm; Sat &
Sun 10am-8pm; AR$1; T 011 4801
9019, W museohernandez.org.ar), whose
displays focus on local silverwork and
textiles. A few blocks away, in a striking
modern building at Avenida Figueroa
Alcorta 3415, stands Malba , the Museo
de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires
(Thurs-Mon noon-8pm, Wed till 9pm;
AR$30, on Wed AR$15; T 011 4808
6500, W malba.org.ar). The permanent
display of modern Latin American art
from the early twentieth century on is
a refreshing break from stuffier museums.
The art bookshop downstairs is one of
the city's best, and the light and modern
café (daily 9am-9pm) is recommended.
In the foyer there is an excellent cinema
showing Argentine and international
films (see website for programme).
The heart of trendy Palermo Viejo is
Plaza Serrano, officially named Plaza
Cortázar after the Argentine novelist Julio
Cortázar, surrounded by cafés, bars and
restaurants. Every Saturday and Sunday
(10am-8pm) the plaza is host to markets
full of locally designed clothes and crafts.
Stroll along the connecting streets for
fashion boutiques, bookshops and music
shops. Even jazzier Palermo Hollywood is
across the train tracks to the north. The
busiest streets, Humboldt and Fitzroy,
are home to excellent restaurants and
bars, while along Calle Niceto Vega
a variety of late-night bars abounds.

on Saturday evenings in summer
(Jan-March Sat 6pm-midnight,
April-Dec Sun 11am-sunset; buses #36,
#92 & #126; Mon-Fri; T 011 4323 9400
ext 2830, weekends 011 4687 5602,
W feriademataderos.com.ar). A celebration
of all things gaucho, the Feria has stalls
selling leatherwork, mate , gourds and
silver, as well as folk music and displays
of horseriding, plus some of the best
empanadas in the city.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Nearly all international flights and a few
domestic ones arrive at Ezeiza International Airport ( T 011
5480 6111, W www.aa2000.com.ar), 35km (45min) west
of the city centre. Manuel Tienda León runs express buses
to and from the airport (every 30min; daily 6am-9pm, less
frequent outside these times; AR$70 one-way; T 011 4315
5115, W www.tiendaleon.com.ar), which use its terminal
at Av E Madero 1299 (at San Martín) in the Retiro area -
for an extra AR$5 or 10/person you get a transfer from
the terminal to a specific address in town. A taxi or remise
(radio cab) will cost around AR$220 from Ezeiza to town,
a bit less for the return journey. Buenos Aires' domestic
airport (also serving some connections with Uruguay and
Brazil) is Aeroparque Jorge Newbery ( T 011 5480 6111) on
the Costanera Norte, around 6km north of the city centre.
Local bus #33 (AR$2) runs from the airport to Paseo Colón,
on the fringe of the microcentro . Manuel Tienda León
shuttles from Aeroparque to downtown are around AR$30.
Destinations Bariloche (up to 10 daily; 2hr 20min);
Córdoba (10 daily; 1hr 15min); Corrientes (1 daily; 1hr
20min); El Calafate (10 daily; 3hr 20min); Jujuy (2 daily;
2hr 10min); La Rioja (1 daily; 3hr); Mar del Plata (up to
5 daily; 1hr 15min); Mendoza (up to 7-9 daily; 1hr 50min);
Neuquén (4 daily; 1hr 40min); Puerto Iguazú (up to 10-12
daily; 1hr 50min); Rio Gallegos (3 daily; 3hr 15min);
Salta (3 daily; 2hr); San Juan (1 daily; 1hr 50min); San
Martín de los Andes (3 weekly; 2hr 20min); Santiago del
Estero (1 daily; 1hr 40min); Trelew (4 daily; 2hr); Tucumán
(5 daily; 1hr 50min); Ushuaia (6 daily; 3hr 40min).
By bus All domestic and international services use the
Retiro bus terminal, at Av Antártida & Ramos Mejía. Taxis
are plentiful and the Retiro subte (metro) station is just a
block away, outside the adjoining train station. Be careful
after dark; a large shantytown is located just behind the
terminal and pickpockets operate around here. A variety
of buses (around AR$2) leaves from outside, including #5
and #50, to Congreso, and #106 to Palermo Viejo.
Destinations Frequent domestic services to Bariloche (19-
25hr); Córdoba (9-11hr); Mendoza (14-16hr); Neuquén
(14-19hr); Puerto Iguazú (17-18hr); Puerto Madryn (18-
20hr); Rosario (4hr); Salta (20-22hr). Daily international

Mataderos
Over an hour by bus from the centre,
Mataderos , in the southwestern corner of
the city, has a bloody past as home to the
city's cattle slaughterhouses. Today, it is
worth a visit for the Feria de Mataderos ,
held on Sunday for most of the year but