Even though this year the temperature is unusually low for the season, be sure the warm weather will arrive and summer in Buenos Aires has its charm. As a local Porteña I have been asked by Expanish to offer my tips on helping you enjoy the summer months in Buenos Aires
Long days, breezy nights, blossom and flowers. The city decompresses, relaxes and many people take vacation, but there are still plenty of things to do.
Here are some of my suggestions for things to do in Buenos Aires in the summer.
- Swimming Pools
If the heat is getting to you, head to some of the many pools available in the city! A great place to meet locals. I recommend to avoid going on weekends, since it will be packed and going weedays instead (prices are better on weekdays too!)
Pärque Norte – Cantilo y Guiraldes- 4787-1382
Parque Sarmiento-huge pools – only open weekends and holidays. Very affordable prices. Ricardo Balbin 4750, 4547-0882
Magic Center – in Palermo offers poll, gym and solarium. You can purchase a day, month or season pass, and everything is included (beach chair, umbrella, parking) Dorrego 2880 47723016
- Tigre
Taking the train and heading towards the northern suburbs is a worthwhile trip. With the train to Tigre, you can get off in Acasusso and go to Peru Beach, by the river, a place where you can relax and watch kitesurfers do their thing, or try kitesurfing yourself! If that is not your thing, there is also windsurfing, spinning, pilates, tennis and football. Or you can simply sunbathe and chill.
- Pelopinchos
If you mix and mingle enough with the locals, you might be invited to a pelopincho, the beloved paddling pool that is easily installed in any terrace or patio and that is the hallmark of Argentinean summer folklore. Great photo op if you are into kitsch aesthetic. Snorkel mask, fins and rubber duck add depth to the scene.
- Parks
Another option is to simply go to a park. You will notice that Argentines (male and female) take up parks in the summer months, bring the mate, the chairs and their bikinis or shorts and lay happily in the sun, with a book or headphones. At noon in the Microcentro, is common to spot office workers loosening their ties and exposing their bodies to the sun, hoping to get a nice tan before heading to the beach.
A few tips for surviving the summer months
- Avoid taking the subte in the early morning (before 9 am). It is seriously packed and with the heat it can be a very unpleasant experience.
- Be careful with the wet sidewalks. Air conditioning units leak into little bottles and when these bottles get full, water leaks all over the street below – The sidewalks can get slippery.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables!
- If mosquitoes are torturing you at night, get some basil to put next to your bed!
- Do not attempt to dress as Santa Claus if you spend Christmas here. That’s not how Porteños do it!
- Watch out for the moras (black mulberry) delicious fruits abounding in the late spring and summer, but when they go unpicked, they start to fall from the tree, making sidewalks slippery.
- Look out for the silk worms attached to the branches. If you feel something dripping on you….it may well be silk worm larvae
