Learning Tango in Buenos Aires

9 days - 8 nights

Day 1 - Arrival to Buenos Aires

Reception and transfer fromo Ezeiza International Airport to the hotel.

Day 2 - Private tour of the city of Buenos Aires - First class of tango

Breakfast in the hotel. Like many cities, Buenos Aires is split into areas (barrios) that commonly have distinctive features. We begin our tour visiting some of the most classic of these barrios where we will discover some splendid architecture that ranges from the old colonial structures such as the Cabildo, the ostentatious French style palaces and buildings mostly related to the very prosperous early twentieth century, art deco and the modern skyscrapers of the business micro centre and Puerto Madero, the renovated dock area. We go to some of its principal noteworthy sites such as the spectacular, recently renovated, Colón Opera Theatre, the most recognized monument, the Obelisk, the Plaza de Mayo, known especially for its silent protests against the military government and its surrounding buildings such as the Cabildo, the foundation of Buenos Aires, the Metropolitan Cathedral where lies the mausoleum of Don José de San Martin, the 'father' of the Republic, and, of course, the Presidential House, the Casa Rosada.

We discover barrios such as San Telmo, the Antique centre, which was inhabited by the first aristocracy until there was a general movement to Barrio Norte (Recoleta) due to the yellow fever outbreak at the end of the nineteenth century. We visit La Boca, the home of the famous football team, and one of the most picturesque barrios due to its colourful houses and its working class Italian immigrant influences. It is also known for its tango and art and here we take a walk down the artisans' passage and to its gallery as well as a walk to the Port. This is followed by a visit to Puerto Madero, the renovated dockland site, with the new part with its excellent offices and apartments securely separated from the city by bridges. Going further north we reach the very popular parks of Palermo known for their traditional monuments such as the Planetarium, Galileo Galilei and the Magna Carta.

We also visit the elite residential barrio of the City, Recoleta, where we also find the Museum of Fine Arts, the picturesque colonial church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar and the famous cemetery where Eva Peron was buried. These are situated close to the Plaza Francia where every Sunday there are popular artisanal stalls and people take advantage of sunny days relaxing in the beautiful plazas with their incredible trees. In Palermo Chico, a very exclusive residential zone, we can see luxury French style palaces and enjoy the parks designed by the French landscaper, Thays, that have a style different to the rest.

Day 3 - Buenos Aires - Second class of tango

Breakfast in the Hotel. Free morning. In the afternoon we will continue with our second class of tango.

We take a program dedicated to the understanding of the Tango and its slum origins. We begin in the old immigrant suburbs of Buenos Aires, La Boca, by visiting a classic tenement house where the Tango started and converted into popular dance and urban music. The tenement blocks were old rectangular houses which were overcrowded with immigrants of different nationalities that had one thing in common: being poor. We follow this by a visit back to the City, to the Avenida Corrientes, the Broadway of Buenos Aires, where many of the theatre works are related to Tango, and to the Palais de Grace where the aristocracy started in the Tango. These were the ones who introduced the dance into Europe. We finish in the zone of Abasto in the house lived in by the famous Tango singer, Carlos Gardel.

Day 4 - Day of Tango followed by Dinner Tango Show – Third class of tango

Breakfast in the Hotel. In the afternoon we will continue with our third class of tango. From the third class of tango if we are aprendices, begin to take private classes, if instead we have some experience, all the classes are deprived.

In the evening we enjoy a dinner and Tango show at one of the best venues of Buenos Aires ( Homero Manzi / Complejo Tango / Señor Tango / La Esquina de Carlos Gardel / Madero Tango). The Tango has a special charm outside of its origin: From New York to Sydney, people that have never visited Argentina are left seduced by its mystique and sensuality. Others stay captivated by the music. This original tour traces in parallel the history of the city and that of the tango journeying by its different stages of development from its birth in the slums, to its consummation in the Avenida Corrientes and its later internationalization.

Day 5 - Coffee shops in Buenos Aires - Fourth class of tango

Breakfast at the hotel. Free morning. In the afternoon we will take our fourth class of tango.

The local town idiosyncrasy defines itself in the friendship cult that is shown by the locals. The meetings of friends are commonly organised in the classical cafes and this is part of the distinctive café society that historically was the usual place to see the artists and intellectuals. In 1998, the City Mayor promoted a law with the object of protecting and promoting the ‘Cafés Notables de Buenos Aires’. We discover four classical meeting points of the local town life. We start in the centre of the city, close to the Plaza de Mayo, in La Puerto Rico, a place that frequented many writers such as Paul Groussac, Arturo Capdevila, and Raphael Obligado.

In La Puerto Rico they filmed some of the scenes from ‘Las Cosas del querer II’. After, we go to London City, a cafe where Julio Cortázar was to be commonly found. We carry on our tour of cafes until the barrio of San Telmo where we find the Bar Dorrego on the streets Defensa and Humberto Primo. We can enjoy the colonial feel of this classical, picturesque and old barrio of the city of Buenos Aires. We finish our tour in the barrio of Almagro. On the corner of the Avenidas Rivadavia and Medrano is an historical and refined tea house, Las Violetas, which dates from 1884. The writers Roberto Arlt and Alfonsina Storni were patrons of the fine tables of this establishment. A detail that shows the luxury of other times is the 80 square metres of stained glass windows.

Day 6 - Evening tour of local milonga venues – Fifth Class of Tango

Breakfast in the Hotel. Free morning. In the afternoon we will take our fifth class of tango.

In the evening we tour some interesting local milonga sites. Although Tango comes from Buenos Aires it is now known and danced worldwide. The young have generated a movement around the Tango revitalising in an itinerary formed by the milongas. We treat ourselves to the sites that are prepared for this activity and that group people of different ages, origins, and social classes that combine to dance a more genuine tango into the early hours, far away from the more commercial shows. Each milonga has its own style of dance and its followers, we go two of venues to inter ourselves in a night of tango. If you want to see other excursion options in Buenos Aires, click here: Tours in Buenos Aires.

Day 7 - Buenos Aires - Sixth class of tango

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day. In the afternoon we will take our sixth class of tango.

Day 8 - San Telmo fair and Café Tortoni & Seventh Class of Tango

Breakfast in the Hotel. In the afternoon we will take our seventh class of tango.

We visit the antique and artisanal market in the emblematic barrio of San Telmo and then go to the Café Tortoni, two true icons of Buenos Aires. The Café Tortoni, apart from its Italian name was actually founded by a Frenchman and is situated in the Avenida de Mayo, a street colonized by the Spanish immigrants, it is a true synthesis of the man of Buenos Aires. This tour, combining the San Telmo market and an aperitif in the traditional Tortoni is a good reflection of the old city times. We commence the excursion in San Telmo, one of the oldest barrios of Buenos Aires: the aristocracy lived here until 1871 when the yellow fever arrived and also the influx of immigrants influenced the move out to the north of Buenos Aires.

Since 1970, artists and intellectuals became attracted to the barrio and this caused a notable increase in activity, especially artisanal. Its rich architectural history, the mixture of cobbled streets with colonial and French style houses, together with a bohemian lifestyle, has given San Telmo a respected personality. In the market, we come across works of art and antiques from books and old photos, clothes and games that are a connection to the past and allow us to discover how they lived in the colonial times. Note: this tour is made only on Sundays. If it is not possible to make it on a Sunday then the market of San Telmo is excluded because that is the only day that it is open.

Note: This tour effects exclusively the days Sunday. If it can not coincide with a day Sunday, changes it to him by the same excursion but without visiting the Fair of Saint Telmo, since it opens sólamente this day.

Day 9 - Ezeiza International Airport

Breakfast in the Hotel. Transfer to the International Airport of Ezeiza. End of the services.