La Boca

The first things you’ll notice in La Boca are the brightly coloured houses! Many wooden and corrugated iron houses have been painted in primary colours and are a treat for the eyes. The houses were built and painted by Italian immigrant families who liberated materials and paint from the local docks where they worked. The whole area is pretty much a little Italy. Calle Caminito is the most famous of the streets with the colourful houses; it is definitely worth a walk down and normally has arts and craft stalls open. There is also a river cruise you can take from there where you can see a huge picturesque metal structure across the river.

This barrio is also known for its football team, Boca Juniors. The infamous Diego Maradona played for this team. You can often catch glimpses of Tango dancers practicing in the streets of La Boca as it has a strong Tango culture.

Two art museums in the area are the Museo de Bellas Artes Quinquela Martín and the Fundación Proa museum. The former is dedicated to the famous Argentine artist Benito Quinquela Martín. The latter contains the works of a few modern Argentine artists and is worth exploring. The working class area of La Boca is now a popular destination for artists and tourists, but as with the Microcentro and other tourist-traps, the prices for almost everything tend to be twice that of the rest of the city. It is recommended to enjoy La Boca during the day when the streets are crowded and there are other tourists around, try to avoid it at night. The subte line does not stop at La Boca, but check the bus lines to find out which route to take.