Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is one of the favorite tourist destinations for the international LGBT community. Its excellent gay atmosphere, together with the wide range of hotels, saunas and other leisure centers make the Argentine capital an excellent place to travel at any time of the year. Don't miss this complete gay guide to Buenos Aires with the essentials.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
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Gay life by neighborhoods
For many, life in Buenos Aires allows combining European style and elegance with the essence of South American countries. The neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta are the strong point of leisure in the capital of Argentina.
Porteños, a name for those who come from this city, show a friendly and open attitude to any tourist, regardless of their sexual condition, race, ethnicity or origin. In addition, it should be mentioned that the gay marriage it is allowed since 2010.
These are the main characteristics of gay life in Buenos Aires:
- Shows of affection between people of the same sex are widely accepted on a social level. Whether in squares, parks or shops, in general there is no social censorship in this city.
- The gay population of Buenos Aires origin resides throughout the city, so there is no predominantly gay residential neighborhood. However, Barrio Norte, San Telmo and Palermo are the most popular areas.
- The night shows They usually start at dawn, from approximately 01:00.
- When meeting someone, Buenos Aires people usually greet with a single kiss on the cheek.
The gay scene in Buenos Aires is spread over a wide range of venues: from cinemas to bars, through saunas, hotels, nightclubs, etc. Lesbians and gays from Buenos Aires tend to socialize in establishments such as cafes and restaurants quite frequently.
Several cinemas classified as gay-porn in which films of this genre are shown. All of them are open from noon until the early morning of the next day. Most are in the Recoleta and Palermo neighborhoods. Some of the most popular are: Apolo, Ideal, Multiplex, New Victoria y ABC.
As we mentioned, there are three most important LGBT areas par excellence in the federal capital: Palermo, Recoleta and San Telmo. In the following sections we explain in detail the characteristics of each one of them:
Palermo
It is the largest district in the city and one of the most gay-friendly Of the same. A visit to the Tres de Febrero Park, better known as Palermo Woods. It is an ideal place to walk (especially through El Rosedal), have a drink, go for a run ... It is also popular for being a typical area for the so-called cruising.
In Palermo, its bars stand out, where the locals "prep", that is, they have a drink before going to a disco at night. One of the areas par excellence is the Soho, considered even as a sub-neighborhood.
In Soho you can enjoy alternative art, with numerous fashion establishments and artistic works by various authors. You can also find several avant-garde restaurants where good food is combined with fashion and art. The main streets are Honduras y Serrano.
Recoleta
As in Palermo, the homosexual sector can find here some of the pubs and cafes traditional gay-friendly from the city. From the Hard Rock Cafe, suitable for all audiences, up to Milion bar, you can find places adapted to all tastes and personalities.
The Recoleta neighborhood is considered as the most elegant in town. In the Recoleta cemetery is the famous tomb of Evita Perón, an Argentine actress and politician. It is one of the main tourist attractions in this area.
The Plaza Francia Handicraft Fair also takes place here, where every weekend numerous artists and artisans congregate in stalls scattered along Plaza Presidente Alvear. It is considered one of the main cultural manifestations of Buenos Aires.
San Telmo
It is the most bohemian neighborhood of all. San Telmo is one of the oldest places in Buenos Aires, as shown by two of its main characteristics: cobblestone streets and typical XNUMXth century architecture.
Also, here are some of the most important tango halls in the city. The most relevant parties and shows for the LGBT public take place here. And is that San Telmo is, without a doubt, the center of the nightlife gay scene, Dorrego Square and Defensa and Chile streets as the main meeting points.
Bars and restaurants
As we specified above, if each of the gay neighborhoods in Buenos Aires is characterized by something, it is by the quality of its bars, restaurants and pubs. gay-friendly. Argentines call them gay bowling, which is the equivalent of bar o discotheque.
In the heart of Palermo you will find Peuteus, open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 19:00 p.m. to 03:00 a.m. It is usually frequented by those who plan to go to the discos later Human o rheo. It is worth mentioning that it is also hetero-friendly.
Another option also in Palermo is the bar Sitges, located on Avenida Córdoba. It is one of the most popular with local gays and lesbians in their 20s and 30s. Shows are held drag queens from Monday to Friday. It is very close to the discotheque America.
flux-bar It is a bar where you can drink to the rhythm of good music. A more festive atmosphere reigns there and, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, guest DJs usually attend. Another establishment that offers a good atmosphere during the week is Jollie party, whose motto is "Wednesday is the new Saturday." The latter is on Avenida Juan B. Justo.
For lovers of culture in general, we recommend Brandon House, which, in addition, is open in the morning every day of the week. Apart from organizing parties, here you can watch movies, videos, listen to music, contemplate art exhibitions, eat, have a drink ... It is one of the bars that offers more possibilities.
Hotels, hostels and apartments
The hotel offer aimed at gay audiences in Buenos Aires is very extensive. In addition, one of the main advantages is that there are several types of accommodation for this sector: from luxurious 5-star hotels to 4-star boutique hotels, hostels, Bed & Breakfast (B&B) and apartments.
Here is a list of the main hotels for LGBT audiences according to the category:
- 5 stars: Four Seasons Hotel, Alvear Palace Hotel, work hotel, Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Sheraton Hotel & Tower San Martin y Buenos Aires.
- 4 stars and boutique: Hidden Garden, Dazzlers Hotel, Hotel Bel Air, Bourgeois Bohemian Hotel y NH Joustin Corrientes.
- Hostels and B&B: Bayres Bed & Breakfast, Gay place, Milhouse Hostel, St Nicholas Hostel y Tango Backpackers Hostel.
The area with the best opinions is usually the Recoleta. It is the neighborhood where the best atmosphere can be found, although this is an opinion that can vary by taste. In general, it is an area of medium-high purchasing power, both commercially and residentially, so prices are not excessively high, but they are not cheap either.
The cheapest hotels in Recoleta are, among others, the Hotel Bel Air and Hotel Unique Executive Chateau, previously called Park Chateau Kempinski. In Santa Fe Avenue and surroundings, you can rent holiday apartments for a very affordable price: around 1.428 pesos per night, which is equivalent to about € 85.
Saunas and spas
Buenos Aires has numerous saunas and spas aimed at the homosexual public that should be visited if you are looking for relaxation and a more romantic atmosphere. Most are equipped with the essentials for the larger community: swimming pool, cinema, sauna, café-bar ...
One of the best known is Madison club, where they can be found from dry and wet sauna to darkrooms or dark rooms, that is, areas where you can have sexual encounters with strangers. They are characterized by their very low or no lighting.
A Full Spa It is another widely demanded option. It is equipped with sex-relaxation booths, rooms where gay-porn films are shown, a jacuzzi and sun beds. Massages are also performed. Another place with similar characteristics is Uniku's Spa, open for more than 20 years and frequented by middle-aged men.
If you want to meet men of all ages, we recommend you choose Energy spa, one of the largest saunas in the city. It has a heated pool, individual booths for sex-relaxation, healthy and its own cinema.
Nagasaki - Men's Club is focused on those who are interested in the subculture leather, sadomasochism and fetishism. In it there are spaces enabled for meetings, as well as a sauna and several individual cabins.
LGBTIQ Pride Festival
La LGBTIQ Pride March de Buenos Aires is celebrated every year with the aim of pursuing equal rights for this group. The first took place in 1992 and since then it has always been held on the first Saturday in November.
During the previous seven days, what is known as Pride Week, in which various conferences and events are organized aimed at raising awareness of the population about diversity and the rights of homosexuals.
The festival also serves as a commemoration of the movement Our world, which was the first dedicated to this community in Argentina. It celebrates the progress achieved so far by the homosexual community, among which the following stand out:
- Equal access to civil union and marriage between persons of the same sex after the modification of the Civil Law of Marriage approved on July 15, 2010.
- Reproductive and adoption rights, including equal access to adoption, joint adoption rights and equal access to assisted reproductive techniques. For more information on assisted reproduction, we recommend reading the article Surrogacy in Argentina: Civil Code and bill.
- Antidiscrimination Law (No. 23.592), which makes it clear that the obstruction or restriction of the full exercise of the egalitarian bases regarding rights is punishable by law.
- Gender rights: sex change is legal.
In figures, if we compare the number of attendees to the first march with those of 2015, the difference is considerable: while in 1992 it was attended by just 250 people, in 2015 there were more than 200.000.
In 2016, it took place on November 26 and the slogan was Anti-Discrimination Law Now!, which requires the expansion of said law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as discriminatory pretexts.
El route that the participants follow is the same by tradition every year: starting in the Plaza de Mayo, specifically in front of the Casa Rosada, to the Plaza de los Dos Congresos, headquarters of the National Congress.
Discos and nightlife
The quintessential nightclub for the gay sector in Buenos Aires is America, in which both gays and lesbians, transsexuals, heterosexuals and swingers (supporters of partner exchange). It is considered one of the largest in Latin America. In this video you can see an example of what the performances that take place are like:
Although frequent complaints about noise from neighbors have led to its closure on several occasions, it has remained open since 2006, thanks to the intervention of the Argentine Homosexual Community (CHA), the main association for the defense of LGBT rights in the country. .
It is located on Gascón street in the Almagro neighborhood and is divided into three dance halls: Continental , Caribbean y Crystal. In 2008, he was chosen as best bowling in town from Buenos Aires. The qualities that most like are: its variety of public, alcohol free bar and the existence of a dark room.
RHEO by Crobar It is another of the most festive and crazy places for the gay public in Buenos Aires. It is one of the favorite places for international tourists. It has a covered dance floor, a terrace with music and bars, a visual show, a VIP area and shows by go-go dancers.
Other very crowded places are Wharhol party y Glam Gay Club. Both are smaller venues, but very popular, especially on weekends. In them you can enjoy the full feeling of freedom and authenticity. The second is especially crowded in summer.
Top photo by Beatrice murch
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