Buenos Aires
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We have to be honest—you’re going to fall in love when you study abroad in Buenos Aires. You’ll swoon over the eclectic architecture, inspired by cities like Paris and Madrid. You may even learn to tango in the birthplace of this sensual dance while studying abroad in Buenos Aires.
Our Buenos Aires study abroad programs have something for everyone, from Latin American business and society courses and intensive Spanish language to environmental science, and everything in between.
Don’t wait any longer to study abroad in Buenos Aires. Find out yourself why your love affair with Buenos Aires will last a lifetime.
Programs
Buenos Aires's Top Five
Feast at a Traditional Argentine Asado
Try local dishes, such as steak with chimichurri sauce, empanadas, and more.
Get Your Tango On
Attend a tango show at one of Buenos Aires’ many venues, and immerse yourself in the rhythms of this historic dance.
¡Vamos Argentina!
Experience the thrill of cheering on Argentina's national soccer team in their home stadium.
Explore the Local Neighborhoods
Stroll the chic neighborhood of Palermo, and explore the Botanical Gardens there.
Visit the National Museum of Fine Arts
Walk through more than 24 exhibit halls of international art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Take a Virtual Tour
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The Latest from Buenos Aires
Turning 21 in Northern Argentina
On May 31 I turned 21 years old. For young adults in the United States, this marks the end of being legally too young to enter clubs, buy alcohol, and smoke (in some states)─it marks true freedom. Unlike at home, it’s just another birthday here in Argentina…which doesn’t mean much, considering that Argentines love to celebrate.
Three of my friends and I were traveling in the northwest of Argentina for the big day. The north is filled with insane geological wonders and small, welcoming cities─there are no lack of places to go and things to see. We began the journey in Salta, sleeping at a cute, clean hostel called “Hostel in Salta.” Starting bright and early Friday morning, my birthday, we made a 10-hour loop, driving south to Cafayate, looping through Cachi and back around to Salta. Unlike most places I’ve traveled, the trip was focused on the journey, rather than the destination. Every aspect of the route was incredible; we passed through canyons, forests, mountains, and so much more.
Between Salta and Cagayate, we stopped at El Anfiteatro (The Amphitheatre) and La Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). Both are immense, deep red natural rock formations right off the side of Route 68. El Anfiteatro received its name because of its insane acoustics. You can typically find local musicians inside playing folkloric music, and we were lucky enough to encounter a guitarist during our stop!
Once we reached Cafayate, we ate lunch at “Las Nubes Bodegas y Viñedos,” a winery and vineyard tucked right outside of the city. We treated ourselves to a cheese sampler, empanadas, humitas, and of course Torrontes, one of my favorite Argentine wines. Our table looked out over the vineyards, which sat below the skyline of the Andes Mountain Range. It was lovely! After lunch, we made our way to Cachi, where we quickly stopped to look around the little town, and then drove back to Salta. The entire journey was stunning─no aspect of the route failed to wow me.
When we got back to Salta, my friends surprised me with a reservation at Chirimoya, a delightful vegetarian restaurant. We arrived at the restaurant only a half hour before closing, so aside from one other man finishing up his meal, we were the only ones there. My friends sent me to stand in the bathroom as they "did some stuff," and I returned to a table decorated with cupcake streamers and "21" balloons. They each wore tiny silver sparkly birthday hats and adorned me with a ridiculous yellow light-up crown. Although our waiter definitely thought we were absolutely loco, he joined in the fun and wore a tiny party hat too.
I ate delicious mushroom risotto for dinner and the waiter surprised us with a vegan flan for dessert! The flan had sparkly green 21 candles and everyone sang me happy birthday. When I blew out the candles I made three wishes, instead of the conventional one that I make every year in the U.S., because it is an Argentine tradition. Another birthday tradition here, which we didn’t partake in, is that the ears of the birthday girl/boy are pulled (softly) as many times as she/he is years old. I also learned that in Argentina it is considered bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday or celebrate a birthday before the individual’s actual birthday.
After blowing out the candles, we tried the flan. Unfortunately it was extremely wacky tasting─kind of like a flavorless jello with nut butter and dried fruit topping. We each took a few bites, nibbled on the toppings, and moved it all around the plate to make it look like we ate it. I couldn’t breathe I was laughing so hard at how much we didn’t want to eat the dessert.
After paying the bill, we hailed a cab, and returned to our hostel. Exhausted from the day, we all passed out almost immediately. I fell asleep feeling very loved and thankful for the friends I have made abroad. It definitely wasn’t the 21st birthday I had imagined growing up, but it was perfect in its own way.
"Our Argentina"
In one of my IES Abroad courses, 20th Century Argentine Poetry, we had the opportunity to write a poem and perform it at the IES Abroad 2019 Symposium. Two of my friends and I were inspired to create a poem in the same style as "Shinto" by Jorge Luis Borges. Shinto is a Japanese religion where they worship Kamis, which are gods that are the spirits of each and every object and action. Everything has a spirit in the Shinto religion, from the colors of a map to the smell of a library. We wanted to capture all of the Kamis that we have come to know and love in the city of Buenos Aires!
Below is our poem in both English and Spanish:
Our Argentina
The sound of kisses to say hello,
The glisten of a medialuna,
The spectacle of one person walking ten dogs,
The wink of a kiosko owner,
The familiarity of walking into Telio’s Cafe, the most delightful place in Centro,
The doodoodoo of the IES door opening,
The joy when you remember to put the toilet paper into the trash can,
The tossing of the collectivo,
The warm pocket of an empanada,
The fresh flavors of your favorite Saigon order
The satisfaction of a fully recargared Subte card
The sensation of tapping the PARA button at the right moment,
The entertainment of watching your classmates fix their hair in the balcony doors
The crisp skin wrapped around a chunk of chorizo
The sweet smile of the security guard in the IES lobby
The butterflies you feel when Flor approves
The delight of an extra long pausa, granted by a teacher,
The rush of crossing Carlos Pellegrini in one swoop,
The loyalty of leashless dogs pattering alongside their owner,
The nerve of an elderly lady cutting you in line,
The furrowed brow of taxi drivers as you slip into your uber,
The pride of a correctly brewed mate,
The shine of a yellow Havana cup, smiling at you from your desk,
The rush of relief when your flight is out of Aeroparque, rather than Ezeiza
The beauty of welcoming the sunrise with 500 strangers,
The power of mastering the lyrics to a Paulo Londra song,
The comfort when the boliche plays a song you know,
The disappointment when you speak in Spanish and the waiter responds in English,
The light reflecting off palm trees blowing in the wind,
The camaraderie of singing Hallelujah in the IES common room,
The sweat of your partners hand on your back during the tango lesson,
The smugness when you crease your homemade empanada evenly,
The cafe con leche color of Rio de la plata,
The ring of lunfardo—che boludo, mi amor, dale, que hacé,
The beat of the drums at a protest,
The entangled arms of porteno boys showing affection,
The importance of the ultimate decision: agua con gas, or sin gas?
The warm besos from your host mom,
The awkward giggles of a conversation in Spanglish,
The home that we have made here, and the people who have helped make it home.
Nuestra Argentina
El sonido de los besos como forma de saludar,
El brillo de una medialuna,
El espectáculo de una persona paseando con diez perros,
El guiño de un dueño de kiosko,
La familiaridad de entrar en el Café de Telio, el lugar más encantador del Centro,
El doodoodoo de la apertura de la puerta del IES,
La alegría cuando recuerdas poner el papel higiénico en la papelera,
El lanzamiento del colectivo,
El bolsillo caliente de una empanada,
Los sabores frescos de tu pedido favorito de Saigon,
La satisfacción de una tarjeta del Subte totalmente cargada,
La sensación de pulsar el botón Stop en el momento adecuado,
El entretenimiento de ver a nuestros compañeros arreglarse su pelo en las puertas del balcón,
La masa crujiente del pan que envuelve el chorizo humeante,
La sonrisa del guardia de seguridad en el vestíbulo del IES,
Las mariposas que sientes cuando Flor las aprueba,
El deleite de una pausa extra larga, otorgada por un profesor,
El torrente de cruzar a Carlos Pellegrini de una sola vez,
La lealtad de los perros sin correa jugando junto a su dueño,
El descaro de una anciana que te pone en su lugar,
El ceño fruncido de los taxistas mientras te deslizas en tu Uber,
El orgullo de un mate bien hecho,
El resplandor de un vaso amarillo de Havana, sonriéndote desde tu escritorio,
El alivio de sentir que tu vuelo sale de Aeroparque, en lugar de Ezeiza,
La belleza de dar la bienvenida al amanecer con 500 extraños,
El poder de dominar las letras de una canción de Paulo Londra,
El consuelo cuando el boliche toca una canción que ya sabés,
La decepción cuando se habla en español y el mozo responde en inglés,
La luz sobre las palmeras que se balancean en el viento,
La camaradería de cantar Hallelujah en la sala común del IES,
El sudor de la mano de tu pareja sobre tu espalda durante la lección de tango,
El orgullo cuando hacés perfectamente el repulgue de tu empanada casera,
El café con leche del color del río de la plata,
El sonido del lunfardo - che boludo, mi amor, dale, que hacé,
El golpe de los tambores en una protesta,
Los abrazos entre los muchachos porteños mostrando afecto,
La importancia de la decisión final: ¿agua con gas o sin gas?
Los cálidos besos de tu madre anfitriona,
Las incómodas risitas de una conversación en Spanglish,
El hogar que hemos hecho acá, y de las que siempre seremos amigas.
- Erica King, Lena Novins-Montague, Noa Leiter
12 Signs You Studied Abroad in Latin America
Our Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador Ambassadors are no strangers to nostalgia. We asked them to share their responses to “You know you studied abroad in Latin America when…”
“The IES Abroad staff in Buenos Aires was exceptional…They were fun and approachable but most of all they made us comfortable and helped create a home away from home for us.”
