Buenos Aires San Isidro

For those weary of big city life, San Isidro, just forty minutes by train from the center of BA, offers the perfect escape. With winding cobblestone streets, beautiful old mansions, numerous green spaces, and a riverside location, this seriously wealthy northern barrio is a great place to relax on a sunny afternoon. For many years a popular summer retreat for the city’s rich and well-connected, many porteños still come to the neighborhood on weekends for its ferias and museums. San Isidro may be wonderfully quiet during the week, but many of its attractions are also closed at that time.

Buses: Routes #60 and 168 travel from Constitución and La Boca, respectively, through the center and will drop you off near Plaza Mitre, San Isidro’s central plaza; the trip, however, takes anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic.
Trains: Except for those staying in Palermo, train is the fastest option. From the station in Retiro, trains on the Mitre line (40min., every 10-30min. 6am-12:30am, AR$0.85) run to Estación San Isidro. To get to Plaza Mitre from the station, exit the station and turn in the direction the train was running; turn right on Belgrano, then veer left on 9 de Julio, which runs right into the Plaza. Alternatively, you can transfer at Olivos’ Estación Mitre to the tourist Tren de la Costa (☎4002 6000), which runs along the coast and has its own Estación San Isidro right on Plaza Mitre (every 30min. 7am-11pm; AR$10, residents AR$6). Though more complicated and expensive than the local train, passengers can get off and on as often as they like, making it worthwhile for those planning to make several stops along the coast—and it does provide lovely views of the river.

Orientation And Practical Information

Most of San Isidro’s sights cluster around the Casco Histórico, or “historic district,” which stretches from the coast to Avenida Libertador and centers on Plaza Bartolomé Mitre. With its cobblestone streets and historic villas, this is also the best place to wander in the barrio. Southwest of here are the town’s commercial streets, including the main street, Belgrano. Elsewhere along the coast, the streets are lined by the villas and mansions of San Isidro’s wealthy denizens.

San Isidro’s tourist office, Av. Libertador 16362, located on the southern end of Plaza Mitre, has information on restaurants and accommodations and hands out excellent maps that include detailed walking tours of the neighborhood. (☎4512 3209; www.sanisidroturismo.gov.ar. Open daily 9am-5pm.)

Food

It isn’t difficult to find a place to eat in San Isidro. There are several well-touristed restaurants just north of Plaza Mitre, and a slew of local establishments along Belgrano, San Isidro’s main commercial street, between Av. Libertador and the train station. More upscale options line Boulevard Rocha, which runs along the southeastern side of the Hipodromo de San Isidro, though many of these are only open late in the evening.

Placeras Patagónicas, J.B. La Salle 653 (☎4002 6068). If you don’t want to wander too far afield, this restaurant, downstairs in the Tren de la Costa complex immediately north of the Plaza, serves up delicious Patagonian tablas (AR$40-100; serves 3-5 people), which include a selection of cheeses, smoked meats, and fish. There are also more traditional Argentine entrees and an inexpensive lunch menú (AR$23; M-F noon-4pm). Salads AR$17-23. Entrees AR$18-35. Open daily 9am-midnight. AmEx/MC/V. 3
La Cartuja, Av. Libertador 16246, 2nd fl. (☎4747 4602). Also near the town center, and set across from the cathedral, this restaurant boasts a beautiful, quiet terrace perfect on any sunny day, along with an airy, rustic interior. The menu of Mediterranean cuisine, including a wide selection of seafood and pastas, is also supplemented by well-loved parrilla fare. Entrees AR$25-42. Open daily for lunch and dinner. AmEx/MC/V. 3
La Vaca, Roque Sáenz Peña 1017 (☎4742 3715). For those heading in the direction of the coast, La Vaca is packed with locals at lunchtime scrambling for its parrilla fare. If you can, make sure to grab a table outside on the relaxed, expansive terrace under the leafy arbor. Entrees AR$20-36. Open daily for lunch and dinner. AmEx/MC/V. 3

Sights

Casco Histórico And Around

Plaza Bartolomé Mitre. The center of the historic district, the beautifully terraced Plaza Mitre slopes down from Av. Libertador toward the river. Dotted with trees and small, manicured gardens, the Plaza is a fitting starting point for a tour of the neighborhood, though its only point of (vague) interest is the requisite statue of the Plaza’s namesake, the president of Argentina from 1862 to 1868, at its southern edge. Each Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm, the Plaza hosts the Fería de Artesanos, a crafts and souvenirs fair that runs year-round but has the most selection during the summer.

Catedral De San Isidro. Even from afar, it’s hard to miss the tall spire of San Isidro’s small neo-Gothic cathedral. Finished in 1898 and recently renovated, the pristinely beautiful white-and-gold interior is sparsely decorated but worth a visit for its beautiful stained glass windows and soaring ceiling. (Av. Libertador 16200. On Plaza Mitre. ☎4743 0291. Open daily 8am-8pm. Free.)

Adrián Beccar Varela And Surroundings. Beginning just behind the cathedral, winding Calle Beccar Varela is lined by lovely historic villas. Opposite the cathedral is the ornate stone Casa de los Anchorena, built in 1840 and once the home of the wealthy porteño Anchorena family —you can’t really escape them, even when you leave BA. It now houses the Colegio San Juan el Precursor. Farther along the street, on the left at number 774, the plain colonial facade of the Quinta Los Ombúes once housed the street’s namesake but is now the city’s history museum . The street ends at the Mirador de los 3 Ombúes, a lookout with views over the neighborhood and the Río de la Plata, which is as brown as ever. Immediately behind you is another villa, the very crumbling, very orange, and very sensibly named Quinta Los Naranjos.

Villa Ocampo. Built in 1890 by her father Manuel, this stunning French-Victorian mansion was the long-time residence of famous Argentine writer and millionaire Victoria Ocampo. The founder of the major literary publication Sur, Ocampo surrounded herself with some of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and major literary figures from Graham Greene and Aldous Huxley to Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges congregated at her home. Upon her death in 1979, she left the home to UNESCO, which is currently working to restore the building and turn it into a major cultural center of the type Ocampo envisioned. The only way to see the mansion is to take one of the weekend guided tours, which visit a number of the enormous rooms packed with art and antique furniture, as well as the beautifully landscaped gardens. If you can’t make it here on the weekend and still want to see the mansion, it’s worth having the tourist office call to see if there’s a group guided tour that day; you might be able to tag along. (Elortando 1837. From Plaza Mitre, head northeast on Av. Libertador, turn right on Uriburu, and right again on Elortando. ☎4732 4988; www.villaocampo.org. Guided Spanish-language tours every 30min. Sa-Su 12:30-6pm. AR$12, students $6.)

Along The Coast

Parques De Las Riberas. Though San Isidro is on the Río de la Plata, much of the land bordering the river is private, making it difficult to reach the water. A series of parks, however, known as the Parques de las Riberas, allow for intermittent access to the shore and provide beautiful views over the river; the one nearest the Casco Histórico is located at the end of Calle Centenera, which winds around from the eastern edge of the Tren de la Costa station. Alternatively, there’s another park farther south, at the end of Calle General Pueyrredón.

Reserva Ecológica. Farther east along the river, the relatively tiny Reserva Ecológica is a great way to experience the landscape of the Paraná Delta if you can’t actually make it to the delta itself . A short trail winds from the reserve’s entrance through marshland and out to an exceptionally tranquil (and exceptionally muddy) spot right on the river. Though the amount of trash lining the trail in places certainly doesn’t improve on its beauty, other spots are quite lovely, and if you come here at the right time, you just might be the only one in the reserve. To get to the entrance, follow the Tren de la Costa tracks east from Plaza Mitre, turn left on Calle Lopez y Planes, then right on Av. de la Ribera; the entrance will be on your left after a half-block. (Open daily 9am-6pm. Free.)

Museums

Museo Biblioteca Y Archivo Histórico Municipal De San Isidro: Dr. Horacio Beccar Varela. Built in the 18th century (and therefore one of the oldest houses in northern Buenos Aires), this lovely colonial home was once the residence of Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson, a famous patrician woman who entertained major historical figures such as General San Martín and General Belgrano here. The house eventually fell to Dr. Horacio Beccar Verela, who donated it to the city in 2005. The beautiful building, stark white on the outside but with a gorgeous, tiled, Mediterranean motif on the inside, houses six different halls, most of which are dedicated to the history of San Isidro. The collection includes portraits, documents, flags, uniforms, and other pieces of miscellania, though there’s also a room in the back of the house that has been reconstructed to represent a typical 19th-century parlor, as well as a small garden out back with excellent views. (Adrián Beccar Varela 774. Follow Beccar Varela from immediately behind the cathedral. ☎4575 4038. Captions in Spanish. Open Feb. Tu and Th 8am-3pm, Sa-Su 3-7pm; Mar.-Jan. Tu and Th 8am-noon and 2-6pm, F-Sa 2-6pm. Free.)

Museo Histórico Municipal Brigadier General J.M. De Pueyrredón. Built in 1790 and first owned by General Pueyrredón, a major figure in the Argentine wars of independence , this beautiful colonial home is worth visiting for the building alone, which is set among gorgeous gardens with views over the river. A number of rooms are devoted to a small collection of historical documents relating to Pueyrredón, though others have been furnished in the style of the time period. At the time of publication, the house was closed indefinitely for restoration. (River Indarte 48. From Plaza Mitre, head five blocks down Av. Libertador and turn left on Roque Sáenz Peña; the museum is two blocks down on the right. ☎4512 3131. Open Mar.-Oct. Tu and Th 8am-6pm, Sa-Su 2-6pm; Nov.-Feb. Sa-Su 3-7pm. Guided tours Sa-Su Mar.-Oct. 4-6pm; Nov.-Feb. 5-7pm. Free.)