Caminito

A three-block pedestrian street in La Boca that is among the most photographed spots in Buenos Aires — and probably the most touristy. The colourful corrugated-iron façades, the tango dancers posing for photographs, the artists selling work from outdoor stalls: all of it is quite deliberate, maintained for exactly the purpose you see it serving.

That said, it is genuinely colourful, and the density of artworks on display — murals, sculptures, painted panels — is considerable. Benito Quinquela Martín's paintings of dockworkers and port scenes appear throughout, and a museum of his work is a short walk away. Come before midday if you want to see it without crowds; come in the afternoon if you want to watch tango.

things to do laboca sight
A story
The corrugated iron houses of La Boca were painted in bright colours by the original Italian immigrant residents in the late 19th century, using leftover ship paint from the docks. The Caminito street was named after a tango of the same name by Juan de Dios Filiberto, who grew up nearby. The artist Benito Quinquela Martín, who was born and died in La Boca, was instrumental in having the street preserved and turned into an outdoor gallery in the 1950s.