This area of Buenos Aires used to be a working class neighborhood, with old houses and narrow streets. It was originally called “Palermo Viejo”, or “Old Palermo”, since this was one of the oldest quarters in Buenos Aires. It is comprised by the streets of Costa Rica, Godoy Cruz, Malabia and Gorriti. It is a part of the large Palermo Neighborhood.


A few years ago some designers started to renovate these old houses and abandoned factories to set their businesses and shops. That´s how this neighborhood started to transform, to become the new trendy fashion area of Buenos Aires. It changed its name to Palermo Soho, for its resemblance to the Soho in New York and London. It has also some resemblance with the new trendy Marais district in Paris.

This is a lively area, with many bars, restaurants, sushi clubs, coffee shops, wineries, and “parrillas”. There are also many art galleries, antiques, furniture and decoration shops. You will find many small shops with original designs, as well as big national and international brands in originally decorated houses. Beware that international brands are expensive. Try to find the smaller shops that offer original creations.

Pick up the free maps that you will find in any of those shops with all the information about the area.There are two artisan´s and artist´s fairs on weekends: one in Plaza Cortázar (Serrano & Honduras), around which there are also many shops where independent designers offer their creations, and the other one on Plaza Palermo Viejo (Costa Rica & Armenia).

Many new hotels have opened their doors in this area, specially boutique hotels, bed & breakfasts, and youth hostels. There is also an increasing offer of apartments for rent. Despite all this movement, it is still a quiet neighborhood, with tree lined streets, little traffic, and a tranquil atmosphere.

Limited by Del Libertador, Luis Maria Campos, Federico Lacroze, and Chenaut avenues, and only 20 minutes from the center of the city by Line D of the subway, "Las Cañitas" has always been a very quiet, safe area, where people can still enjoy birds singing in its tree-lined streets. Las Cañitas is not an official “neighborhood” of Buenos Aires, but it is truly one of the many sectors in which Palermo is divided. For over 100 years, it was only a quiet space surrounded by open lands, mostly used to prepare horses for the nearby Palermo Hippodrome Racecourse, and where many horse stables where established.

This changed a little since the decade of the 1990's, when many bars, restaurants and discos opened their doors and made this a newly renovated, trendy area of Buenos Aires, considered as a fashionable gastronomic zone. Which started with only some restaurants and bars, became one of the most visited areas by young people and lovers of good cooking. With two or three per block, there are restaurants, bars, pubs and discos with a variety of choices for every taste and every age, from Mediterranean to Asian, to some of the best "Parrillas" where to enjoy the traditional Argentine meats.

Las Cañitas has also become a fashionable district, with exclusive fashion boutiques, outlet shops, wineries, leather and horseback riding equipment shops, bookstores and art galleries. There's also a small shopping center, "El Solar de la Abadia" (photo below), on Av. Luis Maria Campos and Maure, built on a recycled old ice factory. A spot worth of a visit in Las Cañitas is the old Abbey of San Benito, facing the shopping center.





Another commercial area near Las Cañitas, in the limit between Palermo and Belgrano, is called La Imprenta, after the old Press where the programs for the Racetrack where printed, in Maure and Migueletes, an area where you can find some nice trendy boutiques, restaurants, ice cream parlors, design shops, jewelries and cafes.

One of the most important spots in Las Cañitas is the Campo Argentino de Polo, the official Polo field where the world famous Argentine Open Polo Championship takes place every year from November to December. Music shows, military exhibitions and festivals also take place in the Polo Field throughout the year.

There are many apartments for rent in the area, especially newly built lofts and high rise apartment buildings. Those apartments facing the Polo field have one of the best views in Buenos Aires. Some of the old houses have been renovated to be converted into trendy boutique hotels and Bed and Breakfasts.