Where to stay

Next to the city just being absolutely gorgeous and finally getting a real coffee with foamed milk outside of a Starbucks again, one of the reasons I enjoyed our time in Buenos Aires so much was the amazing hostel we stayed in. Out of all the different places I slept in my 9 weeks in South America the Chill House was my absolute favourite. The entire house was absolutely beautiful and the rooms truly felt like home. We had a double room with an ensuite bathroom and then for our last two nights we actually got to stay in the superior double, with a darling little balcony and a bath tub. The decor was just beyond cool and the great service, little library and roof top terrace did the rest. The hostel is right next to a subway station, a big mall and a super market and it was really easy to get around.

My personal highlights

If you know anything about me you are aware that I am a huge bookworm. I LOVE books. I spent so much money on them, my favourite books are literally like old friends to me and I can spend hours just completely getting sucked into a book, reading until 3 am and forgetting everything around me. So for me the Ateneo Grand Splendid was literally heaven. It is an old theatre, that is remodeled into a beautiful book store. It really blew my mind just to wonder in such a tribute to books and even though basically all of the books are in Spanish the atmosphere alone is incredible. So if you in any way like books, come here for a coffee and cake and enjoy.

Another thing I think you simply cannot miss in Buenos Aires is a tango show. I know they are dancers in San Telmo who perform during the weekends on the street, but we opted for a package deal at Complejo Tango, where you get a Tango class, a three course dinner (including all you can drink wine!!) and a really, really nice tango show. They usually have cooperations with hostels so if you talk to your reception you will probably get the whole thing a little cheaper.

Palermo and San Telmo

Palermo is Buenos Aires very own hipster quarter and the hotspot for all sorts of nightlife. I honestly cannot live without cute little cafés, nice restaurants and cool bars and this vibe is something I really missed even in Rio, which I truly love dearly. Palermo has all of this and also so many cool, unique little shops. Not to forget the amazing street art everywhere. I was so in love with Palermo and we spent an entire day strolling around, sipping actual lattes (god I missed them!) and just enjoying the scenery. I would also recommend to find a hostel here in Palermo, it is simply the nicest part of town.

San Telmo is the old bohemian quarter of Buenos Aires and where the most original Tango is danced and the biggest fleamarket in town takes place on weekends. It is also where you might want to go and get some Pizza and just do some people watching.

Free Walking Tour and Recoleta

Buenos Aires has such an incredibly interesting and unique history and I would have never been able to grasp it as well if I would not have done the Centre Tour by Free Tours. I am a huge advocate of free walking tours especially because I am such a history nerd and while we only covered a very small part of the city, we dug really deep into Buenos Aires´ rich history. We also decided to head to Puerto Madero, the very modern harbour region from where you have a great view over the skyline. and I was also forced to go on a war ship, so if you are into that that option exists.

Free Tours also offer a tour for Recoleta, which is the most posh neighborhood of Buenos Aires and full of mindblowing houses, chic restaurants and parks. We decided to explore Recoleta by ourself as the main attraction is its graveyard, where the who is who of Buenos Aires including famous Evita is buried. It sounds a little macabre, but it truly is hauntingly beautiful and the  different gravestones, little chapels and statues are so interesting so you really should check it out.

What to eat

Well obviously Argentina is famous for its steak, so there is no way around it. The best steak I had was actually part of the dinner we had at Complejo Tango, which was truly splendid! We were also lucky enough to have a really, really nice local guide who showed us around. Next to more steak he took us on a great Pizza tour along Avenida Corrientes. We just stopped at basically every Pizza place and boy there are many and just had a slice of Cheese pizza at every single one of them. As you can imagine it was the absolute best, thankyou very much. And on top of all that great fun, ice cream is apparently really huge in Buenos Aires? How could I not love this place?! We usually opted for Dulce de Leche and we were never disappointed. Then again how does ice cream and caramel disappoint.

In terms of drinks you obviously have to try Mate (which I hate in every form) the traditional Argentinian tea and Fernet Branca with Coca Cola. Let´s say I was a bigger fan of the culinary arts in Buenos Aires compared to the drinks. Sorry Argentina. However one highlight for me was the oldest café in Buenos Aires Cafe Tortoni. It is an absolute gorgeous art decor dream in the city centre and used to be the hotspot for Buenos Aires upper class in the 30s and 40s. More importantly today it serves amazing Churros and cakes and a little speciality called submarino (submarine), which is a block of chocolate that is dumped in milk to create the most amazing hot chocolate. This café is quite touristy and you may have to wait for a bit at the door as you will only be let in by the doorman when a table is available,  but it is absolutely worth it.

What we missed

Obviously there are 5000 other amazing things we could have done in Buenos Aires, but I feel like you always have to have a reason to return right?  For example we missed the flea market in San Telmo, that I would have loved to visit, we did not make it to La Boca and we did not see that huge metal flower. So that is some other cool stuff you could do. Just keep in mind that La Boca is a little rough and as with so many rough places in South America you have to be completely sure to not go into the wrong streets (for La Boca probably every street except the main street) and invest in a taxi or Uber instead of taking local buses. Other than that I am sure you will have an amazing time in Buenos Aires no matter what you do. Have you ever been? And if yes what did you like best?

Florianopolis or lovingly called Floripa is where actual Brazilians go on holiday. And not just Brazilians, but since it´s so "close" (distance gets a whole new meaning in South America) to the border Argentinians and Uruguayans as well. We went during off season in Brazilian winter or very, very early spring, but even then the island was just mind blowing. Floripa has it all: white beaches, in incredible sand dunes, lush rain forest... you really should not miss it.

Getting there

Probably not during the summer, but during the off season flights from Rio or São Paulo can be an absolute steal and only take about one hour. We were actually planning to fly, but waited literally a day too long and prices spiked up intensely. So we opted for the over night bus from São Paulo instead, which took about 14 hours and also was a little cheaper.

However the bus station in Florianopolis is close to the city centre on the mainland and not the picturesque lagoon or other more touristy places. Make sure to have cash for the bus as for neither of our three bank cards the ones in the bus station were working and apparently it is quite a walk to the next one. Because we were absolutely out of money we decided to take one of the cabs, that you could pay with a credit card. The 20 minute ride to our hostel was about 15 Euros, which we split so really not too bad, however obviously buses are much cheaper.

Florianopolis has a very interesting bus system, where you basically take buses to and from the next biggest bus station and if necessary change there. It seems a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the gist of it, it gets really easy to get around, especially because unlike other places in Brazil buses actually have a schedule, set stops and an ending station and don´t just randomly stop along the street to pick up people. Refer to a nice person in your hostel for this and take notes, when they tell you where to go.

Where to stay

Listen if there is one argument that will sell about anything for me it´s litte monkeys and cats. And guess what: the Tropicalia has both of them! Yes it is also perfectly located in walking distance to shops, bus stops, the lagoon and the famous dunes and yeah it has a very nice terrace, great staff, free breakfast and a kitchen, but realistically I still picked it because of the cats and the monkeys. And the cats. The monkeys will literally eat breakfast with you, as well as out of your hands and to be real I don´t really need any arguments for cats, except that they are cats.

Just keep in mind that you won´t be able to check in until two o´ clock, which may seem like a normal time, but is definitely feeling like ages when you took a 14 hour bus trip and arrive at around 8. But they are usually nice enough to let you have some breakfast and you can chill on the hammocks and couches on the deck.

What to do

Obviously if you go in summer you won´t need many other plans except for going to the beach and if you are not completely lacking a sense of balance like me try surfing. However while winter in Brazil is far from European winter in any capacity you may want to tweak your plans a little, but they should still include as much outside time as possible since the island is simply breathtaking.

We went on a very nice, but very, very, very long hiking trip for our second day and while the views were incredibly and we covered a lot of different areas (beaches, hills, rain forest, cliffs) hiking for about 6 hours straight wasn´t exactly what I expected when I was promised a "nice, but a little challenging hike". So definitely go hiking, but very clearly and honestly state your level of fitness, lack of sense of orientation or fear of hights before you get going.

One thing you definitely cannot miss, while in Floripa are the incredibly sand dunes, Dunas da Joaquina. They stretch along gorgeous wetlands until the beach and you have a simply incredibly view. We went to watch the sunset and it was really breath taking.

If you are up for some more cute animals after all the monkeys and cats you could also go to the turtle sanctuary (entry is free with a student card), close to a beautiful beach. However I was highly disappointed not to see some baby turtles.

And for all my German babes while you are in Floripa and if you should be heading to the Iguazu falls after, you could stop along the way in Blumenau, an intensely German city, where the second largest Oktoberfest in the world is held. It will be an incredibly weird experience of homesickness and a faded sense of what your homeland is like, but at least you can get some Spätzle.

São Paulo is actually in the Top 10 biggest cities with about 12 million people in the actual centre and over 20 million in the metropolitan region. It is definitely the biggest city I have ever been to and it is no joke, I honestly felt so overwhelmed by this huge city. It is very multicultural and has so many different cultures and quarters and I know so many people that absolutely love it. But my two cents on the ongoing huge debate, of São Paulo vs. Rio I will go Rio all the way. But if you are in Brazil you should really not miss out on this city and if it is just for the experience and to get a glance at what life is like in a city, that is not as touristy as Rio.

Getting there

The bus station of Sâo Paulo Tietê is the biggest of all of South America and buses to basically ever city in the continent leaves from here. We took the bus from Paraty, which took about 6 hours, but as I said there will be plenty connection wherever you are. The bus station has its own connection to the underground (prepare to queue and prepare to do it for a while), so getting into the city is no problem.

Otherwise flying into Sāo Paulo might be worth it as well, we just had a layover here, but realistically the flights in Brazil are not that much more expensive than buses if you book in advance.

What to do

It can be quite difficult to get an overview of São Paulo, if you don´t know a local just due to the sheer size of the city. We only had one full day in São Paulo and decided to do a walking tour in the downtown area with SP Free Walking. It was really great to get at least a bit of an overview and to learn more about the history of Sāo Paulo. We sadly were not there for a day, where they offer the Via Madalena tour. Via Madalena is basically São Paulo´s hip and artsy quarter and is supposed to have amazing street art, nice bars and cafés, so it really is a bummer we missed out.

Also make sure to head to the Japanese quarter Liberdade. It is so fascinating how different the look and vibe there is even the streetlight look Japanese! That was definitely a really cool experience and kind of like experiencing another little city within a city.

There is also a number of great view points in the city, one of them is in the ridiculous mansions of a very rich Paulista. He was so determined to have the highest building in Brazil, that even though you were only allowed to build 22 stories high, he just decided to pop another house on top of his building with 6 extra stories. You can actually get up there for free Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 am and 2 to 4 pm at every half hour, which will be a lot cheaper than chic rooftop bars.

What to eat

Sāo Paulo is famous for its great Japanese and Italian cuisine. These are the biggest immigrant groups in Sāo Paulo and you can get really, really great food there. Definitely head to Liberdade for Japanese food and especially for the incredibly good and really cheap Sushi. Also make sure to get pizza, which may be the only authentic pizza you will get in Brazil, however even in other cities you can get great Nutella pizza. Not really traditional, but still incredible.

My two cents

I did not love Sāo Paulo. It may be that I did not give it enough time, that I did not go to the right spots and maybe I missed out. But for me personally this city was just way too big, too messy and honestly not pretty enough. Rio is huge, but it is so full of nature, so close to the beach and honestly gorgeous. I may be biased and I do not want to bash SP. I would always recommend going, just for the experience, but it left me really stressed out and confused. I went for a day and that was more than enough. It may be ideal for a layover and just a little bit of sightseeing and it may be one of those cities where hitting up a local to show you around on Couchsurfing may be best. Go have some pizza or some sushi and experience a bit of the city, but don´t be discouraged if it makes you feel really small. To be honest a city of 20 million people can do that pretty quickly.