La Boca

Colourful and crowded
Noteworthy for: Home to the city’s beloved, world-famous Boca Juniors; catch a match at 60,000 capacity stadium La Bombonera for a taste of serious football fever.

Word to the wise: Anywhere beyond El Caminito is still unwelcoming to foreigners, and you should be wary of your safety: avoid carrying large sums of cash or cameras.
Two things define this raffish working class neighbourhood: its pretty rows of multi-coloured houses with their corrugated tin roofs, and of course, football. Sadly, these attractions have brought with them a glut of tourists - the most per kmsq in Buenos Aires. Despite resisting gentrification, pedestrian street El Caminito has become overrun with the curious crowds here to admire the colourful houses, winding streets and once authentic vibe, now quashed by souvenir touts and pushy restaurateurs.

Nonetheless, if you can look beyond that, the place itself retains a European sentiment, as many of the residents are descendants of the Italian immigrants who settled here in the 19th century bringing with them their creative community spirit. It is said they were too poor to buy paint, so they took the leftovers from the nearby docks and splashed them over their humble shacks to brighten up their poverty-stricken barrio.