Semana Santa, or Holy Week, takes place the week before Easter and includes the religious holydays of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. This year, Semana Santa begins on Sunday 1^st April 2012, meaning that Easter Sunday falls on Sunday 8^th April 2012. Traditions and celebrations vary from country to country in South America however; there is the general trend of processions, parties and activities. In Buenos Aires, there will be a procession on Friday 6^th April 2012 along Avenue De Mayo starting in Congreso Square at 8.30pm and ending in Plaza de Mayo.


The procession promises to be the largest yet with over 40,000 people attending the 2011 procession. This special Semana Santa blog will set out the top 3 places to visit, eat and buy that all important Easter egg in Buenos Aires.

Top 3 places to visit in and around Buenos Aires:

As usual there are a great number of activities and things to do in and around Buenos Aires; here is our choice of the top 3 places to visit during Semana Santa:

Tierra Santa: Get thrown back 2000 years with this unique, surreal theme park where you will get to become a part of the history, walking along the streets of Jerusalem, passing typical arts and crafts shops and traditional food stalls with music from this era being played. Open on Fridays from 9am – 9pm and on Saturdays, Sunday and holidays (closed Monday 2nd April) from 12pm – 10pm. Entry prices range from ARS$20 (aged 3-11) to ARS$50 (adults). Click here for the Tierra Santa location.

Tierra Santa

Lujan: Known as the Capital of Faith, the town is located in the provinces outside of Buenos Aires and makes for a great day trip from Buenos Aires. Take a day trip to Lujan, visiting its exclusive zoo where you can get up close and personal to all the animals followed by a city tour of the town. Click here for more information!

               

Lujan

Tigre: Looking to escape the city and get lost in the beauty of the nature outside of Buenos Aires? Tigre offers you the chance to explore and discover the small waterways and islands of the Delta, rich in beauty and wildlife. Choose from the many Tigre day tours on offer and have a relaxing day just an hour away from Buenos Aires.

See the complete photo album here

Where to eat in Buenos Aires during Semana Santa?

Traditionally during the holydays of Semana Santa, people refrain from eating meat and instead choose to eat fish. In a meat loving city such as Buenos Aires, finding a fish menu can be quite difficult however, much to a Porteño’s surprise, fish restaurants do exist in Buenos Aires. Here are our top 3 fish restaurants to try in Buenos Aires:

Puerto Cristal: With a special Easter menu including lobster, mussels and rainbow trout, treat yourself to the succulent flavours of fish and accompany it with a fine glass of champagne for the perfect evening in the elegant docklands of Puerto Madero.

Crizia: The restaurant has an impressive menu with seared red tuna with lime vinaigrette and an oyster bar just to name a couple of the most popular dishes in this modern and elegant Mediterranean restaurant in the chic area of Palermo.

Osaka Yuku: An interesting mix of Peruvian with Oriental food, this restaurant is for the more adventurous palates. The contemporary yet relaxed restaurant has some of the finest sushi in Buenos Aires and is located in the cool and elegant neighbourhood of Palermo.

Sweet like chocolate… the top 3 places to buy your Easter egg:

Easter wouldn’t be the same without the excitement of eating and receiving Easter eggs. Kiosks and many bakeries do not sell Easter eggs, but do not worry as, some of the tastiest and sweetest Easter eggs can be found at the following top 3 places in Buenos Aires:

Compañia de Chocolates: A boutique chocolate shop located in Palermo and Recoleta, it sells the richest and most delicious milk chocolate (35% cocoa); dark chocolate (65% cocoa) and white chocolate (32% cocoa) Easter eggs.

Persicco: One of the best ice-cream joints in Buenos Aires and this year, Persicco has got into the Easter by selling delicious chocolate Easter eggs to extremely pleased customers. Click here to find your nearest Persicco in Buenos Aires!

Bonafide: This charming coffee shop has a range of Easter eggs for you to enjoy. From the classic milk chocolate Easter eggs to, bitter mint chocolate Easter eggs and chocolate almond Easter eggs. Click here to find your nearest Bonafide coffee shop in Buenos Aires!

No matter your faith or religion, Semana Santa is a great time to be in Buenos Aires and provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year so far; relax and enjoy the unrecognizably calmer Buenos Aires. We intend on doing the same and enjoying the various activities in and around Buenos Aires meaning that the next blog will be published after Semana Santa (week beginning 9^th April 2012). We hope you have a pleasant time exploring Buenos Aires during Semana Santa!