Carlos Gardel Español

Buenos Aires

Gardel's Buenos Aires

A guide to following in the footsteps of the Creole Thrush in the city he sang about, and to experiencing tango in Buenos Aires today.

The Carlos Gardel House Museum in the Abasto.
The Carlos Gardel House Museum in the Abasto. Photo: Wikimedia Commons · see author and license

Carlos Gardel House Museum

Jean Jaurès 735, Abasto

The house where Gardel lived with his mother from 1927 is now a city museum with personal belongings, photos, records and a recreation of his surroundings.

The Abasto neighborhood

Balvanera, around Av. Corrientes and Agüero

The old market, now a shopping mall, Gardel's statue, the Carlos Gardel passage and the fileteado street art nearby keep his memory alive.

Chacarita Cemetery

Av. Guzmán 680, Chacarita

His tomb, with a bronze statue where many visitors leave a lit cigarette or a carnation, is a place of pilgrimage.

Avenida Corrientes

Downtown

The street of theaters and cafés, the backdrop of the Buenos Aires nightlife that inspired so many tangos.

Gardel's tomb in Chacarita Cemetery.
Gardel's tomb in Chacarita Cemetery. Photo: Wikimedia Commons · see author and license

Where to see and dance tango

Buenos Aires offers everything from tango dinner shows for visitors to traditional milongas where locals dance. Many milongas start with a beginners' class, and dance schools offer tango lessons in Buenos Aires every day. In La Boca and San Telmo you can watch street tango, especially on weekends.

Opening times and addresses can change: check with each venue before you go.