The Ultimate Superclásico: River Plate v Boca Juniors

5 (12 reviews)  •  South America, Buenos Aires

Be prepared for the most intense and exciting football experience of your life! We are chuffed to have you with us and that is why we want to give you some bits and bots, as well as some tips for the hidden little gems you can find in this vibrant city. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and home of some of the biggest football clubs in South America. For decades it was considered the most modern capital in the southern continent, comparable to other capitals in Europe.

The city is a mixture of 4 components that makes life so special: Their passion for fútbol (and worship for their idols such as Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Román Riquelme), the nightlife full of great clubs and bars (we’ve been there, and believe, it is THE city that never sleeps) and the pleasure for eating great food and drinking wine!

Football? it is just passión, passión and passión. Buenos Aires is considered the capital of football in the world, holding a record of more clubs playing in the first division in the same city. Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing Club, Independiente, San Lorenzo, Huracán, Vélez. Countless clubs with a great number of CRAZY supporters, that absolutely love their clubs no matter what.

You are going to experience the biggest game on earth: Superclásico - between Boca Juniors x River Plate. We will guide you to La Boca neighbourhood,have a lesson on how to cheer for Boca and attend THE match at La Bombonera, packed with more than 45.000 fans!

Today is arrival day, people from all over the world will arrive today at different times. Regardless of that, we have arranged an airport transfer for all of you. A driver's assistant will be outside the customs area with a sign with your names, near the McDonalds in the main hall.

If you arrive in the afternoon, check-in and the apartment will be ready. For the rest of the day, you can take it easy and recover from your long travels or start exploring the city and its beautiful sights.

Today will be dedicated to getting to know the city more and have a nice and relaxed city tour through the main sights. We will walk at Caminito in Barrio de Boca, Boca Juniors colourful neighbourhood pack with amazing steaks restaurants, tango shops, a Maradona famous double and of course, La Bombonera!

Then, we will talk through Puerto Madero, a posh area where the river cross and has a lot of bars to hang out for a beer in the afternoon! After that, our local host will take our group to the Recoleta Cemetery, well-known attraction because of the size and important personalities buried over there.

At night, do you fancy some steaks (of course) and wine? We will organize a group dinner!

The biggest day of your lives! The moment you all be waiting for: Boca Juniors v River Plate!

The annals of this great fixture reveal a who’s who of South American footballing legends. Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Juan Román Riquelme, Gabriel Batistuta – they are but just a few of the great players to announce themselves in this illustrious rivalry. In the stadiums of La Bombonera and El Monumental in the thriving football city of Buenos Aires, football’s superstars are born.

Back in the days, in June 1968, 74 fans were killed at El Monumental when Boca fans caused panic by throwing burning paper onto the home fans beneath them.

More recently, in 1994, a busload of River fans was ambushed several miles away from the ground, resulting in two of them being shot dead. River had won the game 2-0 and for days afterwards, graffiti appeared around Buenos Aires reading “River 2 Boca 2.”

In 2000, Boca fans put posters all over the city that listed the names of bands who played at El Monumental, River's stadium. The message was that while Boca were winning trophies, River was watching concerts.

Speaking of music, River fans were recently inspired by an inflatable pig during a Roger Waters concert and created one that was dressed in Boca colours, floating it in front of the Boca fans.

Carlos Tevez, for instance, perhaps took it a touch too far when he scored in a 2004 Copa Libertadores match and celebrated with a chicken dance, mocking River’s so-called reputation for choking it in big matches. Tevez was sent off for deliberately sparking violence.

Their rivalry prompted outrageous scenes in 2011 when River was relegated to the second division for the first time in their 110-year history. Boca fans treated it like a kind of celebratory funeral procession, lining the streets hoisting paper maché coffins with River’s colours as they sang “up and down, up and down, just like a lift”. Boca’s fans revealed the dark undercurrents which permeate this rivalry, partly defined by the hardcore faction of fans known as the Barra Bravas.

The last great story about the match happened at Copa Libertadores 2015. Competing for a place in the quarterfinals for the most important tournament in South America, at La Bombonera, the game got was suspended after players from the River Plate were hit by pepper spray at the return of the break time, which left a suspenseful mood for over an hour until the refereeing trio stopped the match. Of course, Boca fans we the main responsible for that. In the same match, in the midst of all the confusion, a drone appeared flying over the field with a tease to the River, displaying a Series B ghost!

The Superclasico rivalry can even influence some of the most powerful companies. A widely-sold drink company had to agree to their logo being painted in black and white rather than red and white on the side of the Bombonera if they wanted to keep the sponsorship deal. The company LG had a similar problem.

In the matchday, our local hosts will meet you in the hotel and go together to the meeting point for the pre-match experience. We will have tons of food and drinks, be introduced to some local fans, learn how to sing some of the club’s music and be prepared to head to La Bombonera or El Monumental. Over there, we will pass the securities checkpoints and head to our section in the stadium. From this moment, you can enjoy one of the greatest sporting experiences ever!

Recovery day!

In the morning, we recommend taking the 2:30 hours early ferry to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The city is small but with a vibrant atmosphere, home of amazing steaks, wines, the beautiful large avenues surrounded by many restaurants and bars and of course, football.

Montevideo is home of two giants in the South American football scenery: Peñarol and Nacional. From a sight to another, you can see graffiti and paintings representing both clubs, which makes the city very colourful. What definitely worth is to pay a visit at Estadio Centenário - stage of the first World Cup Final in 1930 and the Football Museum. Entrance costs around 5 euros. Another stadium that you can definitely go to is the Estadio Gran Parque Central, home of Nacional. Built-in 1900, is the oldest in South America.

The grand finale is the visit to Estadio Campeón del Siglo, home of Peñarol. Renovated in 2016, the arena is absolutely beautiful and very scary for the opponents. 40,000 hinchas supporting the black and yellow colours turns into a hell for other teams. You definitely wanna go there!

You can go back at night to enjoy some nice steaks and relax from the last two days.

We suspect to say, but this may be your best day in Argentina! At least the past travellers have said that. As an extra matchday experience, you will have the chance to make a road trip from Buenos Aires to Rosario to watch Newells Old Boys, get to know the behind the scenes and what football is like for them. Can't get any better than that?

In the early morning, around 8:00, we will meet in your hotel and bus ride to Rosario, with one pit stop on the motorway. Arriving there, a quick visit to the Monumento a la Bandera (Flag Monument), the city's most famous landmark.

In the afternoon, around 13-14h, a private Stadium Tour with early insider access to the Cancha before it closes for pre-game preparations.

After that, full lunch at Escauriza restaurant. Rosario is famous for its river fish Boga, Pacú Pacú and Surubí, and this is one of the best places to try them! There's also a traditional Argentine meat option if you prefer. The menu includes a starter, dessert and unlimited beer/soft drinks. Wine and any other drink is extra.

Around 16:00. we will visit the Bellavista and Malvinas complexes. The former is where the Newell's first team train, the latter is where the underage players play - and incidentally, a certain Lionel Messi is still the all-time top-scorer!

At 19:00 the pre-match game starts with beers in the park. Newell's Marcelo Bielsa stadium is also known as the Coloso del Parque (Colossus in the Park), as it is located in Parque Independencia, right in the middle of the city. This makes it even better to enjoy the pre-game atmosphere. If you are still hungry you can grab a choripán or bondiola (pork) sandwich and a beer.

Before the match, on the way in you can browse the NOB club shop before taking your seat in the same ground where Maradona played for 1 season, Bielsa managed for 2, and Messi will one day return to...

The stadium is always full of capacity and you can expect an amazing atmosphere! When it finished, it is time to go home and let your adrenaline crash on the bus home. We expect arrival at 4 am.

Your trip includes a second match - today (or on another day based on fixtures) you will watch a home match of either Huracan / Velez / Independiente / Racing / San Lorenzo. Which ever team it is you will have a pre-match experience with local fans before taking your seats in the stadium for 90 minutes of the worlds finest football...

Unfortunately, the trip is coming to an end! Our drivers will be picking you up around 4 hours before the flight departure in front of the hotel. Please make sure you are on time. If you fly in the afternoon, take some time to buy some souvenirs and jerseys for your loved ones. We hope you have enjoyed your time the most!