Duration
8 days
Type
Specific Tour
Group Size
Max 15 people
Languages
English, Español
It’s easy to get swept away by European football; arriving, conquering, and departing a destination, taking with you only a few blurred memories. But there are some places that grab hold of you, leaving marks with their rich culture and diverse sceneries. Buenos Aires is one of those destinations.
When one thinks of football in Argentina, it;’s usually the Superclásico. There are a few exceptions. However, there are parts of Argentina’s vastly diverse, sprawling capital that see this titanic clash as something of a sideshow. Across the River Riachuelo from Central Buenos Aires, in the port city of Avellaneda to the south of the capital, all that matters is their very own Clásico. At least once every year, Racing Club and Independiente do battle in El Clásico de Avellaneda, it’s one of Argentina’s most intense fixtures on the calendar. It’s a match that you need to tick off your bucket list.
The rivalry between Independiente and Racing is one of proximity. To make matters more interesting and chaotic, the team’s home stadiums are literally three blocks away from each other. It is a local derby in the truest sense. In Avellaneda, Independiente and Racing graffiti compete on the walls. There are two types of bars: Racing bars and Independiente bars. Two types of restaurants: Racing restaurants and Independiente restaurants. And two types of people: Racing fans and Independiente fans.
Our Ultimate Argentina trips give you the opportunity to experience amazing football clubs, explore stunning stadiums, drink beers in Argentina’s finest football bars, enjoy some of the best steaks in the world, discover the Argentinian culture and enjoy the best football experience of your life. Meet the locals, enter the stadiums, and indulge in this incredible country.
Verified Homefans Host 8 Reviews Hi, my name is Alvaro and I am the destination manager of Argentina for Homefans. I will show you the Argentinian football culture off the beaten path in Buenos Aires and beyond.
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!
Today is gathering 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 room will be ready. For arrivals in the morning, we will do our best to accommodate you, but please bear in mind will be upon availability. For the rest of the day, you can take it easy and recover from your long travels. At night, we will organize a steak, beer and wine welcome dinner!
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!
Today is gathering 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 room will be ready. For arrivals in the morning, we will do our best to accommodate you, but please bear in mind will be upon availability. For the rest of the day, you can take it easy and recover from your long travels. At night, we will organize a steak, beer, and wine welcome dinner!
Football? It is just passion, passion, and passion. Buenos Aires is considered the capital of football in the world, holding a record of 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.
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! In the last time, our Dutch travellers got to meet Ronald Koeman in front of the stadium!
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, a well-known attraction because of the size and important personalities buried there.
At night, do you fancy some steaks (of course) and wine? We will organize a group dinner!
Dale Dale Bocaaaaaaaaaa!
The moment you all be waiting for. It is a Boca Juniors matchday!
Get ready for the most intense day of your lives. Make sure you have a full breakfast at the hotel and stretch your legs because it will be a long walking day. First of all, we will head straight to Barrio de Boca and get inside the club's iconic stadium, La Bombonera. You will have e a guided tour through the stage of today's game and get to know the behind the scenes and curiosities regarding the mystic ground.
After the tour, we will stop by a local and authentic Boca Juniors restaurant to have a "parilla" or "asado", an Argentinian Traditional Barbecue. Bring down the bottles of Quilmes and let's have fun! Your guide will be telling and sharing stories about the club, the rivalry with their arch enemies River Plate and get yourselves ready for the match!
The club we'll be supporting is Boca Juniors - who are known as the Xeneize or Bosteros. Boca is the most famous and widely supported team in Argentina and probably all of Latin America, also internationally well-known. They are the only team to have never been relegated from the top division and are synonymous with Argentinian greats like Diego Maradona and Juan Roman Riquelme. They hold 6 Libertadores Cups and one of their greatest achievements was winning the 2000 Intercontinental Cup against Real Madrid's Dream Team (Figo, Raúl, Casillas, Roberto Carlos, McManamann, etc.).
And if that wasn't enough... Boca is the recent champion of the local league! In an epic definition, they got the leadership of the league in the last game, leaving in 2nd place River Plate! So there might be celebrations, songs and flags about the new title.
After being warmed up, we will be ready for some action. Our local guides will distribute your tickets and escort you to your gate. The stadium is always full and sold out, so we will hold our group tight and make our way to the seats. Once there, just make sure you enjoy the chants of "La 12", Boca Juniors well-known Ultras, and get ready for the BEST day of your lives!
Ready for the absolute highlight of your football trip? Experience the Clasico de Avellaneda live!
The Avellaneda derby (clásico de Avellaneda) is the second-most important rivalry in Argentine football. It is contested between Club Atletico Independiente and Racing Club de Avellaneda.
Even in tough times, El Cilindro de Avellaneda gets filled up with blue and white colours. In the year 2010 Racing Club enthusiasts presented world’s biggest banner inside a football stadium, with 250 by 30 metres!
And the Racing Club stadium got filled up completely by supports in the year 1999, although no match would be played, in order to show their disagreement with the announced bankruptcy.
The Avellaneda derby matches have often been the cause of much controversy. A match between the two sides in 1961 was suspended by the referee for 6 minutes after the players became involved in a mass brawl on the pitch. Eventually, the game continued, however after the 90 minutes were up the referee had brandished eight red cards.
In 1997, the first hooligan-related murder took place, when a member of ‘the Racing Stones’ barra was allegedly killed by an Independiente barra. Then, on derby day in 2000, 100 fans were injured in a huge street fight. In September 2001, 17 people were stabbed in one brawl.
In 2002, a fight broke out between roughly 400 fans in front of Independiente's stadium. A number of police officers were injured, and two fans were shot dead during the conflict. Almost 100 people were arrested on the day, and since then the Argentine football authorities have been particularly strict on the two clubs’ fans. For a period of time Racing Club fans were banned from their home ground in 2006.
Boca vs River might be the most-watched clásico, but Racing vs Independiente is much more passionate. You have to be a real fan to follow these teams. And when they play. Wow. What an atmosphere.
Your itinerary will be filled with a lot of beers, food and football. Our local will met you in the hotel and head together to our famous pre-match experience, where you will meet other guests in a traditional bar and have some tasty food and drinks. Then, our guides will brief you about the matchday, especially regarding security and we will go with private transportation to the surroundings of the stadium.
Once you got to your seats, it is time to enjoy the game, learn some songs and hope for the win!
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.
The last day! With the Pope as their most famous supporter, you are in for a spiritual experience watching San Lorenzo!
Remembering our last visits to the club already give us goosebumps from watching their supporters chanting "Ohh San Lorenzo!". In the middle of a poor neighbourhood, it can't get any better, local and authentic than that. We will begin our day grabbing some taxis and going to "El Boedo", an area where their fans get together before the match and have some street food and local beers. You will be able to see a lot of painting murals with references to the club.
Then, we will visit the Pope's (San Lorenzo fan) Chapel and get to know the history behind his passion for the club. Fun thing: Viggo Mortensen, famous actor from Lord of the Rings, is a San Lorenzo supporter because he was raised close to the neighbourhood.
San Lorenzo has a selection of nicknames - Cuervos, Matador, Ciclon and Santo (crows, killer, cyclone and saint). Their supporters are one of the best in Argentina. They are very well known for their creative song lyrics using popular songs and many clubs from all over the world adapted their songs to support their own teams.
We will go inside the stadium around 1 hour before the match starts and you will have plenty of time to take photos, seat down and watch a football game!
After that, we will go back to your hotel. For the ones who want to extend the night, there are plenty of good nightclubs and our team will be helping you out with suggestions!
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!
Argentina’s stadiums will return to 100% capacity in November 2021. We cannot guarantee that restrictions will not return but we will keep all customers up to date on any developments.
Argentina is in the process of reopening and a range of trials are underway, all of which involve checking customers vaccination status. We have linked to these requirements above. While the restrictions may ease we advise all customers looking to travel to Argentina to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The maximum number of people the host will allow is stated above. However this number may not always be met and it may even be possible that your party is on the tour on your own. Higher numbers make for a more sociable experience, lower numbers make for more personalised attention from your host. Look at it as a win/win!
Your deposit can be transferred to a later date (with no time limit), transferred to another tour, or even given to a friend. This flexibility also applies if you decide to cancel for any reason (as long as you give us 45 days notice)
No, you can secure your place with a deposit of just 30%, then pay the balance at least 4 weeks before your trip date
The included matches are final in order to keep the group together. However where the itinerary has spare time and there are matches that could be added on we will be only too happy to help you with tickets.
If we know where you will be sitting we always mention this is in the inclusions section.
Unfortunately we are not always able to tell you that at the time of booking, however our destination managers work tirelessly to make sure you get the best seats. We always aim for the long side of the home supporters section.
Our local hosts will do everything they can to cater to travellers’ needs. It’s a good idea to share your requirements at the time of booking so that our host is able to make the required preparations
In order to keep the costs low we always offer prices based on 2 sharing. If you make a booking for an odd number of people you or another member of your party may be paired with another traveller of the same sex. If you wish you may pay a supplement for a guaranteed single room (this is available under extras in the booking flow).
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