Fly to South America with Qatar Airlines!

Life just got a little better this week, at least for those looking for cheap flights to South America for their summer holidays! Qatar Airways has added two new destinations to their quickly growing route map: Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, making it that much easier for travellers from London and other European cities like Copenhagen, Paris, Brussels and Vienna to find flights to Brazil and Argentina.

Qatar Airlines is based in Doha, but connects travellers around to the world to their destinations, not just in the Middle East. Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires are the airline’s first destinations in South America, two of the many new routes the airline has in store for this year. Fly from London, among 14 other European cities, to either Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo this summer and start discovering why travelling in South America is as hot now as it ever was!

Buenos Aires

Beautiful Buenos Aires, it’s easy to think you’re still in Europe from the architecture, everything else though is strictly South American. This city is wild and cosmopolitan. Buenos Aires stays up all night long and parties with her friends, but still manages to wake up on time to make it to the office. The city is elegant, seductive and is completely addictive!

Flights to Buenos Aires

Essential experiences in Buenos Aires:

• Sip a coffee at an old-world café – coffee isn’t taken on the go as it is widely in North American and Europe. Sit down and enjoy locally grown and roasted beans. For a very local experience, head to Café Tortoni, the oldest café in Argentina.
• Admire the colonial architecture – Stroll through Plaza de Mayo and Plaza Dorrego, two of the city’s most important squares for their architecture and history.
• Learn to tango – Argentinians know how to dance and they do it well. Take a tango class for expats or just dive in at a local bar, choose a partner and let yourself be swept off your feet, literally!
• Satisfy your appetite at a parrilla – steak eateries are popular ana deliciously cheap way to fill you belly before hitting up the clubs and bars all night long.
• Spread out in Parque Tres de Febrero – There is 200 acres of space in this city park so bring a picnic lunch and a blanket and relax on a lawn overlooking lakes and ponds. It’s enchanting.
• Experience football like nowhere else – Estadio Boca Juniors is  the best stadium to watch a game in the city. It is covered in murals depicting the sport’s greatest heroes, neighbourhood locals and historical figures in blue and gold.
• Museo de Artes Plásticos Eduardo Sívori – Catch up on Argentina’s art history at this modern museum. The collection is made up of carvings, sculptures, paintings and textile pieces from the 19th century to present.

Sao Paulo

Brazil should be on every traveller’s list heading to South America, not only for its natural beauty but its stunning cities, history and the people. Sao Paulo may not be as pretty as Rio de Janiero, but it certainly satisfies every travellers needs in other ways: museums, shopping (a major attraction), trendy restaurants and hip nightclubs… Your expectations might be high since it is the country’s capital, don’t worry Sao Paulo doesn’t disappoint.

Flights to Sao Paulo

Essential experiences in Sao Paulo:

• Laze around in Parque do Ibirapuera – Sao Paulo isn’t as green as other cities but this central park is a welcome escape from the bustling metropolis of concrete and air pollution. It is the centre of the city’s cultural life with museums, theatre and performance spaces and is home to the Bienal.
• Banespa – The best views of the city are from above. From the top of this building you’ll be able to enjoy a panorama view, for free!
• Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo (MASP) – This is not only the city’s but the country’s finest art museum with more than 7000 pieces from Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet. From Brazil, Aleijadinho, Segall and Portinari are all well-represented in the collection. This is an art history lesson that shouldn’t be overlooked!
• Shopping in Jardins and Itaim – Tourists from all over South America come for the shopping in Brazil’s capital.
• Grab lunch on the go at the Mercado Municipal – For food fast, head to this central marketplace to grab traditional Brazilian street food from one of the many stalls or sit in at a nearby restaurant.
• Football – Head to one of the city’s major stadiums and get tickets to a football game. This city lives and breathes the sport, a good reason why Brazil has been chosen to host the next World Cup.
• People-watch all night long – Warm up to the locals at a barzinhos to people-watch, talk about the latest in football, politics and fashion while drinking a caipirinha, the national cocktail with cachaça, sugar and a slice of lime.

Have you travelled to either of these cities? Tell us about your trip!

Img: RogerShultz / flickr cc