A street painted like a ship
Caminito is short: you can walk it end to end in a few minutes. The houses lining it are clad in corrugated metal sheeting, painted in blocks of yellow, red, blue and green that rarely match the neighbour’s. Balconies hang off upper floors, and wooden stairways climb the outside walls.
The colours have a working-class origin. La Boca was a port district, home to Genoese and other immigrants. The well-known explanation is that they painted their conventillos (tenement houses) with whatever paint was left over from the boatyards. Stand on the cobbles and you can see why so many photos look the same: there is no flat-coloured surface anywhere.
The song, the painter and the street museum
The name comes from “Caminito,” a tango written in 1926 by composer Juan de Dios Filiberto, with lyrics by Gabino Coria Peñaloza. Filiberto grew up in La Boca. The street itself follows the bed of an old stream and a disused rail spur. For years it was little more than a neglected strip of ground.
Local painter Benito Quinquela Martín pushed to turn it into a museo a cielo abierto, an open-air street museum, and it opened that way in 1959. Look for these as you walk:
- Plaques and ceramic panels carrying the lyrics of the tango
- Murals and relief sculptures set into the walls
- Painted figures leaning off balconies, including footballers and tango dancers
- Small artists’ stalls selling paintings of the street itself
Getting to La Boca
La Boca sits in the south of the city, on the Riachuelo river. No Subte line reaches it, so most visitors come by colectivo (city bus) or taxi from San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo or Puerto Madero. Before you leave, check the route in the city’s BA Cómo Llego app. You will need a SUBE card for the bus.
A taxi or app ride drops you at the river end, by the Vuelta de Rocha bend. That’s the right place to start. From there the old transporter bridge, the Puente Transbordador Nicolás Avellaneda, is visible upriver.
Photos, dancers and the restaurant touts
Caminito is one of the most-visited spots in Buenos Aires. Expect company, and expect people working the crowd. Arrive in the morning if you can. The tour buses mostly arrive later in the day, and the restaurant shows build towards lunch.
- Tango couples pose on the corners and will pull you into a photo, sometimes handing you a hat to wear. They earn their living from it and expect payment. If you don’t want that, decline politely before the camera comes out.
- Restaurant staff stand in doorways with menus and invite you to sit for the live tango. Read the posted menu and the cover terms before you sit down.
- Payment: many stalls want cash pesos. Restaurants usually take cards. A tip of around ten percent is the normal custom at table service.
- Greeting: a “buen día” before you ask a stallholder a question goes a long way.
Staying in the right blocks
The streets just around Caminito are heavily touristed and patrolled. Past those blocks, much of La Boca is a poor residential barrio, and petty theft is a known problem. Keep your phone in your hand only while you’re taking a photo. Don’t drift off down side streets on foot.
Leave before dusk, when the stalls pack up and the crowds thin out quickly. If you’re heading to the stadium or the museum, stick to the main routes.
Two more stops nearby
Caminito takes about an hour. Two nearby sights make the trip to the south of the city worthwhile.
Museo Benito Quinquela Martín is on Avenida Pedro de Mendoza by the river. It’s the painter’s former home and school, and his port scenes, all smoke and orange hulls, explain the colours outside better than any plaque. Its rooftop terraces look out over the Riachuelo.
La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors, is a few blocks inland. You can’t miss it: the stands are painted in the club’s blue and gold. It has a club museum and stadium tours, but on match days the whole area fills up and moves differently. Check the fixture list before you go.
Fundación PROA, a contemporary art space, also faces the river near the start of Caminito. Its hours and exhibitions change, so look online before planning around it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Caminito?
Caminito is in La Boca, in the south of Buenos Aires. No Subte line goes there, so take a colectivo (you need a SUBE card) or a taxi or app ride. Ask to be dropped at Vuelta de Rocha on the river, at the start of the street. The city's BA Cómo Llego app shows the current bus routes.
How long should I spend at Caminito?
The street itself takes under an hour, including photos. Allow two to three hours if you add the Museo Benito Quinquela Martín or a tour of La Bombonera stadium.
Is Caminito safe to visit?
The blocks around Caminito are busy and patrolled during the day. Stay on the main tourist streets, keep your phone and bag close, don't wander into side streets, and leave before dusk.
What is the best time to visit Caminito?
Mornings are usually calmer, before the tour buses and the lunch-time tango shows. Avoid match days at La Bombonera unless you're going to the game, because the whole neighbourhood fills up.
Why is Caminito so colourful?
La Boca's immigrant port workers traditionally painted their metal-clad tenement houses with leftover paint from the boatyards. In 1959 the painter Benito Quinquela Martín helped turn the street into an open-air museum, named after the 1926 tango song "Caminito".
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