6 Budget-Friendly Private Classes to Take in Buenos Aires

Dan Perlman, of the Buenos Aires closed-door restaurant Casa Saltshaker, offers small-group cooking classes focused on various cuisines. Choose from different Argentine classes (empanadas, South American stews, grilled meat), or Peruvian dishes (ceviche), or go really in-depth with a 10-session course on Italy (note: each session can stand alone as a single class). Another popular set of classes is called Ring Around the Mediterranean, which covers food from Spain, France, Greece, Syria, and Morocco. You can also suggest a course – maybe you want to know how to do some gluten-free baking, or hone your skills in a specific culinary area. Each class costs $50 – that’s half the price of classes of a similar caliber in San Francisco. For more information and booking, click here; to learn more about Casa Saltshaker and other closed-door restaurants in Buenos Aires, click here.

When in Buenos Aires, you have to take a tango class. The elegant, intimate partner dance is considered integral to Argentine culture, history, and identity. Teacher Alejandra Gutty, who has danced tango all over the world, will show you how to master the steps. Recognized for her flawless form and emotionally complex delivery, Gutty features in Wim Wenders’ film Our Last Tango and has appeared on Broadway in Forever Tango. She offers private classes as well as group sessions. For more information and pricing, click here.

Travelers are always looking for ways to capture their adventures, and Foto Ruta Buenos Aires helps them do just that – while also improving their camera skills for their next trip. Foto Ruta’s programs start with a lecture on technical and creative tools, which participants then apply on shoot in the city as part of a three-and-a-half-hour immersion course in photography. Programs finish with evaluation and feedback on participants’ work. The most popular programs are the Smartphone workshop and the Streetscapes workshop, which is focused on street photography. Ask for a program led by Kicca Tommasi, a skilled photographer in her own right who also offers private classes. Book through the Foto Ruta website.

Always wanted to be able to whip up fancy cocktails in the privacy of your own home? Well, now’s your chance. Led by Ohio native Andrew Wiemer, Island Time Bartending will have you making Bushwackers, Pink Bikinis, Painkillers, and more. Wiemer, who spent five years bartending in the Carribean, leads small groups (five to six people) for a two- to three-hour cocktail course in Buenos Aires. For 500 pesos (that’s about $30), you’ll get four drinks and the skills and confidence to make many more. Wiemer offers the class out of his home in Palermo. Interested? Send an email to: theoldguitarist@yahoo.com.

A painter, muralist, designer and sculptor, Maria de los Milagros offers personalized creative workshops. “You don’t need any previous artistic experience, and even if you just come for one class, it’s the same for your soul,” she told Culture Trip in Spanish. “What I do is activate your creativity so you find your form of expression.” Working out of her studio in Palermo, Milagros’ workshops are two hours long and begin with a meditation before moving on to explorations in painting and collages. Separately, Milagros – who has given artistic workshops around the world – also offers sessions that use art to heal your genealogical tree. You can buy a monthly class pack or purchase a single class, both come with the option of including or not including the materials, should you prefer your own. A single class with materials costs 350 pesos (about $25). To register, send an email to: mariabaylac@hotmail.com.

Yes, we know – you always wanted to learn how to sing or play an instrument. Now you can make that dream a reality, thanks to Buenos Aires-based musician Fabian Cardenas. His customized, English-language music classes will give you a deeper appreciation and understanding of your own musical potential as well as Buenos Aires’ vibrant musical life. “In every class I do my best to leave a seed [of music] in my students – music is important because it shows you things about life,” Cardenas told Culture Trip. For 300 pesos (about $20) you can take a one-hour music class focused on singing, guitar, or music fundamentals. To book a class, contact him by phone (+549 11 3805 2988) or through his website.