Buenos Aires is a delightful city -reminiscent of Paris with lovely architecture and beautiful parks. It was once one of the wealthiest cities in the world, although it had declined after years of government mismanagement and a ruinous dictatorship. The Tango was born here and remains very much alive
Day 1 – Buenos Aires
- Day 1 – Buenos Aires
- Arrive in Buenos Aires
- Uber or taxi to lodging
- Walk or Uber to your choice of…
- Museum(s)
- Gardens
- Building tours
- Lodging, (night 1/3)
- Budget – 248 Finisterra, Malevo Muraña Hostel
- Mid-Range – Sofitel Hotel, Ribera Sur Hotel
- Luxury – Mio Buenas Aires, Alvear Palace Hotel
- Dinner – Roux or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants
- Drinks – Presidente Bar or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants
Day 2 – Buenos Aires
- All day guided Buenos Aires tour
- Plaza de Mayo
- Casa Rosada
- Metropolitan Cathedral
- Cafe Tortoni,
- Caminito and La Boca
- Camanito
- Lunch at El Gran Paraiso
- Recoleta
- La Recoleta Cemetery
- Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar
- Ave. Alvear
- Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo,
- Dinner – La Carnicería or or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants
- Drinks – Floreria Atlantico
- Tango Show options – El Querandi, La Ventana, Café de los Angelitos, or El Viejo Almacen
- Lodging, same place (night 2/3)
Day 3 – Day trip to Colonia Del Sacramento (Uruguay)
- Breakfast – Quotidiano Bar de Pastas or La Alacena
- Catch the ferry to Colonia Del Sacramento via Buquebus or Colonia Express (1h15m)
- Tour Old Town Colonia del Sacramento
- The Old Town Gate
- Plaza de Armas
- Streets of Colonia (including Calle de Los Suspiros)
- Ruins of San Francisco Convent
- El Faro Lighthouse
- Governor’s house
- The Promenade with white sand beaches
- Museo del Azulejo
- Lunch – Casa Viera, Calma Coco, Charco Bistro, or Lentas Maravillas. Another popular place to visit is Finca Del Sacramento
- Drinks – Vinoteca De La Colonia or El Buen Suspiro. Or grab a local beer at Chopería Mastra Colonia or Barbot Brewpub.
- (Optional) – Wine tasting (all require a drive)
- Ferry back to Buenos Aires
- Dinner – Choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants
- Drinks – Bar 878 or Chintonería
- Lodging, same place (night 3/3)
Day 3 – San Telmo Market
San Telmo (and if here on a Sunday) for the enormous market
In-Depth Itinerary
Day 1 – Buenos Aires
Arrive at the Buenos Aires airport. Usually you’ll fly into EZE however you might land at AEP. For safety, use only Uber app or Taxi Ezeiza, the official airport taxi service for transfer. If you’re trying to save money there is also a Tienda Leon Shuttle Bus and Urban Bus Line 8 to downtown. We recommend you download Como Llego (the city transportation app for buses and subway and get a Sube card if you plan to use it to get around downtown Buenos Aires).
Drop your bags off at your hotel. There are two parts of town you should stay in: Palermo or Recoleta. We’d only consider staying in these two places. They’re nice, vibrant, and walkable. If you’re on a budget, our top choice is 248 Finisterra, but Malevo Muraña Hostel is another option. For midrange, we enjoyed our stay at Sofitel Hotel and our other recommendation is Ribera Sur Hotel. For luxury, look at Mio Buenas Aires and Alvear Palace Hotel.
This itinerary depends a little bit on if you are going to want to hire a tour guide. We’re laying this out as if want a tour guide for 6-8 hours on day two. We highly recommend Paola with Tours by Locals. Other good options include Buenos Aires Vision and Eternautas. BA Free Tour offers shorter free walking tours around town (and you can pick which area you want to explore – make sure to tip well!).
If you opt to not use a guide, we have laid out the things to see on the itinerary, day two, but without car transport you may need to move things around to make it all work due to transit times
After checking into your hotel, walk or uber to your choice of Museum(s) Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA) , which showcases pieces by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Antonio Berni, and Wilfredo Lam amongst others, and /or Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes with old Masters, Impressionist paintings, a large collection of Argentinian painters etc. Be sure and seek out the interesting and historic conquest of Mexico mural here.
There are some lovely gardens in the Palermo district that you may want to visit with time, Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays, Jardín Japonés, Parque Tres de Febrero and Parque El Rosedal. You could also visit these after your tour on day two if you run out of time on day one.
There are a couple of interesting buildings to visit from the Belle Epoque period of Buenos Aires – Teatro Colon (where you can also see operas, concerts) and Palacio Barolo – a commercial office building built from 1919 to 1923. The building was commissioned by one of a number of wealthy Italian expats living in the city and designed by Italian architect Mario Palanti. It’s modeled after the story of Dante’s Divine Comedy, with the lower floors representing hell, the middle floors purgatory, and the top stories heaven. The decor reflects that to some extent, though it’s much more ornate in the lobby and on the lower floors and plainer on the higher floors. Though the building is beautiful on the outside and interesting on the inside, it’s the incredible views that are the real attraction.
For dinner tonight we recommend Roux and for after dinner drinks make your way to the swanky Presidente Bar (or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants for other dinner and drink options).
Day 2 – Buenos Aires
Start your guided tour with a short ride to Plaza de Mayo. Cafe Tortoni, is a great way to start your day – enjoyable as much for the atmosphere (a French-style cafe that opened in 1858) as for its coffee options. From here, you’re in the perfect spot to explore the historic center.
Plaza de Mayo is the political center of the country. Large protests took place here by grandmothers protesting forced disappearances of their children and grandchildren under the dictatorship in the late 1970’s. Take in Casa Rosada (aka the Government House) . The May Revolution kicked offing this square starting the process of gaining independence from Spain, though Argentina wouldn’t actually become a sovereign nation until 1816. Next visit the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, which sits on the square’s north side, was once the seat of Pope Francis, and houses the mausoleum of General José de San Martín (an independence hero for Argentina, Chile, and Peru).
Next drive to the La Boca area. La Boca is the neighborhood that is home to the iconic colorful houses and streets you see on the cover of Buenos Aires guide books. El Caminito is the main attraction, where you’ll find the famous cobblestone walkways and colorful houses. This area was originally the old port where tango was born. Along here is effectively an outdoor street museum where artists exhibit their works. You can also take a tour of this district with Buenos Aires Ciudad La Boca Tour, if not on another guided tour. Grab lunch here before heading to your next attraction.
The final stop on our tour was Recoleta Cemetery. A remarkable necropolis, the cemetery is a dense maze of mausoleums for prominent families and national heroes, including Eva Perón.
This is a good time to visit the many lovely parks of Palermo if you did not get to the day before. Next make your way to visit the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo (MNAD) an enormous mansion housing an impressive collection of art and furniture that gives visitors an idea of how the wealthy of Buenos Aires lived in the early twentieth century.
For dinner we recommend La Carnicería and for after dinner drinks (or a light dinner with drinks) head to Floreria Atlantico , a bar hidden underneath a flower shop, or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants.
If you want to see a tango show now might be the best night. Most tango shows include dinner so you’ll want to factor that into your plans. Some good options include El Querandi, La Ventana, Café de los Angelitos, or El Viejo Almacen.
With more time and if in Buenos Aires on a Sunday rearrange your days to head to San Telmo, the old area famous for its antique stores and a giant flea market on Sundays. . Walk to Casa Ezeiza at Defensa 1179, an old aristocratic mansion from 1874. Then head along Defensa to see the narrowest house in Buenos Aires, La Casa Mínima. Finish your time back at Plaza Dorrego at Feria de San Telmo one of the best antique markets in the world. This is effectively a collection of over 250 booths that sell every vintage item you can think of. If you’re hungry after this, grab a sausage sandwhich at Nuestra Parrilla.
For dinner we recommend La Carnicería and for after dinner drinks (or a light dinner with drinks) head to Floreria Atlantico , a bar hidden underneath a flower shop, or choose from Buenos Aires Restaurants.
If you want to see a tango show now might be the best night. Most tango shows include dinner so you’ll want to factor that into your plans. Some good options include El Querandi, La Ventana, Café de los Angelitos, or El Viejo Almacen.
Day 4 – San Telmo
With more time and if in Buenos Aires on a Sunday rearrange your days to head to San Telmo, the old area famous for its antique stores and a giant flea market on Sundays. . Walk to Casa Ezeiza at Defensa 1179, an old aristocratic mansion from 1874. Then head along Defensa to see the narrowest house in Buenos Aires, La Casa Mínima. Finish your time back at Plaza Dorrego at Feria de San Telmo one of the best antique markets in the world. This is effectively a collection of over 250 booths that sell every vintage item you can think of. If you’re hungry after this, grab a sausage sandwhich at Nuestra Parrilla.
In the afternoon head to wherever you did not see before – either MALBA or fine arts museum, take a tour of Teatro Colon, a street art tour, or