Trip highlights
- 1Tango show at the historic Café Tortoni
- 2Recoleta Cemetery and the tomb of Evita Perón
- 3San Telmo Sunday antique and street food market
- 4La Boca neighbourhood and the colourful Caminito alley
- 5Tigre Delta day trip by river boat
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival & San Telmo Immersion
Monday, March 22
Est. spend
$180
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive & Check In — San Telmo or Palermo
Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini, Ezeiza, Buenos Aires
Land at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) and take the Manuel Tienda León bus (the reliable, affordable shuttle) directly to the city centre, or grab a Cabify for a flat-rate ride. Check into your guesthouse or boutique hotel and drop your bags. San Telmo is the ideal base for the first few nights — walking distance to the market, Caminito, and the city's oldest cafés.
Book Manuel Tienda León online in advance to guarantee a seat. Avoid unlicensed taxis at arrivals.
Café de los Angelitos Breakfast
Av. Rivadavia 2100, Buenos Aires
One of the grand old confiterías of Buenos Aires, this tango café-bar on Avenida Rivadavia has been serving cortados and medialunas since 1890. The belle époque interior — ornate mirrors, marble tables, waiters in black tie — makes even a simple breakfast feel ceremonial. Order the tostadas con jamón y queso and linger with a café con leche.
Arrive before 9am on weekdays to avoid the tour group rush.
☀️ Afternoon
San Telmo Neighbourhood Walk
Mercado de San Telmo, Defensa 961, San Telmo, Buenos Aires
San Telmo is Buenos Aires in amber — cracked tiles, rusting ironwork, street tango duos dancing for tips in Plaza Dorrego. Start at the Mercado de San Telmo (the iron-and-glass 1897 market hall), browse the antique stalls inside, then wind through Defensa Street to the plaza. If you arrive on a Sunday, the outdoor market takes over the entire street and runs until dark. Look for vintage leather goods, vinyl records, and hand-painted mate gourds.
Sundays are the main market day — if you arrive mid-week, the indoor market still has vendors. Come back Sunday for the full spectacle.
La Boca & Caminito
Caminito, La Boca, Buenos Aires
Take a short taxi south to La Boca, Buenos Aires's most photogenic and historically significant barrio. Caminito is a narrow pedestrian lane where the corrugated metal houses are painted in primary colours — the story goes that workers used leftover boat paint, whatever colour was cheapest that week. Street performers dressed as Gardel and Evita pose for photos, artists sell prints, and small parrillas grill choripán on the footpath. Stay on Caminito and the surrounding streets — La Boca beyond this tourist zone is a different neighbourhood entirely.
Keep cameras and phones inside your bag when walking beyond the main strip. Don't venture into the side streets without local guidance.
🌙 Evening
Dinner at La Brigada
Estados Unidos 465, San Telmo, Buenos Aires
A San Telmo institution, La Brigada is where Buenos Aires's old guard comes to eat beef the way it should be eaten — slowly, with a full Malbec and no apologies. The walls are covered floor to ceiling in football jerseys and black-and-white photographs. Order the bife de chorizo (sirloin), ask for it jugoso (medium-rare), and share a picada of cold cuts and cheese to start. The sommelier will guide you through an excellent list of Mendoza reds.
Book 48 hours ahead by phone or through their website. Arrive slightly early — they stop taking walk-ins quickly.
🍽️ Meals
Café de los Angelitos
Argentine café · $12 · Historic confitería — the right way to start your first Buenos Aires morning.
La Brigada
Argentine parrilla · $55 · Legendary San Telmo steakhouse. Book ahead.
Recoleta, Evita & Belle Époque Buenos Aires
Tuesday, March 23
Est. spend
$185
per person
🌅 Morning
Recoleta Cemetery
Junín 1760, Recoleta, Buenos Aires
Recoleta Cemetery is unlike any cemetery in the world — it is a city of the dead, with streets of marble mausoleums housing Argentina's most illustrious families. Allow at least 90 minutes to get lost among the neo-classical, art nouveau, and modernist tombs. The tomb of María Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita) is marked by a constant stream of visitors leaving flowers. Pick up a map at the entrance or download the free audio guide app — the stories behind the monuments rival any historical novel.
Enter from the Junín Street gate for the most direct route to Evita's tomb. The cemetery closes at 6pm.
Recoleta Barrio Walk & Alvear Avenue
Av. Alvear, Recoleta, Buenos Aires
Stroll the wide French-style boulevards of Recoleta — the wealthiest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. Álvear Avenue is lined with embassy buildings, the Alvear Palace Hotel, and luxury boutiques. The nearby Floralis Genérica, a giant steel flower sculpture in Plaza Naciones Unidas, opens its petals at dawn and closes at dusk. Grab a coffee at one of the sidewalk cafés along Avenida Quintana.
☀️ Afternoon
MALBA — Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires
Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415, Palermo, Buenos Aires
MALBA holds one of the finest collections of Latin American modern and contemporary art in the world. The permanent collection spans the early 20th century through to today, with standout works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Xul Solar, and Antonio Berni. The building itself — four glass and concrete volumes — is architecturally arresting. Budget two hours minimum; the temporary exhibitions are consistently excellent.
Wednesday is half-price admission. The museum café has excellent coffee and medialunas.
Palermo Soho Boutiques
Thames 1700, Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires
A short walk from MALBA, Palermo Soho is the most stylish neighbourhood in Buenos Aires — a grid of low-rise buildings housing Argentine designers, concept stores, and independent bookshops. Thames Street and Gurruchaga Street are the main arteries. Look for local leather goods (belts, bags, wallets) made in the Buenos Aires ateliers — quality is high and prices are a fraction of European equivalents. El Preferido de Palermo, a deli-bar hybrid on the corner of Borges and Guatemala, is perfect for an afternoon vermú.
Bring USD cash to exchange at the blue-market rate (legal in most shops) — you'll get significantly more value than the official rate.
🌙 Evening
El Preferido de Palermo — Dinner
Borges 2108 esq. Guatemala, Palermo, Buenos Aires
This charming corner boliche (neighbourhood bar-diner) has been feeding Palermo since 1952. The menu is an anthology of Buenos Aires comfort food: ensalada rusa, matambre a la pizza, tortilla de papas, and grilled provoleta. Order the house Fernet con Coca and work through the menu slowly. The tiled walls, wooden bar, and ancient refrigerators give it the feel of a film set, except the food is very real.
No reservations — arrive at 8pm or after 10pm to avoid the longest wait.
Palermo Bar Hop — Niceto Club or Frank's Bar
Niceto Vega 5510, Palermo, Buenos Aires
Palermo's nightlife doesn't start until midnight but the warm-up bars are excellent. Frank's Bar is a prohibition-era speakeasy (knock, give the password 'franka') with inventive cocktails. Niceto Club on Niceto Vega is the neighbourhood's best music venue — check their calendar for live cumbia, jazz, or electronic nights. Buenos Aires is a late city; pace yourself.
Download the app BA Agenda for the week's best events. Clubs rarely fill before 2am.
🍽️ Meals
El Preferido de Palermo
Argentine bodegón · $40 · Classic Buenos Aires corner diner. Arrive early or very late.
Café Tortoni, Puerto Madero & Tango Night
Wednesday, March 24
Est. spend
$200
per person
🌅 Morning
Café Tortoni — Breakfast & History
Av. de Mayo 829, Buenos Aires
Founded in 1858, Café Tortoni is the oldest café in Argentina and one of the great literary cafés of the world. Jorge Luis Borges, Federico García Lorca, and Albert Einstein all sat in these booths. The interior is all dark wood panelling, stained glass, and marble — hushed and magnificent in the morning before the tourist queues form. Order the café con leche and facturas (pastries) and take your time. A small tango show runs in the back room each evening.
Come for breakfast to avoid the lunchtime queue. The evening tango show requires advance booking.
Avenida de Mayo & Casa Rosada
Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires
Walk the length of Avenida de Mayo — the grand ceremonial boulevard that connects the Casa Rosada (the pink presidential palace, made famous by Evita's balcony address) to the National Congress at the western end. The buildings along this 1.5km stretch are a textbook of Argentine architecture: Baroque, Rationalist, Art Nouveau, all slightly faded and deeply atmospheric. The Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada is the historic heart of Argentine political life.
The Casa Rosada exterior and museum are free to visit. Bring your passport for the museum entrance.
☀️ Afternoon
Puerto Madero Walk
Puente de la Mujer, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires's reclaimed waterfront district is a 30-minute walk from Plaza de Mayo. The converted red-brick docks now house restaurants, offices, and the famous Puente de la Mujer (Santiago Calatrava's graceful pedestrian bridge). Walk the entire length of the Dique waterfront and cross the bridge for views over the river. The ecological reserve behind Puerto Madero is a surprise — 360 hectares of wetlands with birdlife, a complete contrast to the glass towers on the other side.
The Reserva Ecológica is free to enter and undervisited — excellent for birding in the late afternoon.
National Library (Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno)
Agüero 2502, Recoleta, Buenos Aires
Argentina's national library is a brutalist concrete masterpiece on the hill above Recoleta — the very same land where the Perón family once lived. The building holds over 3.5 million volumes. Even if you don't read Spanish, the architecture and the view from the terrace over the river are worth the walk. Ask at reception if there are any current exhibitions in the gallery spaces.
🌙 Evening
Tango Show at Café Tortoni or Esquina Carlos Gardel
Café Tortoni: Av. de Mayo 829 / Esquina Carlos Gardel: Carlos Gardel 3200, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires without tango is incomplete. Café Tortoni's basement salon runs intimate tango shows for small audiences — the dancing is close and authentic, accompanied by a live orquesta típica. Alternatively, Esquina Carlos Gardel near the Abasto market is a larger, more theatrical production with a full dinner service. Both are legitimate; Café Tortoni is more atmospheric and affordable. Book whichever is available on your date.
Tango shows sell out weeks ahead in March (peak autumn season). Book before you travel.
Late Dinner — Local Parrilla in San Telmo
Defensa Street area, San Telmo, Buenos Aires
After the show, return to San Telmo for a late parrilla dinner — Buenos Aires restaurants are fully alive at 10pm. Dozens of excellent neighbourhood parrillas line the streets around Defensa and Bolívar. Order an asado de tira (short ribs), a portion of morcilla (blood sausage), and a jug of house Malbec. The informal atmosphere of a neighbourhood parrilla, as opposed to a tourist restaurant, is where Buenos Aires feels most itself.
Avoid restaurants with menus displayed in multiple languages and photos — find the place where locals are eating.
🍽️ Meals
Café Tortoni
Argentine café · $14 · Historic café — the definitive Buenos Aires breakfast experience.
Neighbourhood parrilla, San Telmo
Argentine parrilla · $45 · Post-tango late dinner. Follow the smoke.
Tigre Delta Day Trip
Thursday, March 25
Est. spend
$230
per person
🌅 Morning
Train from Retiro to Tigre
Estación Retiro, Ramos Mejía 1302, Buenos Aires
Take the Mitre suburban train from Retiro station north to Tigre — a 50-minute ride through Buenos Aires's northern suburbs, arriving at the port town that serves as the gateway to the Paraná Delta. The delta is a vast network of waterways, islands, and floating communities accessible only by boat. Buy your train ticket at the Retiro station kiosks with your SUBE card.
Trains run every 15–20 minutes from Retiro from 6am. Buy the SUBE card the day before.
Tigre Port & Fruit Market (Puerto de Frutos)
Sarmiento 160, Tigre, Buenos Aires Province
Tigre's famous open-air market has been selling delta produce — hand-woven baskets, timber furniture, fresh fruit, and artisan crafts — since colonial times. The covered market runs along the Luján River and takes 30–40 minutes to browse properly. Sample tropical fruits from the delta: mamón, guayaba, and fresh peaches. Then walk along the waterfront to the boat launch terminals.
☀️ Afternoon
Paraná Delta Boat Tour
Estación Fluvial, Mitre 305, Tigre
Board a lanchas colectivas (shared water taxi) or a private tour boat from the Tigre Delta Station for a 2–3 hour exploration of the delta's upper and lower branches. The launch weaves through narrow canals shaded by ceibo trees, past weekend houses on stilts, rowboats moored to private docks, and islands with no road access whatsoever. Some tours include a stop at a delta resident's home for mate. The silence and greenery are a powerful contrast to the city.
The Estación Fluvial has official tour operators with price boards. Avoid tout approaches on the street. Morning boats have better light.
Museo del Mate, Tigre
Lavalle 289, Tigre
A curious and underrated small museum dedicated entirely to Argentina's national drink — the yerba mate gourd and bombilla (metal straw). The collection spans 400 years of mate culture, from indigenous Guaraní vessels to ornate silver gourds commissioned by Argentine oligarchs. The gift shop sells excellent quality mate sets at fair prices — a much better souvenir than anything in the city tourist shops.
The museum is tiny but the curation is thoughtful. Staff will demonstrate how to prepare mate correctly.
🌙 Evening
Return to Buenos Aires & Dinner at Don Julio
Guatemala 4699, Palermo, Buenos Aires
Return by train to Retiro and head directly to Don Julio in Palermo — widely considered the finest parrilla in Buenos Aires and one of the top restaurants in Latin America. The wine wall holds over 14,000 bottles, the staff carve at the table, and the bife de lomo con chimichurri is as good as steak gets anywhere on earth. Don Julio is the kind of restaurant where people eat slowly, order a second bottle, and stay for three hours.
Reservations open 30 days ahead and fill within hours. Book the moment you know your travel dates. If you can't get a table, ask to be put on the waitlist — cancellations happen.
🍽️ Meals
Delta lunch on the boat tour
Argentine snacks · $12 · Bring food or eat at the delta's small waterfront restaurants.
Don Julio
Argentine parrilla · $95 · The best steakhouse in Buenos Aires. Non-negotiable.
Congress, Palermo Parks & Milonga Night
Friday, March 26
Est. spend
$175
per person
🌅 Morning
Palermo Rose Garden & Japanese Garden
Jardín Japonés: Av. Casares 2966, Palermo, Buenos Aires
Palermo's park district contains several world-class public gardens. The Rosedal (Rose Garden) is at its glorious autumn peak in March — 18,000 rose bushes in a formal garden with a footbridge over a lake. Adjacent, the Jardín Japonés is one of the largest Japanese gardens outside Japan: bonsai, koi ponds, tea ceremony house, and immaculate landscaping. Both are within walking distance of each other in the Bosques de Palermo.
The Japanese Garden charges a small entrance fee; the Rosedal is free. Go early for golden-light photos.
Palermo's Planetarium
Av. Sarmiento 2884, Palermo, Buenos Aires
The Galileo Galilei Planetarium in Palermo is a striking 1960s UFO-shaped dome that has entranced Buenos Aires children and adults for decades. The exterior is unmistakable; shows run throughout the day in Spanish with subtitles available. Even without attending a show, the surrounding park is beautiful for a late-morning walk.
☀️ Afternoon
Congreso Neighbourhood & Avenida Corrientes
Plaza del Congreso, Congreso, Buenos Aires
Head south-west to the Congreso district, anchored by the magnificent Argentine National Congress building — a 1906 dome modelled on Washington D.C.'s Capitol. The neighbourhood is bohemian, bookish, and slightly worn. Avenida Corrientes, the 'street that never sleeps,' runs east through the city lined with bookshops (many open until midnight), pizzerias, and theatres. Browse the secondhand bookstalls on Corrientes — they carry excellent Spanish-language literature at very low prices.
Look for the Abuela (grandmother) sculptures in front of the Congress — a monument to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
Confitería El Molino — Restored Art Nouveau Café
Av. Rivadavia 1801 esq. Callao, Buenos Aires
Confitería El Molino, across from the Congress, is one of Buenos Aires's greatest architectural monuments. Opened in 1905 in Art Nouveau style (the windmill tower is unmissable), it was the meeting place of politicians, journalists, and intellectuals for decades before closing in 1997. Restored and reopened in 2022, it is now a museum-café — the interior is breathtaking. Order anything: the experience is in sitting inside.
Go on a weekday afternoon for a peaceful visit. The ground-floor café and the staircase are the highlights.
🌙 Evening
Milonga — La Viruta or Salón Canning
La Viruta: Armenia 1366, Palermo / Salón Canning: Scalabrini Ortiz 1331, Palermo
A milonga is a social tango dance event — the real, unscripted version of what the tourist shows depict. La Viruta in Palermo runs milongas several nights a week and is beloved by both locals and visiting dancers. Salón Canning on Scalabrini Ortiz is older and more traditional. Neither requires you to dance — you can watch from the tables and drink a glass of wine while the magic unfolds on the floor. If you want to join, take a beginner lesson that most milongas offer before the evening session.
Milongas run late — most don't peak until midnight. Dress smartly; jeans are acceptable but shorts are not.
🍽️ Meals
Pizzería Güerrin
Buenos Aires pizza · $18 · Buenos Aires-style pizza — thick, doughy, outrageously cheesy. A cultural experience in itself.
Buenos Aires Museums & Villa Crespo Shopping
Saturday, March 27
Est. spend
$270
per person
🌅 Morning
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Av. del Libertador 1473, Recoleta, Buenos Aires
The National Museum of Fine Arts holds Argentina's most comprehensive collection of European and Argentine art — Rodin sculptures in the garden, works by El Greco, Rembrandt, and Monet alongside the masters of Argentine painting: Prilidiano Pueyrredón, Eduardo Sívori, and Cándido López's haunting panoramas of the Paraguayan War. The building is free, accessible, and undervisited by foreign tourists who head instead to MALBA. Allow 2 hours.
The Cándido López room (Hall 34) is not to be missed — his miniaturist battle panoramas painted with his left hand after losing his right are extraordinary.
☀️ Afternoon
Villa Crespo — Leather & Outlet Shopping
Murillo 601–800, Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the leather capital of South America. Villa Crespo, just west of Palermo, is where the leather factories and outlet stores are concentrated — particularly along Murillo Street, known as 'la calle del cuero.' Shoes, bags, belts, and jackets at manufacturing prices. Quality ranges from excellent to cheap; take your time. Local designers also have ateliers in the area. Prices in USD are very low compared to any equivalent in Europe or North America.
Many stores accept USD at the blue-market rate. Negotiate politely — it's expected and accepted.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid — World's Most Beautiful Bookshop
Av. Santa Fe 1860, Recoleta, Buenos Aires
El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Recoleta is a 1919 theatre converted into a bookshop with the stage now a café and the former boxes serving as reading alcoves. Frequently listed among the world's most beautiful bookshops, it is genuinely worth the superlative. Even non-Spanish readers will find illustrated art books, travel photography volumes, and cards. The café on stage serves excellent coffee.
Go on a weekday afternoon. Weekends can be very crowded with both locals and tourists.
🌙 Evening
Farewell Dinner — Full Parrilla Experience
San Telmo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires
For your second-to-last night, commit to a full Argentine asado experience. Many neighbourhood parrillas in San Telmo and Palermo offer the complete spread: provoleta (grilled provolone cheese), chorizo, morcilla, chinchulines (tripe), and then the main cuts — entraña (skirt steak), vacío (flank), and costillas (ribs). Order a bottle of Achaval Ferrer Malbec and eat until you cannot move.
Budget parrilla meals for two with wine should run $50–70 USD total at a good neighbourhood restaurant.
Drinks at Florería Atlántico
Arroyo 872, Retiro, Buenos Aires
Descend into one of Latin America's most celebrated cocktail bars, hidden beneath a flower shop on Arroyo Street in Retiro. Florería Atlántico won the World's Best Bar award and creates cocktails that use Argentine distillates, botanical infusions, and native ingredients. The bar is intimate, the service impeccable, and the menu reads like a love letter to Argentine terroir.
Walk in — no reservations. Arrive at 8pm to secure a seat before the crowd. Order the Fernet Flip.
🍽️ Meals
Neighbourhood parrilla
Argentine parrilla · $65 · Full asado spread. Your last big steak night.
Final Morning & Departure
Sunday, March 28
Est. spend
$110
per person
🌅 Morning
Final Breakfast — El Federal, San Telmo
Carlos Calvo 599 esq. Perú, San Telmo, Buenos Aires
El Federal is one of the oldest continually operating bars in Buenos Aires, established in 1864. The interior has not changed substantially since the 1920s — ornate wooden bar, zinc counter, tile floors, and a clientele that has been coming for 30 years. Order the medialunas and the café cortado one last time and sit with the Buenos Aires morning.
Final Souvenir Shopping — San Telmo Market
Mercado de San Telmo, Defensa 961, Buenos Aires
Use your last morning to pick up final gifts and souvenirs in the San Telmo indoor market and the surrounding streets — Argentine wine (Malbec travels well), dulce de leche, alfajores, leather goods, and small tango figurines. The market vendors will help pack fragile items. The liquor shops on Defensa sell excellent Malbec and Torrontés at cellar-door prices.
Argentine wine is excellent value and most bottles are under 1.5kg — well within carry-on weight limits.
☀️ Afternoon
Transfer to EZE Airport
Terminal Manuel Tienda León, E. Madero 1299, Buenos Aires
Allow 2.5 hours before your flight for the airport transfer plus check-in and security. Manuel Tienda León departs from the downtown terminal on Madero; Cabify and Uber operate from the street. Buenos Aires traffic can be heavy on weekday afternoons — err on the side of leaving early.
EZE is 35–45km from downtown. Leave no later than 3 hours before your scheduled departure.
🍽️ Meals
El Federal
Argentine café · $12 · A 160-year-old bar for a final Buenos Aires morning.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
March to May (autumn) — warm days around 20–25°C, low humidity, fewer tourists than European summer. September to November (spring) is equally beautiful. Avoid January–February when temperatures hit 35°C+ and half the city leaves for the coast.
🛂 Visas
Citizens of the USA, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia do not require a visa for Argentina for stays up to 90 days. Passport must be valid for the duration of stay. An onward ticket may be requested at the border.
💱 Currency
Argentina has a complex currency situation. The official exchange rate is significantly worse than the 'blue dollar' parallel rate, which is legal to access in most exchange houses (casas de cambio) and many shops. Bring USD cash in clean, unmarked bills (100s preferred) and exchange as needed. Avoid airport exchange counters. Credit cards charge the official rate — cash is almost always better value.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 101
ambulance: 107
tourist police: 0800-999-5000
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Dinner before 9pm marks you as a tourist — porteños eat at 9:30pm or later. Restaurants that open at 7pm cater to visitors.
- Download the Cabify app (not Uber) for reliable, fixed-price rides — it's widely used and accepted everywhere.
- The SUBE metro card works on all subway, train, and bus lines. Buy it at any kiosk on day one.
- Buenos Aires is a very safe city in the tourist areas (Palermo, Recoleta, San Telmo, Puerto Madero) — apply normal urban awareness and you will be fine.
One thing worth not skipping
A 7-day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
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