The best things to do in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and, like most capital cities, it offers tourists almost endless things to see and do. We spent a week in Buenos Aires in March and fell in love with the city.
One of the best ways to get a true feel for Buenos Aires is to explore multiple neighbourhoods, as they each have a distinct vibe. We split our stay across San Telmo and Palermo and loved both areas. Palermo is green and leafy and San Telmo has a very European feel, and both are full of great places to eat and drink.
These were our favourite things to do in Buenos Aires:
San Telmo Market (especially on Sunday)
Puerto Madero
La Boca
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada
The obelisk and Microcentro
Palmermo
Plaza Dorrego
Tango dinner shows
Teatro Colon
Tigre Delta
Jardín japonés
Floralis Genérica
Parque Tres de Febrero
Ecoparque
A day trip to Colonia del Sacramento
Eat and drink
Read on to find out why each one has made it into our list of the best things to do in Buenos Aires.
The best things to do in Buenos Aires
San Telmo Market (especially on Sunday)
San Telmo Market is a bustling spot for food, drink, and shopping. On a Sunday, the stalls spill out into the surrounding streets making it a must-visit place to be if you’re in town over the weekend. It’s busy, and it takes about 10x longer to get from one end of the road to another than usual, but it’s worth it for the local vibe, the great food, and the weird and wonderful trinkets the vendors are selling
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero is a great place to eat and drink on the riverside, especially when the sun’s out. It’s defined by large warehouse buildings with bars and restaurants the spill out onto the harbourside on both sides of the river. The vibe is young and fun, with some more upmarket restaurants alongside more relaxed pubs and food stalls. Puerto Madero is also very close to Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur which is a relaxed park with greenery and to wander or cycle around.
La Boca
La Boca is one of the most famous areas of Argentina, with a rich history of Italian immigration, artist communities, and brightly-painted buildings. It’s advised not to leave the Caminito area, which is very small but full of colourful houses and shops, and restaurants aimed at tourists. It’s only a quick taxi from San Telmo, but we spent less than an hour here in total as we’d already eaten when we arrived.
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada
Plaza de Mayo is the site of the Argentinian revolution, which led to the country’s independence in 1810. You’ll find a huge Argentinian flag outside the iconic Casa Rosada, which is the presidential office. You can take guided tours of the building, but we didn’t do this and instead preferred to relax in the square for a while as the sun set.
The Obelisk and Microcentro
The Obelisk is one of Buenos Aires’ most iconic landmarks. The white stone monument sits in the middle of Avenida de Corrientes, which is one of the city’s busiest streets. For a view of the skyline, you can book a tour or just a ticket to go up to the viewpoint for about £18.
Palmermo
We stayed in the Palermo Soho neighbourhood for half of our week in Buenos Aires and loved the leafy, tree-lined streets and busy plazas surrounded by bars and restaurants. Palermo Hollywood is great for nightlife, and Palermo Chico is a little more upmarket. This area is great for accessing the parks of Bosques de Palermo, and is relaxing with a slightly cooler feel. Even if you just visit for a day, Palermo should be a must-visit neighbourhood during your visit to Buenos Aires.
Plaza Dorrego
Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo is famous for its tango dancing at night. The square is lined with bars and restaurants, but things kick off late in Buenos Aires… a normal dinner time is 9pm so don’t show up at 7pm and expect anything to be going on! If that’s too late for your plans, head there on a Sunday afternoon while the San Telmo street market is on, and you’ll find plenty of tango performances in the area.
Tango dinner shows
I thought this would be a pure tourist trap, but I was pleasantly surprised. We went to the tango dinner show at El Querandi in San Telmo and I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it! The food was good… not amazing, but also better than it could have been seeing as it’s not the main draw of the night. And the tango… I was blown away. I love dance but (don’t tell the Porteños!) I don’t consider tango to be one of my favourites… but the dancers at this show were incredible.
If you are not an Argentinian citizen, the three-course meal (with unlimited wine) and tango show costs around $150 USD, but we booked through our hostel and got the local rate which is $90 USD. There are also regular offers if you book directly on their website.
There are a whole range of restaurants offering a similar experience but I’d highly recommend El Querandi for a spectacular tango show and good dinner in Buenos Aires.
Teatro Colon
This historic theatre is one of Buenos Aires best-known buildings. You can take a tour of the inside and learn more about its history, but we decided just to check it out from the outside. There was a wedding taking place when we visited, with old cars on the street in front which added to the historic vibe.
Parque Tres de Febrero
This small park within Bosques de Palmero is a relaxing place to spend a morning. There’s a lake with pedalos you can rent, a rose garden, and plenty of benches for relaxing. The path around the lake is also popular with runners and roller skaters on the weekends.
Tigre Delta
A day trip to the Tigre Delta is popular with both tourists and locals in Buenos Aires. We did this in about half a day but you could easily make a full day of it. We caught a taxi from Bs As to Tigre but there are also regular trains from Retiro.
The Tigre Delta is a huge area of riverways and wetlands north of Buenos Aires. It takes about 1 hour by train or less by taxi (at the time of our visit). The vibe is similar to Xhochimilco in Mexico City, but without the party boats and mariachi bands. Tigre is a series of islands with homes that are only accessible by boat. There are taxi boats (the Interisleña) taking kids to school and back and shop boats selling everything from food and water to tanks of gas to the residents. Many of the homes are Airbnbs or small hotels that you can choose to stay at if you want a relaxed night or two away from the city.
We took a 1 hour 15 minute boat tour with Sturlawhich cost £8 per person but you could also choose to get the Interisleña taxi boat which follows a similar but longer route.
The private tours are more expensive but more reliable and have a recorded guide that explains more about the delta and its islands as you sail around. The Interisleña is cheaper but doesn’t run to a strict schedule and if it’s full, it won’t pick you up if you choose to get off at any of the stops.
Jardín japonés
The Japanese gardens of Buenos Aires are within the large park area north of Palermo Soho. The grounds are beautiful and really do feel like Japan. We spent about an hour here and it cost 18,000 pesos (£9) which did seem expensive. If you have an Argentinian ID card it is often free to enter.
Ecoparque
Ecoparque is close to the Japanese garden and Parque Tres Febrero. It’s a former zoo that is still home to some exotic animals like giraffes and hippos, as well as native animals like capybaras. Non-dangerous animals like maras and some birds are free to roam the park without enclosures. The park is free to enter but you need to show a form of ID like a passport (just a photo is fine).
Floralis Genérica
This impressive sculpture looks like a simple flower, but its petals move throughout the year to mimic the lifecycle of a real flower. In March (early autumn) they were open but in winter they close up. The sculpture is lit at night and creates a dramatic effect against the water underneath.
A day trip to Colonia del Sacramento
Uruguay is just an hour from Buenos Aires by boat. The capital of Montevideo is further, taking 2.5 hours by ferry. So we went to the closer town of Colonia del Sacramento.
This small colonial town is best known for its historic centre which still feels authentic and untouched despite high levels of tourism. We spent about 4 hours wandering the town and relaxing at a restaurant on Pasaje de Flores. There are plenty of restaurants all with very high ratings in Colonia del Sacramento and you can easily explore the town in 3-5 hours including food and drink stops.
We caught the 10:30am ferry with Buquebus from Puerto Madero (Colonia Express runs a similar service from La Boca) which cost about £72 for a return and took about 1 hour and 20 minutes each way. We were lucky that the immigration queues were not too long, but it’s advised that you arrive 2-1.5 hours early just in case it’s busy. We left at 5pm and found that this was a perfect amount of time in the town. However if you want a relaxing couple of nights away from Buenos Aires, there are plenty of hotels and hostels in Colonia.
Eat and drink
As a capital city with cultural influences from all over the world, it’s no surprise that Buenos Aires has some great places to eat and drink. From traditional steaks to amazing seafood and perfect pizzas, we ate very well every day during our stay in Buenos Aires.
Find out more about our favourite places to eat and drink in Buenos Aires here.