Things to do in Buenos Aires

In the first part of this guide, we’ve explored the general atmosphere and vibes of Buenos Aires via its history as well as certain cultural differences, to help you to determine if this city is your cup of tea. This post will be of a much more practical nature and travel information-heavy. It will take the form of “Things to do in Buenos Aires“, which means that we’ll look at all of the popular places and attractions to see, do or experience in this incredible city. We’ll also list various practical tips, such as how to move around the city, safety, what area to stay and so on.

Things to do in Buenos Aires: “barrio-by-barrio”

A long sightseeing/activities/attractions menu

OK. Buenos Aires is a megacity of 15 million people that’s very rich in culture and history. It, therefore, has many, I mean many architectural landmarks, parks, museums, art galleries and other various attractions to check out. Whether you’re a foodie, art lover, architecture or floral enthusiast, sports or history fan, there’s something to be liked here for everyone. This guide is organised geographically, AKA barrio-by-barrio (neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood) and near the bottom of the post, there’s also a summary list that’s organised by areas of interest, in case you’ve needed a recap.

FYI, the links that are highlighted in red are Google Maps locations, in case you've fancied to start creating your own Buenos Aires itinerary. Just sign in into your Google account and if any listed place sounds like your cup of tea, just click "want to go". You can also download that Google Map to your phone to use it in an offline mode.

Popular neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires

Palermo

Like many other tourists, I have also stayed in a quarter called Palermo. It’s a hyped-up barrio known for its vibrant nightlife scene. It’s therefore filled with many bars, restaurants and all sorts of venues that attract mostly the alternative as well as yuppie crowds. If you like people watching, Palermo would take a high spot in your list of best places for people-watching in the world 🙂 FYI, the area is considered to be among the safest part of town for foreigners and the rather intense police presence confirms that.

Vibe-wise, the hood reminded me a lot of Berlin‘s hoods of Neukölln and Kreuzberg. Apart from tons of stylish restaurants, bars and cafés, Palermo comes with many colours, tree-lined cobbled streets and an amazing atmosphere. I loved walking and turning random corners where it will take me. The main party spot is concentrated on and around Plazoleta Julio Cortázar (more commonly known as Plaza Serrano by the locals) which is located at the heart of Palermo Soho. This is also where the local artisanal market takes place during the weekends.

But it’s not just Plazza Serrano, the whole area has a high concentration of various cool places to socialize. For instance, the upper Gorriti street had nearly one cool joint bar per block. During my 3-week long dedicated extensive field research, I’ve come across so many likeable establishments that were luring people in with various happy hour deals, good music and brilliant drink menus that I could write not just a book but a whole blurry saga about it 😉

However, I’ve decided not to drop any names here because it would be a long pointless list. I mean we’re all into different things, and whether you’re into cool art deco interiors, more hippie vibes or the old school “Italian family restaurant” kind of places, I’m sure you’ll find many places you love here yourselves 😉 Just take a short stroll on Honduras, El Salvador, Gorriti streets or anywhere around the above mentioned Plaza Serrano and I can guarantee that within 1/2 hour you won’t know which of those places you’ve liked to pick 😉

While Palermo‘s major attraction is its lively nightlife scene and the general bohemian atmosphere, there are also a few places of interest that are possibly worth your attention. Probably the most visited of them all is Parque Tres de Febrero (info), which is one of the major features of the whole city. This beautiful, 400 hectares (nearly 1000 acres) park, tha’s also known as Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods) boasts multiple lakes, gardens, ZOO and so on.

If you’re a floral enthusiast, you should also check out the Botanical Gardens (info), where you can get lost in the colours of nature, take the joy of observing the exotic plants from all around the world or even the rather large group of cats that live here.

In case you’re into arts, consider visiting The Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires (MALBA/site) that collects Latin American contemporary art. In case you’re fond of stunning historical interiors, then you might like visiting the Museum of Decorative Arts (site). It is located in rather impressive Palacio Errázuriz.

And last but not least, there’s a museum dedicated to the most famous lady from Argentina María Eva Duarte de Perón better known as Evita. In Museo Evita (info), a visitor will get an insight into the life and times of this famous as well as controversial former first lady. FYI, more links about Evita, her life as well as in relation to Buenos Aires could be found in the ‘useful links’ section near the bottom of this article, in case you were interested.

Recoleta

Another major barrio that’s popular with tourists is Recoletta, one of the poshest hoods in the Argentinian capital. It isn’t hard to observe its affluent status, whether we’re talking about architecture or even the way the locals are dressed up. Even if your observational talents weren’t your strongest area of expertise, you would still be reminded of Recoleta‘s poshness when they bring you the bill in the restaurant 😉

The most famous and beautiful attraction of Recoleta would arguably be the marvellous Cementerio de la Recoleta (info). I have to say that I like visiting cemeteries because there’s something calm and deep about them for me. So I’ve visited quite a few cemeteries worldwide but this one tops them all. No wonder the BBC and CNN hailed it as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. The actual site contains nearly 5000 vaults in its 5,5 hectares.

In practical terms, the cemetery is basically many mausoleums that are decorated with statues and built in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque and Neo-Gothic. The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks and some benches.

There are mainly the (former) members of the privileged upper classes such as presidents of Argentina or a granddaughter of Napoleon buried here. Cementerio Recoleta is however also the place of the final rest for some poets, artists, writers as well as Nobel Prize winners. Evita and her family are also buried here in rather a modest grave if compared to others, although expect to come across some tourist photoshoot sessions by her grave, similar to Karl Marx tomb in Highgate.

Right next to the cemetery, there is a very pretty church Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar (info), I would also recommend visiting and breath in some peace and the beauty of its interior. Art lovers will be busy in the hood because there’s a rather high concentration of museums with impressive collections around here.

Whether it’s the National Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes/site), National Palace of the Arts (Palais de Glace/info) or Centro Cultural (info), Museum of Architecture and Design (MARQ/info), I’m am positive that you’ll find plenty of great art pieces exhibited here, whether it’s Goya, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Manet but or more contemporary as well as local artists.

Other significant monuments in the area are the Faculty of Law (Facultad de Derecho) and the often-photographed “moving flower” sculpture Floralis Genérica right next to it. If you wanted to relax a bit, you’ll be near a charming park with quite a few sculptures Parque Carlos Thalys (info) or just grab a coffee on gorgeous Plaza Francia (info). Architecture enthusiasts should also not miss the attention-seeking National Library (info) and if you’re keen on Evita, check her monument close by, right by Plaza Mitre.

Microcentro, Retiro and Monserrat

As we carry on further down the river’s stream from Palermo and Recoleta barrios, we enter central Buenos Aires. This area will remind you that you are in a megacity. It’s a very busy area filled with banks, offices, government buildings, shops, palaces and other numerous iconic sites, many of which the architectural enthusiast would most probably think of as “must-see”.

A tip: I advise you to plan your itinerary in the area well because the distances and the general busy office buzz can get rather claustrophobic and exhausting. I’d say that discovering the centre is at least for a few days, depending on how deep your explorations are. I’ll list the places in an order that makes sense geographically, but I’d still advise you to try planning your sightseeing with multiple breaks for coffee, lunch, or relaxing in one of the parks and so on. I’ll try to suggest a suitable place for a break here and there…

Let’s start with the main square of the whole country, Plaza de Mayo (info) and the presidential palace Casa Rosada (info). After taking the obligatory picture, you can also check out Museo de la Casa de Gobierno (info) that is directly inside the Casa Rosada. Right on the same square, you can also visit the former seat to Pope Francis, Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (info) as well as the National Historical Museum of the Cabildo (info), with displays interactive exhibits on the Spanish colonial era, the British invasions of 1806-07 as well as the early days of Argentinian independence.

Once you are on Plaza de Mayo, you’re getting an opportunity for a glorious break in super stylish and famous Parisian Café Tortoni (site). I must say that it’s a little touristic place but not in a way to take its amazing character away, unless you take the bill into consideration 😉 The café’s basement also has a stage, where you can check out some world-class tango and jazz performances, many tourists come here to check out. Above the café, you can find a tango museum called Academia Nacional del Tango de la República Argentina (info).

Another amazing building to see nearby-ish would be one of the world’s renowned opera houses Teatro Colón (site), which you could book yourself to see from the inside for a tour as well. Except for the glorious venue itself, the tour would take you through the incredible backstage hallways, which makes it an unforgettable experience, if you’re a theatre fan. Here you’d be only a few blocks away from another famous and pretty or let’s say extravagant building: Palacio de Aguas Corrientes, which you can also visit with a guided tour (info).

If we’re talking about famous landmarks in central Buenos Aires, we can’t skip the Dante-inspired and once tallest building in Latin Americas Palacio Barolo (info). It is only a short stroll through a nice park away from another impressive landmark that is the Argentinian National Congress (Congreso de la Nación Argentina: info). You can also visit both of these impressive buildings with guided tours.

And last but not least location to mention in connection to central Buenos Aires is Plaza de la Republica with one of the icons of the city, the Obelisco (see the featured image). Plaza de La Republica is located in San Nicolás barrio, at the intersection of the capital’s three main traffic arteries: Avenidas Corrientes, 9 de Julio and Roque Sáenz Peña (the last one is better known as Diagonal Norte) with quite a few shopping opportunities in a close distance.

San Telmo

Even if you are considering visiting only a small fraction of the possible sightseeing opportunities listed above, you must be rather overwhelmed by the volume now. I’m sure that now you understand what I’ve meant that there’s so much to see in this incredible city. The good news is that the next barrio won’t be stuffed with so many museums and buildings to see. There are still few so-called “must-see” locations here but visiting the oldest residential neighbourhood in Buenos Aires San Telmo is more about enjoying its general atmosphere and a local vibe.

Speaking for myself, the colourful neighbourhood of San Telmo, quickly became my favourite part of town. It feels more relaxed as well as more real, or let’s say more authentic than most of the major tourist locations in the city. There are just fewer touristy elements, which makes it feel more local. Basically, San Telmo is where you can enjoy many things that are typical for Buenos Aires and Argentina that are still addressing also the local audience, rather than just tourists.

Unlike in Palermo, the stylish restaurants and pubs of San Telmo are filled with lesser yuppie-looking crowd and the hood is also a bit cheaper. Just walking around the hood feels like being in a super-cool movie. Unfortunately, being a more local place makes San Telmo a little less safe than it looks, especially when the night falls. To be honest, I haven’t witnessed any unpleasant situations but these are the words of my local friends living there: “I wouldn’t walk a few blocks this way unless I had to” and I have obliged.

There several significant icons to be mentioned in connection with San Telmo. If I were you, I’d first visit the local market to check out antiques Mercado de San Telmo (info). Then, then I’d visit the Museum of Modern Arts (Museo de Arte Moderno/site) to see the works of Picasso, Dalí as well as many other contemporary artists.

If you are interested in the local history, you could squeeze in the visit of the National History Museum (info) that exhibits objects relating to the May Revolution of 1810 and the Argentine War of Independence. Furthermore, please consider checking out El Zanjón de Granados (site), which is pretty much a series of old tunnels, sewers and cisterns built from mid 18th century onwards only rediscovered in the 80s and renovated by its new owner Jorge Eckstein in his spare time as a hobby/dream.

By then you could be a little tired, which is the perfect time to enjoy a coffee in one of the local cafés or if you were hungry, you could also grab a steak on Plaza Dorrego and watch tango dancers together with the locals. This is when you can check out more antiques because the square is where San Telmo Antiques Fair takes place (info). If you were not into quirky antiques, or if you have just wanted a little peace and quiet, you could check out one of the city’s most luxurious gardens that were turned into a public park Parque Lezama (info).

And then came the evening… Perhaps, you fancy a tango show? Check out El Viejo Almacén, an old stylish joint from the 60s. Check their site and reserve yourself a table for later on. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed, even if you’re not into tango at all 😉

La Boca

The last hood I’m going to briefly talk about is La Boca, home to the famous football club Boca Juniors is another major tourist destination. This otherwise poverty-stricken neighbourhood holds one of the major tourist spots in the whole city: Caminito. We’re talking about only a few colourful blocks of colourful working-class houses filled with Maradona‘s impersonators, tango dancers, restaurants, souvenir shops, and so on.

If there was something like “a tourism unit per square feet”, I guess that Caminito would be competing at the top of the global attractions’ table. But it means all but a good thing because Caminito is as touristy as it can get. I’m sure that the hood plays a significant role for the local working-class community. I’m however afraid that the mass tourism element on such a small space took all of the original authenticity away.

In other words, although “authenticity” was most probably the original idea sold to tourists, today’s Caminito is not the place where you should be looking for character or charm I’ve mentioned in the opening paragraphs of this article. Well, if you are a football fan, you can get a very authentic experience if you’ve decided to catch a game at Boca Juniors La Bombonera stadium.

And then there’s the ever-present art 🙂 If you’re keen on art and if you still haven’t had enough, in Boca you could visit a museum of a local artist Benito Quinquela Martín (info) as well as the private modern art museum Fundación Proa (site) that focuses on the artistic movements of the twentieth century.

Puerto Madero and Belgrano

Some guides also suggest checking out the Madero port (Puerto Madero), the formerly neglected residential area that went through massive transformative redevelopment. While the current Puerto Madryn could be considered a rather impressive and well-executed urbanisation project by some architects, IMHO it’s like any other good modern part in any other city though. I mean that it speaks the universal modern language, rather than the “Buenos Aires language”.

A similar “universal modern language”, although to a much lesser extend applies to Belgrano, the upper-middle-class neighbourhood northwest of Palermo. This barrio however hosts the China Town as well as few historical landmarks, such as Inmaculada Concepción, AKA “La Redonda” church. You could also opt for visiting Larreta or Sarmiento museums, if you’re keen on Spanish art, respectively on local history.

Another important landmark in the barrio is River Plate Stadium, the home to the Argentinian national football team as well as the other famous local football club River Plate. In order to avoid the football fan confusion, I must specify that it is the neighbouring Nuñez barrio, which claims to be a proud home of Club Atlético River Plate, but geographically the stadium is located still in Belgrano.

There’s one more curiosity to be mentioned about this barrio. It has “its own language”, which is called Belgranodeutsch and if you’re guessing that it’s a strange mix of Spanish and German, you’re totally right 🙂

Tigre

Rather than a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Tigre is a city, only 28 km (17 mil) north of the capital. It’s located at the delta of the Paraná river, and the city, therefore, serves as a gateway for tourists to explore its interconnecting rivers and streams. Except for the delta boat trips, the city also boasts of various antique shops, riverside restaurants and pubs and an amusement park. You can also opt for visiting the National Naval Museum with scale models and historical pieces or Argentinian Navy (info) or a casino if that was your idea of fun. The city is reachable by a scenic coastal train (Tren de la Costa/info).

Other landmarks and interesting places to visit

People keen on science should not skip the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum (info) in Parque Centenario. It doesn’t get very crowded and it holds many fossils, including those of prehistoric creatures. In case you were here on family holidays, by now you’ll be in huge depth to your kids after dragging them around various museums and galleries. You’re in luck because, in Buenos Aires, you can take them to Children’s Museum (Museo de los Niños) above the Abasto shopping centre, which recreates a child-sized city (info).

Go out and Events

Uff. Such subject would deserve its own article, if not a full book, or a full-on saga for that matter 🙂 I wish I could just say something like this: Tango-malbec-steak-coffee-theatre-malbec-malbec-malbec and get it over and done with. But when I’m thinking about it, I’ve mentioned a considerable amount of “going out” activities above. We’ve talked about getting ‘bohemianised’ in one of the joints of San Telmo, or going a bit wild in Palermo. We’ve also talked about the cultural “must see” options of Teatro Colón, Café Tortoni or El Viejo Almacén.

Yes, there’s more. Much more. I mean for a city with 300 theatres, imagine how many live venues there is. And I’m not talking about restaurants, bars and so on. Although it’s not about going out, maybe it’s worth mentioning, that Buenos Aires is also a city that has more bookstores per person than any other city in the world, just to emphasise that this is “a city of theatre, film, literature and music”, as stated by the Argentinian official tourism website. In case you were interested in live events, here are Eventful‘s live events listings.

Safety in Buenos Aires

We’ve briefly talked about safety in the particular barrios above. You’re very safe in Recoleta and Palermo, as well as in the centre and San Telmo. When the night comes, the latter two might change a bit but not too drastically. For instance, I took a night bus from La Boca, which isn’t considered to be that safe all the way across the city to Palermo and I was absolutely fine. Overall, if I was to speak for myself, I can’t say that I’ve ever felt in danger in my 3 weeks in BA and as I said above, I’ve explored its nightlife a lot, which IMHO rises chances to attract the attention of trouble a bit…

But at the same time, I know that shit happens sometimes, regardless of where you are and I have to admit that safety is not the major reason why people visit Buenos Aires. If we look at stats, for the Economist‘s safety index of 2019, we’d find the city only just below average, at 34th position, above Kuala Lumpur, Istambul and Moscow. When it comes to the crime index, Numbeo has Buenos Aires placed at 62nd place, right above Surrey (Can) and Philadephia (USA).

The stats are however too general to indicate safety, especially if we look at things from the tourism perspective because shit often happens in the areas you’d never visit as a tourist unless you’re specialising in some sort of “adrenaline street gang tourism”. So if we’re talking about the areas popular with tourists in Buenos Aires (in most cities for that matter), I’d say that you have nothing major to worry about.

But we’re still in a big city and those almost always come with petty theft and scam. Be aware of pickpockets and scammers. In the centre, there will be a lot of men shouting “cambio” in order to try to exchange your money on a couple of the streets near banks. Ignore them, unless you’re a collector of counterfeit notes. Furthermore, switch on immediately if you’re facing an ordinary-looking accident kind of situation, like if someone spills ketchup or any sauce on you “accidentally” and tries to wipe it off you because you might end up being without your phone or valet without even knowing it. Just watch your back, they hunt in packs.

Saying all that, I believe that if you use “a normal big city” precautions, you should be fine. You know, the usual lot. Don’t flash your expensive jewellery and electronics around, watch your back and don’t be a dick. And, of course, don’t walk down the empty dark alleys, especially if the lamp is flickering and you hear squeaky sounds and evil child laughter from that direction 😉 In case you were interested, here‘s more detailed info about safety in Latin America. It also offers some safety tricks, plus it mainly talks about safety on public transport, social life and so on in more depth.

Get around

Buenos Aires has very efficient and easy-to-use public transport. You will need to get yourself a local equivalent of an Oyster card called SUBE, which you can purchase, together with rather cheap top-ups in every metro station. FYI, it works in more cities of Argentina, like Bariloche as well. Try avoiding rush hours ‘cos it can get rather claustrophobic, I mean London’s Bank-like claustrophobic. A tip: Wear your backpack upfront like the locals. Here‘s a link to the city’s tourism site with a few tips for getting around Buenos Aires, in case you were interested.

Practical notes

Bring cash and exchange it in the official Cambio places only. ATM fees in Argentina are insane, plus the withdrawals are limited. If you don’t have cash, use ATM to get Argentinian Pesos. More about ATM fees in most parts of Latin America could be found here, in case you were interested.

When it comes to prices, Argentina hasn’t enjoyed a lot of economical stability lately and the inflation rates when I was there were stunning. Buenos Aires is normally a rather expensive city to be but it really depends on the current economic situation of the country.

Where to stay in Buenos Aires

Being a popular tourist destination, Buenos Aires offers all possible forms of accommodation, ranging from cheap hostels up to five-star hotels. The most popular as well as convenient neighbourhoods to stay in are mainly Recoleta and Palermo. You can however stay pretty much in any hood we’ve talked about here, possible except La Boca, I’m not sure what happens there at night.

I’ve personally stayed in an old-ish house on the edges of Palermo, near the Ministro Carranza metro station. It was an Airbnb place called Habitación Studio in Palermo Hollywood ($12,-US/shared bathroom) and it was pretty cool. The place held two more rooms to rent, one of which is called a Private room in Palermo Hollywood. There was also a larger and posher double room in the house. The host Pablo is a very nice, friendly and attentive person. The place has a lot of character, like the neighbourhood it’s located in, although I’m not sure if it’s still there as the owners were considering selling the place…

Sort of epilogue

I understand that this was a long read and thanks if you got this far. Let me assure you that it was even longer “write’, not to mention the nightmarish hyperlinking and colour coding (:0 But as I said at the beginning, there’s so much to do and see in Buenos Aires that even brief “highlights plus” guides like this one gain volume in order to get its content complete.

I won’t prolong your reading with this epilogue because I believe that Buenos Aires will write its own customised epilogue for you, right upon your visit 😉 Enjoy your visit to this incredible city 🙂 Btw, in case you believe I’ve missed something, please do let me know to correct my mistake, I will happily oblige.

Consider getting a tour

Actually, there is one more thing I’d like to say/suggest. For a proper exploration of this incredible city, please consider taking a guided tour. I know that it’s often better to go and “discover” things by yourself, but at the same time, remember that each monument has its own story and the trained guides should be able to enrich your experience with additional information, you often don’t find in brochures.

In case you didn’t like that “sheep-tourism” feeling about the general tours, some of which could be sometimes a bit “shallow” or let’s say too formal because they’re aimed at the widest possible audiences, there are also various specialised tours, in case you’ve wanted like to dig deeper into some specific elements of the city, such as culture, art, history or even culinary highlights…

Summary list: Things to do in Buenos Aires, organised by areas of interest

Note: places marked with * are also interesting from the architectural point of view.

Culture, Art & nightlife

• Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art (Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires/site): an impressive collection that boasts more than 7000 works of art
• Café Tortoni/site + Academia Nacional del Tango de la República Argentina/info: famous coffeehouse with live tango shows and Tango Museum above
• Eduardo Sívori Museum of Art (Museo Sívori/info): Argentine modern art
• Faena Arts Center/website: exhibits international artists as well as local debutants
• Fortabat Art Collection (Colección de Arte Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat/website): how cement can help art, AKA a private collection of the chief stockholder of the largest cement manufacturer in Argentina
• Fundación Proa/website: private modern art centre with educational programmes and exchanges with cultural institutions
• Kirchner Cultural Centre* (Centro Cultural Kirchner/info): the largest Cultural Centre in Latin America and among the four largest centres in the world located in Palacio de Correos
• Larreta Museum (Museo de Arte Español Enrique Larreta/info): Spanish Art museum with collection of art spanning five centuries and Andalusian garden
• Latin American Art Museum* (MALBA: Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires/website): impressive collections of Latin American art
• Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum of Spanish-American art * (Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco/info): Spanish-American art in a beautiful Palacio Noel
• National Museum of Decorative Arts* (Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo @ Palacio Errázuriz/info): “a window into the opulence of Argentina’s upper classes in the early 20th century”
• National Museum of Fine Arts* (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes/website): one of the best art collections in Latin America
• National Palace of the Arts* (Palais de Glace/info): an ice ring turned art museum
• Plaza Serrano (Plazooleta Julio Cortázar): night life, artisanal market, people watching
• San Telmo Market (Mercado de San Telmo/info): historic indoor market
• Teatro Colón*/site: country’s main opera house, also considered among the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic

Architecture

• Faculty of Law (Facultad de Derecho+ Floralis Genérica/info): an impressive architectural building featuring Greek periodic colonial columns and moving sculpture
• Museum of Architecture and Design (MARQ: Museo de Arquitectura y Diseño/info): showcasing the city’s architecture and urban design
• National Congress (Congreso de la Nación Argentina/info): an impressive home to Argentine lawmakers
• National Library (Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno/website): attention-seeking modernist national library building
• Palacio Barolo/site: landmark Dante-inspired office building, once tallest in the city
• Palacio Sarmiento (also known as Pizzurno Palace/info): architectural landmark and Ministry of Education
• Plaza Francia/info: another urban planning job of Charles Thays
• Plaza de Mayo/info: the country’s main square

History

• Casa Rosada Museum* (Museo de la Casa de Gobierno/website): Argentinian history, from the revolution of independence of May 1810 until today
• Evita’s Monument (Monumento a María Eva Duarte de Perón/info)
• Evita Perón Museum (Museo Evita/site): learn about the life and work of the legendary and controversial legend
• Historical Museum Sarmiento (Museo Histórico Sarmiento/info): museum dedicated to Argentine history
• Memorial Museum (Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos/info): former Dirty War torture centre turned into a museum to promote and defend human rights
• National Historical Museum of the Cabildo* (Museo Histórico Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo/info): the former site of Spain’s colonial administration in the city that displays paintings, artefacts and documents as well as interactive exhibits on the Spanish colonial era
• Recoleta Cemetery* (Cementerio de la Recoleta/info + Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar/info): beautiful cemetery and colonial basilica
• The Palace of Running Waters*(Museo del Agua y de la Historia Sanitaria/Palacio de Aguas Corrientes/site/esp): beautiful and perhaps a little extravagant 19th century water-pumping station with museum

Science

• Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Argentine Museum (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia/info): exhibits dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures discovered in Argentina
• Botanical Gardens (Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays/info): a 7-hectare botanical garden with 6 000 species of trees and plants
• Galileo Galilei Planetarium/info: planetarium in a cool futuristic, UFO resembling building
• Juan B. Ambrosetti Museum of Ethnography/info: a large collection that shows the cultural diversity of pre-hispanic times as well as today

Other

• ARA Presidente Sarmiento (Buque museo fragata A.R.A. Presidente Sarmiento/site): a ship museum on the regatta Sarmiento from the 1890s
• ARA Uruguay (Buque Museo Corbeta ARA Uruguay/info): navy ship museum on a corbeta built in 1874
• Argentine Automobile Club * (ACA/info): cars dating back to the late 19th century
• Carlos Thalys Park (Parque Carlos Thalys): pretty park with sculptures
• Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires* (Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires/info): Pope Francis‘ previous workplace
• Museum of Foreign Debt (Museo de la Deuda Externa/info): a “museum” that highlights the dangers of borrowing money from abroad (solo en español)
• Children’s Museum (Museo de los Niños/info): museum that recreates a child-sized city
• National Aeronautics Museum (Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina/info): history of Argentinian aviation
• National Museum of Immigration (Hotel de Inmigrantes/info): former immigrants’ hotel and centre
• National Naval Museum (Museo Naval de la Nación/info): history of Argentina’s navy with models, artefacts and dioramas
• National Railway Museum (Museo Nacional Ferroviario/info): a glimpse of the glorious rail past of Argentina
• Tres de Febrero Park (Bosques de Palermo/info): huge park with many beautiful gardens and ZOO

Useful and interesting links

• Buenos, Buenos Aires: the first part of this guide that talks about general vibes, basic history and life in the city
• Travellers’ Guide to Argentina: places to see, culture, cuisine, history, general safety and much more
• Getting around the city tips by the official city’s tourism website
• Live events in Buenos Aires on Eventful listings website
• History of Buenos Aires of Buenos Aires by David J. Keeling on Britannica
• Evita in relation to Buenos Aires by Michael T. Luongo at NY Times

Next possible destinations to consider

Uruguay: Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo

Another option is taking only a couple of hours worth of ferry ride from Buenos Aires will take you over the river to the Uruguayan town of Colonia del Sacramento from where it’s another two hours bus ride to the country’s capital Montevideo. Read more about Colonia, Montevideo or other places in this special little country here, in case you were interested.

Iguazú Falls

If you have a spare couple of days, I’d certainly recommend visiting one of the most popular destinations in South America, the very impressive and spectacular Iguazú Falls. A mini-guide with a few tips such as which side of the falls is better to visit, how to avoid crowds, how much but also how to get there from Montevideo could be found here.

Salta & Jujuy regions, Atacama Desert and Uyuni Salt Flats

In case you wanted to explore the indigenous culture of Argentina and very different landscapes, I’d recommend checking out the northern regions of Salta and Jujuy. That way you’d be also very near two other popular locations in neighbouring Chile and Bolivia: the moon-like Atacama Desert, respectively the surreal Uyuni Salt Flats. Read more about Salta and Jujuy regions here, the Atacama Desert here and Uyuni Salt Flats here, in case you were interested.

Patagonia

For nature lovers, there’s mighty Patagonia. Take a plane to Ushuaia, El Calafate or Bariloche to visit the ever amazing and mind-blowing wilderness of Patagonia. Some itinerary suggestions that comer Patagonian “highlights plus”, with links to more detailed guides about particular locations, in both, Argentinian as well as Chilean Patagonia could be found here.

Latin American locations covered on Quaint Planet

Santiago de Chile ► Valparaíso ► Santiago de Chile ►Punta Arenas – Ushuaia – Punta Arenas ► Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales ► El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier, Arg) ► El Chaltén (Los Glaciares National Park) ► Chile Chico (Ch) – Puerto Rio Tranquillo (Marble Caves) ► Coyhaique – Puyuhuapi – (Carretera Austral) ► Puerto Chacabuco – Quellón/Castro ► Puerto Varas – San Carlos de Bariloche (Arg) ► Buenos Aires ► Colonia (Ur) ► Montevideo ► Punta del Diablo – Cabo Polonio ► Montevideo ► Salto ► Concordia (Arg) ► Puerto Iguazú (Iguazú Falls) ► Salta ► San Salvador de Jujuy ► Tilcara ► San Pedro de Atacama (Ch) ► Uyuni Salt Flats Tour (Bol) ► Uyuni ► Sucre – La Paz (Death Road Tour) ► Copacabana (Lake Titicaca) – Isla del Sol – Copacabana ► Cusco (Per) ► Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) ► Cusco ► Lima ► Máncora – Montañita (Ecu) ► Puerto López ► Quito ► Ipiales (Col) – Pasto ► Tatacoa Desert ► Bogotá ► Medellín ► Villa de Lleyva ► Santa Marta – Cartagena – Rincón del Mar Necoclí ► Capurganá ► Puerto Obaldía (Pan) ► Panama City ► Las Lajas ► Cerro Punta ► David ► Bocas del Torro ► San José (Costa Rica) ► San Juan del Sur (Nic) – Ometepe ► Granada ► Managua – El Rama – Bluefields – Corn Islans ► Léon ► El Tunco (El Salvador) ► La Antigua Guatemala – Lake Atitlán ► Lanquín (Semuc Champey) – Flores (Tikal) ► Belize City ► Bacalar – Tulum – Playa del Carmen – Mérida – Valladolid – Cancún ✈️ .

Featured image of Plaza de la República by an unlisted authorfrom PxHere