May 8, 2024
Buenos Aires | 30 Things to Do and Experience
This city is the cultural heart of the country and you will never run of things to do in Buenos Aires.
Below I highlight the top things to do in Buenos Aires.
1. Buy a Book from El Ateneo Grand Splendid
I am a self-declared bookworm. I have been to more libraries in Buenos Aires than any other attractions or experiences and I am not complaining. This bookshop is hailed as one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, and boy, does hold up to its name. The building was a former opera house and later renovated into a bookshop. The former stage is a cafe where you can relax with a cafe con leche and alfajoras. There are not many books in English but it’s perfect way to buy a book in Spanish and practice the language.
2. Watch Sunset at Floralis Generica
Situated in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, this giant flower is completely made of metal and weighs 18 tons. It was built by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano to imitate a real flower – it opens in sunrise and closes during sunset. Grab a snack and a blanket and lay around on a sunny day and sip on your mate.
3. Visit the Recoleta Cemetery
The entire cemetery is a mausoleum (similar to the ones in New Orleans) where the graves are above the ground. This was the first burial site in Buenos Aires. The history of the cemetery and the people buried here is rich and extremely interesting. I highly recommend visiting the Recoleta Cemetery with a tour guide who can give a better history and overview of the cemetery. I booked my tour through the Buenos Aires Free Walking Tour.
4. Check a show or event at the Centro Cultural Recoleta
Located near the Recoleta Cemetery, this free cultural center exhibits local artworks and hosts events throughout the month. The building was a former convent of the Recoleto monks – who the neighborhood is named after. It also has tons of co-working spaces and café. It gets pretty crowded here on Friday nights and into the weekend. I found myself squeezed between many teenage couples and other tourists.
5. Buy Leather in Calle Murillo
Leather makes a great gift for friends and family (or for yourself), and there is something special about leather from Argentina. This street is filled with leather tiendos after tiendos. Walk around and pick up a leather jacket, bag, or belt. Many stores even offer to custom made jackets where they’ll take your measurements and in within 24-72 hours, you’ll have your own unique jacket. I recommend to bring pictures of jackets as examples of you like that they can use to model your very own custom jacket after.
6. Visit MALBA (Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires) or the Museo de Arte Moderno
The MALBA, located in Palermo, has an impressive collection, including a Frida Kolho collection. The museum itself is architecturally stunning. The Museo de Arte Moderno is located right by Plaza Dorrego in Palermo, and is one of my favorite museums in Buenos Aires.
7. Catch a Show in Teatro Colon
This stunning theater is probably one of the most beautiful theaters I’ve been to. It’s not as big at the theaters in NYC or Chicago, but it is one in a lifetime experience to spend a couple hours catching a show. They often have operas, musicals, and ballets here – you will need to buy your tickets online. If you don’t have enough time to watch a show, they also offer a tour of the theater found here.
8. Explore the Colorful Neighborhood of La Boca
If you’ve seen pictures of colorful buildings when looking at Buenos Aires guides, they are the ones located in La Boca, a neighborhood slightly south of San Telmo. La boca translates to mouth in Spanish, and is located in the city’s largest former port. There was a huge immigration in 19th and 20th century that brought people from Europe who settled in the neighborhood. El Caminito is the popular street that houses that colorful houses. There are many street vendors selling paintings and souvenirs. I want to caution that this is a working-class neighborhood and to be diligent when walking around. Pickpocketing is very common and I suggest not to bring valuables or wear flashy jewelry and clothes.
9. Attend a Game in Estadio Boca Junior
Also known as La Bombonera, translated to the Chocolate box. The stadium is located in the La Boca neighborhood just blocks away from El Caminito and is home to the Argentine soccer team, the Boca Juniors. Games brings hundreds of fans in the area and can get a little hectic – the D-shaped stadium brings amazing acoustics from fans on game day. To learn more about the stadium history, Museo de la Pasión Boquense is located right at the stadium.
10. Learn Tango at a local Milongo
A milongo is a type dance that originated from Argentina and Uruguay, similar to the tango but is less structured and faster-paced. In Buenos Aires, a milongo is also a venue or event where people come and dance the milongo or tango. Typically, there are tango lessons for beginners from 9pm – 10:30-ish pm, and then starting around 11pm to midnight, there are tango performances and live music that go into the early morning. There are many milongos in Buenos Aires and they all are open on different nights so you can go to as many as you like. You can find a list of all milongos here at Hoy Milonga.
11. Explore the Underground Tunnels
I knew that Paris has underground tunnels but, surprisingly so does Buenos Aires. Two of the most popular are El Zanjon or Manzana de las Luces. Jorge Eckstein, after purchasing an abandoned mansion in San Telmo (now known as El Zanjon), noticed the foundation of the mansion was sinking. Upon further investigation over 2km of underground tunnels were discovered. According to historians, the tunnels under Manzana de las Lunes are part of a much bigger network. You can book tours for both places.
12. Buy Souvenirs at Feria de San Telmo
The Sunday flea market of San Telmo is one of the most popular places to visit in all of Buenos Aires. Not to get confused with Mercado San Telmo, which is a foodhall open every day of the week. On Sundays, hundreds of vendors gather on Calle Defensa, starting from Playa de Mayor and going down to Plaza Dorrego. This is honestly one of the best flea markets I’ve visited so far. I bought multiple leather belts from many vendors.
13. Eat Food at Mercado San Telmo
Mercado San Telmo is a foodhall and market combined into one. It’s right by Plaza Dorrego in the San Telmo neighborhood. You can try delish food and buy local souvenirs and fresh vegetables. It gets very busy on Sundays since the Feria de San Telmo is also going on. My favorite spot is Saigon Noodle Bar, a Vietnamese restaurant.
14. Try Traditional Argentine Pizza
Now this one is a must. There are many Italian immigrants who moved to Argentina over the years and you can find pizza joints all over the city. Argentine pizza is, however, a little different. The dough is thicker (not as thick as a deep-dish Chicago pie) and loaded with tons of cheese. The two most popular Argentine pizza joints are El Caurtito and Pizza Gurrein. They are very close to each other so check both places out and see who has the better pie.
15. Go for a Wine Tasting
It is nearly impossible to come to Argentina and not enjoy the famous wines that the country is known for. Wine is inexpensive here and found easily. You can buy a super high quality bottle of wine for no more than USD 10-15. There are many wine tasting tours through but also events hosted directly through wine bars.
16. Bike Around the City
Grab a free bike from EcoBici, a free bike sharing system in Buenos Aires, and see the city from a bike. Additionally, there are many bike tours offered that will take you around the most popular spots in the city.
17. Bird Watch at Reserva Ecologica Costenara Sur
Located in Puerto Madero, this protected space is the largest biodiverse space in the city and is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle. There are hundreds of different bird and mammal species and plenty of fauna to observe. There is a skate boarding area and biking walking trails. There are also tours offered to learn about the animals that live there.
18. Smell the Roses at Paseo el Rosedal
The next three parks are located right by each other. This area is also referred to the lush Bosques de Palermo. There are parks after parks in Palermo. The Paseo el Rosedal is a rose garden with over 80 variety of roses. It’s open year-round but the best time to visit is during the springtime, when the roses bloom.
19. See the Cherry Trees at Jardin Japones
This sanctuary is tucked away in the edge of Palermo and Recoleta and is a sanctuary within the city. There is a koi pond, an island with bridges, and plenty of sculptures based on Japanese culture. This garden is also best visited in the springtime when the cherry blossom trees bloom and create a beautiful scenery.
20. Visit Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays
This botanical garden is filled with flowers, cactuses, palm trees, and every other greenery and species in between. This botanical garden is best visited in the fall, when the colorful trees create a magical autumn ambience.
21. Stroll through Barrio Chino
There is a big Chinese community in Buenos Aires and barrio chino is the heart of it. You’ll enter through the arch and immediately you’ll be surrounded by food stations, restaurants, and shops. There are tons of Chinese supermarkets, where I bought an absence amount of chili oil and my Asian spices and face masks, that you can visit and buy groceries.
22. Have Coffee at a Notable Bar
Also known as bares notables, these historic cafes take you back in time. There are over 50 notable bars in Buenos Aires and they are carefully preserved to reserve the rich history tied to the bars. Go for breakfast, lunch, or a midafternoon snack known as merienda. Note, some bars only accept cash. Some notable bars to visits are: La Poesia (where former poets used to visit), Café Tortoni (first opened in 1858), and Bar Los Galgos (one of the oldest notable bars in the city).
23. Have High tea at Duhau Palace
Tired and want to enjoy a traditional ‘5 o clock’ tea? This stunning building is located in Recoleta and was owned by the Duhau family until the 1976. It remained empty till 2002 when a developed worked with Hyatt to renovate it into a hotel. Information on making a reservation can be found here.
24. Take a Cooking Class
My favorite things in to when traveling is eating. Coming in second is learning how to cook the local food. Take a local cooking class to learn how to make Argentine empanadas, mate, or asado. Many asado classes are oftentimes located in someone’s house, making the whole experience feel more authentic.
25. Read a book at one of the many Librerias
I lied above. My second most favorite thing when traveling is going to local bookshops. Many librerias throughout Buenos Aires have a café or restaurant, where you can relax with a café con leche and a libro. My favorite liberias are Falena and Libros de Pasaje.
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27. Meet Other Travelers at Mundo Lingo
There are regular social meet-ups on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights for foreigners and expats living or visiting Buenos Aires. This is a great way to meet people especially if you are traveling solo or want to simply meet people from around the world. You can find more information on their website here.
28. Drive Around the Obelisco
This monument is to Argentina what the Eiffel tower is to Paris. It looks vaguely similar to the Washington Monument in Washington DC. It sits at the intersection of two very important streets in Buenos Aires – Avenida 9 de Julio and Avenida Corrientes. This structure was created in 1936 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Buenos Aires and only took one month to build.
29. Take a Day Trip Day Trip to Tigre
Tigre is a cute town about twenty miles north of Buenos Aires and about a one hour train ride up. Tigre consists of thousands of islands and is the perfect escape to spend time in nature and the river delta. There are many water activities that you can do here, such as paddle boarding, kayaking, and fishing, additionally to the many boat rides.
30. Take a Day Trip to Colonia de Sacramento in Uruguay
This small town is only an hour ferry away from Buenos Aires that makes a wonderful day trip to visit another country in just a day. In fact, you can get to Montevideo in 1.5 hours by ferry. Don’t forget to bring your passport and read up on visa requirements to get into Uruguay. They will not let you on the ferry without presenting your passport.
