Argentina
Overview
Buenos Aires feels like Paris and Madrid with a Latin American soul: wide avenues, elegant old buildings, cafés on every corner, bookshops, tango in the streets and steak dinners that start at 22:00. Each neighbourhood (barrio) has its own personality, from colourful La Boca to leafy Palermo. It is a city to walk, eat and stay out late.
Pedro de Mendoza founded the first Buenos Aires in 1536, but it was abandoned; Juan de Garay founded it again in 1580. It grew as a port, and on 25 May 1810 the May Revolution in the Cabildo started Argentina's independence. Between 1880 and 1930, millions of immigrants, mostly from Italy and Spain, arrived, and the city became one of the richest in the world; tango was born in its port neighbourhoods at that time. Eva Perón spoke to the crowds from the balcony of the Casa Rosada in the 1940s and 1950s.
How long to stay: 4 to 5 days, plus a day trip to Tigre or Colonia (Uruguay).
Last updated: October 2026
Quick Facts
Location
On the Río de la Plata estuary, in eastern Argentina, across the river from Uruguay (Colonia is 1 hour by ferry).
Budget
Per person, per day.
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | ARS 30,000–50,000 ($19–32) | ARS 110,000–200,000 ($71–129) | ARS 350,000+ ($226+) |
| Food | ARS 30,000–50,000 ($19–32) | ARS 70,000–120,000 ($45–77) | ARS 200,000+ ($129+) |
| Getting around | ARS 5,000–10,000 | ARS 15,000–30,000 | ARS 50,000+ |
| Daily total | ARS 65,000–110,000 ($42–71) | ARS 195,000–350,000 ($126–226) | ARS 600,000+ ($387+) |
A steak dinner with Malbec at a good parrilla costs about ARS 40,000–70,000 per person.
Things to Do
Buenos Aires wears its European bones proudly. Start in San Telmo on a Sunday for the antique market and the impromptu tango on Plaza Dorrego, then walk north into Monserrat for the Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo.
Recoleta Cemetery is a city inside the city, a maze of marble mausoleums where Eva Peron rests. Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood are the neighborhoods for long dinners, natural wine bars, and boutique shopping.
Don't leave without a proper parrilla night. Order bife de chorizo, a bottle of Malbec, and settle in; porteños treat dinner as a sport that lasts until midnight.
The political heart of Argentina, with the pink presidential palace, the Cabildo (where the May Revolution started) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, where Pope Francis was archbishop and where General José de San Martín is buried. On Thursday afternoons, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo still walk around the square to remember the people who disappeared during the dictatorship (1976–1983).
Price: free; Casa Rosada guided tours are free on weekends with booking.
A city of marble tombs and mausoleums, opened in 1822, where presidents, writers and Eva Perón (Evita) are buried.
Price: foreigners pay an entrance fee (about ARS 20,000–30,000) · Time needed: 1.5 hours · Tip: Evita's tomb is in the Duarte family vault; follow the crowds.
The old port neighbourhood of Italian immigrants, with its colourful painted houses made of ship metal, tango dancers on the street, and La Bombonera, the stadium of Boca Juniors.
Price: free; stadium museum and tour extra · Tip: stay in the Caminito area and leave before dark.
The oldest neighbourhood, with cobblestone streets, antique shops and the Feria de San Telmo every Sunday along Calle Defensa. Visit the Mercado de San Telmo (1897) for empanadas and vintage stalls.
Price: free · Tip: Sunday is the best day.
One of the best opera houses in the world for its acoustics, opened in 1908. The guided tour shows the golden auditorium, the foyer and the backstage workshops.
Price: guided tours about USD 25–30 equivalent in pesos; performances vary · Tip: cheaper standing tickets for performances exist.
A theatre from 1919 turned into a bookshop, with books in the old boxes and a café on the stage. Often called one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world.
Price: free.
The largest barrio, with the Bosques de Palermo parks, the Rosedal (rose garden), the Japanese Garden, MALBA (Latin American art, including Frida Kahlo) and the trendy streets of Palermo Soho and Hollywood, full of bars and restaurants.
Price: parks free; Japanese Garden and MALBA a few thousand pesos.
Watch a dinner show (about USD 60–150), or better, go to a milonga, where locals dance, like La Catedral or La Viruta. Many offer a beginners' class before the dancing.
Price: milongas about ARS 5,000–15,000.
The old docks turned into restaurants and offices, with the Puente de la Mujer, a pedestrian bridge by Santiago Calatrava (2001).
Price: free.
A maze of rivers and islands with wooden houses on stilts, reached by the Mitre train (about 1 hour). Take a boat ride and visit the Puerto de Frutos market.
The ferry takes about 1 to 1.25 hours. See the Colonia guide.
Transit Tips
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Ezeiza (EZE): Uber or official taxi to Palermo about 45 to 60 minutes; Tienda León buses to the centre.
Aeroparque (AEP): 15 minutes to Palermo by Uber.
By ferry: Buquebus and Colonia Express from Uruguay arrive at Puerto Madero.
SUBE card: buy at kiosks or subte stations; colectivos start at about ARS 920 and the subte costs about ARS 1,800 per ride (October 2026). Fares rise every month.
Uber, Cabify and DiDi: cheap and easy.
Walking: neighbourhoods are best on foot.
Keep in mind that dinner starts late: restaurants fill up after 21:30. Pay with a foreign card (charged near the MEP rate) or bring some US dollars in clean, new bills to exchange.
Helpful Words
A few basics in Spanish can make everyday conversations much easier.
Where to Stay
Plan & Book
Explore accommodation options and open hotel details directly from the map.
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