Buenos Aires Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go

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Buenos Aires is one of the most exciting cities in South America, known for its European-style architecture, vibrant culture and incredible food scene.

If you’re planning a trip to Argentina’s capital, this Buenos Aires travel guide covers everything you need to know before you go — from the best time to visit and where to stay, to transportation, safety, money tips and what to see in the city.

Whether you’re visiting Buenos Aires for a weekend or a full week, this guide will help you plan your trip easily and avoid common mistakes.

Anything can happen in Buenos Aires. Sometimes it is a completely chaotic city with traffic, protests and public transportation strikes. But there are also moments when you discover a peaceful city, where people stop and sit to have a coffee and read the newspaper as if time stood still.

Buenos Aires is an electric but also melancholic city. There will be times when you love the city, and times when you hate it too. Buenos Aires does not go unnoticed.

Buenos Aires city (and Argentina) is commonly associated with tango, steak and red wine. And that certainly are things that you can see and experience in the city, but Argentina’s capital city has so much more to offer. Buenos Aires isn’t a city where you need to rush from one main attraction to the other to see them all. There are no top 5 museums or things to see. Visiting Buenos Aires is more about experiencing the different neighbourhoods and its contrats, enjoying local food, visiting different bars, the parks, the coffee, and just walking around the city.

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When to visit Buenos Aires

In mi opinion, the best months to visit Buenos Aires are from September to November, during spring. The temperatures are great during this time (around 20ºC) and all the purple jacaranda flowers begin to bloom, giving the city a unique look.

Fall is also a good time to visit the city (March to June). Summers can be really hot and humid in the city, but it’s also a quiet season because locals leave to spend their summer vacations in cities like Mar del Plata or Punta del Este (Uruguay). December and January are the hottest months.

June to August are the winter months in Buenos Aires. The average temperature during winter is around 10ºC.

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How many days should you spend in Buenos Aires?

Of course Buenos Aires is a must when planning your Argentina itinerary. It’s a very large city, so I suggest you stay for at least a few nights as there’s no way of seeing everything in one day or two. I suggest a minimum stay of 3 days. If you’d like to do some day trip to Colonia in Uruguay or to the Delta in Tigre, you need to add a few days.

After visiting Buenos Aires you can visit other regions in the country like the beautiful Patagonia Argentina or one of the 7 natural wonders of Nature: the Iguazu Falls

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Currency of Argentina

The currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso. We’ve suffered a big devaluation in the last years so it is convenient for almost any country to visit Argentina right now. Click here to check the day’s exchange rate (you should regularly check it as it fluctuates a lot).

The Argentine economy is quite complex and can be somewhat complicated to understand for those who come as tourists but here is a small summary.

For many years, the purchase of foreign currency for Argentine citizens was restricted. This created a black market where you can buy and sell as many dollars as you want, referred to as the “blue dollar.” In this black market you can exchange your dollars at a more advantageous rate than you’d receive from a bank.

Do you need to have bring cash?

Yes, you will need to have some cash in argentine pesos. In Buenos Aires almost every shop accepts debit or credit cards but in some other provinces, many shops are small and won’t accept debit or credit cards. We are quite behind compared to first world countries when it comes to the use of cards.

You can use your card to get cash at any ATM in the city but the fees are usually high.

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How to get to the city from Ezeiza International Airport

If you’re traveling from other country, you will most probably enter the country through Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires. Ezeiza is located about 30 km outside the city (depending which part) and unluckily there is no good public transportation to get there. These are the options to get to Buenos Aires from Ezeiza Airport:

• Taxi: Inside the airport you will find official taxis from the airport called Taxi Ezeiza. They accept credit cards and the price will depend on where you are going. This is the safest way to get a taxi from the airport. If you exit the airport and stop for a taxi there, they will charge you whatever they want.
• Uber: Uber is not completely legal in Argentina. I take Ubers all the time in the city but I don’t recommend taking an Uber from the airport since they usually can’t stop at the entrance and it will be difficult for you to find the car if you don’t have internet or don’t speak spanish.
• Manuel Tienda de Leon Bus: a shared bus that gets you from Ezeiza to Puerto Madero or Aeroparque Airport (from where most of the local flights depart). Click here for more information.
• Airport transfer: the best thing to save time and be comfortable is to book an airport transfer before your trip. This shared airport transfer costs just USD$12 and gets you from Ezeiza to your hotel in Retiro, Recoleta, Balvanera, San Telmo or Puerto Madero.

Click here to book an airport transfer for your arrival.

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How to get around in Buenos Aires

Public transport is the most common way to get around Buenos Aires. You will need a magnetic SUBE card to get on buses (bondis or colectivos), subways and trains. The SUBE is a rechargeable card available at post offices, kiosks and tourist assistance centers.

• Bus: in Buenos Aires, buses are known as “colectivos” or “bondis” and are the most common transport. Buses are identified by a number and sometimes also a color which may indicate a different route. To know which bus you should take, you can just use Google Maps.

Once on the bus you must tell the driver where you are going and pay by placing your SUBE card in a machine. The price depends on the distance traveled and is around $18-23 pesos (prices updated in February 2020).

• Subte (metro): The subway system in Buenos Aires is not to big but is useful for moving around as a tourists as it connects the city’s main attractions. The subte ticket costs $19 pesos (price updated in February 2020).
• Train: There are different train lines in Buenos Aires. The most common train line that you’ll most likely use is Mitre. The Mitre line Ramal Tigre goes from Retiro Train Station to Tigre (a beautiful city located just outside the autonomous city of Buenos Aires).

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Buenos Aires City Guide: Neighborhoods

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. It is an autonomous district, this means it is not part of Buenos Aires Province, although it physically is. It is also named Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires) or Capital Federal (CABA).

Greater Buenos Aires (In spanish: Gran Buenos Aires) is the urban agglomeration comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the adjacent districts over the Province of Buenos Aires. If you visit Buenos Aires, you’ll probably visit the barrios (neighbourhoods) marked in the map which are: Belgrano, Palermo, Recoleta, Retiro, Puerto Madero, San Telmo, La Boca, San Nicolas and Monserrat.

What to see in Buenos Aires: Main Attractions by Area

Buenos Aires is a huge city with dozens of attractions spread across different neighborhoods.
Instead of listing endless places without context, here’s a simple overview of the main areas and what to see in each one.

If you have limited time, check out my complete 3 days in Buenos Aires itinerary.

Historic Center

• Plaza de Mayo

• Casa Rosada

• Metropolitan Cathedral

• Cabildo

• Obelisk

• Teatro Colón

• Avenida Corrientes

Recoleta

• Recoleta Cemetery

• El Ateneo

• Floralis Genérica

• Fine Arts Museum

Read my guide to Buenos Aires’ most famous tombs including Evita’s.

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Puerto Madero

• Puente de la Mujer

• Ecological Reserve

Puerto Madero is one of the newest barrios of Buenos Aires. It used to be a port and now it’s the area where all the modern offices and luxury buildings are located. The landmark of this district is the Women’s Bridge, designed by the famous architect Calatrava. Puerto Madero is also the location for Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve: A 865-acre reserve bordering the Río de la Plata River which shows a great contrast.

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San Telmo & La Boca

• San Telmo Market

• Plaza Dorrego

• Caminito

• Boca Juniors Stadium

 

La Boca is immersed in fútbol (soccer) because of Boca Juniors Stadium. This was Maradona’s local team. The club offers guided tours to the stadium which is a great experience if you’re a futbol fan. Boca Juniors main rival team is River Plate (Monumental stadium). If you’re into fútbol, you should try to catch a match between these teams, a “superclásico” as we call it.

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Palermo

• Bosques de Palermo

• Japanese Garden

• MALBA

• Palermo Soho

• Palermo Hollywood

Don’t forget to check out the best street art in Palermo Soho

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Where to stay in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a huge city so there are many areas where you can stay depending on what you like. For a complete guide, I suggest you read my guide on where to stay in Buenos Aires including the best neighborhoods, hotel, hostels and apartments.

Here are some of my recommendations:

• Dazzler by Wyndham Polo Hotel Buenos Aires – Hotel with modern facilities located just 3 blocks away from Palermo subway station and Av. Santa Fe. Click here to find the best rates for Dazzler
• Palacio Duhau – One of the most luxurious hotels in Buenos Aires. The hotel is literally a palace! Click here to find the best rates for Palacio Duhau
• Hotel Pulitzer – I personally stayed at this hotel and can say it has a great price/quality relation. Loved the room and it has a great rooftop bar. Click here to find the best rates for Hotel Pulitzer

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What to eat in Buenos Aires

Argentina has delicious food, and you can’t leave the country without trying the following:

• Asado – It may look like a barbecue but it isn’t! Meat is cooked in a “parrilla” (grill) using carbon and wood. The best place to eat an asado is in a house really, because it is a social gathering for us, but there are many “parrillas” that also serve good asado. Try the best meat in town at “Don Julio” restaurant in Palermo.
• Dulce de leche – A thick caramel, result of condensed milk. We put it in everything. Try dulce de leche ice cream.
• Empanadas – A typical food served as entry. A pasty stuffed with beef, chicken, veggies, cheese, etc.
• Alfajores – Sort of a biscuit, usually made with chocolate and dulce de leche. Try it in Havanna Coffee with a submarino (Argentine hot chocolate).
• Milanesa – Basically breaded beef, chicken or soy. Everyone loves milanesas. Try them at “El Preferido” restaurant in Palermo.
• Mate – A herbal drink, typical from latin america. We drink mate everywhere: at work, in the park, at university,etc.
• Ice-cream – If you thought Italian gelato was the best, you need to try Argentinian helado! My favorite ice cream shops are: Rapanui and Freddo.
• Pizza – We have an amazing pizza culture in Argentina. You should try it at least once. One of the most popular pizza places in Buenos Aires are Guerrín and Kentucky.

Tips for dinning in Buenos Aires: Dinners in Argentina are late compared to other countries. We eat around 9 or 10 pm. Most restaurants in Buenos Aires open at 8 pm. Tipping is around 10% and it is kind of a tradition to leave it on cash. It is not a common thing to add your tip on a credit card like it is in U.S.

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Nightlife in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is also known for it’s nightlife. If you still have the energy after visiting every neighborhood, coffee and bookstore during the day, you can go to a “boliche” (disco) and dance until 7 am. You should know that we start our nights really late. If we are going out, we usually gather with friends for the “previa” around midnight and go to the boliche around 2 am.

There’s a craft beer revolution happening in Buenos Aires and the city is full of bars offering really great beer, specially in the neighborhoods of Belgrano and Palermo. Plaza Serrano is a notable spot for bars and restaurants in Palermo Soho. Happy hours are usually offered between 6-8 pm.

One of the most known attractions for young travelers in Buenos Aires is Bomba de Tiempo (The Time Bomb), a percussion show with unique environment and an awesome party that happens every Monday.

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Day trips from Buenos Aires

I strongly suggest you get outside the city and go to the north of Buenos Aires to cities like Tigre, San Isidro or Vicente López. Just an hour away by train, you can escape from the hustle of Buenos Aires and enjoy a lunch by the river, or visit Puerto de Frutos in Tigre (a local market with crafts, furniture and food). Another day trip could be getting a one hour ferry to the beautiful city of Colonia in Uruguay.

For more information read: The best day trips from Buenos Aires

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I hope my Buenos Aires City Guide has helped you plan your trip. Is there anything else you want to know about my city? Please let me know in the comments. Have you been to Buenos Aires?

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