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I wasn’t sure what to expect from Buenos Aires aside from really good food – fantastic steakhouses, craveworthy gelato, fresh empanadas, flowing wine, the list goes on. And while I did get all that, I also got interactions with the kindest people, hours looking at beautiful art, and learning a new slice of history. Overall, I got to savor a new culture that I didn’t really know before. My joke since I’ve been back is that even though I was not asked, I would happily be their travel ambassador!
Why Go?
If my intro didn’t get it away, Buenos Aires, and to be honest, Argentina as a whole, has a lot to offer! Side note: We bought our flight with a mix of saved and purchased miles under a promotion for foodie destinations so it’s an objective fact that Buenos Aires is well known for its food. But there’s also great shopping, art museums, eco parks, and historical locations.
Where to Stay?
Due to our itinerary, I got to stay in both the Centro neighborhood and the Palermo neighborhood. Both have their pros and cons. With the Centro neighborhood, you are close to all the major tourist locations. On the other hand, in the Palermo neighborhood, you are closer to the foodie spots and better shopping as it’s less touristy. Here is the hotel I stayed in in Centro, and here is the Airbnb I stayed in in Palermo. Both were comfortable, safe, and walkable to a number of locations on this itinerary!
How to Get Around?
If you’re traveling in a group or are ok with being mid-range with your budget on transportation, Cabify was easy to use and affordable. It’s another version of Uber and most 10-15 minute trips were no more than $8. I didn’t try out the public transportation, but it seemed well connected to the major neighborhoods. I did hear from a fellow traveler that the bus card was difficult to get so that may provide a hurdle. The other option is to have exact change, but cash can be hard to come by since ATMs don’t always have enough cash to withdraw.
Day 1
Now, I’m assuming travel days are not included so these are day long itineraries but you can always modify them.
Start your day off with a medialuna and a coffee at your nearest cafe. There’s so many beautiful cafes around – one of the many things I loved while walking around Argentina. Ours was Gontran Cherrier. It was good, but not worth going out of your way for. Anyway, medialunas are a unique Argentine item you should try – they’re eggy croissants that are either drizzled or dipped in simple syrup.
After breakfast, it’s time to visit an ecopark (aka a zoo). This was the one I visited, and it was great, but my friend who was there longer also mentioned that they visited another one in another neighborhood! How cool is that?!
After the ecopark, we had our first of many gelatos. We stopped at Cremolatti – a fairly popular chain as we also visited one when we were in Puerto Igauza. It was a cool break before going to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. This was a free fine arts museum that had tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and architectural artifacts (including some very interesting drug making tools from tribes). Definitely worth a visit if you’re a fan of art museums!
We had a really exciting dinner coming up, but we were feeling a bit peckish so we stopped by Tres Monos for a snack and a drink. The drink menu is short, but all really good. Makes sense since it made the list of top 50 bars in the world. The drinks were creative since they were twists on Argentine classics. You might get a different menu though as their menu rotates seasonally. We went close to opening so we didn’t have to wait, but I read that it can get really busy at night so plan ahead!
Our dinner was a rooftop asado experience! You can book on their site or through AirBnb. I recommend their site as it’s cheaper! I had heard an asado is a must when visiting Argentina, but as we didn’t know anyone who would host one for us, we signed up for this experience. We got to try a lot of Argentine must eats. We started with an empanada, sampled some black sausage, tried our first choripan, indulged in some pork belly with grilled vegetables, savored tri tip, relished ribeye, and ended with a dulce de leche “cheesecake.” Our amazing host also introduced us to common condiments that are frequently used – chimichurri (herbs/oil mixture) and criolla (pickled onions/peppers). In addition to the meats, we also got to pair them with three lovely Argentine wines – chardonnay, malbec, and cabernet franc. It definitely made me want to go take a trip to Mendoza (another area of Argentina known for its wine) in the future! The wines were smooth and paired so well with the food. In between all the courses, we got to learn about Argentine culture through food and ask questions. In addition, our group got along so well naturally so it was fun to make new friends. We also got to try a fernet and cola (not my thing as it’s a bit too licoricey for my taste), but since it’s a unique Argentine liquor, I’m glad I tried it! They also gave us an alfajor for tomorrow – how sweet is that (pun intended)? Fantastic first day!
Day 2
Start the second day with an Italian brunch. Italian food is common, popular, and authentic due to the Italian migration that happened after World War II. I recommend Cucina Paradiso, also visited in the Buenos Aires episode of “Somebody Feel Phil.” This has multiple locations and serves really solid Italian food. We had a variety of different pastas and all were good. For dessert, I would skip the tiramisu but get the cannoli.
Afterwards, we headed to El Ateneo Grand Splendid. This was the most beautiful bookstore I’ve ever been to. It used to be a theater, but it’s now filled with books and CDs, and the stage is now a cafe. Definitely worth a stop!
The Recoleta Cemetery is fairly close by if you want to visit. We opted out since the guided tours were in Spanish and we figured that a tour would be helpful considering our limited Argentina history. Lastly, it was also more than what we wanted to pay if we couldn’t join a tour (~$20-25/person).
Since we didn’t visit the cemetery, we headed over to the San Telmo Market for some shopping. We ended up snacking on a choripan at La Choripanería! The fries were surprisingly really fantastic (crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with a yummy dip) and the choripan was perfectly grilled and flavorful as well!
We had snagged a dinner reservation at Don Julio whilst planning so this was something we really looked forward to. It’s supposed to be one of the best steakhouses in the world. I don’t know if it is, but it is one of the best. The short ribs are a must! I don’t know where they get these cuts, but it was fatty without any fat chunks. How?!?! The price was also easy on the wallet compared to the quality you would get in the U.S. – we got a bottle of wine, two waters, sausage appetizer, a tomahawk, and a full rack of short ribs for ~$250 for a party of 4. They even gave us complimentary empanadas, bread, and dulce de leche dessert truffles!
We ended the night with gelato (what else?). We tried Rapanui (another chain) this time. I personally vote this as my favorite gelato spot – the dulce de leche flavors were creamy and sweet, and the fruity flavors were the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
Day 3
For the third day, I recommend another breakfast at a cafe. There are so many options, from dulce de leche pastries, empanadas, medialunas, etc. Plus, cafes are so plentiful so there’s definitely a good cafe near wherever you’re staying. For us, we went to Dos Escudos which also has a few locations throughout Buenos Aires.
After breakfast, head over to Casa Rosada, the Argentine equivalent of the White House. You can’t go inside the Casa Rosada, but there is a free museum just a few steps away that is great for understanding a bit more about Argentine history (although keep in mind that all the signs are in Spanish).
After Casa Rosada, there’s 2 options.
- We opted to go to the Mafalda statue. Mafalada is a beloved Argentine comic book character from the 60s that is on a lot of souvenirs. I got so curious after seeing her everywhere so naturally, I got in the spirit of things. And I was not the only one! In fact, the only line that we truly encountered while in Argentina was the line to take a picture with Mafalda. There were also street performers nearby due to the crowd, tour buses doing drop-offs, and even a professional photographer if you wanted to opt to buy photos. Mafalda is beloved for sure!
- For the non-Mafalda fans, I would go get some Argentine pizza. Güerrín is closeby to Casa Rosada and highly rated. We went to La Mezzetta on a different day. My friend who went to both described both as incredibly cheesy so you’ll get a good experience at either location. Just a note that you have to order whole pies at Güerrín although you can order slices at La Mezzetta. After some pizza, I would recommend stopping by Cadore for gelato, which is also highly rated. I will say their dulce de leche gelato was my favorite of the trip. The texture of their gelato felt silkier and finer, and the dulce de leche flavor tasted milkier rather than just sweet. For the fruit flavors, I would still say Rapanui takes the crown.
Depending whether you ate or not, feel free to switch the next 2 things.
- We wandered into Galerías Pacífico which is a shopping mall (in case you need anything), BUT we found out that there are free art exhibits on the top floor so I recommend stopping by and enjoying some free art for an hour or two!
- For dinner, I suggest Santos Manjares. Prices are midrange and we actually came here twice because the food was fantastic and the prices really great. It was full both times so be prepared to wait if necessary. We didn’t have to the first time when we went at 9P, but we did have to wait 20 minutes the next day at 1:30P. Wine is cheaper than water so we got house wine both times, sausage to make our own little choripans, and bife de lomo (aka filet mignon steak). They have grilled vegetables for a side if you’re craving some plants, but they also have a mashed pumpkin that’s not heavy on butter or oil if you’re craving a healthier version of mashed potatoes. The restaurant is also incredibly highly efficient especially with only 5-6 servers at a time.
BONUS Day 4
I wanted to include a bonus day itinerary for Las Chicas de la 3. If you’re a fan of Netflix Street Food, you’ll know of this place. It’s a stall in the middle of a marketplace that is outside of Buenos Aires (~30 minutes depending on traffic) and only open Tuesday through Friday, 9:30A-2:30P. Despite that, if you can make a visit, you absolutely should! Pato is just as kind and warm in the series as she is in person, and the food is just as delicious as you dreamed it would be. The fried empanadas were the best that I had during the trip, and the tortilla is the ultimate breakfast pie. In this case, the tortilla is a potato/egg mixture that sandwiches ham and cheese (not the burrito wrapper). She basically created a mutli-course meal of all the most popular items and was thoughtful enough to do splits so my brother and I could try as many different things as we could. We also got a seat by the window so we got front row access to the kitchen action! Overall, it was such a highlight of our trip so if there’s space in your itinerary, definitely try to make it happen. The location is also about 15-20 min away from EZE in case you want to be like us and visit after landing at the airport!
Extra Things To Do
One thing I want to do the next time I visit is to watch a tango show. I didn’t get to see as much impromptu public dancing as I had hoped, and honestly as a fan of musicals and shows, even though they’re considered tourist attractions, I think I would still enjoy it.
Another thing I would like to do next time is visit the neighborhood Caminito. While I know there’s not much “to see” in terms of tourist sites, I want to experience the vibe, eat a choripan, and see the street art.
Other locations to visit:
- Palacio Barolo – landmark
- Museo del Agua y de la Historia Sanitaria – free museum
Other food locations I didn’t get to try
- Padre
- Primero Cafe – highly rated cafe for pastries
- El Hornero de San Telmo – known for empanadas near the San Telmo Market
- El Gauchito – known for empanadas near the San Telmo Market
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Buenos Aires, and although I want to visit other parts of Argentina, I probably wouldn’t spend another 3 days here (just due to limited time off). However, a day or 2 to re-savor the good meals and try a few new ones on the way to another location sounds like a good future goal to have!
