One day in Buenos Aires

Day by day

1. Day 1: Recoleta Cemetery and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

   Recoleta Cemetery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, El Ateneo Grand Splendid and Floralis Genérica, then Teatro Colón in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Recoleta Cemetery

      Photograph a map at the entrance, or join a guided walk if you want the stories behind the tombs. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

      Visit straight after Recoleta Cemetery; entry is free, so it is easy to drop in for an hour. Allow 1.5 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Asado and bife de chorizo

      Parrillas in every barrio, from neighbourhood grills to celebrated Palermo restaurants such as Don Julio; families grill their own asado on Sundays.

   4. Afternoon

      El Ateneo Grand Splendid

      Go on a weekday morning for photos from the upper balconies before the afternoon crowds arrive. Allow 45 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      Floralis Genérica

      Walk here from Recoleta Cemetery and continue along the avenue to MALBA. Allow 20 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Teatro Colón

      If your dates allow, see a performance rather than only touring; upper-tier seats still give the full experience of the hall.

Before you go

• Teatro Colón: Tours often sell out at busy times; book a slot online a few days ahead.

If it rains

• Swap in MALBA (Palermo): Combine it with the Palermo parks and Floralis Genérica, a short walk along Figueroa Alcorta.
• Swap in Café Tortoni (Monserrat): Order chocolate con churros and expect a short queue at the door; it moves quickly outside lunchtime.
• Swap in Museo Evita (Palermo): Pair it with Recoleta Cemetery, where she is buried, for the fullest picture of her life.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 5–6 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.8 hours in June to 14.5 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The Subte has six lines (A–E and H) radiating from the centre; Line D runs under Avenida Santa Fe to Palermo and Belgrano, and Line A, opened in 1913, was the first underground line in Latin America.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Buenos Aires
• 3 days in Buenos Aires
• 4 days in Buenos Aires
• 5 days in Buenos Aires
• 7 days in Buenos Aires

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