Things to do · Buenos Aires · Argentina
19 best things to do in Buenos Aires
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Buenos Aires are Recoleta Cemetery, Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada and Teatro Colón. Of the 19 picks below, 10 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Recoleta Cemetery
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Teatro Colón
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recoleta Cemetery | Recoleta | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada | Monserrat | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Teatro Colón | San Nicolás | 1 hour for a tour | Mid-priced |
| Caminito, La Boca | La Boca | 1–2 hours | Free |
| La Bombonera and the Boca Juniors museum | La Boca | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Obelisco and Avenida 9 de Julio | San Nicolás | 30 minutes | Free |
| San Telmo Sunday fair | San Telmo | Half a day | Free |
| MALBA | Palermo | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes | Recoleta | 1.5 hours | Free |
| El Ateneo Grand Splendid | Recoleta | 45 minutes | Free |
| Bosques de Palermo | Palermo | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Floralis Genérica | Recoleta | 20 minutes | Free |
| Puerto Madero and Puente de la Mujer | Puerto Madero | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve | Puerto Madero | 2 hours | Free |
| Palacio Barolo | Monserrat | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Café Tortoni | Monserrat | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| An evening at a milonga | Palermo and Almagro | An evening | Low cost |
| Museo Evita | Palermo | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Galileo Galilei Planetarium | Palermo | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 19 best things to do
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Historic site · Recoleta
1.Recoleta Cemetery
Opened in 1822, this walled city of the dead holds more than 4,600 vaults along tree-lined alleys, from marble temples to Art Nouveau chapels. Most visitors look for Eva Perón in the Duarte family tomb, but the architecture and the stories of presidents, writers and boxers buried here reward a slow walk.
Photograph a map at the entrance, or join a guided walk if you want the stories behind the tombs.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Landmark · Monserrat
2.Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada
The city's founding square is framed by the pink presidential palace (Casa Rosada), the colonial Cabildo where the 1810 May Revolution began, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, where grenadiers guard General San Martín's mausoleum. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have walked around the square on Thursday afternoons since 1977 in memory of the disappeared.
Start here and walk west along Avenida de Mayo past Café Tortoni and Palacio Barolo to the Congress building.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Free
- Architecture
Architecture · San Nicolás
3.Teatro Colón
Opened in 1908, the Colón is one of the world's great opera houses, famed for its acoustics, its gilded horseshoe auditorium and Raúl Soldi's painted dome. Guided tours pass through the foyers, the Golden Hall and the auditorium, and opera, ballet and concert tickets range from boxes to standing room.
If your dates allow, see a performance rather than only touring; upper-tier seats still give the full experience of the hall.
- Time needed
- 1 hour for a tour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Tours often sell out at busy times; book a slot online a few days ahead.
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- After dark
Street · La Boca
4.Caminito, La Boca
This short pedestrian lane of corrugated-iron houses painted in bright colours recalls the tenements where Italian immigrants settled by the Riachuelo port. Tango dancers perform for tips outside the cafés, and the Fundación Proa contemporary art centre and the Benito Quinquela Martín museum are a few blocks away.
Visit by day, keep to the main tourist streets and arrive and leave by taxi or ride-hailing rather than wandering beyond them.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Art
- Free
Landmark · La Boca
5.La Bombonera and the Boca Juniors museum
Boca Juniors' steep, box-shaped stadium is famous for an atmosphere that makes the stands seem to shake on match days. The club museum, the Museo de la Pasión Boquense, covers its history and Diego Maradona's years at the club, and stadium tours run on non-match days.
Match tickets are largely reserved for club members, so a reputable tour operator is the realistic way to see a game.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Iconic
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Landmark · San Nicolás
6.Obelisco and Avenida 9 de Julio
The 67-metre Obelisco, built in 1936 for the 400th anniversary of the city's first founding, stands where Avenida Corrientes crosses Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest avenues in the world. It is the city's gathering point for celebrations, and the theatres and pizzerias of Corrientes begin beside it.
Photograph it from the central reservation of 9 de Julio, then walk along Corrientes for pizza at one of the old pizzerias.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Photo spot
Market · San Telmo
7.San Telmo Sunday fair
Every Sunday, stalls stretch along Calle Defensa from Plaza de Mayo to Plaza Dorrego, selling antiques, soda siphons, leather, crafts and street food, with tango dancers and bands on the corners. The 1897 iron-and-glass Mercado de San Telmo, a block off Defensa, mixes antique stalls with cafés and food counters.
Start at the Plaza de Mayo end in the late morning and work south to Plaza Dorrego, where an open-air milonga often begins in the evening.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- History
Museum · Palermo
8.MALBA
The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires shows 20th-century and contemporary Latin American art in a modern building on Avenida Figueroa Alcorta, with Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Fernando Botero and Tarsila do Amaral's Abaporu among the highlights. Temporary exhibitions and an art-house cinema complement the collection.
Combine it with the Palermo parks and Floralis Genérica, a short walk along Figueroa Alcorta.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Recoleta
1.Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Argentina's national fine-arts museum, free to enter, holds European works by Impressionists such as Monet, Degas and Van Gogh alongside a large collection of Argentine painting and sculpture from the 19th century onwards. It sits on Avenida del Libertador a few minutes' walk from Recoleta Cemetery.
Visit straight after Recoleta Cemetery; entry is free, so it is easy to drop in for an hour.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
Architecture · Recoleta
2.El Ateneo Grand Splendid
A 1919 theatre on Avenida Santa Fe that became a bookshop in 2000, El Ateneo keeps its painted dome, balconies and red stage curtains, with books lining the former stalls and boxes. The old stage is now a café.
Go on a weekday morning for photos from the upper balconies before the afternoon crowds arrive.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- Free
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Park · Palermo
3.Bosques de Palermo
Parque Tres de Febrero is the city's great green space: lakes with pedal boats, running and cycling paths, the Rosedal rose garden with thousands of rose bushes and, nearby, the paid Japanese Garden. Porteños come at weekends to picnic, skate and share mate on the grass.
Rent a bike or a pedal boat at the lakes and finish at the Rosedal in the late-afternoon light.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
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Landmark · Recoleta
4.Floralis Genérica
Architect Eduardo Catalano's 23-metre stainless-steel flower, installed in 2002, rises from a reflecting pool in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas on Avenida Figueroa Alcorta. Its petals mirror the sky and the surrounding parks, and the sculpture is lit after dark.
Walk here from Recoleta Cemetery and continue along the avenue to MALBA.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Art
- After dark
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Waterfront · Puerto Madero
5.Puerto Madero and Puente de la Mujer
Red-brick warehouses along the old docks now hold restaurants and offices, and Santiago Calatrava's white Puente de la Mujer, a swing footbridge said to evoke a tango couple, crosses Dique 3. The Fragata Sarmiento, a 19th-century naval training ship moored nearby, is open as a museum ship.
Walk the docks at dusk, then cross to the Costanera Sur promenade for a choripán from a street cart.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Couples
- After dark
- Kids
Nature · Puerto Madero
6.Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve
Built on demolition rubble dumped into the Río de la Plata, this 350-hectare reserve has grown into marsh, grassland and willow woods where hundreds of bird species have been recorded. Flat paths lead to the river shore, minutes from the towers of Puerto Madero but far from their noise.
Bring water and sun protection, as shade is limited, and go early in the day for the most birdlife.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
Architecture · Monserrat
7.Palacio Barolo
Completed in 1923 on Avenida de Mayo, this 100-metre office building was designed by Mario Palanti around Dante's Divine Comedy, rising from hell at street level to heaven in the lighthouse at the top. Guided tours climb to the dome for views over the Congress and the city.
Choose an evening tour to see the lighthouse lit and the city at dusk.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Visits are by guided tour only; reserve online, especially for sunset and evening slots.
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Monserrat
8.Café Tortoni
Opened in 1858, the Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo is the city's most famous café, with stained glass, marble tables and wood-panelled walls once frequented by Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Gardel. It also stages tango shows in a room at the back.
Order chocolate con churros and expect a short queue at the door; it moves quickly outside lunchtime.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Food
- Rainy day
Experience · Palermo and Almagro
9.An evening at a milonga
A milonga is a social tango dance, and several halls welcome visitors to watch or join: La Viruta in Palermo opens with group classes for beginners, Salón Canning draws experienced dancers, and La Catedral in Almagro is a bohemian loft. Dancing rarely gets going before 11pm.
Take the beginners' class before the dance, and learn the cabeceo: invitations are made with eye contact and a nod, not by walking up to people.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Palermo
10.Museo Evita
Housed in a 1920s Palermo mansion that Eva Perón's foundation turned into a shelter for women and children, the museum tells her life story through her clothes, photographs and film footage. Its courtyard café is a calm stop between the Palermo parks and Palermo Soho.
Pair it with Recoleta Cemetery, where she is buried, for the fullest picture of her life.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Palermo
11.Galileo Galilei Planetarium
The saucer-shaped 1966 planetarium in the Palermo parks runs dome shows on the stars and the solar system, and outside stands a metallic meteorite from the Campo del Cielo fall in northern Argentina. Children enjoy the building as much as the shows.
Check the show schedule online; many sessions are in Spanish, but the dome visuals work in any language.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Caminito, La Boca, MALBA, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and Floralis Genérica |
| History | Recoleta Cemetery, Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada, Teatro Colón and La Bombonera and the Boca Juniors museum |
| Views | Palacio Barolo |
| Outdoors and nature | Bosques de Palermo and Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve |
| Food and markets | San Telmo Sunday fair and Café Tortoni |
| After dark | Teatro Colón, Floralis Genérica, Puerto Madero and Puente de la Mujer and An evening at a milonga |
| With children | La Bombonera and the Boca Juniors museum, Bosques de Palermo, Puerto Madero and Puente de la Mujer and Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve |
| On a rainy day | Teatro Colón, MALBA, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and El Ateneo Grand Splendid |
What to book ahead
- Teatro Colón: Tours often sell out at busy times; book a slot online a few days ahead.
- Palacio Barolo: Visits are by guided tour only; reserve online, especially for sunset and evening slots.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Buenos Aires?
Recoleta Cemetery. Opened in 1822, this walled city of the dead holds more than 4,600 vaults along tree-lined alleys, from marble temples to Art Nouveau chapels.
+What can you do for free in Buenos Aires?
Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada, Caminito, La Boca, Obelisco and Avenida 9 de Julio, San Telmo Sunday fair and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Buenos Aires when it rains?
Head indoors to Teatro Colón, MALBA, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and El Ateneo Grand Splendid.
+What is there to do in Buenos Aires at night?
Teatro Colón, Floralis Genérica, Puerto Madero and Puente de la Mujer and An evening at a milonga are best after dark.