Where to stay · Buenos Aires · Argentina
Where to stay in Buenos Aires
7 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Palermo Soho. Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano. Best alternatives — families: Recoleta; budget: San Telmo.
Key facts
- First visit
- Palermo Soho
- Families
- Recoleta
- Budget
- San Telmo
- Nightlife
- Palermo Soho
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Palermo Soho | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Families | Recoleta | French-style mansions, museums and the famous cemetery |
| Couples | Palermo Soho | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Budget | San Telmo | Cobbled streets, antiques, tango and the Sunday Defensa fair |
| Luxury | Recoleta | French-style mansions, museums and the famous cemetery |
| Nightlife | Palermo Soho | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Food lovers | Palermo Soho | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Solo travellers | Palermo Hollywood | Restaurant streets and late bars north of Avenida Juan B. Justo |
| Shopping | Palermo Soho | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Quiet stays | Puerto Madero | Converted docks, steakhouses and high-rise hotels on the water |
Buenos Aires neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, food lovers, couples and nightlife
Palermo Soho
The southern half of Palermo Viejo, nicknamed Palermo Soho, is the main base for visitors who want restaurants and shops on the doorstep: designer boutiques along Honduras, El Salvador and Gurruchaga, cafés and bars around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar), and low-rise houses converted into boutique hotels. The Palermo parks and Subte Line D are a short walk away.
- Good
- Excellent restaurants, cafés and shops; Walkable, tree-lined streets; Lively in the evenings
- Watch out
- A Subte or taxi ride from the historic centre; Noisy around Plaza Serrano at weekends
- Nearby
- Plaza Serrano, Bosques de Palermo, Museo Evita, Palermo Hollywood
$$$ · Best for food lovers, nightlife and solo travellers
Palermo Hollywood
Across the railway and Avenida Juan B. Justo, Palermo Hollywood took its name from the TV and radio studios that settled here. Streets such as Fitz Roy, Humboldt and Arévalo are now lined with many of the city's newer restaurants, wine bars and cocktail bars. It is quieter by day than Palermo Soho and close to Aeroparque airport.
- Good
- Dense choice of restaurants and bars; Close to Aeroparque; Quiet residential streets by day
- Watch out
- Few sights within walking distance; Late-night noise near the bars
- Nearby
- Palermo Soho, Aeroparque airport, Bosques de Palermo
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, luxury, culture and families
Recoleta
Recoleta is Buenos Aires at its most Parisian: Belle Époque mansions on Avenida Alvear, grand hotels, Recoleta Cemetery and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, with the weekend craft fair of Plaza Francia outside the cemetery gates. It is elegant, calm and central, though its dining is more traditional than Palermo's.
- Good
- Walking distance to major museums; Calm, well-kept streets; Strong choice of upscale hotels
- Watch out
- Higher hotel prices; Some parts are a walk from the Subte
- Nearby
- Recoleta Cemetery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Floralis Genérica, El Ateneo Grand Splendid
$$ · Best for budget, culture, solo travellers and nightlife
San Telmo
The city's oldest barrio keeps colonial-era houses, antique shops around Plaza Dorrego, the 1897 iron-roofed Mercado de San Telmo and old bars where tango is often danced on the square on Sunday evenings. Every Sunday the Feria de San Telmo fills Calle Defensa. Hotels and hostels are characterful and good value, but some streets feel rough after dark.
- Good
- Historic atmosphere; Good-value stays; Walkable to Plaza de Mayo
- Watch out
- Some poorly lit streets at night; Pickpockets at the Sunday fair
- Nearby
- Plaza Dorrego, Mercado de San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero
$$$$ · Best for luxury, families, couples and quiet stays
Puerto Madero
The 19th-century docks east of the centre were redeveloped from the 1990s into red-brick warehouse restaurants, office towers and luxury hotels along the water. Calatrava's Puente de la Mujer crosses Dique 3, and the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve lies just beyond. It is polished and quiet at night, with the ferry terminal for Uruguay nearby.
- Good
- Modern hotels and calm streets; Waterfront walks and running paths; Close to the Uruguay ferries
- Watch out
- Expensive restaurants aimed at visitors; Little neighbourhood character
- Nearby
- Puente de la Mujer, Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, Buquebus ferry terminal, San Telmo
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget and culture
Microcentro and Monserrat
The historic and financial centre around Plaza de Mayo holds the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo, the cathedral, Café Tortoni and Palacio Barolo on Avenida de Mayo, with the theatres and pizzerias of Avenida Corrientes to the north. Every Subte line passes through and hotels are plentiful and often cheaper, but the area is crowded by day and empties at night.
- Good
- Central for sightseeing and transport; Wide hotel choice at fair prices; Theatres and pizzerias on Corrientes
- Watch out
- Crowded, noisy streets by day; Quiet and less pleasant after office hours
- Nearby
- Plaza de Mayo, Teatro Colón, Obelisco, Café Tortoni
$$$ · Best for quiet stays, families and food lovers
Belgrano
Belgrano is a well-off residential district north of Palermo with tree-lined streets, the small Barrio Chino around Calle Arribeños and the Barrancas de Belgrano park, whose bandstand hosts an open-air milonga on many weekend evenings. It suits travellers who want quiet streets and local life, with Subte Line D reaching the centre in about 30 minutes.
- Good
- Calm and residential; Good local restaurants and Chinatown; Direct Subte to the centre
- Watch out
- Far from the historic sights; Fewer hotels
- Nearby
- Barrio Chino, Barrancas de Belgrano, Bosques de Palermo
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Palermo Soho | $$$ | Plaza Serrano, Bosques de Palermo, Museo Evita, Palermo Hollywood |
| Palermo Hollywood | $$$ | Palermo Soho, Aeroparque airport, Bosques de Palermo |
| Recoleta | $$$$ | Recoleta Cemetery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Floralis Genérica, El Ateneo Grand Splendid |
| San Telmo | $$ | Plaza Dorrego, Mercado de San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero |
| Puerto Madero | $$$$ | Puente de la Mujer, Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, Buquebus ferry terminal, San Telmo |
| Microcentro and Monserrat | $$ | Plaza de Mayo, Teatro Colón, Obelisco, Café Tortoni |
| Belgrano | $$$ | Barrio Chino, Barrancas de Belgrano, Bosques de Palermo |
Getting to your hotel
Ezeiza (EZE), about 35 km southwest of the centre, handles most long-haul flights; taxis, ride-hailing and airport coaches take about 45–75 minutes depending on traffic. Aeroparque (AEP), on the riverfront beside Palermo, handles domestic and many regional flights and is 15–30 minutes from Palermo and the centre.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Buenos Aires for first-time visitors?
Palermo Soho. The southern half of Palermo Viejo, nicknamed Palermo Soho, is the main base for visitors who want restaurants and shops on the doorstep: designer boutiques along Honduras, El Salvador and Gurruchaga, cafés and bars around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar), and low-rise houses converted into boutique hotels.
+Where should families stay in Buenos Aires?
Recoleta: Walking distance to major museums.
+Which area of Buenos Aires is best for a budget stay?
San Telmo ($$): Cobbled streets, antiques, tango and the Sunday Defensa fair.