Panorama of Plaza de Mayo with the Casa Rosada in the background
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Buenos Aires in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8.9 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you do Buenos Aires without rushing: one day for the centre and Recoleta, another for San Telmo and the river, and a third for La Boca and the mysteries of the south. There is time to sit in a famous café, eat slowly and go back to whatever you liked most.

Day 1Icons, tombs and books

Open with "The Best of Buenos Aires: From Plaza de Mayo to the Obelisk": Avenida de Mayo, Café Tortoni, the Palacio Barolo and the Teatro Colón. Lunch is an asado at Chiquilín. In the afternoon, take a taxi or bus to Recoleta to wander among the mausoleums, then on to one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world. It is a long day, but almost entirely flat, and you end it with the most elegant side of the city fresh in your mind.

  1. Morning

    The Best of Buenos Aires: From Plaza de Mayo to the Obelisk

    Mixed · 4.3 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. Plaza de MayoThe stage of Argentine political life: here people celebrated, protested and searched for the disappeared.
    2. Café TortoniThe oldest and most famous café in Buenos Aires, where Gardel, Borges and Alfonsina Storni sat.
    3. Palacio BaroloA 1923 skyscraper designed as the Divine Comedy: hell below, heaven above and a lighthouse at the top.
    4. National CongressA green dome some 80 metres high, a murdered architect and a building that took half a century to finish.
    5. Teatro ColónTwenty years of building work, three architects and acoustics the world's top conductors rank among the very best.
    6. The ObeliskBuilt in weeks in 1936, voted for demolition in 1939, and today the symbol of the city.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Asado and bife de chorizo at Chiquilín. Sarmiento, 1599

  3. Afternoon

    Recoleta Cemetery

    A city of mausoleums opened in 1822, with streets, porticoes and sculptures. Eva Perón's tomb is here, in the Duarte family vault. Go in slowly and without a map: the best way to see it is to get lost in the lanes.

    Directions

    El Ateneo Grand Splendid

    A 1919 theatre turned bookshop, with boxes that are now reading rooms, frescoes on the dome and a café on the old stage. It is a few blocks from Recoleta, on Avenida Santa Fe.

    Directions

Day 2From the colonial square to the port

Day two belongs to the past: "From Colonial Fort to Capital: Buenos Aires in Six Stops", from the Casa Rosada to Plaza Dorrego, with the Cabildo, the Cathedral and the Manzana de las Luces. Have a pizza with fainá standing at the counter for lunch. With the afternoon free, step into the San Telmo Market, a stone's throw from the square, then take a taxi down to Puerto Madero for a stroll by the water at the end of the day.

  1. Morning

    From Colonial Fort to Capital: Buenos Aires in Six Stops

    History · 2.3 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Casa RosadaA pink palace built over the fort that defended the city from the late 16th century.
    2. Plaza de Mayo and the May PyramidThe city's first patriotic monument hides another pyramid inside it: the original one from 1811.
    3. Metropolitan CathedralA Greek-temple façade, a biblical relief with a political message and the tomb of General San Martín.
    4. The CabildoThe building where the end of Spanish rule was decided lost half its arches to new avenues.
    5. Manzana de las LucesThe Jesuits' block became the cradle of the city's university and culture: hence its name, the «Block of Enlightenment».
    6. Plaza DorregoWhere ox carts stopped before entering the city, independence was sworn, and today San Telmo's heart beats.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Porteño pizza and fainá at Pizzería Güerrín. Avenida Corrientes, 1368

  3. Afternoon

    San Telmo Market

    A big iron-and-glass hall from the late 19th century, with antique stalls, greengrocers, bars and cafés. It is the best place to get a feel for the neighbourhood. On Sundays, the Defensa fair spreads across the area.

    Directions

    Puerto Madero

    The docks of the old port, with red-brick warehouses turned into restaurants and offices. Cross the Women's Bridge, by Santiago Calatrava, and keep going to the Ecological Reserve if you still have energy.

    Directions

Day 3La Boca and the hidden south

Begin with La Boca, which is better in the morning light and with fewer people. After lunchtime empanadas, go back to the centre for dusk with "Underground Buenos Aires: Tunnels, Cannonballs and Forbidden Love", from the Manzana de las Luces to Parque Lezama. The route takes in Santo Domingo, El Zanjón and the Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros. Finish with a light dinner: coffee and medialunas at Bar El Federal, in San Telmo.

  1. Morning

    Caminito and La Boca

    A short lane of brightly painted tin houses, born of the port district and the painter Benito Quinquela Martín. It is very touristy, but worth it in the morning. Stay in the signposted area and don't stray from busy streets.

    Directions

    PROA Foundation

    A contemporary art centre in a restored building in La Boca, with temporary exhibitions and a terrace overlooking the Riachuelo. It is a few minutes on foot from Caminito: ideal for a coffee break.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Empanadas at La Americana. Avenida Callao, 83

  3. Early evening

    Underground Buenos Aires: Tunnels, Cannonballs and Forbidden Love

    Mysteries & legends · 2.3 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. The Tunnels of the Manzana de las LucesBeneath the Jesuits' block run colonial galleries that nobody can say for sure why they were dug.
    2. Basilica of Santo DomingoIn 1807 British troops barricaded themselves in this church; its tower still bears the marks of the fight.
    3. El Zanjón de Granados and the Casa MínimaA stream buried beneath a mansion and, around the corner, the narrowest house in the city with its legend of freedom.
    4. The Antigua Tasca de CuchillerosA whitewashed colonial house and the legend of Margarita, the daughter who fled a forced marriage.
    5. Parque LezamaSome historians place the first Buenos Aires here: the settlement of 1536, consumed by hunger.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Coffee and medialunas at Café Tortoni. Avenida de Mayo, 825

The map

Buenos Aires in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Buenos Aires in 3 days

  • Pace the days: the first and third are the longest. The second, with San Telmo and the river, is the one to take slowly or rest a little in the afternoon.
  • In La Boca, stay in the tourist zone around Caminito and go by day: outside those streets it is best not to wander aimlessly. Head back to the centre by taxi or familiar transport.
  • With three days a SUBE card is worth having: you will use the metro, buses and the odd short taxi between districts that do not link well on foot.

Questions

Buenos Aires in 3 days: your questions

Are three days enough for Buenos Aires?

It is a good margin for the centre, Recoleta, San Telmo, Puerto Madero and La Boca. For Palermo, the art museums, a tango show or a trip to Tigre you would need one or two more days.

How far do you walk in 3 days?

The three routes add up to about 8.9 km: 4.3 for the essential on day one, 2.3 for history on day two and 2.3 for the mysteries on day three. With the extras and transfers it will be much more, but almost all of it is flat.

Is La Boca safe to visit?

Caminito and the tourist streets are safe by day, with plenty of people. Outside that zone it is best not to wander aimlessly. Go in the morning, keep valuables out of sight and head back by taxi or familiar transport.

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