Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina is a cosmopolitan city with plenty to see and do. It also makes a great base for exploring further afield. We spent five days based in Buenos Aires; three days exploring the city itself and two on day trips to Tigre and Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. We really enjoyed our time in this vibrant city, and below is the itinerary of the three days we spent here. Note: If you want to visit the iconic Casa Rosada, it is only open on Saturdays, so you will need to plan your schedule accordingly.
How to get to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires has two airports – we arrived at one and departed from the other. Ezeiza International Airport is the main international airport somewhat further (20 miles) away from the city, which can be reached by bus No 8E. Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery deals with internal and regional flights and is fairly centrally located, just 5 miles from downtown Buenos Aires. It is served by buses No 45A and 33.
Getting Around Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires has a comprehensive metro system. The most convenient way to travel is to purchase a SUBE Card, which can be recharged as necessary. SUBE cards are available at hotels, metro stations and kiosks around town. You need your passport/ID to obtain one and it costs 1500 pesos (around £1.20). The card can be used on the metro, buses and trains within greater Buenos Aires and some other cities.
Where to Stay in Buenos Aires
We stayed at the very pleasant 474 Buenos Aires Hotel. The hotel is situated in the financial district, thus somewhat cheaper than some of the more touristy areas, but still conveniently located. One disadvantage; the area is like a ghost town at weekends and most of the bars and restaurants are closed.
Buenos Aires in 3 Days Itinerary
| Day 1 | Flight to Buenos Aires Casa Rosada Guided Tour Casa Rosada Museum Accommodation – 474 Buenos Aires Hotel |
| Day 2 | Catedral Metropolitana Eco Parque Parque 3 de Febrero MALBA Floralis Genérica Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Cementerio de la Recoleta Dinner at Buller Pub & Brewery |
| Day 3 | Teatro Colón Obelisco Palacio Barolo Palacio del Congreso Puerto Madero Puente de la Mujer Dinner at Galerías Pacífico |
Day 1
Flight to Buenos Aires
This morning, we are up at 3 am for our flight to Buenos Aires. In the plane, I have an emergency exit seat. The steward explains that sitting here requires being able to follow crew instructions. He sounds fairly unconvinced that I’m up to the job.
The flight arrives without incident and we are at our hotel in Buenos Aires by 9 am.
Casa Rosada Guided Tour
We started our visit to Buenos Aires with the Casa Rosada Guided Tour. The Casa Rosada is the Argentinian presidency; the place where Madonna sings Don’t cry for me Argentina from the balcony in the movie Evita.
The tour is supposed to take an hour, but the guide seemed to love the sound of his own voice and went on and on. Tours are 15 minutes apart, so they were soon backing up behind us. It didn’t help that some of the Americans in our group refused to do stairs and we had to wait while a separate staff member escorted them via the elevator.
Finally, we reached the bit I’d been waiting for – the iconic balcony. We patiently waited our turn to go out, but the guard decided our group’s time was up and started herding us towards the exit. It was such an anti-climax. Our tour of a few rooms took two hours and we risked missed the highlight. I made a break for it and managed to grab a balcony photo before being ushered out by an angry security guard.
You can only enter the Casa Rosada as part of a guided tour. Tours take place on Saturdays (English language tour at 12.30) and are free. You must show your passport/ID to enter. Note: This a very popular tour, so reserving well in advance in advisable.
Casa Rosada Museum
Once the tour finally ended, we headed for the Casa Rosada Museum, which is situated behind the Casa. It contains a potted history of Argentina, plus articles relating to the life of the Perons.
David Alfaro Siqueiros Mural: Plastic Exercise
Also in the museum is a mural by Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros entitled Plastic Exercise (Ejercicio Plástico). Painted in 1933, it is considered a masterpiece of Latin American art.
The museum is open between Wednesday and Sunday from 11 am until 6 pm and is free to enter.
Accommodation – 474 Buenos Aires Hotel
We head back to our accommodation in Buenos Aires, the very pleasant 474 Buenos Aires Hotel for an early night before a full sightseeing onslaught in the morning. Our good sized room is clean and comfortable.
I’m still sulking from the lack of balcony time and the old man is not feeling well, so we decide to call it a day. We return to the very pleasant 474 Buenos Aires Hotel for an early night before a full sightseeing onslaught in the morning.
Day 2
Catedral Metropolitana
We started our second day in Buenos Aires with the 19th Century Metropolitan Cathedral, former manor of Pope Francis, who was Archbishop of Buenos Aires prior to becoming the Pope. We missed the entrance first time round, as the exterior looks more like a museum or a bank than a cathedral.
However, inside it looks like most South American churches; very ornate with lots and lots of gold stuff.
Then we tried to get a tube from Catedral Metro Station. It sounds fool-proof, seeing as we were already at the cathedral. But somehow we managed to overshoot and end up at Peru, which is on a different line. By the time we realised, we’d already passed through the barrier so had to retrace our steps, purchase more tickets and try again.
Eco Parque
Second time lucky, we found the station and caught the tube to Palermo. The rest of the morning was all about parks. First, we walked through the Eco Parque.
The Eco Parque is on the site of the former zoo. In 2016, the Buenos Aires City Government took the decision to close the zoo and release about 2,500 animals (the majority of the zoo’s population) into the wild. When we visited, you could just see ducks, peacocks and a few maras wandering around by the lakes. But the park is now fully open and offers a range of activities aimed at connecting visitors with nature in a fun and educational way, such as immersive trails and animal observation as well as animatronics and VR tours.
The Eco Parque is open between Tuesday and Sunday from 10 am until 5 pm. General entry is free but there are fees for some activities.
Parque 3 de Febrero
From here, we continued on foot to Parque 3 de Febrero. This huge park was heaving on a Sunday morning; walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters, yoga, aerobics, weightlifting. It was all going on here, there was even a man playing the bagpipes.
There was so much to see and do here, but for me the highlights are the Rosedal (Rose Garden) with its 18,000 roses and the Jardín Japonés with its traditional Japanese bridges, koi pond and tea house.
The Jardín Japonés is open daily from 10 am until 7 pm. Entry for foreigners costs 13,500 pesos (around £10.60).
MALBA
After a morning of gardens, the afternoon was all about art. Next up, we visited the Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA). As the name suggests, it’s a collection of art by Latin American artists. The old man is not a great art lover, but there is some great stuff here. Even he was impressed.
MALBA is open daily except Tuesday from midday (11 am on Wednesdays) until 8 pm. Adult entry costs 8000 pesos (around £6.30) most days. On Wednesdays, entry is 4000 pesos.
Floralis Genérica
We stopped briefly at the Floralis Genérica; a huge aluminium flower sculpture that opens in the sunlight. It sits in a pool of water and reflects the nearby buildings in its silver petals.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Next, another art gallery, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. This has some South American and plenty of European art in the main collection.
This gallery is open daily except Monday from 11 am (10 am at weekends) until 8 pm. General entry is free, however there may be a cost for temporary exhibitions.
Cementerio de la Recoleta
Last stop of the day was the Cementerio de la Recoleta; the cemetery of the rich and famous. It’s like a huge city of the dead. The cemetery only has one entrance. Somehow, we managed to walk round all four sides before locating the gate some 350 degrees from where we started!
The cemetery is open daily from 7 am until 5.30 pm.
Dinner at Buller Pub & Brewery
Buy the time we’d completed our wander round the cemetery, we were tired and hungry. We spotted a microbrewery opposite the exit; Buller Pub & Brewery. Unfortunately, we were by the coach drop off point where buses leave their engines running to maintain the air conditioning at the required temperature for their passengers. So, we drank very good beer and ate enormous burgers surrounded by more diesel fuel than I’d have preferred.
Day 3
Our final day in Buenos Aires was a Monday. This can be rather tricky as many tourist attractions are closed on Mondays, so the day was somewhat disjointed.
Teatro Colón
We started the morning with a wander around Buenos Aires admiring the city’s architecture, such as the Teatro Colón.
Obelisco
We stopped to take an obligatory selfie in front of the Obelisk. One of the city’s most iconic monuments, the obelisk stands at 67 metres high in the middle of the Plaza de la República on a traffic island on the Avenida 9 de Julio. It was erected in 1936 and most recently made global news coverage when thousands upon thousands of fans came here to celebrate Argentina’s World Cup victory.
Palacio Barolo
We continued our day with a guided tour of the Palacio Barolo; an Art Deco tower block where each floor represents a different verse of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
You start in the foyer (hell) then work your way up through purgatory to heaven. Ironically, you can reach purgatory by lift, but the final 8 floors to heaven have to be climbed on foot.
You finish by clambering into the glass domed lighthouse at the top for a stunning, if vertiginous view. The Palacio Barolo is an amazing building with the added bonus of great views across the city to the River Plate.
Day Tours run daily except Tuesdays. Tickets for foreigners cost 38,000 pesos (around £30). There are also evening tours, which cost 55,000 pesos and include wine tasting. Note: This is a popular tour, so best booked in advance.
Palacio del Congreso
Once we had descended from heaven, we walked as far as the Congress Building, which is modelled on the US Capitol and is situated in a park surrounded by sculptures and dog poo.
Puerto Madero
Then, we returned to our hotel via the renovated waterfront area of Puerto Madero with its boats, public art and cobbled streets lined with trendy cafes.
Puente de la Mujer
In the middle of Puerto Madero is the ultra modern Puente de la Mujer swing bridge (which apparently represents a couple dancing the tango).
Dinner at Galerías Pacífico
In the evening, we went to Galerías Pacífico; it’s primarily a shopping mall. However, its domed ceiling, completed in 1945, displays the work of five prominent muralists. There is a large food court, so this is the ideal place to round off a day of sightseeing, as you can eat, drink and rest your weary legs.
- Trip taken: January 2019
- Updated: January 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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