Buenos Aires was the final stop in our South American adventure. We started with 4 Days in Cusco, Peru, then spent A weekend in Santiago, Chile, and then flew two hours on LATAM Airlines to our final destination – Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires, known as “The Paris of the South”, is a huge city of nearly 14 million people. It is located on the East Coast of South America, and is known for its rich culture, delicious food, and lively nightlife. It is where the Tango originated after all! As usual, we squeezed as much as we could in to our two full days in Buenos Aires, in spite of the size of the city. Be sure to bring a decent sized bag for cash (more on this later), and let’s go to Argentina!
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Here is a sample 2-day itinerary for Buenos Aires, Argentina based on our trip in April:
DAY 0: TRAVEL DAY AND ARGENTINIAN STEAKHOUSE DINNER
Buenos Aires was an easy flight from Santiago, Chile…just about two hours. We had pre-arranged for a driver to pick us up from the airport through our hotel. We met up with the driver with no problems, but my usual method of getting local cash at the airport ATM was a major fail (apparently the ATM’s there don’t typically take foreign cards). Cash is king in Argentina, and credit cards aren’t always accepted…plan ahead! Fortunately, we had enough US dollars on hand and the driver was willing to take that and got us safely to our hotel.
Travel Tip: We learned after arriving that the best method for visitors to get cash in Argentina is to wire yourself money to Western Union (we had to use Apple Pay in order to do this quickly). We made the transaction through the website, and then walked to the nearest Western Union to get our cash. The currency in Argentina is the Peso, and the current exchange rate as of June 2024 is approximately 900 Argentine Pesos to 1 USD. We got just 200 USD, but at this exchange rate, it was a huge pile of cash! Be sure to bring a decent sized bag or purse with you to safely carry all this cash. In the photo below, this is the equivalent of about 20 USD.
Once we got the cash situation figured out, we got settled in to our hotel. We stayed at this super cute boutique hotel called 1828 Smart Hotel…it was fabulous! They had a great lobby lounge area with free snacks in the afternoon, a full bar, coffee, and complete breakfast in the morning. They had music videos playing on the TV in that area 24/7 (so fun!) and a beautiful pool area as well. The hotel is located in the Palermo neighborhood, which is quite popular with tourists, and known for it’s street art, bohemian vibe, and wide variety of bars and restaurants. It was easy to walk around and we felt very safe.
We hung out in the hotel bar for a bit, enjoying the free snacks and complimentary bottle of champagne that came with our room (yay!) before heading out to dinner. When in Buenos Aires, you must have at least one meal at an Argentinian Steakhouse. We chose Calden del Soho, which was highly rated and just a few blocks away from our hotel. It gets busy, so go early if you can, or make a reservation. There are several options for steak, and the meal came with an assortment of breads with spreads, green salad, and mashed potatoes. We also ordered the merlot pear dessert, which was delicious! They even gave us complimentary Champagne with our dessert. It was a huge meal, great service, and was far less than any higher-end steakhouse you’ll find in the US.
DAY 1: FOOD TOUR, EVITA MUSEUM, AND TANGO DINNER SHOW
We had a big day planned for our Day 1. Buenos Aires has several neighborhoods that we wanted to visit (San Telmo, La Boca, etc.), but they ended up being further away than we realized, and we ran out of time. We really could’ve used at least one more day to explore more. With that said, I would still recommend staying in Palermo, because there was a lot to do nearby, or at least within walking distance. After a really great breakfast at the hotel, we went for a walk to check out the street art around Palermo. I found a blog post that described where exactly to go…it was very easy to follow and we really enjoyed exploring the streets. There are tons of colorful buildings in Palermo to check out as well.
After exploring the streets of Palermo, it was getting close to lunch time and the start time for our Food Tour with Sherpa Food Tours that I had booked through Trip Advisor. I love a good food tour! This one was one of the best I’ve done…a small group of eight of us plus our guide, with stops at three restaurants (with more food and wine than we could eat), plus a dulce de leche shop, and finishing with dessert at an amazing Gelateria. It was about 3.5 hours in total, taking us all around Palermo, and we learned some about the history and culture of Argentina along the way. I was so busy eating, drinking, and getting to know our fellow tour mates that I did a terrible job of taking photos of all of the great food and drinks! This is a must-do on your visit to Buenos Aires.
After finishing our food tour, a nice walk was in order! The Museo Evita was high on my list of things to do, so we walked about 25 minutes (through a beautiful garden by the way) to get there. It’s a great little museum that contains exhibits from her life as a child, through her acting career, and her political activism. She was a pretty remarkable woman, and an important figure in Buenos Aires’ history. It took us about an hour to go through the entire museum.
We made the walk back to our hotel and got ready for our driver to pick us up for our final activity for Day 1…a Tango Show and Dinner! You can’t make the trip all the way to Buenos Aires and not see a tango show. There are lots of options available, but we booked this one through Trip Advisor that included pickup and drop-off at our hotel, a delicious dinner, bottle of wine, and the show. It was highly entertaining and a must-do experience in Argentina.
DAY 2: RECOLETA CEMETERY AND EXPLORING MUSEUMS
We had an overnight flight home from Argentina on Day 2, so we were able to store our bags at the hotel before heading out for the day. We took an Uber (they are very inexpensive in Buenos Aires) to the Recoleta Cemetery, which was the first public cemetery originating in 1822. It is like no other cemetery I’ve seen before…ornate mausoleums in Art Deco and Baroque design, beautiful walkways and gardens, and the final resting place of Eva Peron. There is a small fee to enter and they do offer free, guided tours (in Spanish) each day as well. This site provides a few notable mausoleums to be sure to check out.
After our self-guided tour of the cemetery, we made the short walk (under 10 minutes) to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Art). It hosts art from some of the great European artists including Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Rodin, as well as a selection of Argentine art and sculptures from the 19th and 20th century. It is free to enter and takes about 1-2 hours to tour.
Next, we headed a little further down the road toward Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo (Museum of Decorative Arts), another 10 minute walk from Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. This art museum is also a mansion and former residence of an Argentine high-society couple that was completed in 1916. It was designed by a French Architect and includes many materials that were shipped from Europe, and features various artifacts that were part of the personal collection of this couple. I believe this museum was free as well (or maybe there was a small fee), but it’s definitely worth a visit and doesn’t take long to tour (under one hour).
Before or after visiting the museum, I highly recommend grabbing a meal or snack at Croque Madame located right outside of the Museum of Decorative Arts. It’s in a beautiful historic building and features European cuisine, including pastries and coffee. We had a croque monsieur and fresh pasta…both were delicious.
We headed back to our hotel where we were able to shower and get ready for the long flight home. It was an unforgettable South American tour, and we thoroughly enjoyed each of the destinations along the way. Be sure to check out my 4 Days in Cusco, Peru…Including Machu Picchu and A Weekend in Santiago itineraries to build your own South American vacation!