The perfect weekend in Buenos Aires, the Paris of the South

Telegraph

28-02-2025

Paris of the South, Tangopolis, Queen of the Plate, City of Fury – and World's Backside: popular nicknames capture the nostalgia, aspirations and ambivalences of Buenos Aires. Its name actually refers to the 'fair winds' that brought the first conquistadors here in the 16th century. The Argentinian capital's maritime roots are still celebrated in the local word for its residents: porteños, or 'port people'.
Most of them are of mixed heritage and their city is a beguiling conflation of historic Atlantic outpost and contemporary Latin American sprawl. BA – as expats like to call it – was once the capital of one of the world's wealthiest nations. Its Frenchified and Italianate buildings, graceful plazas and cultural life are the envy of Old World cities, not to mention Chilean and Brazilian urbanites.
More than 14 million people live in the vast metropolitan area of Greater BA, its suburbs fanning out into the surrounding pampas. But – fortunately for visitors – sights and museums, gastronomy, arts and nightlife venues are concentrated in a few central neighbourhoods or barrios. Palermo has jacaranda-perfumed parks, trendy bars and independent boutiques. Recoleta is home to old money, grand hotels and a grandiose necropolis. Puerto Madero is great for dockside strolls and has a nature reserve. San Telmo is old Buenos Aires, ideal for a steak dinner and a tango show. Artsy Avenida Corrientes 'never sleeps'. But, actually, all of Buenos Aires is insomniacal – for sheer hedonism, few cities come close.
The streets are laid out on a grid-pattern so navigating is easy. And despite the heavy traffic and all the buses that race one another down the main thoroughfares, BA is a walkable city. If an avenue is throbbing – the evening rush hour can be manic – it's always possible to find a parallel street that's much quieter. There are plazas, bars and cafés, shops and restaurants dotted all over and museums and galleries are spread around, making it easy to plot an outing around cultural pitstops.
Most travellers spend time in BA before or after a holiday in Patagonia, Salta or the Iguazú Falls. Two days is the absolute minimum needed to get a taste of the city. Locals are friendly and often speak English fluently. Tourism has grown in recent years but BA's relative isolation means there are none of the crowds you get in the major European capitals. Buenos Aires has a special vibe and an addictive quality, and is still a city that feels undiscovered – let the sunshine and fair winds direct you around it, but use our guide to get you started.
For more Buenos Aires inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, restaurants, bars and attractions.
In this guide
How to spend your weekend
Day one: morning
Start your day at Parque Lezama, a green park on a low bluff in the San Telmo district. This is probably where the city was first declared in 1536, and there's a monument to the founding conquistador Pedro de Mendoza. The scheme failed and Mendoza died on the voyage home to Spain, but BA was refounded successfully in 1580. The park is home to the atmospheric Museo Histórico Nacional, which occupies a handsome mansion that mixes Spanish colonial and 19th-century Italian styles. On display are paintings, busts, flags, weapons and uniforms as well as everyday objects from the 19th century.
Grab a coffee at Bar Británico on the corner opposite the Mendoza monument. It's one of BA's lovely old 'bares notables' – establishments recognised for their antiquity and/or architecture – and features in our 50 greatest cafés in the world. Afterwards, head north down Defensa – a street that will take you all the way to the Plaza de Mayo, passing several old churches, the Plaza Dorrego and a gauntlet of antiques stores.
BA public art museums are an enjoyable and affordable way to explore its recent history and culture. On Avenida San Juan, one of the cross-streets off Defensa, are the Museo de Arte Moderno and, right next door, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, both of which host permanent and changing shows.
The Plaza de Mayo is the civic heart of Argentina, site of celebrations, protests, speeches, skirmishes and coups d'état. One side is occupied by the Casa Rosada – the pink-washed presidential palace. Opposite is the colonial-era Cabildo or town hall. The metropolitan cathedral is also on the plaza.
A block to the south along Bolívar is the Manzana de las Luces (generally translated somewhat clumsily as Block of Enlightenment). This is where the Jesuits had their HQ and church in the 18th century and is also the site of BA's most prestigious state-run school, the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires. You can go on a guided tour of the Manzana.
For lunch, head to Bar El Federal, another 'bar notable'. Opened in 1864, it's full of ancient signage, gorgeous wood fixtures and a bar topped by a Tiffany arch. Have a platter of cold cuts and olives, with a beer or glass of wine.
Afternoon
Continue your walk heading west to the Plaza del Congreso along the Avenida de Mayo – which has wide pavements and is sometimes compared to Madrid's Gran Vía – to picture the glory days of early 20th century.
En route, you'll pass the Café Tortoni at number 825. It's BA's grandest old café, but queues for tables have made it less enticing than in former days. If it's low season you should pop in for a look and a coffee; otherwise, wait until you get to the capacious 36 Billares which is also venerable and never very busy.
Avenida de Mayo is full of interesting architecture, reflecting the city burghers' aim of creating a southern hemisphere Paris or Madrid when the Argentinian state had full coffers thanks to meat and grain exports. There are old theatres, once grand now faded hotels, and restaurants serving Spanish dishes (concentrated on the corner with Salta). A particularly eye-catching edifice is the Dante's Inferno-inspired Palacio Barolo, which has guided tours.
End your walk at the large, oblong-shaped Plaza del Congreso (in fact three connected plazas), where you can see a copy of Rodin's Thinker statues, a marker for Kilómetro Zero (from which all road distances in Argentina are measured), the headquarters of the famous Madres de Plaza de Mayo protest group and, at the far end, the domed Palace of Congress.
Late
Opposite Parque Lezama is the Torquato Tasso club – always worth keeping an eye on for tango or folk concerts. Dinner is served during the concerts. Or, Bar Sur in San Telmo has entertaining, if somewhat touristy, tango shows Monday through Saturday.
Day two: morning
Start off in the barrio of Palermo. This is the largest neighbourhood in the city, with many leafy plazas, a large residential district, a very exclusive embassy quarter, and an older-looking area called Palermo Viejo (divided by fad fiends into 'Soho' and 'Hollywood' in the late 1990s) that's one of the city's main nightlife and independent shopping hubs.
Amble around the Plazoleta Julio Cortázar for a couple of hours. There are hundreds of uber-smart fashion, footwear, handicraft and other stores concentrated along Armenia, Gorriti and Gurruchaga and the cross streets of Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. There are plenty of 'third-wave' barista-helmed coffee shops in the district.
To understand modern-day Argentina, you have to get a hook on the Peróns – president Juan and the most famous of his three wives, Eva (aka Evita). The Museo Evita has 13 rooms of photos, paintings and sculptures, newspaper articles and dresses she wore as First Lady.
Afternoon
Enjoy lunch at El Club de la Milanesa (Gurruchaga 1806) – a small-ish local chain dedicated to Argentina's favourite dish: breaded Angus beef or chicken, with fries or salad.
Catch a taxi or the Subte to the Cementerio de la Recoleta. This famous necropolis was opened on the site of a much older cemetery in 1822 and is the final resting place of presidents, military generals, artists and socialites; Evita, who so disdained the upper classes, was buried alongside them with the rest of her family – the Duartes' mausoleum is not far from the porticoed entrance.
Maps of the labyrinthine layout are available at the entrance, but it's stirring just to stroll around the miniature city of the dead, admiring the angels, cherubs, architectural follies and Graeco-Roman fancies carved from marble and granite.
Late
See an opera, ballet or symphony orchestra at the Teatro Colón – one of the world's great opera houses. The building is a romantic beauty, but the programme is a sublime mix of major operatic productions and more daring classical and jazz concerts. If you prefer a dinner, head to a bodegón – an old-school restaurant: there are dozens of good ones in BA: Miramar in San Telmo is a classic. If you want to try a steakhouse, Parrilla Peña is a great neighbourhood choice and much cheaper than the tourist-trap steakhouses around Palermo.
Insider tips
Attractions
La Boca – the old port district with multi-coloured buildings – is essentially one pedestrianised street, called Caminito, curated solely for tourism, surrounded by a real shanty town. The tourist strip is often mobbed by coach tours, and is short on the romance it once promised to arriving immigrants. Expect tango dancers after tips for photos, human statues, hawkers galore – and watch out for pickpockets. If you do visit, the nearby Boca Juniors football stadium is legendary and some of the old bars and restaurants are quaint, such as El Obrero. Don't head off into the wider neighbourhood after dark.
Neighbourhood watch
Immediately south of San Telmo, Barracas is reclaiming its title as one of the city's most refined barrios. Former factories and once-abandoned warehouses have been turned into loft apartments, cultural spaces and government headquarters. East-west axis Avenida Caseros is lined with faded 19th-century private mansions reimagined as bars and restaurants. Artisanal craft-beer joints are opening up, while traditional vermouth bars have been revived. Colourful, pendant-decked La Popular de San Telmo pays homage to classic Italian spirits and Argentinian digestifs, as well as comfort food. At Hierbabuena, a veggie deli, fresh juices are whizzed together, and On Tap is the early-evening meeting point for a BA-brewed beer.
City hack
The local buses, or colectivos, are very frequent and cheap to use (a prepaid Sube card is used for these and for the metro system). Ride on the 152, 130, 64 or the 59 to take a tour of the city. It's a lot cheaper than the open-top tour buses and, if you avoid the rush hour, you'll easily get a seat. Plan your journey here.
Did you know?
When Spain first established its colonial empire in the Americas, Lima was its capital and Buenos Aires was a backwater – and would remain so until 1776 when the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created.
How to get there and how to get around
Most international visitors arrive at Ezeiza, also known as Ministro Pistarini International Airport. British Airways, Iberia and Latam fly here, as do other European and US carriers. There's no metro line direct to the airport though there are bus services. If you are travelling with a tour operator, ask for a transfer; it takes at least an hour to drive to the city centre.
Some flights from Brazil and most internal flights land at Aeroparque aka Jorge Newbery airport, which is close to Palermo and downtown. A taxi will cost only a few dollars.
Buenos Aires metro system, the Subte, is the oldest in the southern hemisphere. Six lines connect 104 stations. Get a Sube card from a station or pharmacy showing the SUBE sticker in the window, and load it with a few pesos for the duration of your stay. A single ride costs pennies.
When to go
The southern hemisphere seasons are a mirror image of Europe's. Spring (Sep-Nov) is dreamy in Buenos Aires, with long, warm days, relatively few storms or showers, and trees in blossom. Autumn (Mar-May) is also very pleasant, though you may need pullovers and an umbrella by May.
Summer can be sweltering (upwards of 30C is not uncommon), and prices for flights peak just before Christmas too. Porteños hit the beach in January and February so the city can feel a bit quiet.
Winter is wet and days are short. Buenos Aires is at 34 degrees south, so has a proper winter, temperatures comparable with those in parts of northern Spain. Storms and heavy showers can cause flooding.
In terms of combining your trip to BA with other parts of Argentina, consider the following: Patagonia is best visited between late October and March, as winters in the south can be cold; the ski season in the Lake District is mid-winter; Salta and the north west have their dry seasons also in winter.
Where to stay
Luxury living
Elegance shimmers from every chandelier of this fabulous palace, which pays homage to the glory days of Thirties Buenos Aires. Classic with a modern twist and unfailingly stylish, with every whim catered for, in this delightfully unpretentious five star.
Read our full review here.
Designer digs
The former home-cum-production headquarters of the family of American film director Francis Ford Coppola is one of Palermo's most alluring small hotels. Attention to detail, personalised service, gorgeous rooms and a superb location make it a near-perfect urban retreat.
For more hotels in Buenos Aires, see our guide to the best hotels in the city.
What to bring home
Maté gourds (and green maté tea to drink), leather belts and leatherware in general, gaucho trousers (called bombachas), wine.
Know before you go
Essential Information
British Consulate: Dr. Luis Agote 2412, Recoleta (00 54 11 4808 2200); gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-buenos-aires
Tourist information: Defensa 187, Florida 50, both in Centre and South neighbourhood; turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en
Emergency services
Ambulance: 107
Police: 911 or 101; Tourist Police WhatsApp [phone]
Fire: 100
The basics
Currency: The official currency is the peso, written AR$, and is the main currency accepted in the city. There are several exchange rates and changing money used to be a circus, but the gap between official and parallel rates was recently only 4 per cent. Take US dollars to buy pesos.
Telephone code from abroad: 00 54 for Argentina, 11 for Buenos Aires. Drop the first zero of any local number.
Time difference: GMT minus 3.
Travelling time: around 12 hours from the UK direct; 14-18 hours with stops.
Local laws and etiquette
Meeting times are flexible. Expect Argentinian friends to be late, though good tourist guides will keep time.
Dinner is eaten late; restaurants are quiet between 7-9pm, which can be boring but is great if you want an early night after, say, a long flight.
Wherever you are in the city, it is advisable to keep alert to those around you and avoid using your phone in the street, wearing jewellery or taking a full wallet or purse out: only carry what is absolutely necessary. Use ATMs by day.
Accessibility for travellers with disabilities
Wheelchair access is good at airports and is improving slowly in public buildings and on the streets. Kerb ramps are quite common in central barrios. See wheelchairtravel.org.