Things to do in Buenos Aires
Palermo steaks, Recoleta coffee, San Telmo vermouth: the city locals actually live in.
This is Buenos Aires for people who eat seriously, spend sensibly, and want to feel like they figured the city out rather than toured it. Three neighbourhoods, three parrillas, one splurge dinner, and a cocktail bar that earns its keep every night. No set pieces, no tourist queues, just the version of the city that locals keep coming back to.
Day 1: Palermo Hollywood, start to finish
Specialty coffee and local design in the morning, the neighbourhood's best wood-fired steak at night, with a proper cocktail bar to close it out.
- 9:30 AM
Rita Specialty Coffee Soler
Palermo Hollywood specialty bar: a flat white or a filter of Latin American beans at the counter.
Map - 10:15 AM
Distrito Arcos
Distrito Arcos is an outdoor outlet strip in a converted railway arch, good browse for local brands and design.
Map - 12:30 PM
Hierro Parrilla Palermo
Solid $$ neighbourhood parrilla in Palermo Hollywood, proper Argentine steak without the tourist premium.
Map - 2:15 PM
Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays
Stroll the historic botanical garden, a classic Palermo landmark locals walk through weekly.
Map - 8:30 PM
La Carnicería
Small Palermo butcher-grill cooking dry-aged cuts and house chorizo over wood; book the bar.
Map - 9:30 PM
Backroom Bar
Backroom Bar is a proper cocktail den a few blocks away, the kind of low-key, well-made drink the neighbourhood runs.
Map
Day 2: Recoleta and the grand stuff
A gilded bookshop, a celebrated steakhouse, and a 1930s bar where the fernet-and-cola tastes exactly as it should.
- 9:30 AM
Café La Biela
Classic Buenos Aires café right in Recoleta, grab a cortado and a medialuna to kick off the day.
Map - 10:15 AM
Patio Bullrich
Mall in a 19th-century livestock auction house, with leather goods and Argentine labels under a glass roof.
Map - 12:30 PM
Parrilla Cero5
Parrilla Cero5, neighbourhood parrilla locals trust; honest Argentinian grill at a fair price.
Map - 2:30 PM
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
A 1919 theatre turned bookshop: read in the old boxes, then take a coffee on the stage.
Map - 7:30 PM
RUFINO
Recoleta steakhouse for an ojo de bife and provoleta with a long Malbec list; book ahead.
Map - 9:30 PM
Los Galgos
Los Galgos, a storied 1930s Buenos Aires bar; order a Clericó or a proper fernet-and-cola with the locals.
Map
Day 3: San Telmo, slow and honest
Antique markets, a beloved local parrilla, and a century-old bar where vermouth and a stool at the counter is the whole plan.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Mercado de San Telmo
Mercado de San Telmo: browse antiques, street food stalls, and local vendors, the heartbeat of the barrio.
Map - 12:30 PM
Nuestra Parrilla
Beloved local parrilla right on San Telmo, proper Argentine grill without the tourist price tag.
Map - 2:30 PM
Parque Lezama
Parque Lezama: shady, scenic park locals use to stroll and unwind, a proper afternoon reset.
Map - 7:30 PM
Michel Rolland Grill & Wine
Puerto Madero grill from the famous winemaker: steak with his Mendoza and Uco Valley bottles.
Map - 9:30 PM
El Federal
San Telmo bar from 1864 with a carved wooden bar; order a Fernet or a vermouth and a picada.
Map
Where to stay
Recoleta Grand, Buenos Aires, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Mid-range, well-located in Recoleta, and sitting squarely between the Day 1 Palermo spots and the Day 2 restaurants.
Hub Porteño
Small Recoleta boutique hotel with personal service, a fair rate for one of the city's best areas.
Make Buenos Aires your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Salón Canning: a few days ahead
- Teatro Colón: weeks ahead
- Estadio Alberto J. Armando: weeks ahead
- Estadio Monumental: weeks ahead
- San Antonio de Areco: weeks ahead
- El Ombú de Areco: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Boca match tickets from touts or resale sites: the most reported scam, with fake or mis-sold seats. Non-members get in through hosted match packages.
- Florida Street cambio men and airport exchange desks, small premium and counterfeit or short count risk.
- Dinner show tango as your only tango, and wandering beyond the Caminito circuit in La Boca.
- Café Tortoni for a full meal, random Puerto Madero dockside grills, and Buenos Aires in a day mega tours.
The full Buenos Aires travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around