Things to do in Buenos Aires, splurging
Design shops, destination dinners and the cocktail bars worth staying up for.
This is Buenos Aires for people who eat seriously, shop with intent and want a cocktail that someone actually thought about. Three days move through Palermo, Recoleta and San Telmo in a logical arc, so you spend less time in cabs and more time at the table. Lunch is never an afterthought and dinner is always the point.
Day 1: Palermo Hollywood and Soho
Start with top-flight specialty coffee and a browse through Distrito Arcos before an acclaimed lunch at El Preferido, then end the night at La Carnicería and the Backroom Bar.
- 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
Open-air outlet strip under old railway arches: Argentine labels like Rapsodia and Prüne at lower prices.
Map - 12:30 PM
El Preferido de Palermo
Don Julio's sister bodegón in a 1950s corner store: tortilla, milanesa and house-cured anchovies.
Map - 2:30 PM
Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays
Stroll the lush Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays, a landmark green escape a short walk away.
Map - 8:30 PM
La Carnicería
Small Palermo butcher-grill cooking dry-aged cuts and house chorizo over wood; book the bar.
Map - 10:30 PM
Backroom Bar
Low-lit Palermo cocktail bar for one well-made drink after dinner; porteños are only just going out.
Map
Day 2: Recoleta, bookshop to steakhouse
A morning at Café La Biela and El Ateneo Grand Splendid sets up a great-value lunch at Bis Bistró, an afternoon in Patio Bullrich, and a serious night at RUFINO followed by Los Galgos.
- 9:30 AM
Café La Biela
Recoleta institution under a giant rubber tree; a cortado and medialunas on the terrace by the cemetery.
Map - 10:30 AM
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
The world-famous bookshop inside a converted Art Deco theatre, unmissable design landmark one neighbourhood over.
Map - 12:30 PM
Bis Bistró
Aramburu's relaxed bistro next door: a short menu of precise, seasonal plates at lunch.
Map - 2:30 PM
Patio Bullrich
Patio Bullrich is the neighbourhood's best-edit luxury mall, ideal for a post-lunch design and boutique browse.
Map - 7:30 PM
RUFINO
Recoleta steakhouse for an ojo de bife and provoleta with a long Malbec list; book ahead.
Map - 10:00 PM
Los Galgos
Los Galgos is the city's legendary cocktail-bar institution, perfect nightcap before midnight.
Map
Day 3: San Telmo to Puerto Madero
The cobbled south gets a slow morning at La Poesía and the Mercado before lunch and Plaza Dorrego, then the day closes in style at Happening and sky-high cocktails at Trade Sky Bar.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Mercado de San Telmo
San Telmo's iconic covered market, antiques, local crafts and design finds all under one roof.
Map - 12:30 PM
La Choripanería
Choripán stand inside the San Telmo market: grilled chorizo in bread with chimichurri, eaten standing.
Map - 2:30 PM
Plaza Dorrego
Café tables under the trees on weekdays; on Sundays the square fills with the San Telmo antiques fair.
Map - 7:30 PM
Happening Puerto Madero
Dockside parrilla in Puerto Madero: grilled steak and sweetbreads with the old cranes outside.
Map - 9:30 PM
Where to stay
Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt
Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt sits on the best block in Recoleta, puts you in walking distance of Days 2 and 3, and the bar and garden alone justify the address.
Alvear Palace Hotel
Alvear Palace is the city's canonical grande dame: white-glove service, a prime Recoleta position and the kind of breakfast that removes any need to rush out the door.
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.
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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