Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of South America’s most beloved cities. Often dubbed “The Paris of South America,” the Argentinian capital feels like a mélange of Europe and South America, with its abundance of Beaux Art-style buildings, colorful barrios, verdant parks, vim for fútbol, and supreme cafe culture, among other hallmarks. Read on for our official guide to Buenos Aires.
Where to Stay:
This boutique hotel (the first in Palermo Hollywood) books up fast with a relative handful of rooms — and its gorgeous pool. Expect hip rooms with touches like vintage wallpaper and llama wool blankets. If you’re arriving after a long flight, book in the Jet Lag Recovery treatment at the spa — or tuck into the hotel’s all-day breakfast to reset your timezone
This Palermo Hollywood hotel takes its place among the hip neighborhood’s skyrises — and boasts a rooftop pool as a crown. The hotel has a modern, almost industrial palette, and while the 27 rooms might be simple on style, they’re spacious and have comfortable beds to sink into at the end of a long day (and Nespresso machines to get you going the next day).
Where to Eat:
Baked, frosted, whipped, and toasted Argentinean favorites are brought to full potential in Palermo Hollywood by Chiara Caversaschi and her team. Think filled medialunas (sweet, pilllowy croissants), chipás (cheese buns) and sweet-salty fosforitos, which feature thin layers of ham and cheese between croissant-like layers with a sugar glaze atop.
Unmissable due to both its pink hue and the ravenous crowd queuing outside, this Palermo Soho outpost was voted the Best Restaurant in Latin America in 2020 on The World’s 50 Best (its team is also behind Don Julio, an iconic steak spot). The joint is entirely dedicated to a good meal, with organic produce, a master butcher overseeing the meats and a wine list that stars small producers.
This resto-bar doesn’t hold back with its political leanings, nor its dishes: You’ll find a shrine to Eva Perón amid plenty of memorabilia, and if you can eavesdrop in Spanish, you’ll probably hear some Peronist discussion at the next table down.
Where to Drink:
Buenos Aires’ best cocktails are served up at this glamorous bar — just be sure you make reservations to guarantee your spot. Expect twists on classics enhanced by some Argentinean winks (one has elderflower lemonade from Patagonia) alongside iconic sips.
Where to Visit:
Buenos Aires Botanical Gardens
With around 6,000 plant species, this botanical garden packs a lot of flora into a very walkable area. The shady garden features lush foliage and tropical blooms, including a cluster native to the area. Keep one eye out for parrots in the trees above you as you walk through the French, Roman, and Asian gardens.
Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires
Founded in 2001, this repository of Latin American is a fantastic spot take in the region’s most storied works and top talent spanning the course of the last century. It contains more than 700 pieces by artists like Diego Rivera, Antonio Berni, Frida Kahlo and Jorge de la Vega, all from the private collection of its Argentinean founder Eduardo Constantini, a businessman.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Located in posh Recoleta, this small, free museum is perfect if you’re the kind of person who prefers dipping into museum versus making a day of it. You’ll find the finest collection of Argentinean artists on the continent, and you’ll also meet European names like Van Gogh, Rodin, El Greco, and Picasso.
More than a cemetery, this open-air museum is one of the most-visited places in the city. You can easily spend a few hours here, especially if you’re an Argentinean history buff looking to spot names — presidents, military brass, and of course Eva Perón is here too.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Dubbed the most beautiful bookstore in the world by National Geographic in 2019, El Ateneo Grand Splendid is an expansive bookstore with over 180,000 literary works (primarily in Spanish). The coolest part? It occupies a former theater — you’ll love the fresco-painted dome ceiling, red show curtains, and mellow lighting.
Palermo Soho
Palermo Soho is one of the subsets of the sprawling Palermo neighborhood in Buenos Aires (there’s also Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Chico), but it’s in this section that you’ll find a little bit of what makes each of the Palermos great — and plenty more that makes it a worthy draw among the city’s four dozen-ish areas. If you like shopping, you’ll be spoiled for choice here with both swank boutiques, vintage pop-ups, and more mainstream outlets (Adidas has an outpost here). Check out LUXO for non-gendered, easy-going basics, and head to Libros del Pasaje for a coffee in the sunny cafe and a thorough book browse (most books are in Spanish, though many of the art books upstairs are in English; it also stocks excellent tote bags). After a wander takes you south, stop in at bar notable (historic cafe-bar) Verela Verelita for an old-school beer surrounded by newspaper-reading locals cooling off under the many ceiling fans, the Plaza Serrano Saturday market, or into Gato Store for great homewares. (Also, make the short walk to Villa Crespo for Nimes’ handbags.) But in the evenings the neighborhood really lights up: Among many great options, check out Pain et Vin for friendly staff who’ll find you the perfect Argentinean wine among their vast reserves and great bites to go alongside.
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