Best Things to Do in Buenos Aires: Art, Markets and Local Experiences
The best things to do in Buenos Aires include exploring Recoleta Cemetery for architecture and history, following street art with a local guide, browsing El Ateneo Grand Splendid, and visiting Mataderos for folk music and regional food. This guide preserves eight traveler recommendations, with bike tours, craft beer, cocktail bars, and practical planning advice.
Choose a tour that adds something to your visit
For history: the two-hour Recoleta tour provides English-language context for the tombs. Cemetery admission is extra. If you speak Spanish, compare the city’s free guided departures before paying for another guide.
Check Recoleta guided-tour dates
For orientation: choose a north or south bike route, with bike, helmet and guide. It is a roughly four-hour city ride, not the contributor’s full-day route below. Check suitability, guide language, cancellation and inclusions for your selected date.
Compare north and south bike tours
Check route overlap before booking both. A bike stop outside Recoleta is not the same as a guided visit inside, and neither tour is needed for an ordinary visit to the bookshop.
Buenos Aires at a glance
- Allow: 3–4 days for this selection at a comfortable pace (editorial suggestion).
- Base: Recoleta for the cemetery and a quieter hotel focus; Palermo for evenings and street-art outings. Choose by your actual plans.
- Transport: Walk within neighborhoods and use transit or a booked ride between them. A rental car adds little to this itinerary.
- Calendar constraint: Mataderos is seasonal and normally a Sunday outing; check rain cancellations before traveling west.
To help you decide what to do during your visit to Buenos Aires, I asked travel blogger friends about the best things they had done in and around the city. Their recommendations focus on street art, historic cemeteries, bicycle tours, microbrews, and cocktail bars.
Quick picks by interest
- Take a Graffitimundo street-art tour
- Explore Recoleta Cemetery
- See Buenos Aires by bicycle
- Visit the Feria de Mataderos
- Explore Chacarita Cemetery
- Browse El Ateneo Grand Splendid
1. Take a Graffitimundo street-art tour
Recommended by Carol from Wayfaring Views
There is the genteel side of Buenos Aires, with the wide boulevards and stately neighborhoods of Retiro and Recoleta. But there is an edgier side of the city too.
Spend some time wandering around San Telmo, Palermo Soho, or Chacarita, and you’ll get a hip scene with cafes, art galleries, boutiques, and a big dose of urban art.
Buenos Aires has a strong tradition around graffiti, paste-ups, and murals as a form of protest and social expression.
You can wander around on your own looking for it, but I recommend a street art tour with Graffiti Mundo as the most efficient and informative way to find street art in Buenos Aires.
Graffitimundo is a nonprofit organization supporting Buenos Aires’ urban-art scene. Its tours put murals in their social and political context.
On a tour, you can learn about visual arts as activism in Argentina and the modern movement of self-expression. Check the current route and language directly: walking tours and private circuits are different offers, and the murals themselves change.
Plan your visit
- Location: Colegiales, Palermo and other neighborhoods depending on the route.
- Admission and fees: Paid tours; confirm the current quote and guide language directly. Public murals can also be viewed independently.
- Hours and access: Scheduled departures; walking and private circuits differ. Rain can affect tours.
- Time needed: About 2 hours for the advertised walking format; longer private routes vary.
- Booking and transport: Reserve with Graffitimundo and use the meeting point for your booked route, not its general office address.
Our take: Choose a guide for the stories behind the walls; independent wandering is better if you only want a few photographs.
2. Try Buenos Aires craft beer
Recommended by Peter from Where Is Your Toothbrush?
Argentina is known for wine, but lovers of craft beer, or cerveza artesanal, can enjoy the city too.
Buenos Aires also has a craft-beer scene worth exploring alongside the wider food culture of South America. Peter’s original recommendations focused on three names.
Antares has locations around Argentina. Check its current branch directory rather than relying on the Palermo location mentioned in the original account.
Peter’s original picks included Honey Beer, a pale ale with a touch of honey, and the light, caramelly Cream Stout. Treat these as tasting memories rather than a promise of today’s tap list or seasonal classification.
Breoghan was another stop in Peter’s original San Telmo recommendations: a brick-walled pub decorated with beer paraphernalia from around the world. Its current operation could not be confirmed, so keep this as a historical note rather than a planned stop.
His beer recommendation there was the San Telmo Fire IPA.
Buller’s Recoleta bar benefits from its location near the cemetery. Peter described an airy, long pub, a convenient place to sit down after exploring the neighborhood.
In his tasting notes, the Hefeweizen was bright and the Stout thick and creamy, with caramel and coffee notes. Check the current selection rather than assuming both are on tap.
Plan your visit
- Location: Buller: Junín 1747, Recoleta. For Antares, use its current branch directory.
- Admission and fees: Pay for drinks and food; menus and tap lists vary. No verified current Breoghan offering.
- Hours and access: Check your chosen bar’s service hours and kitchen closing time directly.
- Time needed: Allow 1–2 hours for one stop (editorial estimate).
- Booking and transport: Combine Buller with Recoleta sightseeing. Do not plan a cross-city brewery crawl around unconfirmed old branches.
Our take: A good evening addition near your existing route. Do not cross the city just to chase a beer from an old tap list.
3. Explore Recoleta Cemetery
Recommended by Talek from Travels With Talek
The Cementerio de la Recoleta is a rewarding place to explore funerary architecture when you travel to Argentina.
It is in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the same name, known for its stately homes.
Laid out in blocks as in city streets, the public cemetery opened in 1822 on land associated with the Recollect friars. The religious complex is older than the public cemetery.
The above-ground vaults form a dense landscape of family monuments. Many have protected historical status.
Many of the mausoleums and monuments are works of art constructed in styles from Art Deco to Baroque. Besides the artistry of the funerary statuary, perhaps the most notable feature of the cemetery is its residents.
The presidents of Argentina are buried here, as are Nobel Prize winners and Argentina’s distinguished artists, athletes, and scientists.
Among the best-known graves is that of Eva Perón, Argentina’s former first lady. Her tomb draws visitors who come to understand her place in the country’s history.
Plan your visit
- Location: Junín entrance, Recoleta; follow your ticket or guide’s meeting instructions.
- Admission and fees: International tourist admission is separate from the linked guided tour. Use the city ticket portal for the current tariff and exemptions.
- Hours and access: City visitor page: daily, 9 am–5 pm. Older tourism pages show different hours; use the current ticket confirmation.
- Time needed: Allow 1–2 hours; the linked English guided tour lasts 2 hours.
- Booking and transport: Independent visits are possible. The city also advertises free Spanish guided departures; entry eligibility and guide fees are separate matters.
Our take: Worth a guide if Argentine history interests you. Architecture-focused visitors can also explore independently.
The linked tour is in English. Admission must be arranged separately; the product page gives inconsistent approximate dollar conversions, so use the city’s ticket portal for the amount payable.
4. Have a cocktail at a speakeasy
Recommended by Rebecca from Rebecca and the World
One of the most intriguing aspects of Buenos Aires’ bar scene is the number of secret bars hidden around the city.
Some play with passwords and hidden entrances, but the entry arrangements can change. Reserve through the venue and ask how to enter on your date.
Here are a few to check out on your visit to Buenos Aires.
If you head to Arroyo 872 in Retiro, you might be surprised to find yourself at a florist. Florería Atlántico is known for the bar concealed downstairs, behind the shop’s refrigerator-style entrance.
Frank’s Bar is another password-and-phone-booth speakeasy. The original account placed it at Arévalo 1445, while the city tourism directory lists 1443; use the address on your confirmed reservation.
Rebecca described giving a password to the doorman, then entering a code in a phone booth to reveal the bar. Very James Bond! Confirm the current process rather than relying on old Facebook clues.
Café by day, speakeasy by night: Victoria Brown is hidden behind a café in Palermo. Rebecca remembered pushing a brick wall to enter a bar with leather couches. Confirm the current entrance with the venue; published street numbers differ.
Harrison Speakeasy at Malabia 1764 is connected with Nicky. The original account described asking to visit the “cellar” after dinner. The operator now provides a reservation channel, so ask whether your booking includes the bar instead of assuming membership or a meal guarantees access.
Plan your visit
- Location: Florería Atlántico: Arroyo 872, Retiro. Nicky Harrison: Malabia 1764, Palermo.
- Admission and fees: Menus, minimum spend and any dinner requirement must be confirmed with the venue.
- Hours and access: Use the venue’s reservation calendar for your evening; do not rely on a historic password or opening time.
- Time needed: Allow 1–2 hours for drinks, longer with dinner (editorial estimate).
- Booking and transport: Choose one bar, reserve and arrange the return journey. Ask about steps or accessible entry if needed.
Our take: Pick one venue for its drinks and atmosphere. A hidden door alone is not a reason to pay for several expensive stops.
Nicky Harrison reservations and hours; Victoria Brown; Frank’s Bar.
5. See Buenos Aires by bicycle
Recommended by Kimmie from Adventures & Sunsets
A bicycle tour can be a good way to connect several Buenos Aires neighborhoods in a day, if you are comfortable riding in a city. A guide adds context to the culture and turbulent history of its different areas.
My biking Buenos Aires tour started in San Telmo and first looped down to the Boca Juniors stadium and the colorful houses of Caminito a La Boca. We stopped frequently to learn all about certain parts of Argentinian history and cultural activities that were associated with that area.
For instance, we learned that the futbol stadium is the ‘Argentinian church,’ along with tons of info about the country’s recent rough times in La Boca.
Next, we came back around for a delicious sandwich on the boardwalk of Puerto Madero. We enjoyed it in the sun before riding to Microcentro to check out the center of town and government buildings.
During my tour we happened upon a huge demonstration in Microcentro, another insight into the country’s political activism. That was part of my earlier experience; today, avoid demonstrations and follow current local advice.
We then headed to Recoleta to learn all about the Cemetery and the amazing Floralis Generica sculpture as we looked at them with our own eyes.
Before heading back, our guide taught us all about the Argentine mate culture, and how to properly drink the popular tea while obeying all the unwritten rules of drinking it with your friends!
We stopped past the federal building on the way back to San Telmo, where we enjoyed a fernet together after learning about it outside La Boca stadium. We reflected on our day learning so much about Buenos Aires.
Plan your visit
- Location: Meeting point depends on the operator; the linked product starts around Chile 1141 in San Telmo.
- Admission and fees: The linked tour includes a cruiser bike, helmet and guide. Check the selected route, language and extras before paying.
- Hours and access: Timed departures and weather conditions apply. Confirm cycling ability, age and health restrictions with the operator.
- Time needed: Linked north or south option: about 4 hours. The original contributor’s longer itinerary is a separate experience.
- Booking and transport: Select north OR south; a stop near a cemetery or stadium is not automatically an interior visit.
Our take: A useful introduction for confident cyclists; choose a walking tour if traffic or cycling feels uncomfortable.
Kimmie’s account describes her earlier route and food stops. The booking option below is a different north-or-south tour; do not assume it includes the same lunch, drinks, mate tasting, or admission to buildings.
6. Visit the Feria de Mataderos
Recommended by Erin from Sol Salute
There are a couple famous markets in Buenos Aires that figure onto most visitor’s itineraries. And while the markets in San Telmo and Recoleta are fantastic, if you want to step off the beaten track look to the western edge of the city in Mataderos.
The city tourism office currently lists the fair on Sundays, March–December, from 11 am to 7 pm, with rain cancellations. Special holiday editions are announced separately. Here you can experience folkloric music rather than planning on a tango show.
On my visits, local dancers wore traditional clothing and danced between the live performances on the main stage.
I never tire of watching them dance, the music here is much happier than the solemnity of tango.
Another Mataderos Market highlight is the food. The stands surrounding the main square offer delicacies from northern provinces like Salta and Tucuman.
You can try hearty stews like locro or empanadas from different regions. I’m a fan of the Tucumanas! Food and drink are paid separately from the free fair.
There is also a wonderful market that branches off the main square in every direction. The vendors sell artisanal goods like woven ponchos, jewelry or meats, and cheeses from farms in the province.
Make the extra journey to Mataderos if folk music and regional food interest you, and confirm the fair is running before setting off.
Plan your visit
- Location: Avenida Lisandro de la Torre and Avenida de los Corrales, Mataderos.
- Admission and fees: Fair and public performances are free; food, purchases and transport cost extra.
- Hours and access: March–December, Sundays 11 am–7 pm; canceled in rain. Check special holiday editions separately.
- Time needed: Allow a half day including travel (editorial estimate); it is well outside the central sightseeing cluster.
- Booking and transport: Check the organizer’s announcement before making the journey. Plan the return route and carry a payment backup for stalls.
Our take: Worth the journey for regional food and folk music, but not if the fair is canceled or your only day is already full.
7. Explore Chacarita Cemetery
Recommended by Erin from Sol Salute
Recoleta is known for its cemetery of prominent public figures. Chacarita offers a different perspective on the city’s history.
On the other side of town in Chacarita lies another cemetery, still in active use today. Its extensive grounds reward choosing a few graves rather than trying to cover every avenue.
The yellow fever epidemic of 1871 created the need for a new burial ground. The present monumental cemetery developed later, with its inauguration in 1886.
At the time, this was outside the built-up city. Today, Buenos Aires has grown around it.
Just past the imposing columned entrance, you’ll find large mausoleums similar to those in Recoleta. Some belong to associations and unions.
The artists’ and musicians’ pantheons reflect Chacarita’s connection with the city’s cultural life.
Here you can visit the country’s most famous tango stars, painters and more. Carlos Gardel is buried in Chacarita as well (if you’ve heard Tango, you have heard Gardel) and receives a constant influx of visitors.
Leave time afterward to explore the neighborhood’s cafes and traditional pizzerias, rather than treating the cemetery as an isolated stop.
All of this makes a visit to Chacarita a great way to see a local’s perspective in Buenos Aires.
Plan your visit
- Location: Avenida Guzmán 680, Chacarita.
- Admission and fees: The municipal visitor page lists no tourist tariff; confirm any guided-tour charge separately.
- Hours and access: Municipal visiting hours: daily 8 am–5 pm. Funeral and administrative services have different hours.
- Time needed: Allow 1–2 hours for a selected route (editorial estimate).
- Booking and transport: Choose specific graves before arriving and respect funeral services. Add a neighborhood lunch rather than another long transfer.
Our take: Especially rewarding for tango or cemetery architecture. With limited time, choose this or Recoleta rather than automatically doing both.
8. Browse El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Recommended by Henry & Zory of This Life Of Travel
El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a bookstore inside a former theater, where the building is as much a reason to visit as the books.
Located on Avenida Santa Fe, the building was designed by Rafael Peró and Manuel Torres Armengol. The Grand Splendid opened in 1919, with a history spanning stage performances, cinema, and recording.
During its cinema years it was among the early venues in Argentina to screen sound films. The interior still preserves the feel of an auditorium.
The cinema continued until 1999, and the bookstore opened in 2000.
The conversion replaced seats with bookshelves while preserving the theater’s decoration. Look up at the painted dome and across the balconies before browsing the shelves.
The former stage houses a café. Ordinary bookstore admission remains free; a separate paid Grand Splendid experience introduced in 2026 should not be confused with an entry charge to browse the shop.
Plan your visit
- Location: Avenida Santa Fe 1860, Buenos Aires.
- Admission and fees: Bookstore entry is free. Books, café purchases and the separate Grand Splendid experience cost extra.
- Hours and access: Current Spanish city listing: Monday–Saturday 9 am–9 pm, Sunday 11 am–9 pm. Recheck holiday hours.
- Time needed: Allow 30–60 minutes for the bookshop, longer for the café or paid experience (editorial estimate).
- Booking and transport: An ordinary browsing visit does not require a guided package. Keep aisles clear for shoppers.
Our take: A worthwhile free architectural stop. The paid experience is optional, not necessary to see the main bookstore.
Where to stay: Palacio Duhau
Recommended by Michelle from The Wandering Queen
Palacio Duhau made a strong impression on me. The hotel consists of two buildings: a restored palace built in 1934 and a modern contemporary building.
I was lucky enough to experience both sides. Even today, it isn’t easy to pick my favorite side.
The historic palace was built in 1934 and designed by French architect Léon Dourge. Its architecture gives the stay a different character from a conventional city hotel.
One of my favorite areas of the hotel is the garden between the two buildings, with trees, flowers, and space to pause between outings.
There are also terraces with views of the lovely garden to enjoy a savory meal and a refreshing beverage. Beneath the garden, the hotel has an underground walkway featuring galleries of art and sculptures.
To this day, I am confident that Palacio Duhau has been my favorite hotel experience by far. The modern feel combined with the historical architecture was an experience like none other.
For travelers choosing a Recoleta base, the combination of historic architecture and contemporary rooms is the main reason to consider Palacio Duhau.
Plan your visit
- Location: Avenida Alvear 1661, Recoleta.
- Admission and fees: Room rates vary by dates and category. Compare taxes, breakfast, cancellation and which building your room occupies.
- Hours and access: Hotel reservations and restaurant reservations are separate; confirm visitor access if not staying.
- Time needed: Choose as your city base; allow a separate restaurant booking for a shorter visit.
- Booking and transport: The palace and contemporary building are different room choices. Request accessibility details for the exact room type.
Our take: Best for travelers who will enjoy the hotel itself; a premium room is less compelling if you plan to be out from morning to midnight.
A realistic three-day Buenos Aires plan
- Day 1, Recoleta: Start with the cemetery, take a lunch break, then visit El Ateneo. Allow roughly 20–30 minutes to walk between the cemetery area and the bookstore, depending on your route and pace. Finish with Buller or a reserved dinner; avoid stacking two guided tours.
- Day 2, one guided route: Take either a bike tour or a Graffitimundo outing, then leave space for a neighborhood meal. Reserve one cocktail bar for the evening and arrange transport back to your hotel.
- Day 3, calendar-dependent: Make Mataderos your main outing if it is an operating Sunday with suitable weather. Otherwise choose Chacarita and nearby cafes. Add a fourth day if you want both, rather than rushing across town.
This is an editorial itinerary, and the walking allowance is an estimate. Swap days around reservations, the fair calendar, and weather. Leave more time if your visit includes a long-haul arrival or airport change.
Getting around, season and budget
Check the airport code on every flight: Ezeiza (EZE) and Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) are different airports. Book a transfer to your actual accommodation and allow for traffic; a domestic connection may involve an airport change. Compare the complete transfer quote, including luggage and waiting time.
Within the city, combine walking with public transport or a booked ride. The Subte accepts SUBE as well as supported contactless bank cards and NFC devices at marked validators. Do not assume every bus route has the same payment options. Check current fares and operating times rather than planning around an old peso price.
Official Subte payment information; Airport and arrival information.
Spring is a good starting point for a walking-focused visit; check the forecast for your dates. Keep an indoor alternative such as El Ateneo for rain, and remember that a rainy Sunday can cancel Mataderos rather than simply make it quieter. The best dates for this guide depend more on the fair and your chosen tours than on a universal “best month.”
Build your budget from your actual bookings: accommodation, airport transfers, local transport, food, drinks and selected tours. Free bookshop entry and the free Mataderos fair can balance a paid guided outing. Argentine-peso menus and currency conversions change; check the billing currency and total rather than relying on a fixed US-dollar daily estimate.
Keep phones and valuables secure, avoid demonstrations, and plan your return from late-night venues. For current neighborhood and travel warnings, consult Argentina travel safety advice.
Buenos Aires travel FAQs
How many days should you spend in Buenos Aires?
Three to four days is a useful planning allowance for these eight experiences. Choose between the two cemeteries if time is short, and give Mataderos a separate half-day rather than treating it as a quick stop between central attractions.
Which activities here are free?
Ordinary entry to El Ateneo is free, and Mataderos’ fair and public performances are free when operating. Food, books, transport and the separate Grand Splendid experience cost extra. Do not confuse a free Spanish cemetery tour with eligibility for free cemetery admission.
Is Recoleta Cemetery admission included in the tour?
Not in the linked English guided tour. Arrange the cemetery entry separately and check the city ticket portal for the current visitor category and price. Confirm the meeting point on your tour voucher, since the listing gives more than one Junín reference.
Does Mataderos run every day?
No. The current city listing gives Sundays from March through December, 11 am–7 pm, with rain cancellations. Special holiday editions need a separate check. Verify the event before making the trip to the western part of the city.
Do you need a car in Buenos Aires?
A rental car is unnecessary for this suggested itinerary. Walk within each neighborhood and use public transport or a booked ride for longer journeys. Airport transfers and Mataderos need separate planning; do not assume every stop is comfortably walkable from the center.
Are the linked tours available in German?
The selected cemetery product is an English tour, and the bike listing offers Spanish and English. A German-language booking page does not mean German guiding. Ask about a private German-speaking guide if that is important to your visit.
Is Buenos Aires safe to explore?
Conditions vary by location and time. Keep valuables out of sight, avoid demonstrations and plan late-night transport. Use current official travel advice and local guidance instead of treating a neighborhood label or a historic travel story as a safety guarantee.
What should you book in advance?
Reserve the guided departure and cocktail venue you particularly want, checking languages, access, cancellation and total cost. Recoleta admission is separate from the linked guide. Ordinary bookshop browsing does not need a paid tour, and Mataderos requires a calendar check rather than an attraction package.
Continue your Argentina trip
If Buenos Aires is the city stop on a longer journey, use our Patagonia experiences guide to choose a region for the next leg. A Chilean hiking extension needs its own travel days and bookings; see our Torres del Paine hiking guide. For a wider route, explore our South America destinations.
- About the Author
- More info
Pauline has a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and is a professional content writer. She specializes in writing about travel and food. Pauline spent most of her career life in Dubai and is a Travel Expert for the United States and Costa Rica.
