Buenos Aires walking tour & city guide

The center and Recoleta

Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest avenues in the world, is marked by the Obelisk. Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by the pink Casa Rosada. In Recoleta, the famous cemetery holds the tomb of Eva Perón.

La Boca, San Telmo and Palermo

La Boca's Caminito street is painted in bright colors, with tango dancers performing outside. San Telmo has an antiques market on Sundays. Palermo has parks, cafés and restaurants.

A day in Buenos Aires

Start at Plaza de Mayo, with the pink Casa Rosada and the cathedral, then walk down Avenida de Mayo to the Café Tortoni, the city's most famous coffee house. In the afternoon, explore Recoleta, where the cemetery is a city of marble mausoleums and Eva Perón's grave always has fresh flowers.

On Sunday, head to San Telmo for the antiques market along Defensa Street, where tango dancers perform in the squares. In the evening, eat late like the locals, in a parrilla in Palermo, where dinner rarely starts before nine.

Good to know

Buenos Aires is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own character, and it is best explored on foot and by subway, called the Subte. A SUBE card works on the Subte, buses and trains.

Spring, from September to November, brings purple jacaranda blossoms to the avenues. Summers are hot and humid, and many locals leave the city in January. Tango shows are everywhere, but a milonga, a local dance hall, shows the real thing.