The first time I visited Buenos Aires, I had a lot more than four days to explore the big city. However, if you’re planning a trip to Argentina, four days is the perfect amount of time to be able to properly appreciate Buenos Aires and see the majority of what it has to offer.
There are so many amazing places in Argentina, but if you’re planning to go for a week or two, it’s definitely worth spending 3-4 of those days in the country’s capital.
After having visited a bunch of times, I now live in Buenos Aires, so I know a lot about the best places to visit, and which are the best spots to head to if you’re looking for a less ‘touristy’ experience.
The itinerary below is just a suggestion. Depending on the weather and the time of year, you might want to change things around a little. I wouldn’t recommend going to Tigre in the middle of summer with all the mosquitos!
Day 1: La Boca and San Telmo
Morning
To get a proper feel for Buenos Aires, La Boca is a great place to start. Depending on where you’re staying in the city, I’d recommend heading here first!
Afternoon
San Telmo is Buenos Aires’ oldest neighbourhood, characterised by its cobblestone streets and antique feeling.
Just a 15 minute bus ride from La Boca, San Telmo is known mostly for its markets (ferias). It’s a great place to do a bit of shopping, and also try some local foods!
In Plaza Dorrego, there is an outdoor market selling all sorts of things, from artisan leather goods to traditional Argentine mates. There are also a few good places to eat in the Plaza, with seating areas outside and live music and tango performances to enjoy whilst you eat.
If you didn’t manage to grab a bite to eat in La Boca, San Telmo has lots of options. Aside from the restaurants in Plaza Dorrego, there is also an indoor market with lots of different artisan foods to try. If you stay in San Telmo until later on in the day, you can merendar in the market – there are lots of places selling cakes and coffee too!
Evening
In the evening, San Telmo is a great place to stay. There are loads of bars with live music and good food in the area. A popular bar is La Puerta Roja, although there are plenty of good options in the area – depending on the night, most are usually packed!
If you’re a Brit and looking for somewhere with a more homely vibe, check out The Gibraltar! It’s an English-style pub located in San Telmo and is always full of British people, as well as people from other countries.
Day 2: Plaza de Mayo and Corrientes
Morning
To begin the day, head over to Puerto Madero and take a stroll over the Puente de la Mujer. There are usually people performing on the bridge, so it can be an interesting experience.
One of my favourite places that I visited in Puerto Madero was the ARA Presidente Sarmiento. It’s basically an old Argentine Navy training ship, built in the 1890s. Nowadays, it serves as a museum where you can actually go aboard and explore the ship.
To go aboard the ship, you don’t need to book in advance. You pay at the entrance and at the time of writing, it only costs 500 pesos! Children can go inside for free.
You can also go for a walk along La Costanera Sur, which is a nice place to walk by Puerto Madero’s eco reserve. There are usually lots of street food stalls too, selling classics like the choripán. To get there, just cross the bridge over to the east side of Puerto Madero and follow the path until you reach the nature reserve.
There are loads of nice restaurants in Puerto Madero too, from more economic options to places with Michelin stars. If you’re looking to grab a quick steak sandwich for a good price, I recommend Siga La Vaca. You can either grab a seat inside or order your food to take out. The service is really quick and there are loads of nice places to sit and eat outside in Puerto Madero on a nice day!
Afternoon
Start off the afternoon by visiting the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada – Argentina’s presidential palace. From the Puente de la Mujer, it’s just a 10 minute walk to get to the plaza.
You can take a guided tour of the Casa Rosada, which is offered on a first come first served basis on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 4pm.
To learn more about the Casa Rosada, see our post here!
Once you’ve got some pictures taken, you might be getting hungry again at this point. Another great place to merendar in this area is Café Tortoni – the oldest café in Buenos Aires. Since 1858, Café Tortoni has been welcoming its guests with delicious coffee, sandwiches, wines and sweet treats.
This is also your chance to do some shopping. Galerías Pacífico is just a 20 minute walk away from the Casa Rosada, and is one of the best shopping malls in Buenos Aires!
Evening
To finish off the day, head to Avenida Corrientes. This iconic street is full of theatres and pizzerias, so depending on when you visit, there’s a good chance that there will be something fun to watch. Before your visit, it’s a good idea to check on https://www.plateanet.com/home to see if there are any shows you might like to watch. Make sure you book in advance!
A night at the theatre in Buenos Aires is only done properly when, afterwards (or before), you go to Pizzeria Güerrín. Opened in 1932, Güerrín is one of the most famous pizzerias in the world, and has some of the best pizza that Buenos Aires has to offer. The pizzas aren’t Italian style, instead they’re a lot thicker – in general, pizza in Argentina is made this way.
If you’re looking for a more Italian-style pizzeria, or somewhere less ‘touristy’, check out our article on The Secret Pizzeria in Buenos Aires Named as One of the World’s Best.
Day 3: Recoleta and Palermo
Morning
The Cementerio de la Recoleta is the first stop on our list for day 3.
Constructed in 1822, this cemetery was the first of Buenos Aires and is now the resting place of many important Argentine historical figures, like Eva Perón (Evita). It’s really quite an interesting place to visit, and if you want the best experience, I’d recommend going on a free tour to hear the stories of the cemetery in more detail.
For tours of the Cementerio de la Recoleta, check here.
The tour usually takes about two hours, so you’re probably going to want to grab a bite to eat at this point. There are plenty of good places to choose from near the cemetery; when I went, I stopped off quickly at La Biela, but feel free to try where you like!
Afternoon
Once you’ve had something to eat, it’s about a 15 minute walk to reach the Facultad de Derecho (pictured on the right), which translates to Faculty of Law. If you study law at the University of Buenos Aires, this is where you’ll get to spend your time studying!
There’s not too much to actually do around here, but it’s definitely a good place to check out and take some pictures with. In this area, be wary of people asking for money or trying to sell you things on the streets. If you’re approached, it’s best to politely decline the offer.
After seeing the Facultad de Derecho, another great place to see is El Ateneo Grand Splendid – a bookstore with a bit of a difference.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid isn’t like just any other bookstore, because it was never actually intended to be a bookstore. The building is a re-purposed theatre; it’s a really beautiful place to visit. It’s free to enter, but I’d definitely recommend taking a look the collection of books inside – the place has several floors and you’re sure to find something that you’ll enjoy reading!
To learn more about El Ateneo Grand Splendid, see our article here. It includes directions and more on the history of the building!
You should still have time afterwards to visit the Teatro Colón. This theatre was opened in 1908 and it’s a place you should definitely see!
You can visit the theatre from 10am to 4:45pm. To book in advance, visit https://teatrocolon.org.ar/guided-tours/.
Evening
If you’re looking for somewhere nice to merendar again, you can’t get much better than this next place.
Salón 1923 is a ‘hidden’ bar on the 16th floor of Palacio Barolo. It isn’t too well known by tourists and it’s a truly unmissable experience whilst you’re in Buenos Aires! After ascending to the top of the Palacio Barolo in an old elevator, you get to enjoy delicious food and drinks whilst sitting on the terrace and enjoying a birds-eye view of Buenos Aires.
You need to place a reservation and pay in advance to enjoy the experience. See their website here.
Day 4: Tigre
By now, you should’ve been able to explore a fair amount of the city of Buenos Aires. If you’re following this itinerary, the destination for your fourth and final day is Tigre!
Tigre is located to the north of Buenos Aires, just outside the city. In this part of the province you can find the deltas of the Río de la Plata.
How to get to Tigre
The easiest way to get to Tigre from the city of Buenos Aires is by train. Here, you have two options.
The first option is to head to Retiro train station – super easy to get to if you’re in the city centre. You can use lines C and D on the subway to get there.
To use public transport in Argentina, you’ll need a SUBE card.
For more information on how to use the Buenos Aires Subte, and the SUBE card, click here.
From Retiro, you’ll need to take the Mitre train towards Tigre. It’s about an hour’s journey and you can find information on prices and times here.
When I travelled to Tigre, I was told that it wasn’t possible to take the train from Retiro. If the same happens to you, the second option is to travel on the Tren de la Costa.
This will involve leaving from Avenida Maipú train station in Olivos, in the northern part of Buenos Aires. From Avenida 9 de Julio, you can get there on the number 59 bus.
On the Tren de la Costa, it’s roughly a 40-minute trip. You can find times and prices here.
What to do in Tigre
Boat tours
Once you reach Tigre, you’ll be able to spend most of the day there.
One of the main things to do in Tigre is to take a boat trip along the river delta. It’s usually not necessary to book in advance as there are loads of companies with stands in the area where you can buy tickets on the day. However, you can book in advance if you wish. A quick Google search will show you various different companies which offer the experience. Try to avoid ones that are aimed at foreign tourists, as they tend to be more expensive than other options.
Overnight cabins
When I visited Tigre, we didn’t actually take a boat tour. Instead, we stayed over night in a cabin and the only way to reach the cabin was by boat! There is a “water bus” (lancha in Spanish) which you can buy tickets for; it takes you to all the different stops on the river delta. There is also the option to take a water taxi – most of these private services can be reserved through WhatsApp.
There are many cabins that you can stay in along the river delta. If you’d like to stay the night in Tigre, you can search for different cabins on Booking.com, but just make sure to check with the owner that it’s ok to pay in cash in person (it usually is).
We stayed in Cabañas María Julía, which I’d definitely recommend! The price was fair and the owner was super cool. We actually missed our stop on the lancha and he came and picked us up in his own boat! You can contact the owner of the cabins through WhatsApp on +54 11 3082 4713.
Puerto de Frutos
Tigre is also home to a market, known as the Puerto de Frutos. Here, you can find many handmade items and souvenirs, and lots of places to eat. It’s definitely worth checking out!
The opening times for the market are as follows:
- Monday to Friday: 10am-6pm
- Weekends and bank holidays: 10am-7pm
However, keep in mind that during the week (Monday to Friday), most of the stalls on the market are closed. To get the most out of your visit, it’s best to visit on the weekend.
Returning to Buenos Aires
After spending the day in Tigre, you can head back to the city centre of Buenos Aires using the same method of transport you used to get to Tigre.
You should have explored most of the city centre at this point, so you’ll be able to choose how to spend your evening! One suggestion is to go to Puerto Madero and have dinner in one of Buenos Aires’ top restaurants – Cabaña Las Lilas is a top choice!