LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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AN UNHURRIED THREE DAY ITINERARY FOR BUENOS AIRES: COSMOPOLITAN HIGHLIGHTS. SEE THE COSMOPOLITAN HIGHLIGHTS, BUT WITHOUT FEELING FRAZZLED AT THE END!

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I have always wanted to visit Buenos Aires. For as long as I can remember, it has been top of my bucket list when it comes to cities around the world. Honestly, Buenos Aires wasn’t what I expected. It was infinitely better!

When I had seen images online of Buenos Aires, I had seen Tango, La Boca, Plaza de Mayo and the giant flower statue Floralis Genérica.

All of this is lovely, but what I fell in love with about Buenos Aires is the stuff in between.

The laid back cocktail bars juxtaposed with trendy street art in Palermo, the bustling food markets of San Telmo, the incredible food, wine, coffee and pastry and the hospitality of just about everyone we met.

Buenos Aires isn’t actually fiery and passionate all the time, not everyone is doing tango on the street corners. Instead, I found a friendly, relaxed, cosmopolitan city.

A place that I could visit again and again and never get bored. A place that I could live in. Possibly, my new favorite city.

Three day itinerary for Buenos Aires: what you can expect in this post

The reason that I so passionately wanted to create a three day itinerary for Buenos Aires is that when I visited, I was quite overwhelmed by how much there was to do in the city.

All the blogs I read recommended a million amazing things to do, but they were all found in different parts of the city and I found it impossible to imagine how I could cram it all in.

When I visit a city, I don’t want to end up feeling frazzled after a few days of manic sightseeing. I believe that you get more from your travels when you slow things down and take it all in.

I want to spend time in fabulous coffee shops, drink a glass of wine and people watch, browse markets and romanticize the hell out of my life. For me, I like to avoid some of the “must do” tourist attractions and find my own hang outs instead.

And that is what I will be sharing with you in this three day Buenos Aires itinerary.

With our three day Buenos Aires itinerary, you can embrace the “porteño” (Buenos Aires resident) way of life. Take siestas , enjoy leisurely meals, and soak up the city’s infectious passion. Buenos Aires is a city that thrives on a slower pace, so embrace the opportunity to disconnect and truly experience its essence.

Don’t have time to read the full article?

Is Buenos Aires worth visiting?

Is Buenos Aires worth visiting? A resounding yes from me. If you plan to visit Argentina, don’t miss out on a few days in the capital. It will give you a totally different perspective to anywhere else you might visit in the country. There is so much to do, see and experience in Buenos Aires. I would challenge anyone not to love it.

When is the best time to visit Buenos Aires

We visited Buenos Aires in March – which is the tail end of summer, very early autumn.

For us, this was the perfect time to visit – temperatures were high, but not insufferable at around 25C. Evenings were cooler too, making it comfortable to sleep. The city felt busy, but not unbearably so – it had a wonderful summer vibe in the air.

As well as summer (December to February) the shoulder seasons, spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May)are great times to visit. Accommodation tends to be slightly cheaper, crowds less and temperatures cooler.

Is three days in Buenos Aires enough?

When it comes to travelling in Argentina, one thing we quickly realized is that there is so much to see and seemingly, never enough time. Three days in Buenos Aires is enough to get a taster for it and see the main sights. But, we guarantee you’ll want to come back for more!

We’ve put together a three day Buenos Aires itinerary to help you get the most from your trip – but still allowing you to relax and take it all in!

Three Day Itinerary for Buenos Aires

You can find our unhurried three day Buenos Aires itinerary below. We hope you enjoy it!

Three Day Itinerary for Buenos Aires: A Map

Here’s a map with all of the key points to visit over your three days in Buenos Aires.

Day One: Three Day Itinerary for Buenos Aires

AM: GUIDED SIGHTSEEING TOUR IN BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires is such a big city, subsequently a great way to see the main sights without breaking a sweat is to take a guided van tour.

Although this is not the sort of tour we would recommend for every city, in Buenos Aires it really works. This sightseeing tour is the perfect activity for day one – if there’s anything you want to see again or spend more time on, you can return on your second or third day.

We recently took this tour hosted by Furia tours, on our trip to Buenos Aires and thought it was a splendid pace of sightseeing for us.

Being in the van for some of the tour meant that we got to see some of the “must dos” but without manically trying to get from A to B on our own. At each sight, you also get plenty of what I call “mooching time”, i.e. time to just wander a little bit, without feeling hurried. Plus, we learnt more from our tour guide that we possibly could have on our own.

The best bit, the tour also gives you a chance to try delicious street food in La Boca and San Telmo. So, it’s a bit of a food tour combined with sightseeing!

As the tour is half a day (10:00 to 15:00), you still have time to return to your hotel to refresh before heading out in the evening.

PM: DINING AT THE BEST STEAK RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD – DON JULIO

Don Julio is perhaps the most famous restaurant in Buenos Aires. It has been visited by A listers and is even a designated site of tourist interest in the city. It has one Michelin Star and features in the Top 50 restaurants in the world. The star of the show? Steak!

At Don Julio you can have the quintessential Argentinean steak and Malbec experience. We’ve written a full guide to visiting Don Julio restaurant here, including details on how to get a table!

If you’re on a budget during your travels, we recommend La Bouqueria Palermo. A good budget option is La Bouqueria, which is also found in Palermo. Here, you can most likely get a table without a reservation and prices are much more reasonable.

Day Two: Three Day Itinerary for Buenos Aires

AM: EXPLORE SAN TELMO: ANTIQUES, ART & A FOOD MARKET

San Telmo is the bohemian epicenter of Buenos Aires. Here you can find labyrinthine like streets filled with antique stores and other treasures. Spend some time getting lost in the maze like streets, before making your way to San Telmo market.

This was one of our favorite places in Buenos Aires. An indoor market, with abundant food stalls. It feels buzzing, seductive, inviting, yet relaxed – a lot like the city itself.

Your next stop, should be Plaza Dorrego, a pretty square in San Telmo. On Sunday’s you can find a massive flea market here, a real crowd pleaser. Throughout the week and on Saturday’s, Plaza Dorrego is a great place to watch tango dancers perform in the square.

You can grab a drink, or two, at the bars on the square and watch the dancing. The bars are reasonably priced, as the dancing is “unofficial” rather than a formal show, but the dancers do hope for tips in a hat.

In San Telmo you can find the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires (MACBA).

This is a small museum in a very cool building housing numerous displays of Argentinean modern art – some amazing, some pieces a little fantastical for our taste! We spent around two hours in this museum and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, and respite from the heat outside.

If you’d like a bit more structure to help you explore San Telmo, you can take an inexpensive city walking tour. We took a similar tour in La Boca with the same company and found it a really useful way to gain local knowledge.

PM: PALERMO FOOD TOUR & WINE TASTING

If the treats at the San Telmo have whet your appetite, then you’ll be delighted to hear that you can continue your food feasting in Palermo in the evening. Palermo is the centre of cool when it comes to gastronomy and is the perfect place to take a food tour.

We did the Sherpa Palermo Food Tour and would highly recommend it for curious (and hungry) foodies visiting Buenos Aires. This food tour is utterly divine. It includes appetizers, a starter, main, pudding and some little surprises throughout.

Indulge in a delectable meal accompanied by a continuous flow of Argentinean wines. Later, embark on a captivating wine tasting journey, exploring the unique varietals that Argentina has to offer, venturing beyond the familiar Malbec.

Day Three: Three Day Itinerary for Buenos Aires

AM: EXPLORE PALERMO: PARKS, MARKETS, MUSEUMS & COFFEE

Palermo Soho, like it’s namesake in London and New York, as a lot going on. It has long established itself as the trendsetting hub of Buenos Aires. Today, it remains thus. For me, there is not much better than a day meandering around Palermo Soho.

I would recommend starting with a coffee and a pastry and neighborhood favorite and female-led cafe Piccolina. There are alternatives of course, but I challenge you to resist the freshly baked pastries being served up at this spot.

Next, take a stroll through the many parks of Palermo. Starting at Plaza Italia, you can wander through to the Botanical Gardens through to Plaza Holanda and finally ending with a stroll around the lake in Paseo El Rosedal Gardens.

There are two great museums in Palermo that are close to the parks to choose from, depending on your preference. The first is the Evita Museum -a small and beautiful building housing some of Eva Peron’s belongings and a chance to learn more about Argentina’s darling.

The second is MALBA, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, a not for profit museum founded by an Argentine businessman.

In MALBA you can find permanent exhibitions as well as temporary ones, which often feature international artists like Frida Kahlo. The museum is well curated and you can expect to spend an hour or so there.

Finally, stroll back into Soho to browse vintage stores and markets at your leisure. The best streets for shopping are Honduras Street and Gurrbruchaga Street. You may wish to punctuate your browsing with a beer from one of Soho’s many breweries in this area.

PM: ITALIAN FOOD, COCKTAILS & TANGO

As you may notice, Buenos Aires has quite an Italian influence. One local told us that Argentineans even speak Spanish like Italians – you’ll see you this quite clearly.

This is partly due to a massive influx of immigration from Italy in the past. So, when in Rome, or indeed Buenos Aires, eat pasta.

A local favourite Italian restaurant that we loved, is Palermo Cantina. Here you can enjoy easygoing and jovial service, alongside freshly made and delicious Italian treats. This cantina is a budget friendly option too – 2,000 pesos for a generous glug of red wine. If you prefer Pizza, head to Picsa – famed for it’s Argentinean style dough, with generous toppings.

After supper, meander around the buzzing streets of Palermo Soho. In summer, bars spill out onto the streets and well dressed hipsters adorn the terraces. The streets crossing with Gurruchaga, such as Costa Rica and Nicaragua, become quite lively in the evening and are the best places to visit for drinks.

Continue the Italian theme by sampling Fernet. This is a type of herbal liqueur that originated in Italy and has gained popularity in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires. In Palermo most cocktail bars will offer “Fernet con Coco” aka Fernet with Coca-Cola. Expect this to be served in a large glass over ice.

There are some outrageous expensive tango shows to go to in Buenos Aires, but if you want a more authentic experience, we recommend going to a Milonga.

A Milonga is an informal social get together, where people meet to dance. These can be found throughout Buenos Aires and are mostly attended by locals, often older generations. However, we hear that younger locals are starting to join and the Milongas are more inclusive than ever.

Often the Milonga events will start with a lesson for beginners, so you don’t need to worry if you’ve never danced before. The best way to find out about Milongas in the Palermo area is to check out the website Hoy Milonga (Milonga Today) which gives you information on all the latest events.

How to get to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, as the capital of Argentina and a prevalent travel hub, can be reached by direct flights from the US, UK and from European cities. From the UK, direct flights tend to be pricier than indirect, we opted for an easy change in Frankfurt to maximize our flight options.

There are two airports in Buenos Aires. Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) – referred to as Ezeiza, is the main hub for international flights. This airport is a little further from the city, but the centre can be reached in around 30 minutes by cab or you can take the bus. Remember, Uber is also available in Buenos Aires and is quicker than the bus!

The second airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) is typically for domestic flights. It is much smaller, but has a few amenities. If you are flying from somewhere like Mendoza or Bariloche, your flight will most likely arrive to AEP.

There is a bus operating between the two airports, should you need it.

How to get around Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a large city, whilst certain districts are great to explore on foot (Palermo, San Telmo, Recoleta), Buenos Aires is not really a “walkable” city. In the sense that, it is best to use transport to get between districts.

Here are the best ways to get around Buenos Aires:

SUBWAY:

Buenos Aires’ subway system, known as the “Subte,” is the quickest and most affordable way to navigate the city center. Navigate the six cross city lines on Google Maps. Do note, the subway does not accept cash or card – you need to get a pre-paid SUBE card to access the subway. This might seem a faff, but it’s worth it as you can use the SUBE card on buses across Argentina – in Mendoza and Bariloche for example.

CAB:

Black and yellow radio taxis are metered and a reliable option. Cabs from the airport are also very reliable and are well organized – you’ll be asked to scan a QR code, put in details of your journey and then it will give you an agreed price. Simply show the driver this QR code and they will charge you the set price. This works well, but you do need cash for cabs in Buenos Aires.

UBER:

Uber works really well in Buenos Aires. We used it multiple times to get across the city and to the airport when we left the city.

⌚For both cabs and taxis, allow extra time for your journey. Buenos Aires traffic is pretty notorious!

🚌There are also buses in Buenos Aires – we avoided them as they seemed super confusing! But, they do appear on google maps, so it’s possible to use them/ try to navigate if you want to.

Where to stay in Buenos Aires

Choosing a base in Buenos Aires is one of the most important decisions to make in your trip. I would strongly recommend staying in Palermo if you do want to get the most from our three day itinerary. Palermo Soho is an excellent base for anyone wanting to enjoy good food and a bit of cosmopolitan nightlife in the evening.

We’ve written a full guide to where to stay in Buenos Aires here.

Safety and scams in Buenos Aires

The best advice that we were given by a tour guide in Buenos Aires, is that areas with many tourists tend to be safer than areas without. There is always a risk of pick pocketing in any tourist area of a big city, but in Buenos Aires the risks tend to be lower than in areas not frequented by tourists.

The FCO (foreign office in the UK) advises travellers to exercise caution in quite a few districts of Buenos Aires, including San Telmo and Palermo. Personally, we stayed in Palermo Soho and felt safe in that area. There were always people around, morning or night and streets were well lit.

The centre and parts of San Telmo also felt very safe. In La Boca, when with a tour or in the centre (Caminito) there are plenty of tourists and vedors around – making it feel safe. However, we were advised that certain areas were not recommended for tourists to visit.

When it comes to scams – the most common one in Buenos Aires is the “bird poo” or “mustard” scam.

This is a classic scam involving two people. One will spill something on you or tell you you have something on you – bird poo, mustard etc. Then try to help you clean up. At the same time, their accomplice will try to steal your belongings. We didn’t see this in Buenos Aires, but have seen it elsewhere (in Brussels) and it is, according to our research, quite common in Buenos Aires.

Where to next in Argentina?

You can find our guides to travelling in Argentina below:

• Buenos Aires – a three day itinerary
• Best things to do in Palermo, Buenos Aires
• Dining at Don Julio restaurant in Buenos Aires
• Where to stay in Buenos Aires
• Where to stay in Mendoza
• Our experience of staying in a wine hotel in Mendoza
• Wine cycling in Mendoza – a top experience
• Best hikes in Bariloche
• Best hikes & things to do in El Chalten
• Visiting Perito Moreno Glacier – a guide
• Driving in Argentina: A guide

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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