Buenos Aires is a beautiful and vibrant city that should be on everyone’s bucket list! We were lucky enough to spend two weeks exploring this amazing city at the beginning of 2024. From New Year’s Eve celebrations to exploring the local neighborhoods, we really got a good taste of what this city has to offer. In this blog, I highlight some of our favorite places and share firsthand accounts of our experiences living in the city. The opinions in this article are based on my own experiences and feelings from my time spent exploring Buenos Aires. Keep in mind that cities and political climates are always changing in South America, so be sure to do additional research on current safety and travel advisories before booking your trip.

‍

Safety

There’s a significant stigma around safety in Buenos Aires. Before our trip, we were advised by fellow travelers to be extra vigilant—avoid walking alone after dark and keep an eye on our phones. We heard a few stories of people on scooters snatching phones from pedestrians and others having their phones taken off restaurant tables when distracted. Despite these warnings, we felt safe in Buenos Aires. As in most cities, you need to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings and belongings. It’s wise to avoid wandering the streets with your phone out for extended periods and to keep it in a zipped purse or pocket as much as possible. The city’s grid layout makes navigation straightforward. If I needed directions while walking, I would pull out my phone briefly, memorize the route (like three blocks straight, then two left), and then put my phone away. Fortunately, Uber rides are affordable and readily available, so if you’re unsure about directions or it’s night time, don’t hesitate to call one.

Overall, the street vendors and homeless people we encountered were much less confrontational and persistent than I’ve experienced in America or other countries. The only time we were regularly approached was while dining at restaurants outside. Adults and kids will come up to you at outdoor restaurants trying to sell things like socks or tissues. Sometimes they would linger, but if you keep saying “no, gracias,” they will eventually move on. Keep an eye on your phone and belongings when they come by—this is where one person might distract you while another snatches something off the table. If you want to avoid this, I would recommend dining inside restaurants.

Language Barrier

English is not widely spoken in Buenos Aires, so I definitely recommend knowing a few basic words and phrases in Spanish to make your visit easier. We got by with our basic Spanish knowledge and Google Translate. You can find English-speaking tours and activities, but when it comes to ordering in restaurants or speaking with locals on the street, you’ll need some basic Spanish.

‍

Cash

Due to high inflation, the largest Argentinian currency bill, 1000 pesos, is currently worth only about $1 USD. Luckily, almost all places accepted Visa and MasterCard credit cards, so we only needed cash to leave tips at restaurants (typically 10%) and for buying things from street vendors. From our research, there are a few ways to get cash—ATMs, Western Union transfers, and exchanging USD cash. The easiest way is through an ATM, but you’ll pay a high fee and conversion rate. We used an ATM a couple of times because we didn’t have USD to convert and didn’t need much cash, so we didn’t bother with Western Union. However, ATMs will typically limit a withdrawal to 25,000 pesos (about $30), and charge a 8000-9000 pesos ($10 USD) fee per transaction so it’s definitely not the best deal. If you need more than $50 in cash, I’d look into Western Union conversions. There are some good videos on YouTube that explain the best way to get money through Western Union.

‍

Dining

Be prepared for late dinners! Lots of people go out for happy hour between 6-8pm before dinner. Most food restaurants then open around 8pm and start to get busy around 10pm. For popular places, you’ll need to make reservations in advance. Most popular restaurants have a WhatsApp number or website for booking that can be found on Google. For places we couldn’t get a reservation, if we showed up ‘early’ around 8 pm, we could typically get a seat. I listed some of our favorite restaurants below, but it’s helpful to know that local restaurants are called parrillas, so if you’re looking for some Argentinian cuisine, look out for those!

Local Foods to Try:

• Choripan (Chorizo sandwich)
• Empanadas
• Milanesa (breaded and fried thin cut of meat, typically veal)
• Asado/Steak (barbeque grilled meats)
• Pizza (Argentina has its spin on pizza that’s a thick crust with lots of cheese)
• Ice cream (Argentina is known for its gelato like ice cream, I suggested a few shops below!)

The best dining experience we had in Buenos Aires was an ‘Asado Experience’ that we booked through Airbnb. The most traditional dining experience in Argentina is the Asado barbecue. Typically, friends and families gather weekly to enjoy an Asado meal. The couple that hosts the experience is lovely, and the food they cook is SO good—I still dream about the steak they served. It was also a great way to meet fellow travelers! We ended up going out for drinks with some of the other guests after the dinner. I would recommend going to this experience early in your stay in BsAs so you have a better understanding of the food and culture for the rest of your stay. Asado Experience Link 

‍

Neighborhoods to Visit 

Buenos Aires is a huge city made up of many different neighborhoods, each with its own unique look and feel! The main neighborhoods you should visit are Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Soho, Recoleta, Puerto Madero, San Telmo, and La Boca. Below, I have a short description for each neighborhood and what we liked about them.

Palermo Hollywood/Soho

Palermo Hollywood/Soho are such fun and funky neighborhoods. We stayed in Palermo Hollywood for our whole two weeks in the city so I have the most recommendations for this area. Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho are right next to each other and easy to walk between. They are vibrant neighborhoods with lots of little restaurants, cafes, shops and beautiful street art. I felt safe to go on runs and walk around solo during the day to explore the different shops and street art. When I was with my boyfriend, we felt safe enough to walk home at night between the two neighborhoods but I wouldn’t recommend doing this alone. 

‍

Restaurants/Cafes: 

• La Carniceria (great upscale steak restaurant, need to make a res well in advance on their website, we were told it’s better and less touristy than the famous Don Julio)
• Oggi (no res needed, casual place with fresh homemade pasta)
• Salvaje Bakery (good fresh bread and light breakfasts)
• Ya Cabron (good tacos but need res, can message over WhatsApp)
• Tigre Morado (food was pretty good and has lots of tables so we didn’t need a res)
• Maiky (cool vibes, didn’t need res, gnocchi was great but steak was just ok)
• Sheikob’s Bagels (good bagels, bacon egg and cheese was good but I’d pass on their homemade cream cheese it kind of tasted like sour cream)
• Pottery Coffee & Deli (good coffee and HUGE slices of cake/pie)
• Nela Cafe & Arte (Luke’s fav coffee)
• Chori (cheap, local sausage sandwiches)

A few restaurants we didn’t get to try but looked good:

• Rebelion (this one is in a cute square that was very lively at happy hour)
• Kefi
• Parrilla SecreTiTo (need to call to make a res, no online options)
• Al Kamal Palermo
• Strange Brewing

Ice cream:

• Finde (nice outdoor seating that’s protected from the street)
• Rapa Nui (this is a popular chain, multiple locations around the city, ice cream was pretty good)

Bars: 

• Plaza Serrano (this is a square with a bunch of bars, mostly dive bars that spill out into the streets with music and lots of people late into the night)
• Festival (cool bar in Hollywood, good margarita!)
• Boticario (speakeasy type bar with fancy cocktails, will probably have a wait to get in)
• Uptown (we didn’t make it here but looks like a cool nyc themed speakeasy)

‍

San Telmo

This neighborhood was very quaint with cobblestone streets and lots of small restaurants and cafes. On Sundays, there is a huge street market of antique, art, and food vendors that begins in Plaza Dorrego and goes on for blocks and blocks. This neighborhood is best known for Mercado de San Telmo which is an antique and food market. If you visit the market on Sunday, definitely be prepared for crowds. We didn’t end up eating there or staying very long because it was so crowded but it was still cool to walk around and check out the different stalls. If you want to eat at the market, I assume visiting on a weekday would be better. We were warned about pickpockets here, so keep an eye on your phone and wallet. 

This neighborhood is very quaint with cobblestone streets and lots of small restaurants and cafes. This neighborhood is best known for the Mercado de San Telmo, an antique and food market that is open throughout the week. On Sundays, there is a huge street market of antique, art, and food vendors that begins in Plaza Dorrego and goes on for blocks and blocks. If you visit the market on Sunday, be prepared for crowds. We didn’t end up eating there or staying long because it was so crowded the Sunday we visited, but it was still cool to walk around and check out the different stalls. If you want to eat at the market, visiting on a weekday might be better. We were warned about pickpockets here, so keep an eye on your phone and wallet.

‍

La Boca

La Boca is a very touristy area but still worth a visit. The area surrounding La Boca can get sketchy quickly, so we were advised to take an Uber directly in and out of the area. The touristy part of La Boca is pretty small—just a couple of blocks of colorfully painted buildings with a handful of restaurants, cafes, and lots of souvenir shops. You only need an hour or so to walk around, take some photos, and maybe have a drink. Lots of the restaurants here looked very touristy so I wouldn’t plan on a sit down meal but there’s a handful of street vendors selling choripan sandwiches and empanadas, if you want a quick bite. It’s also worth mentioning that La Boca is home to the famous La Bombonera stadium, where the Boca Juniors soccer team plays. If you’re a soccer fan, catching a game here would be an unforgettable experience. Just be aware of your surroundings and avoid wandering too far from the main tourist area.

‍

Recoleta

I wandered around this neighborhood on my own for an afternoon. It’s located more downtown so it’s mostly highrises and shopping. It’s sometimes referred to as the “Paris of South America” because some of the building architecture mirrors European styles. The two main things to see here are the Recoleta Cemetery and El Ateneo Grand Splendid (a famous bookstore that used to be a theater). I didn’t try any of the restaurants in this area but I got ice cream at Pot Helados and it was really good! There’s a nice park across the street from the ice cream shop where you can find a bench to enjoy your ice cream.

Recoleta is a more upscale neighborhood with European-style architecture, high-rise buildings and wide boulevards - earning it the nickname the “Paris of South America”. One of the most famous landmarks in Buenos Aires, the Recoleta Cemetery, is located here. The cemetery is like a small city of ornate mausoleums, and it’s worth spending some time exploring. The neighborhood itself has a lot of green spaces, museums, and cafes, making it a great place to spend an afternoon. Also don’t miss out on wandering through the El Ateneo Grand Splendid (a famous bookstore that used to be a theater).

‍

Puerto Madero

Puerto Madero feels very different from the rest of Buenos Aires—it’s cleaner, more modern, and more polished. This area of BsAs doesn’t have as much architectural ‘charm’ as some of the older neighborhoods but since it’s along the coast I still think it’s worth a visit. The area is great for a stroll along the docks or a more upscale dining experience. There are not a ton of low/mid budget dining options here but there is a cool floating bar restaurant called Penon del Aguila that’s a good spot to grab a drink. The Ecological Reserve is also nearby which I read was a nice place to walk around and feel like you’re outside the city. 

‍

We rang in the New Year from Puerto Madero and it was quite the party! Thousands of people line both sides of the canal and partake in a huge street party with music and drinks. At midnight, hundreds of fireworks are set off over the water! 

‍

Activities

There is so much to do and see in Buenos Aires. I had a hard time narrowing down the things I wanted to do in our two weeks there. My favorite thing to do in each city we visit is to go on a walking or biking tour (Bike Tour Link). They are the best way to get a lay of the land, see the top tourist spots efficiently and learn about the city’s history. I also love to get some local restaurant recommendations from the guides. Buenos Aires is also known for their amazing parks. On a nice day, I highly recommend you take a stroll through some of Buenos Aires’ beautiful parks. We especially enjoyed the Japanese Garden and Jardin Botanico. If you are visiting Buenos Aires for an extended period of time, you should definitely venture out of the city on a day trip to the Tigre River Delta or even hop the ferry over to Uruguay!

‍

Whether you’re savoring a perfectly grilled steak at a parrilla, exploring the vibrant street art of Palermo, or simply enjoying a leisurely afternoon in one of the city’s many parks, Buenos Aires is a destination that will leave you wanting more. I hope this guide helped you to get a better idea of this beautiful city and inspired you to visit it one day!

‍