San Telmo, La Boca and Recoleta with local guides, a tango dinner show and the best steak in the world
Buenos Aires is the great capital of the south: wide avenues and Belle Époque palaces, neighbourhoods with their own personality, cafés that have hardly changed in a century, and a passion for tango, football, food and late nights. It is also the hub of Argentina, with flights to Iguazú Falls, Patagonia, Mendoza and the rest of the continent.
We include Buenos Aires in our journeys through Argentina, Chile and Brazil, usually for three nights at the start, in the middle or at the end of the trip. Your days include transfers, a half-day city tour with a local guide, a dinner and tango show, and in some journeys a food tour of Palermo.
| Day | What you do | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Transfer from the airport to your hotel | A first evening to walk Recoleta or Palermo and dine late, as porteños do |
| City tour | A half-day private tour of the city | The National Congress, Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Colón Theatre; the cobbled streets of San Telmo; Caminito in La Boca, with views of La Bombonera stadium; Puerto Madero and Recoleta |
| Tango night | Dinner and show at Michelangelo, one of the city’s classic tango venues | Private transfers from and to your hotel |
| Foodie adventure | A half-day food tour of Palermo, in some of our journeys | Empanadas and local wine, a modern choripán, a traditional bodegón with milanesa and fainá, and a parrilla steak to finish |
| Free day | Time at your own pace | Cafés and bookshops, the parks of Palermo, the Tigre Delta or a cooking class |
| Time | Plan | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Three nights | Arrival, the city tour with a tango dinner show, and a food tour or a free day. This is the plan of our journeys. | Seeing the essentials between Iguazú, Patagonia and the Andes |
| Four or five nights | Add the Tigre Delta, a day at a country estancia, or a day trip across the Río de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay | A slower pace and more of the region |
| A city break | Two or three nights at the start or the end of a longer journey through Argentina, Chile or Brazil | Recovering from a long flight before Patagonia |
Buenos Aires is in the southern hemisphere, so its seasons are the reverse of Europe’s and North America’s. Spring, from September to November, and autumn, from March to May, are the most pleasant; summer is hot and humid, and winter is cool but rarely cold:
| Month | High / low | Rain | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.1 / 20.2 °C | 134 mm | Hot and humid; many locals are on holiday and the city is quiet |
| February | 28.9 / 19.4 °C | 129 mm | Warm summer evenings, with summer storms |
| March | 27.0 / 17.7 °C | 120 mm | Very good: warm days, fewer visitors |
| April | 23.2 / 14.1 °C | 130 mm | Excellent: mild autumn days |
| May | 19.4 / 11.1 °C | 94 mm | Very good: crisp and sunny, good for walking |
| June | 16.4 / 8.4 °C | 62 mm | Cool; the season of the theatres and concerts |
| July | 15.5 / 7.5 °C | 74 mm | The coldest month; winter holidays in Argentina |
| August | 17.9 / 8.9 °C | 70 mm | Cool and dry; the Tango World Festival is usually held this month |
| September | 19.7 / 10.6 °C | 81 mm | Very good: spring begins |
| October | 22.6 / 13.4 °C | 123 mm | Excellent: mild and green |
| November | 26.0 / 16.1 °C | 118 mm | Excellent: warm, with the jacaranda trees in bloom |
| December | 29.0 / 18.5 °C | 123 mm | Hot; a good month to combine with Patagonia |
Climate normals 1991–2020 for the Buenos Aires Central Observatory, from the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, Argentina’s national weather service. Spring and summer are also the best months for Patagonia, so October to March is ideal for combining both. See the best time to visit South America and the best time to visit Patagonia.
Recoleta is the most elegant base, with quiet streets and the best classic hotels; the centre puts you close to the Colón Theatre and Plaza de Mayo; Palermo is the place for restaurants and nightlife. These are some of the hotels of our journeys:
| Hotel | Where | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Alvear Palace Hotel | Recoleta | The city’s grand classic hotel, a few blocks from the Recoleta Cemetery |
| Alvear Art Hotel | The city centre, near Plaza San Martín | A modern sister of the Alvear Palace, with a rooftop pool and bar |
| 725 Continental | The city centre, near the Obelisk | A contemporary hotel close to the Colón Theatre and Plaza de Mayo |
| NH Tango | Near the Obelisk and the Colón Theatre | A practical, well-located base |
Buenos Aires connects the great trips of Argentina. Our Argentina & Chile Southern Soul (16 days) starts here and flies on to Bariloche and Patagonia, the Brazil & Argentina Experience (14 days) ends in the city after Rio, Iguazú Falls and Patagonia, and longer journeys such as the Peru, Bolivia, Argentina & Brazil Grand Escape (24 days) arrive from La Paz and continue to Iguazú and Rio de Janeiro. Read our packing list for Argentina and our South America itineraries.
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Every Buenos Aires itinerary can be adapted to your dates and pace. Plan a tailor-made trip →
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Everything you need to know before traveling to Buenos Aires.
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