Buenos Aires Itinerary

1. ~8:30aCafé con medialunas

   The porteño breakfast at a historic café — a cortado and medialunas (the small, sweet, glossy croissants) at a marble table where the waiters wear waistcoats.

   
2. ~9:30aRecoleta Cemetery

   The astonishing city of marble mausoleums where Evita lies — grand avenues of statuary and stained glass. Pick up a map; it's a labyrinth.

   
3. ~11:30aPlaza de Mayo & the centre

   The pink Casa Rosada with Evita's balcony, the cathedral, and the grand Avenida de Mayo to the Congress — the political heart of the nation.

   
4. ~1:30pParrilla lunch

   Your first proper Argentine steak — a bife de chorizo or ojo de bife from the wood-fired grill, with chimichurri, a provoleta to start, and a glass of Malbec.

   
5. ~3:30pTeatro Colón & Avenida 9 de Julio

   A tour of one of the world's great opera houses, and the world's widest avenue with the Obelisco at its centre.

   
6. 8:30pDon Julio ⭐Anchor table

   The world's most celebrated parrilla — dry-aged beef over embers, an encyclopedic Malbec list, and a glass of bubbles on the pavement while you wait. Book well ahead as the trip's fixed point.

   

Argentines dine very late — a 9pm table is normal, and Don Julio's wait is part of the ritual. Recoleta and the centre are walkable by day; save energy, the night starts when other cities are winding down.

Day 1 in photos

1. ~9:30aPalermo Soho & Hollywood

   The leafy low-rise barrio of cobbled streets, street art, boutiques, and third-wave cafés — the city's most stylish quarter to browse.

   
2. ~11:30aMALBA & the Bosques de Palermo

   The Latin American art museum (Frida Kahlo, Botero, Argentine masters), then the rose garden and lakes of the great Palermo parks.

   
3. ~1:30pLong Palermo lunch

   A modern porteño bistro or a closed-door puerta cerrada — empanadas to start, then a leisurely plate and a Torrontés white.

   
4. ~4:00pCafé & a leather workshop

   An afternoon cortado and a medialuna, and a browse of Argentina's famous leather — a Palermo workshop for a jacket or bag made to last.

   
5. ~7:00pAperitivo & a milonga

   A Fernet-and-cola or a Malbec at a corner bar, then — if you're game — a neighbourhood milonga where locals dance tango for real, not for tourists.

   

Palermo is the daytime-browsing and nighttime-eating heart of the modern city. A neighbourhood milonga is the authentic tango experience — watch first, and a beginner class earlier in the day helps if you want to step in.

Day 2 in photos

1. ~9:30aSan Telmo's cobbles

   The oldest barrio — antique shops, the Sunday Feria along Defensa (if your timing's right), and tango dancers in Plaza Dorrego. Faded grandeur and bohemian energy.

   
2. ~11:30aLa Boca & Caminito

   The brightly painted tin houses of the immigrant port quarter and the Caminito street museum — vivid and touristy; stick to the main streets and go by day.

   
3. ~1:00pChoripán & an empanada

   Street-food Argentina — a choripán (grilled chorizo in crusty bread with chimichurri) from a parrilla cart, and a couple of baked empanadas.

   
4. ~3:00pPuerto Madero & the ecological reserve

   The revitalised docklands with the Calatrava bridge, and the surprising wild wetland reserve along the river's edge for a green walk.

   
5. ~8:30pA tango show & dinner

   A grand dinner-and-tango show in a historic hall — dramatic, polished, and a fitting porteño night out, with steak and Malbec before the dancing.

   

San Telmo is at its best on Sunday for the antique fair, but lively any day. La Boca is worth seeing but keep to the tourist streets and visit only in daylight; it's edgy a block off the path.

Day 3 in photos