One Day in Buenos Aires: The Perfect 24-Hour Itinerary
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If you have one day in Buenos Aires, there are numerous activities to do. You don’t want to miss out on the highlights, which is why I have created this 24-hour itinerary for Argentina’s capital city, based on things I have done personally during 2 trips there spanning several weeks.
Buenos Aires is famous for steak, tango, its European-style architecture, vibrant nightlife and football, with local clubs Boca Juniors and River Plate amongst the most famous in the Americas.
I don’t want you to miss out on any of the best bits during your time here, so I’ve made this itinerary to ensure you get a real feel for the city and see as much in a day as some people see in a week.
Morning:
Breakfast in Cafe Tortoni
Buenos Aires is home to one of the most famous cafes in the world: Cafe Tortoni.
This Parisian-style breakfast/brunch spot is a favourite amongst Argentina’s intellectuals as well as famous faces ranging from Katy Perry to Einstein.
One of the biggest surprises when I came here with my girlfriend in September 2024, was that the prices are pretty reasonable. It only costs a fraction more than your average bakery or street cafe.
I’ll be honest, I personally thought the cafe was a bit overrated. But most people love it and I seem to be in the minority, which is why I recommend you check it out regardless.
I’ve written a full guide on Cafe Tortoni. Check it out and start your day in Buenos Aires here!
Walk Around Plaza de Mayo
Plaza de Mayo is a famous square just up the road from Cafe Tortoni.
It is home to some beautiful buildings, most notably Casa Rosada which is where President Javier Milei works.
Plaza de Mayo has also been a key point for protest movements over the years in Argentina.
To learn more, you can take a free walking tour which is one of my favourite activities to do whilst travelling.
Walking tours involve a local guide showing you the highlights of a city whilst giving you a good introduction to the history.
You pay in tips at the end, so there is no set fee, but most people will pay around US$5-10 in Latin American countries. A walking tour is by far one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires.
Palacio del Congreso (National Congress Building)
Aside from Plaza de Mayo, there is one more major cultural point of interest in this part of Buenos Aires.
The Congress Building is an impressive structure that reminded me of the golden days of European architecture.
It gives off an aura similar to the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest, or Milan’s Duomo Cathedral to name just two examples.
It is where the government sit to pass new laws, making it the most significant building in the country.
If you do a walking tour, it will generally start or end here. There are multiple tours, and the logical route heads from Palacio del Congreso to Casa Rosada, or vice versa.
Afternoon:
Visit La Boca
Come here by taxi using Uber, as the surrounding areas are not some of the safest places in Argentina.
One of my favourite places in Buenos Aires is La Boca, a colourful neighbourhood which was transformed by artist Benito Quinquela Martin from one of the city’s roughest neighbourhoods into one of the nicest.
The biggest change between my first visit here in September 2022 and my second in late 2024 is a statue of Lionel Messi holding the World Cup above Cachafaz Caminito.
Cachafaz by the way is a cafe specialising in alfajores. Its picturesque entrance attracts long queues of tourists waiting to take photos.
It took us 10 minutes to get to the front.
In La Boca you will find an amalgamation of all things Argentinian: steak, tango, wine, nods to Argentine football heroes Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, the iconic comic book character Mafalda, and La Bombonera, home to Boca Juniors Football Club.
Read my guide on the best things to do in La Boca to see why this district is so fun!
I recommend a vacio sandwich for lunch from Resto Bar Las Gemelas which is just around the corner from El Caminito if you’re hungry.
Although you may want to save space for a big Argentine dinner instead…
Evening:
Tango and Dinner in San Telmo (Plaza Dorrego)
Take a taxi out of La Boca and end up in another cultural hotspot, San Telmo.
The centre of San Telmo is a square called Plaza Dorrego. And throughout the day you can see regular tango performances on the streets here, which cost nothing to watch. Although tips are appreciated!
Spend a bit of time watching the professionals in the square to see how Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) dance. These guys have grown up with tango, so they are pretty good!
Sometimes there is also a market in the plaza, with an antiques fair taking place every Sunday.
When you’re hungry, there’s a restaurant called El Rincon de Dorrego tucked into the corner of Plaza Dorrego. It’s a red building tucked between La Birra Bar and Almacen Hotel, which can be hard to spot due to the lack of a sign displaying its name.
Now Argentina’s steak is so good I wrote a full guide on how to order it, allowing you to get the very best this beautiful country has to offer.
But in this restaurant, you want to go for the parrilla for 2 people. A mixture of some of the best meats around. Namely vacio, tira de asado, bife de chorizo and bondiola (which is pork – the other 3 are different beef cuts).
Now I’m addicted to parrillas. But this one was the best we had in all of Argentina. Unlike others, this only includes the good stuff. Most parrillas will include less desirable stuff such as chinchulines and morcilla sausage.
El Rincon de Dorrego offers only the best Argentina has to offer, and you can crack open a bottle of the country’s famous Malbec to enjoy alongside your parrilla for the true Argentinian experience!
Night:
Hit the Bars in Palermo or Puerto Madero
I’ll give you two options here, as both are pretty awesome.
At night, you will want to wind down at one of Buenos Aires’ two most upmarket spots.
Palermo is where many of the capital’s well-off live, and is home to posh establishments including the world-renowned steakhouse Don Julio, beloved by celebrities worldwide.
Naturally, this means the nightlife also carries a classy vibe, and you can let your hair down in the likes of Tres Monos or Bar Carnal.
Equally, Puerto Madero offers a touch of class with a series of popular spots on the banks of the River Darsena Sur, just on the west side of Puente de la mujer.
Palermo is the place to go if you really want to let loose for the night. But Puerto Madero is the better option if you want to end your day in Buenos Aires on a lighter note.
Both are great options!
Is One Day in Buenos Aires Enough to See Everything?
To be honest, you really need a bare minimum of a week to see everything Buenos Aires has to offer. You can combine it with other highlights in this 3-week Argentina itinerary. Although if you want to visit beautiful Patagonia, I recommend following an entirely separate Patagonia itinerary which will often start with a flight from Buenos Aires.
This itinerary doesn’t include some other popular places, including Recoleta which is home to Recoleta Cemetery, a beautiful graveyard with some impressive tombs, with the resting place of Argentine political legend Eva Peron amongst them.
Equally, fellow football fans should stay long enough to go to a game. Unfortunately Boca Juniors tickets are very hard to obtain without a big wallet and local contacts.
River Plate tickets are easier to find, although they often go to tourists for over £100 (US$125).
I was in Buenos Aires for the second time when Boca played River in the Superclasico.
This derby game is one of the biggest in world football. Unfortunately you will need at least £400 (US$500) and excellent local contacts to get a ticket to this one.
I missed out, but still enjoyed a more modest atmosphere by watching Barracas elsewhere in the capital.
Teatro Colon, the famous obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio where football fans celebrated Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory, Don Julio, and Palermo’s beautiful Japanese Garden (Jardín Japonés) are other spots worth checking out.
If you get the opportunity to return to Buenos Aires for a week or two, do it! Because 24 hours in Buenos Aires simply isn’t enough.
Where to Stay in Buenos Aires
I would recommend upmarket Palermo and Recoleta as areas to stay, for the perfect balance of safety, restaurants, things to do and nice surroundings.
The other worthwhile option is the area between the Congress Building and popular shopping location Florida Street.
This is where the bulk of Buenos Aires’ highlights are based, with plenty of great restaurants nearby too.
Some of my top hotel recommendations are as follows:
Alvear Palace Hotel is a 5* luxury experience in Recoleta which showcases Buenos Aires’ beautiful European architecture and makes you feel like you’re in a 20th-century European palace.
Four Seasons Hotel is another palace-like offering in Recoleta, with a stunning outdoor pool and a large spa and gym to top of the experience.
For travellers on a budget, Che Juan Hostel offers a shared dorm experience with privacy curtains on the beds (a must for me in hostels these days!), friendly staff, clean rooms and a vintage feel to the place.
Is Buenos Aires Safe for Tourists?
Argentina is known for its reputation as one of Latin America’s safest countries.
And the capital is no worse than the average city, with crime unlikely to affect tourists here.
The one place to really avoid, is the area surrounding La Boca. As soon as you leave the distinctive colourful buildings behind, you enter an area with a reputation for armed muggings amongst other crimes.
I walked from La Boca safely during my first Buenos Aires trip. But there’s no guarantee you will experience the same in a part of the city with a deservedly turgid reputation.
Otherwise however, Buenos Aires is pretty safe. And you shouldn’t have issues by applying some of my favourite travel safety tips.
Among the most important is not using your phone without heading into the nearest shop or cafe.
Buenos Aires does unfortunately have a reputation for robberies carried out by (usually) two men on a motorbike who will snatch phones from unsuspecting bystanders.
Don’t be scared off however. With basic precautions, you shouldn’t have any issues here.
How to Get Around Buenos Aires in a Day
The city is massive, but most highlights are clustered into a few small areas. Therefore to see everything between Palacio del Congreso and Plaza de Mayo, I recommend walking.
It will take around half an hour to walk between the two places. San Telmo and Puerto Madero are also a short walk from the area.
There are some places however where walking isn’t practical (or in the case of getting to La Boca, safe). For these, you will want to use Uber.
Uber in Buenos Aires is super cheap, costing around £3-4 (US$4-5) for a one-way ride, split between the number of people who travel of course.
Don’t bother trying to catch buses here. If you only have a day in Buenos Aires then you won’t want to waste time waiting around. Uber is far more efficient.
If you’re on a really tight budget, Buenos Aires has a metro which costs under £1 (US$1.25) for a one-way ticket.
Again, I don’t recommend this for a day trip, because it takes much longer than Uber.
Is Buenos Aires Accessible for People With Disabilities?
Argentina is one of the most disability-friendly countries in South America. Major attractions across the country including Argentinian Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego National Park (one of Ushuaia’s many highlights), and Los Glaciares National Park allow free entry to anyone with a disability.
However, these are publicly owned, and Buenos Aires doesn’t offer so many free tickets in the same way as these places. Although it does still have a few, including Museo Moderno, an art museum in the capital.
Unlike Mendoza which is full of ditches, Buenos Aires has relatively flat terrain, making it easy for wheelchair users and others with mobility issues to move around.
The popular shopping area Florida Street is closed to vehicles, although you should be aware of the fact that it gets very busy.
As a side note, this is a popular place to exchange US dollars for pesos, although I would advise caution as we almost got scammed here, and only didn’t because I counted 500 notes instead of accepting the value given by a dodgy counting machine…
I will say that the main road, Avenida 9 de Julio can be hard to cross. In some parts it took us 4 green lights to make it across the road, and that’s without physical disabilities.
For anyone with other disabilities, Buenos Aires is no different from an average major European city. It doesn’t have the chaos you would find in some parts of the world such as Hanoi or New Delhi which can be overwhelming to many people.
I would say that anyone with a minor or moderate disability will be able to follow this Buenos Aires itinerary fairly comfortably. People with severe disabilities will struggle here, but no more so than in London, Paris or Milan for example.
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The cafe looks interesting. Finding gems like this is one reason why I love circling the globe. I never would think that Buenos Aires boasted one of the top cafes in the world. Fascinating.
Ryan
It’s all part of the fun! Lots of hidden gems in places most people wouldn’t even consider for a holiday.