Argentina’s capital is a huge and buzzing metropolitan city. With about 15.5 million people living in the metropolitan area, it is one of South America’s biggest cities. Being such a big city with a rich history and culture, many of the suburbs are very distinct from each other. In this article, I will tell you all about the best neighborhoods of Buenos Aires which you absolutely must visit when you are in Buenos Aires.
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Table of Contents - The best neighborhoods in Buenos Aires for tourists
Safety in Buenos Aires – As with most big cities in South America, there are safer and less safe areas in Buenos Aires. Generally speaking, the capital itself (CABA, Capital Autonoma de Buenos Aires) is quite safe. But be aware of pickpocketing and tricks (distractions to steal your belongings). Generally, the further north you get, the safer the neighborhoods get, and the further south, the “spicier” as they say here. Westwards, it also gets less safe as you leave the capital. The neighborhoods listed here are all touristic, and generally safe, but it is always wise to be careful and have your wits about you. The most common way to get robbed in Buenos Aires is by not paying attention to your surroundings. For example, when having your phone out on the street and enabling somebody on a motorbike to grab it.
When to visit Buenos Aires
The best time of year to visit Buenos Aires is in spring or early autumn. Summers can get very hot and humid, and power cuts are common. The network can’t quite handle all the aircon’s working in the city, on top of the already high demand for electricity in this densely populated city. Winters in Buenos Aires are cold, gray, and rainy.
Where to stay in Buenos Aires
My favorite neighborhood in Buenos Aires to base myself in is Palermo. It’s green and hip and full of cool bars, cafés and restaurants to explore. If you’re looking for a neighborhood with a more authentic feel to it, San Telmo is your place. And if you don’t care too much about where you’re staying but want to have the easiest public transport connections, the Microcentro is your place.
How to get around Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires has an extensive public transport network, consisting of metros (Subte) and buses (collectives, also called “Bondi” in local slang). All the below-mentioned neighborhoods can easily be visited by public transport. I prefer using the Subte, as it’s quicker and easier to determine where you are and where you need to get off than the bus. But if there is no convenient connection with the Subte, buses are a great alternative.
You need a Sube card to be able to use public transport in Buenos Aires. You can buy these cards in metro stations, and many kioscos (kiosks) sell the card too. Once you buy your card, you need to charge it. You can charge it at the same place where you buy your card, at charging machines available in the metro stations (although they often don’t work), and any kiosco with a “Sube” sticker.
If you travel by metro, just scan your card at the gate to the platform(s), it’s a fixed fare. If you travel by bus, tell the bus driver where you’re going and they’ll enter the fare for you.
Uber is also a common way to get around and quite cheap. Note that Uber is technically not legal, and getting one to or from the airport can be challenging. But other than that there are no problems, and Ubers are widely available.
The best neighborhoods to visit in Buenos Aires
1. San Telmo
San Telmo is Buenos Aires’ oldest and most iconic neighborhood. It’s characterized by its narrow cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, markets, and clear presence of tango, Argentina‘s most famous music and dance. Every Sunday, there is a huge market in San Telmo, with Plaza Dorrego (Dorrego Square) at its heart. At the square itself, you will often find people dancing tango. Of course, it’s a very touristic setting, but watching a tango show is always a touristic setting. It’s like watching a Hakka performance in New Zealand or a Khon performance in Thailand. It is a show for tourists. But don’t let this stop you, it’s fun to watch for a while and free!
Tango: Looking for a less touristy way to experience the tango? Try going to a milonga: a place to dance tango yourself. Note that Milonga is the name of a type of music and dance, the foregoer of the tango. But places where people gather to dance the tango are also called milongas. An example is the one at La Manzana de las Luces, where you can attend a free class, and stay on to dance yourself, or just watch the experienced people.
2. Palermo
Palermo is my favorite neighborhood in Buenos Aires. I just love the atmosphere there, and it also feels very safe (still, keep your wits about you). There are many bars where you can go for a (craft)beer, cute cafes to go for a coffee, and restaurants offering all sorts of food. There are also many nice parks where you can go for a stroll, from the huge Bosques de Palermo to the smaller but picturesque Japanese gardens.
3. Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero is the newest and most modern neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Most of the buildings here are tall office buildings and fancy hotels. There are also many upscale bars and restaurants, which fill up when the offices empty out. It’s a great place to go for a drink or dinner. The setting along the river, with the skyscrapers across the water and the lit-up bridges makes you think you are in a different city.
While Puerto Madero might seem like a concrete jungle at first sight, behind these high rises you will find a huge green area: La Reserva Ecológica. This is a great place to escape the concrete jungle. You can walk here for hours and feel like you’re miles away from the big city. It’s a popular place for birdwatching as well.
4. La Boca
La Boca is another very iconic and old neighborhood. Boca means mouth in Spanish, and this neighborhood got its name from its location at the mouth of the river. Boca is home to the old port and a lot of its history is connected to this. La Boca is a huge neighborhood, but there are only about 4 blocks that are interesting for tourists.
El Caminito is the most famous one, this is the street with all the colorful houses. Back in the day, houses were painted with the paint that was available at that moment. This resulted in a neighborhood with houses in different colors and made this (part) of the suburb so iconic. Now that it has been turned into a tourist attraction, the colors are extra bright and exaggerated.
The second most important attraction in La Boca, is the football stadium La Bombonera. While the seats are reserved for the members of the club (socios), it is possible to enter the stadium on a guided tour. Or you can just take a picture from outside, which is what most visitors do.
In this part of La Boca you will find many souvenir stores, and people dressed up in tango outfits with whom you can take a photo. Outside of this little part of La Boca, there isn’t much to do for tourists. It’s also a relatively unsafe neighborhood. During the day it’s generally ok, but avoid wandering around here at night.
5. Recoleta
Recoleta is a beautiful neighborhood, with a lot of European architecture. Here you will also find the famous Recoleta cemetery, where Eva “Evita” Peron is buried. Besides the cemetary, you can visit several art musea in Recoleta and the neighborhood is full of beautiful mansions. It’s a great neighborhood to go for a stroll.
Do note that Recoleta, one of the richest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, borders with Retiro, one of the poorest neighborhoods. So while Recoleta feels very safe, stay cautious, especially when you get closer to Retiro.
6. Microcentro
El Microcentro (the micro center) is the center of Buenos Aires. This is where you’ll find the government buildings, like La Casa Rosada. This is also where the Obelisco is located, which you will likely recognize from the footage of when Argentina won the World Cup in 2023. While at first sight, there might not be so much to the center, I recommend joining a Free Walking Tour and you’ll discover many interesting facts about this neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
7. Belgrano
Like almost every big city, Buenos Aires also has a Chinatown, and it is located in the neighborhood Belgrano. Besides Chinatown, you can also find many shops of Argentinian designers and brands in Belgrano. Other than that there is not much to see or do in Belgrano for tourists. The Arbórea Magna, a new attraction in Buenos Aires, is right on the border with the Belgrano and Nuñez neighborhoods. It’s an artificial tree that lights up at night, using solar energy that it captures during the day. Kind of like the Supertree Grove in Singapore, but it’s only one tree.
Shopping in Buenos Aires – If designers are not your thing and you’re looking to fill your backpack with cheaper clothing, barrio Once is your place. In Flores you can also find cheap clothing, but most of it is majorista, meaning you will need to buy multiple pieces in the shop, normally 3-4 pieces. Florida street in the center is another place with many shops, and also Gurrachara in Palermo.
8. Tigre
Tigre is a very different kind of neighborhood and more of a separate town than a neighborhood. It’s the gateway to the wetlands and a big part of Tigre is only accessible by boat. Go for a walk along the esplanade, visit the old fruit market (now a place to buy souvenirs), and hop on a boat for a river cruise to really experience the beauty of Tigre.
This was The best neighborhoods in Buenos Aires for tourists
If you’re looking for more inspiration for your trip to Buenos Aires, check out this one-week itinerary for Buenos Aires.
