Buenos Aires Travel Guide

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Buenos Aires, Argentina is known as the ‘Paris of South America’ and lives up to its nickname with an overwhelming café culture to rival its European counterpart. The city is the second largest in South America (after Rio de Janeiro) and is a hot spot for those who love music, food, dancing, and just all around beautiful people. The nightlife is fantastic, particularly if you like clubs that open at 2am (I don’t so I can’t comment on their quality!). Buenos Aires has a very distinct European feel to it and a growing international expat community in the Palermo district. The quality of life is very high here and during my stay, I just floated from cafe to cafe, park to park, and wine bar to wine bar! Explore the markets, the many bookshops and cafes, and just relax!

Typical Costs

Hostel prices – Hostels are widespread, and start at about 75 ARS for a dormitory room. You’ll find a lot of hostels in the under 100 range for a large 10 person dorm room, a lot in the 150 ARS range, and the more popular ones 200+ ARS for a 6-8 bed dorm. Private rooms with a shared bath start at around 500 ARS a night. While expense, Milhouse hostel is really popular with backpackers looking to party. For more quiet hostels, check out the ones in San Telmo or Palermo.
Budget hotel prices – Hotels start at 180 ARS per night for single, 230 ARS for a double room.
Average cost of food – Cheap meals at the local burger/sandwich shops will cost around 80-100 ARS. In most of the cafes around the city, you’re looking at 80-100 per dish. You can find lunch specials at the cafes in the downtown area for 60 ARS. Pizzas are really popular in the city and cost 120 ARS. Steaks begin at 150, bottles of wine at 120, and pastas at 100. If you are looking for a really nice sit down meal with good steak and wine, expect to pay 320 ARS. You can buy a week’s worth of groceries (including bottles of wine) for around 500 ARS. For super cheap food, be sure to eat at the choripan (sausage and bread sandwiches) stalls for 25 ARS. Empenadas, the staple of the to go food in the country, costs between 8-15 ARS. Food in the fancy Palermo district is more expensive than elsewhere! Some good restaurants to eat at: Don Julio, Burger Shack, Origen cafe, La Cabrera, and Freddo for ice cream.
Transportation costs – Bus and the subway is still the best way to go at 5 ARS for a one-way ticket. You can can multi-pass books for cheaper but the saving isn’t great and, for a short trip, you’ll never use them all1 Taxis around the city will range between 75-100 ARS.

Money Saving Tips

Free tango lessons — Instead of forking over cash for tango lessons, be bold and head to a Milonga where there will be plenty of locals keen to show you the ropes for free. Many of the hostels also offer free tango lessons too!
Discounts on attractions — Most museums and attractions offer either discounts or free entrance to students, teachers, and seniors.
Discounted fútbol tickets —  If you’re going to a soccer match, choose tickets in the standing room lower level terrace, called “las populares” seating. These are half the price of the standard seats, and the casual fan atmosphere is much better.
Specialty discount cards — La Nacion Club and La Nacion Premium Club Cards are associated with La Nacion Newspaper, one of the biggest newspaper publications in Argentina (written in Spanish). Every week La Nacion Club Card website lists participating establishments who give discounts to card members. Although many of the restaurants offer the deals on Tuesday or Wednesday only, the discounts can range from 5-50% off and are definitely worth it.
Free walking tours- There are a number of companies that offer free walking tours throughout the city. They are very comprehensive and the best way to get a history of the city! You can also take free walking tours of the Congress during the week.
Eat out during lunch – Most of the cafes (especially those downtown) offer a set lunch menu for around 100 ARS (often times including steak). If you want to eat at the city’s many restaurants, it’s best to do it during lunch!
Refill your water bottle– The tap water in Buenos Aires is safe to drink. Save money on lots of bottles of water and refill from the tap!

Top Things to See and Do in Buenos Aires

Tango – The tango is Argentina’s national dance, and you wouldn’t leave with the true local flavor without hitting the dance floor while in Buenos Aires. There are plenty of places offering lessons, and you can even chase down a Milonga, or tango event, that begins in the afternoon and carries into the wee hours of the night.
San Telmo Market – For the best cultural and shopping experiences, make your way to San Telmo and the Sunday antiques fair at Plaza Dorrego. Artisans, musicians, stilt walkers, and other street performers line the streets. Souvenirs such as silver, paintings, and sculptures can be picked up for reasonable prices—sharpen your elbows! This is a great place to test out your bargaining skills.
Fútbol –  Soccer is big business in Argentina, and aside from having a fantastic national team, the country also has plenty of top class league teams. There are two great stadiums in the city, La Bombonera and El Monumuenta. For the best experience, try to catch a match between the city’s two rival teams, River Plate and Boca, but plan ahead because tickets can be hard to come by.
Recoleta Cemetery – It might seem a bit morbid to visit a cemetery for pleasure, but Recoleta is one of the city’s most visited attractions. The cemetery is the final resting place of many of the city’s most notable citizens, including Eva Perón and the Paz family. Also worth seeing is the tomb of Rufina Cambaceres, who was tragically buried alive according to legends
Museo Evita – Argentina is known as the home of Eva Perón or Evita, and this museum explores Evita’s life from childhood through her career as an actress, onto her role as the First Lady and ultimately, ending with her death. This museum will leave you with an appreciation and understanding as to why she is such a significant figure to the Argentine people.
Zoological Gardens –  A perfect way to while away an afternoon and get some priceless pictures of the country’s indigenous animals is by visiting the Gardens. Polar bears, flamingos, pandas, and tigers, oh my, are residents of this 45 acre city zoo.
National History Museum – Formerly the Lezama family home, this palatial building encapsulates Argentina’s history from the 1500s to the early 1900s. Most of the exhibits focus on the Argentine War of Independence fought against Spain from 1810-1818 and the May Revolution which also took place in 1810.
Círculo Militar – This is the former home of the Paz family, the wealthy owners of the La Prensa newspaper. Built by a French architect, the building has more than a subtle French influence, but strangely, a few rooms are also in the Tudor style. As one of Argentina’s most beautiful buildings, this is definitely an essential stop on your city tour.
Falkland Islands War Memorial – Under the military dictator Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentina declared war on Great Britain in 1982. The museum contains a monument inscribed with the names of all the Argentine’s killed in the 4 months of conflict over the Falkland Islands, or ‘Islas Malvinas’ as they’re known in Argentina.
Casa Rosada – Dominating the city’s Plaza de Mayo is Casa Rosada, arguably the city’s most notable landmark. The building has played a starring role in the country’s history, quite literally. It was where Madonna re-enacted Eva Perón’s addressing of the crowds of workers in Evita.
La Fería Mataderos – The Mataderos fair is an interesting alternative to the other Sunday markets. Located on the south-west edge of Capital Federal, Mataderos offers a less touristy atmosphere. Simply put, the tango dancers there are not doing it for show. They are dancing because it’s their past-time and passion. The fair also offers live music, great food, and plenty of handmade crafts to browse and purchase.
Palacio Borolo – Tour this landmark building of Argentina, themed around Dante’s Inferno, and take in the amazing history and panoramic views of Buenos Aires. This building has fascinating architecture and offers the best viewpoint of the city.
Temaiken Park – This Zoological park offers a huge variety of animal exhibits, with African, Asian, and South Americas zones. Just a short drive outside of the city, it is considered to be one of the major attractions of the area.
Recolleta – This is a high-class, fashionable neighborhood, lined with various boutiques, cafes, and galleries. There is also a street fair every weekend. As a central location in the city, it’s a great area to check out and explore while catching your breath.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – This fine art museum is host to many significant works, from European masters to pre-Renaissance days. Additionally, there is an expansive collection of 19th and 20th century Argentinian paintings and sculptures that make up one of the most impressive collections in the country.
Jardin Botanico Carlos Thais – This garden is full of winding paths, statues, creeks, flora, and fauna from all over the world. Take a stroll alongside the resident cats for an enjoyable, relaxing afternoon outside—or stop by for a quick picnic to get out of the hustle and bustle.