15 essential things to do in Buenos Aires

Famed for food, fun and fleet-footed dancers, Argentina’s capital has long been one of the most talked-about travel destinations on the planet.

What makes Buenos Aires so irresistible? The city’s energy finds perhaps its richest expression in the tango-tastic milongas (dance halls) all over town. And here, top-flight luxury is as much of the local character as urban, gritty excitement.

For every top-flight art museum, there’s a backstreet painted with flamboyant street art. For every group of cocktail-sipping trendsetters, there’s a cluster of old-timers gathered around a radio, tapping their toes to the tunes of tango legend Carlos Gardel.

The city boasts an endless number of thing to see and do – and much of it is free (or very budget-friendly), leaving you with more money to spend on lavish steak dinners washed down with glasses of robust Mendoza red. Here are a view of our favorite Buenos Aires experiences.

1. Pay your respects at Cementerio de la Recoleta

Commune with great porteños of the past at Cementerio de la Recoleta, a necropolis ornate enough to rival Père Lachaise in Paris, or the moss-cloaked cities of the dead in New Orleans. BA’s most beautiful cemetery is a maze of narrow passageways lined with crumbling marble statuary and ornate mausoleums in architectural styles ranging from art nouveau to neo-Gothic. Get lost in the alleyways to discover cherubs in stone relief, stained-glass windows edged with cobwebs, marble angels and bittersweet poetry etched into granite. Macabre? Maybe. Moving? Very.

2. Admire the art at Fundación Proa

You’ll do a double take when you first glimpse the building that houses the Fundación Proa, the city’s most distinguished art space: the striking, ice-white gallery provides a bold counterpoint to the colorful, cobbled streets of La Boca. The institution stands out not only through its clout in the international art scene but also for its unlikely location on La Boca’s riverfront, miles away from the gallery districts of Recoleta and Palermo.

3. Get football fever at La Bombonera stadium

In Buenos Aires, fútbol is not just a game – it’s practically a religion. The nation’s favorite pastime inspires fervent passion in locals, clearing the city streets on match days, and sending spectators into fits of ecstasy and anguish as they huddle around TV screens or brave the explosive stadium crowds.

Seeing a game at La Bombonera, the famed stadium of Club Atlético Boca Juniors, is one of the world’s top spectator-sports experiences, especially if you manage to catch the Superclásico match against archrival squad River Plate.

Planning tip: Tickets are very hard to come by. Get yours ahead of time through a travel agent.

4. Explore San Telmo barrio

The barrio of San Telmo exudes faded grandeur and bohemian spirit, with elegant belle-époque architecture and crumbling villas throwbacks to the district’s (and the city’s) 19th-century heyday. Before yellow fever and cholera sent the beau monde fleeing for higher ground, aristocratic Spanish families traversed these atmospheric cobblestone streets in horse-drawn carriages. After the epidemic, poor immigrants turned San Telmo’s abandoned mansions into makeshift conventillos (tenement housing).

Tango music developed, in part, through the melancholy of these new arrivals’ homesickness, and the merging of musical traditions in the district’s plazas and patios. Today, the pretty barrio still exudes an unpretentious vibe, with antique dealers, tango clubs and restaurants drawing a steady stream of tourists and locals.

5. Take to the dance floor at a milonga

Nothing captures the spirit of Buenos Aires like the sensual and melancholy tango. And no visit to the city is complete without seeing it performed live – or, even better, trying it out for yourself. To experience the dance in its most authentic form, head to a milonga, or tango club. Top spots include Almagro’s La Catedral, Belgrano’s La Glorieta and Palermo’s Salón Canning.

Planning tip: Tango nights are held most nights of the week at dozens of venues across the city, with dance classes often taking place before milongas. This makes it easy to join in the action – or just watch from the sidelines over a glass of wine.

6. Learn about the history of Plaza de Mayo

Laid out in 1580, Plaza de Mayo is the stage on which some of the most dramatic events in Argentina’s modern history have played out. The central plaza saw massive trade-union demonstrations and Eva Perón shouting from the balcony of the Casa Rosada in 1945, military bombings in 1955, and police shootings of protesters during the 2001 economic crisis.

While things are calmer today, the pigeon-populated square still plays host to demonstrations and rallies most days of the week. The peaceful Thursday vigil of Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) – devoted to the cause of the people “disappeared” by Argentina’s former military regime – is the most powerful and touching one of the lot.

7. Sip Argentine wines

You’ve probably heard that Argentine wines are world-class. But the proof is in the tasting. The nation's most famous varietal is malbec – a dark, robust, plum-flavored wine that has stamped the region of Mendoza on every wine lover’s map. Yet BA’s bodegas (wine cellars) are well stocked with other local wines that are well worth a sip (or three), including fresh torrontés (a dry white), fruity bonarda (a berry-rich red) and earthy pinot noirs.

Start the search for your favorite Argentine wine at a Buenos Aires vinoteca (wine boutique), such as Lo de Joaquín Alberdi in Palermo; Vinotango in San Telmo; or Aldo’s Vinoteca, a restaurant and wine store with some 600 different labels in stock to drink on site or take home.

Planning tip: Many puertas cerradas (closed-door restaurants) offer fine wines with their meals. Run by an Argentine sommelier, Casa Coupage is especially wine-oriented.

8. Order steaks big enough to share

Believe the hype. Argentine beef is some of the best in the world, and you can feast on it at any of BA’s hundreds of parrillas (steakhouses), where a meal begins with the slosh of wine pouring into a glass and ends with a full stomach and satisfied grin. Parrillas run the gamut from neighborhood joints to well-loved, vintage steakhouses and upscale restaurants, meaning there’s a steak suitable for every budget. Many closed-door restaurants even offer meaty asado (barbecue) experiences.

Planning tip: Palermo is a meat-lover’s paradise; regulars highly rate the quality cuts at Don Julio and La Cabrera.

9. Explore Buenos Aires’ street-art scene

From the city’s leafy northern suburbs to the abandoned warehouses of its gritty southernmost border, Buenos Aires is a massive canvas for talented street artists. Creators from all over the world come here to paint in collaboration with Argentina's own graffiti superstars.

Some pockets of the city are home to a huge concentration of murals, easily explored on guided tours with Graffitimundo. Keep your eyes open as you walk around La Boca, Palermo, Colegiales and San Telmo: you might even see the city’s next masterpiece being created.

10. Sit back and savor Argentine cafe culture

We have some good news for travelers who refuse to see the sights until they’ve had their morning jolt of caffeine: Buenos Aires isn’t called the “Paris of the South” for nothing. In addition to the city’s grand boulevards and art nouveau-architecture, the city has a lively cafe culture with a definite Parisian flavor. Top spots to sip a cortado (espresso with a dash of milk) include Recoleta’s Como en Casa and La Boca’s Bar Roma; both have a loyal following among porteños.

11. Tune into Buenos Aires’ folk music scene

Don’t cry into your cerveza (beer) if you don’t have enough time to visit a country estancia (ranch). You can soak up a bit of gaucho culture without leaving the city limits at BA’s peñas, local music clubs where regional musicians perform traditional songs while patrons feast on country-style cuisine. After the set, the real festivities commence as harmonicas and charangos (five-stringed guitars) are passed around for a community jam session.

12. Get a dose of nature at Reserva Ecológica

In the shadow of Puerto Madero’s shiny skyscrapers, a sprawling nature reserve has emerged from an area of abandoned, marshy wasteland. The ruggedly beautiful Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur is home to hundreds of birds, colorful butterflies, turtles and iguanas. Take a walk or cycle along the paths that loop up past the coastline of the Río de la Plata, watching kids and dogs splash in the water and sailboats on the horizon. It’ll be hard to believe you're just a short walk from the city center.

13. Toast to porteños from a rooftop bar

Raising a glass above street level is a big thing Buenos Aires. The modern age has pushed the city skyward, and rooftop bars now crown the loftiest hotel towers and office skyscrapers, as well as many older, lower buildings. From the rooftop cafe at Fundación Proa to the sleek cocktail lounge atop the Alvear Palace and Sky Bar above Hotel Pulitzer, Buenos Aires is a great stop for drinkers who insist on a cocktail with a view.

14. Take home a souvenir from one of Buenos Aires’ markets

On weekends, Buenos Aires’ outdoor markets surge with treasure hunters snapping up everything from antique teapots and Mapuche-inspired silver jewelry to cashmere sweaters and handmade leather boots. At busy Sunday markets such as Feria Plaza Belgrano and Feria Artesanal Plaza Francia, you’ll find piles of gourds and a glimmering treasure trove of Argentine silver. Try Feria de San Telmo for crafts and antiques and Mercado de San Telmo for local foodstuffs.

15. Get outdoors in the green city parks

After the urban intensity of traffic-clogged BA, you may find yourself quickly hankering for somewhere clean and green. That’s easy: just throw together a picnic lunch – a half dozen empanadas and a mini bottle of malbec should do the trick – and retire to one of the city’s lovely parks for a lazy afternoon.

Planning tip: Try Palermo's Parque 3 de Febrero for rose gardens, water features and people-watching, or Costanera Norte’s Parque de la Memoria for thought-provoking memorials plus river views.