Buenos Aires for first-time visitors: what to know and what to do

Palermo and Recoleta are the easiest bases for a first visit. Both are leafy, walkable and full of cafes and restaurants, with subway and bus connections to everything else.

Palermo is the biggest barrio and the liveliest, with Palermo Soho for shops and cafes and Palermo Hollywood for restaurants and bars. Recoleta is quieter and grander, close to museums and the cemetery. San Telmo has the most old-city character, but its streets are emptier at night, so it suits travelers who have been to big Latin American cities before.

First trips tend to produce photos of monuments and very few of you. A short session with a local photographer is an easy fix and a relaxed way to see a neighborhood.

Get a SUBE card. It is the rechargeable card for the subway (the Subte), city buses (colectivos) and commuter trains, and buses do not take cash. You can buy and top it up at subway stations and many kiosks.

The Subte covers the center, Recoleta, Palermo and Almagro well. Buses go everywhere else and run all night on many routes. Ride-hailing apps work in the city and are the simplest option late at night or with luggage. On foot, the city is flat and the grid is easy to read.

Argentina's money rules change often. In recent years the exchange rates foreigners get, and whether cash or card is better, have shifted several times. Read current advice for visitors a week or two before you go rather than relying on an older guide.

In practice, bring a card that works abroad and some cash. Cards are accepted in most restaurants and shops. Fairs, small cafes, tips and some taxis still prefer cash. Tip around 10 percent in restaurants, ideally in cash.

Porteños eat late. Lunch runs from about 1 to 3 pm, there is a merienda (coffee and something sweet) around 5 or 6 pm, and dinner rarely starts before 9 pm, with restaurants busiest after 10. Book popular places ahead, especially on weekends.

Do not leave without a meal at a parrilla, the classic grill restaurant: order provoleta (grilled cheese) to start, a cut of beef such as bife de chorizo or ojo de bife, and a Malbec. Empanadas, medialunas, dulce de leche and the city's excellent ice cream fill the gaps.

Start with the two things the city does best: a parrilla and porteño pizza. These are our favorites for a first visit. These come from our editors' own saved list, collected on trips in 2020, 2022 and 2023, and each was still listed as open on Google Maps when we checked in November 2026. Opening hours change, so check before you go.

• La Cabrera, Palermo: a classic parrilla, known for its many small side dishes.
• Calden del Soho, Palermo: another grill for steak and provoleta.
• El Cuartito and Las Cuartetas, in the center: old-school pizzerias for thick, cheesy porteño pizza.
• Café Rivas, San Telmo: a corner restaurant in the old town, handy on a San Telmo day.
• Dada Bistró, in the center: a small bar and bistro.
• Emperador Meiji, Palermo, and Fabric Sushi, Colegiales: Japanese food for a break from steak.

Take the care you would in any big city. The most common problems for visitors are pickpocketing in crowds and phone snatching, sometimes from passing bikes, so keep your phone away from the curb and off cafe tables by the street.

Watch for a known distraction trick: someone squirts something on your clothes and a helpful stranger offers to clean it while an accomplice takes your bag. Walk away and clean up later. In La Boca, stay around Caminito and go by day. At night, take a ride-hailing car if the streets around you feel empty.

The classics are classics for a reason. Spend a morning around Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada and the cafes of Avenida de Mayo. Visit the Recoleta Cemetery, a city of marble mausoleums where Eva Perón is buried. See Caminito's painted houses in La Boca, walk the docks of Puerto Madero and take a guided tour of the Teatro Colón.

Then leave room for the things that make the trip personal: a milonga at night, the Sunday fair in San Telmo, a long lunch, a slow afternoon in Palermo's parks. Our guide to unique experiences in Buenos Aires covers those in detail.

Four to five full days is a good first visit. A simple plan:

1. Day 1: Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo and a historic cafe, then San Telmo.
2. Day 2: Recoleta, the cemetery and the art museums, then El Ateneo Grand Splendid.
3. Day 3: Palermo's parks and the rose garden, an afternoon in Palermo Soho, a milonga at night.
4. Day 4: La Boca by day, Puerto Madero and the Costanera Sur reserve at sunset.
5. Day 5: The San Telmo fair if it is Sunday, or a day trip to the Tigre delta.