Buenos Aires itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Pick by how much you are willing to walk and how many neighbourhoods you want to see properly. Buenos Aires is large; crossing the city eats time, so group sights by area rather than chasing a list.

One day is a taster: the historic centre plus San Telmo. Two days adds Recoleta and Palermo. Three days lets you keep an evening free for tango and still fit a half-day trip. Four days is the comfortable version and matches the 3–4 nights the country guide recommends before flying on to Patagonia, Iguazú, Mendoza or Salta.

Start at Plaza de Mayo, the political heart, with the Casa Rosada and the Cabildo on the square and the Metropolitan Cathedral a block away. Walk south down Defensa into San Telmo, where the streets turn to low houses, antique shops and parrillas. On Sundays the Defensa street fair takes over and the crowds are heavy — keep bags in front of you.

Continue to Puerto Madero for the waterfront and the Puente de la Mujer, then loop back through Plaza de Mayo. This is a walking day with two or three short Subte hops; wear shoes you trust, as pavements in the centre are uneven.

If you have only one day, this is the route to keep and everything else to drop.

Recoleta Cemetery is the morning stop: a walled city of mausoleums, free to walk. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar sits next door, and the Recoleta weekend craft fair fills the adjoining plaza.

Walk or ride to Palermo next. The Botanical Garden and the parks around Plaza Italia are a good reset, and the Palermo Soho and Hollywood blocks are where the cafés, small designers and evening restaurants cluster. Teatro Colón, back toward the centre, is worth a guided tour if you want the interior — book ahead, as slots sell out.

Finish with dinner in Palermo. Parrillas fill after 21:00; locals eat late, so a 20:00 table is easy to get and a 22:00 table is not.

Keep the evening for tango. Show-only tickets in a traditional house are cheaper than dinner-and-show packages, and the dinner is rarely the reason to go. Book two or three days ahead in high season.

For the daytime, choose one: La Boca and the Caminito for the painted street and football history, with the standard caution to stay on the main tourist blocks; Tigre, an hour or so north by train, for the delta and boat rides; or La Plata, a planned city with a museum and cathedral, reachable by train or bus.

If you are flying out the next day, keep this day light and confirm your airport transfer the night before.

Buenos Aires is cheaper than US or Western European capitals for food and transport, and the gap has widened with the exchange rate. Treat every figure below as a 2026 estimate and check the day you book, because prices move fast in Argentina.

The big variables are tango shows, steak dinners and taxis. You can keep a day under a modest budget by walking, using the Subte and eating at cafés and markets; you can double it with one show and one high-end parrilla.

Get a SUBE card early — it covers the Subte, buses and some trains, and you cannot pay cash on board. Load it at kiosks or station machines.

Neighbourhoods are far apart. Plan two areas a day, not five. Late mornings, long lunches and dinners after 21:00 are the local pattern; museums and shops often close for a midday break.

Carry small notes for markets and small cafés, keep a photocopy or phone photo of your passport, and use official taxis or ride apps at night. In crowded areas such as the San Telmo Sunday fair and the Subte at rush hour, keep your phone out of easy reach.

Four nights in Buenos Aires is enough for a first visit. From there the country guide's pattern is to fly to one or two regions rather than bus: Patagonia via El Calafate, Iguazú Falls, Mendoza or Salta, each a 2–3.5-hour flight.

Closer options include La Plata for a day and Bahía Blanca if you are heading south by land. Check the best months before booking Patagonia — November to March for the south.