Argentina’s capital city is a haven of arts, culture, and unbelievable food.
There are some cities where, just walking down the streets, you feel like you’re somehow experiencing the past and present at once. Buenos Aires is one of those cities.
The capital of Argentina is probably best known for its steak, tango, and Lionel Messi — all worthy features — but it’s so much more. It’s a metropolis that contains multitudes, with many identities and cultures coming together. You can see it in the cobblestone streets and historic beginnings of San Telmo, the colorful buildings and fútbol fandoms of La Boca, and the chic hotspots of Palermo and Recoleta.
“Argentina is often in the news for its economic woes, but Buenos Aires remains a remarkably upbeat, thriving city,” says Peter Schlesinger, the associate director of digital content at membership-based luxury travel company Indagare, an Equinox Circle partner. “For many travelers, it’s already high on their lists for specific reasons, be that seeing an opera at Teatro Colón, visiting sites associated with Eva Perón, or learning to tango. [But] anyone who loves cities and all the complexities of them will love Buenos Aires. What sets it apart for — and surprises — most visitors is its architectural beauty, fascinating history, cultural sensibilities, and world-class restaurants.”
You’d have to settle in long-term to see and do everything, but even if you have only four or five days, you can experience some of the best Buenos Aires has to offer. Start here.
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Hotels
Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau
This Recoleta hotel, Schlesinger says, is one of Indagare’s most-booked hotels in the city, and for good reason. The building is a beautifully restored 19th-century mansion with history emanating from the elegant stone columns, marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and the breathtaking back garden that transports you from a busy city to an idyllic countryside. “[It’s] a great option for art lovers, [with] museum-quality paintings in the grand palace wing [and] Buenos Aires photography in the newer wing,” Schlesinger says. “Plus, it has one of the city’s leading vegetarian restaurants [in Gioia Cocina Botánica], as well as a great spa.” Book your stay.
Home Hotel Buenos Aires
The name says it all. This stunning, sustainably driven boutique hotel feels as welcoming as home — a fantastic one. It’s nestled on a tree-lined block in the upbeat Palermo Hollywood neighborhood, with a lobby that feels more like a lovingly curated and impossibly chic mid-century living room than a tourist landing pad. Each room is decorated with wallpaper, art, and furniture that forsake the classic, bland hotel room formula; the glass-walled bar and restaurant look out onto the enchanting garden with a pool surrounded by native greenery and flowers; and the spa offers a respite after a long day of walking around the city. Book your stay.
Restaurants
Hierro Palermo
This dimly lit restaurant in the heart of Palermo Hollywood, with its black walls, floors, and furniture, emanates effortless cool vibes, which are matched by the creative cocktail list and mouth-watering menu. Hierro Palermo is perhaps best known for its parilla dishes — cuts of beef cooked on a traditional Argentine grill — but there’s no shortage of delicious alternatives for those who want something different. Get the details.
Crizia
“The menu here takes you all around Argentina over the course of a meal,” Schlesinger says. “Everything is sourced nationally from sustainable producers, and each dish is meant to really highlight a specific region.” Get the details.
Piegari Ristorante
It’s estimated that more than half of Argentina’s population has Italian heritage, so it only makes sense to sit down for a classic Italian meal while you’re in Buenos Aires — and Piegari fits the bill. The restaurant — which just opened its first U.S. location in Miami — is an institution, having first opened its doors 30 years ago, and it maintains its old-school vibes through the white table cloths, impeccably dressed wait staff, and classic-yet-unassuming wooden booths. The food, meanwhile, would be considered excellent in any decade; you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Malbec, a housemade, fresh pasta dish, and a refreshing limonata mousse for dessert. Get the details.
Let It V
Despite being in a country known for its beef, Buenos Aires is full of tasty vegan and vegetarian fare. Head to Let It V for delicious plant-based dishes, including empanadas, sushi, and gnocchi, for any meal of the day. Get the details.
Artemisia Cocina Natural
This Palermo restaurant offers creative vegan and vegetarian dishes in a rustic, laid-back setting that includes a small retail display featuring gorgeous ceramics, notebooks, puzzles, and more. Get the details.
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Things to Do
Museum-hop.
Art lovers will be utterly spoiled in Buenos Aires. “The city has hosted one of Latin America’s most influential art fairs, ArteBA, since the early 1990s, and there is a buzzy art gallery scene that feeds from [and] into the city’s top museums,” Schlesinger says. He recommends visiting the “heavy hitter” museums like Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires (MAMBA), and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MACBA). You can also take in the vast collection of Argentinian art at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
If you’re interested in history, check out the rotating exhibitions at the Centro Cultural de Kirchner, learn the full story of Eva Perón’s life at her namesake Museo Evita, and wander through the walkways of the iconic Recoleta Cemetary, where you can visit more than 6,000 mausoleums, coffins, and crypts — including the final resting place of Perón herself.
Go green.
Buenos Aires is a city rich with green spaces. “The Bosques de Palermo is a massive park — larger than Central Park — with winding paths, manicured lawns, and lakes,” Schlesinger says. “It’s a great space to relax, go for a walk, or people watch.”
Buenos Aires Ecoparque is also worth your time. The former zoo was converted into a sprawling park and a sanctuary for animals in need of care and those that couldn’t be released back into the wild. You can spend an entire afternoon wandering among the natural surroundings and watching the animals — some of whom, like the peacocks and Patagonian maras, may be wandering freely alongside you.
Take in tango.
“While it’s true that tango shows have become primarily a tourist attraction, the dancing is entirely impressive, and it’s a good insight into Latin American culture,” Schlesinger says. At the 100-plus-year-old El Querandí, you can get a ticket for dinner and a show or just head there for the dancing alone, an enchanting tour through tango’s history in Argentina. If you want to try the footwork for yourself, you can take a class at La Catedral, a large dance hall in a converted factory building.
Scout antiques and vintage gems in San Telmo.
San Telmo is the historic center of Buenos Aires, something that’s evident in the centuries-old colonial homes lining the cobblestone streets — many of which now house bars, restaurants, and shops. The neighborhood is also an antiques and vintage haven; you can find gems in the shops all along Defensa Street, which is closed to car traffic on Sundays, as well as in various stalls at the Mercado San Telmo and the Pasaje Defensa, the latter of which is a collection of both vintage and contemporary vendors spread throughout a (now open-air) two-story mansion built in the 1880s.
Shop luxury and handicrafts in Recoleta and Palermo.
“Shoppers will want to explore the neighborhood Recoleta for glam, chic finds at places like Mutate (for fine leather goods) and La Martina (polo-obsessed Buenos Aires’s take on Ralph Lauren),” Schlesinger says. “In Palermo, Elementos Argentinos sources its handmade, colorful rugs from artisans in Argentina’s remote northwest regions.” On weekends, shop the Plaza Francia craft fair in Recoleta or the weekend street fair in Palermo’s Plaza Serrano for art, jewelry, traditional Artengine handicrafts, and more.
Through Equinox Circle, Equinox members have insider access to Indagare’s curated journeys, a 30-day complimentary trial of Self Planner membership, and $100 off annual subscription, plus access to VIP benefits including upgrades, complimentary breakfast, spa credit, and more.
Photo Credits: Home Hotel; Hierro Palermo; Emma Sarran Webster