Best Places to Stay in Buenos Aires
Planning to visit Buenos Aires? Great choice! Argentina’s capital is definitely one of the most exciting cities on Earth!
It is an amazing city with options for everyone: huge parks, wonderful architecture, unbelievable cuisine, astonishing museums and much more. Having so much to offer in different locations can make it a bit difficult to make the decision on where to stay in Buenos Aires, but worry not dear traveler: we are here to make things easier for you and will share some options of the best places to stay in the city (from a local and professional tour guide perspective).
San Telmo: Buenos Aires’ old town
When thinking about which is the best Buenos Aires’ neighborhood to stay in, San Telmo is one of the first options that comes to mind. It is located towards the south area of Buenos Aires and within walking distance of important attractions such as “Plaza de Mayo”.
It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and keeps a special historical atmosphere. Narrow cobbled streets will make you feel like you’re going back in time. This is one of the favorite areas for tourists.
In case you are fond of antiques, this is the ideal area for you. Most of the shops around San Telmo sell antiques where you can find those unique souvenirs you are looking for.
If street markets are your thing make sure to stay around on Sundar to enjoy San Telmo’s most important public event: the fair along Defensa street.
If you are a foodie instead, you will find excellent restaurants to taste local food, including some of the best “parrillas” (grills) in the city. As a plus, some of them are located in historic buildings.
It is a very lively neighborhood where it is common to find street performers (tango dancers, buskers, etc.) close to “Plaza Dorrego” (Dorrego square), so when walking along those streets, you will be surprised at every step.
When choosing your accommodation, you will find wonderful 4 and 5-star hotels, fully furnished apartments and boutique hotels.
*Cons: streets around this area are a little lonely after dark, so it is advisable to take a taxi to move around.
Recoleta: the so-called ‘Paris Of South America’
If we are speaking about the best places to stay in Buenos Aires, we have to mention Recoleta. Without a doubt!
Located in the northern area of the city, it is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in town. Its origin dates back to the 18th century when the Recoleto monks settled in the area. They built a church which is one of the oldest in the city (1732) and is one of the few examples of Spanish architecture still found in Buenos Aires. Nowadays in the former monk’s vegetable garden stands the Recoleta cemetery, one of the top attractions in the city.
Even though in those years Recoleta was considered as a part of Buenos Aires’ outskirts, with time the whole area was transformed into one of the most elegant and amazing areas in Argentina’s capital.
As you walk along Recoleta streets, you will be amazed by the architecture: many wealthy families settled around at the end of 19th/beginning of the 20th centuries. It was very common to use marbles and different materials from France, Italy and England. French architecture is present at Recoleta. Walking along its streets you will feel in Paris.
At one point in time, these families couldn’t afford those places anymore, so most of those amazing residences were transformed into embassies, museums and international hotels. Just a few of them are still private homes.
So, if you are thinking about staying at a luxurious 5-star hotel, Recoleta is definitely your first choice.
If staying in Recoleta, you will be located within walking distance of important attractions in the city. The already mentioned Recoleta cemetery, Buenos Aires’ most fascinating monument (Floralis Genérica), the most beautiful bookshop in the world (El Ateneo Grand Splendid), and one of the most important art museums in the city: the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Do you prefer parks? Well, you can walk to one of the several parks in Recoleta. A few steps from the cemetery, you will remain speechless in front of one the oldest trees in the city. By the way, during the weekends, you can visit the local craft fair where you will find everything to take back home!
Last but not least! Cuisine! Lots and lots of restaurants and cafés to taste local and international dishes.
As you can see, Recoleta has a lot to offer!
Palermo: Buenos Aires’ bohemian district
Are you looking for beautiful parks, wonderful architecture, amazing museums, night life, bohemian atmosphere and street art? We know what you are thinking: Is it really possible to find it all in one single neighborhood? The answer is yes! You will find all those items and much more in Palermo.
Located in the north area of Buenos Aires, it is the largest neighborhood, so you can find many different places to enjoy your stay.
It hosts some of the most important parks in the city. So, prepare comfortable clothes and trainers and get ready to enjoy the open air. February 3rd Park will leave you speechless. Known by locals as “Bosques de Palermo” (Palermo woods), it is local’s favorite place for walks. You can delight your eyes with wonderful flowers and feed fish at the Japanese Garden, the most important one outside Japan and donated by the Japanese community.
Do you like roses? Then head towards the Rose Garden, more than 15000 plants are waiting for you. Amazing place for pictures!
Do you want more park areas? Don’t miss the Botanical Garden. It is absolutely magnificent. There are separate areas with some native species and other ones with introduced species from different continents. Wonderful works of art and gardens complete a relaxing walk.
Palermo also hosts a nice area with French architecture where most of those residences are embassies. If you prefer museums, there are several interesting options (take into account that Buenos Aires hosts more than 100 museums!)
Palermo is subdivided into informal areas, such as Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood. These areas offer many options to stay in Buenos Aires: 4-star and boutique hotels. The streets around Plaza Cortázar in Palermo Soho concentrate the intense local nightlife. Independent designers also choose this area for their shops.
When it comes to eating, there are endless options all over Palermo, including both local and international cuisine representing the many different inmigrant communities that settled in Buenos Aires over the centuries. You will be surprised about dinner time for locals. We always eat very late. A bonus in Palermo: you will find many beer houses where you will be able to taste craft beer.
Buenos Aires is also renowned for street art. When walking around Palermo Soho, you will find excellent pieces of street art, colorful works of art by some of the best known local artists.
Puerto Madero: Buenos Aires’ most modern and sophisticated district
Among the best areas to stay in Buenos Aires for tourists, we have to mention Puerto Madero.
Originally built asthe second port of the city, it was only used for that purpose for a short time. After being abandoned for decades, the area was completely renovated in the 1990’s and Puerto Madero was transformed into one of the most beautiful areas in the city.
As you walk along the docks, you will feel the port atmosphere. The cranes were also renovated to complete that concept. Past and present share the dockside area and the old warehouses –red brick buildings- now host a wide range of restaurants. You will find everything, from local restaurants to international ones where you will enjoy all kind of dishes, but the star of Puerto Madero is steak. Do not miss the chance to have a coffee while admiring some of the yachts stored in the channel.
The east side –the newest one- hosts amazing skyscrapers with offices for international corporations and also exclusive apartments.
Are you fond of old ships? Then Puerto Madero is the place for you. Two museum ships will be there waiting for you to visit them. They are part of our history.
Puerto Madero offers a lot of advantages: it is close to the most important attractions (just a few minutes away from “Plaza de Mayo”) and –at the same time- it is a quiet and relaxing area where you will find some upscale 5-star hotels. Excellent options to enjoy that balance between past and present.
We hope this post about the best places in Buenos Aires to stay was helpfull for your trip planning. If you are still finding it difficult to make up your mind, don’t worry, we got you covered!
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Please do not hesitate to contact us, we are just a message away, ready to help you and hoping to see you soon around here to say: “Welcome to Buenos Aires. Enjoy your stay”.