Green Buenos Aires: Parks and Natural Spaces in the City
One of the first things that surprises visitors upon arriving in Buenos Aires is the number of green spaces. These not only provide a break from the city center but also offer the opportunity to observe the daily life of the “porteños,” whether they are sharing a picnic or enjoying nature and the famous and beloved “mate”.
Buenos Aires offers lots of places to visit and know about our history, art, architecture and more, but it also provides a lot to do outdoors.
If you like those options, but you are more interested in visiting parks, walking outdoors and discover natural spaces in the city, we are sure that you will be more than happy to read this article.
When going around to be in touch with nature, to be outdoors in parks, don’t forget to take water, a cap, sun blocking and mosquito repellent with you.
As you are in your way to the hotel, one of the things that you are going to discover is a green Buenos Aires: trees and parks everywhere, not only in our recreation places. So, let’s know about our parks and natural spaces in the city.
-Plaza San Martín (San Martín Square)
Located in Retiro, this is one of the traditional and oldest squares in the city. Many historic events took place here, but today you will be able to discover wonderful tree species.
Designed by the French architect and landscaper Charles Thays, he kept in mind a design which you will find in several green areas: combination of native trees and others which were introduced.
At the same time, as you discover a slope going down towards an avenue, you will be able to imagine the old days, when that avenue was part of our Río de la Plata. Yes, we had a shallow coast and water got to that place.
In the opposite direction, at the top of the slope, you will find the monument to Gral. San Martin (father of our nation). As a plus, that part of the square is surrounded by amazing and huge residences which were built at the beginning of the 20th century.
-Parque Thays (Thays park)
Av. Del Libertador and Av. Callao
Heading north, you will get to Recoleta and there, along Libertador avenue, you will discover Parque Thays.
This is one of the newest parks in the city. If we went back in time, many people would remember an amusement park which closed in the ‘90s.
Today, Thays park, named in honor of the important French landscaper Charles Thays (we mentioned him in the previous paragraph), offers a unique place to relax, walk, cycle, just to mention some of the possible options.
Please, don’t miss “Torso desnudo” (Nude Torso), the wonderful sculpture by the Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. This park is close to other important attractions in the area. You can make the best of your time and enjoy several of them!
-Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden)
Casares 3450 – Palermo
10 am – 6 pm
This is a paradise in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires.
Located in Palermo, just where our Parque 3 de Febrero (February 3rd Park) begins, this park was inaugurated in 1967 and it was the wish of Prince Akihito (by then the Imperial Crown Heir).
This is a magical place respecting balance, harmony and the traditional Japanese design. You will feel transported to the Japanese culture through the bridges, islands, the wide variety of trees and plant and even by the pond with “koi” fish.
We think this definition from their website is perfect: “an oasis of harmony and quietness in the middle of the big city”.
You will also find a restaurant and a gift shop. Not to be missed!
-Parque 3 de febrero (3 de febrero Park)
Located in the heart of Palermo, this park is locally known as “Palermo woods”.
Covering an area of approximately 990 acres (400 ha), this recreation area and green space was inaugurated in 1875, perfect choice to enjoy outdoor activities.
The park is formed by different squares and amazing places to visit, such as the Planetarium, Sivori Museum, just to mention a couple of them, but we want to set our mind on one of the jewels in the park: El Rosedal (The Rose Garden).
The Rose Garden is more than 100 years old and was honored with the International Garden Excellence Award from the World Federation of Rose Societies. This lovely and unique green area hosts more than 15000 roses surrounded by a wonderful park and a lake where it is possible to rent pedal boats.
As you walk towards the roses, you will discover an Andalusian Patio, the “Jardín de los Poetas” (Poets’ Garden) with 26 busts of famous local and international Writers and a Greek style bridge.
You will love this place, so consider a couple of hours to walk around and enjoy it!
-Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden)
Av. Santa Fe 3951, Palermo
Tuesdays-Sundays from 9.30 am to 5 pm.
Closed on Mondays.
Inaugurated in 1898, this astonishing green space was designed by the French architect and landscaper Charles Thays. In fact, he has lived with his family here for some years.
It hosts more than 5000 tree species, some of them native to our country and some of them, to other continents. Among the highlights, you will be able to discover Oriental, French and Roman gardens, a lovely art-nouveau greenhouse, an outdoor butterfly garden and interesting sculptures. Excellent option to take a break close to the bohemian Palermo areas.
-Parque Mujeres Argentinas (Argentinian Women’s Park)
Juana Manso 800 – Puerto Madero
If you enjoy green spaces and being outdoors, don’t miss this park. Located in Puerto Madero, one of the modern neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, this park pays homage to Argentinian women.
This green area has a particular design with a central square and, then, different levels, so you will get nice panoramic views of the city. Inaugurated in 2007, this park hosts different native trees, such as tipas and jacaranda trees.
An interesting detail: all the street in Puerto Madero were named after women who were part of our history. Just a couple of blocks from the park, you will find lots of coffee shops, beer houses and restaurants to have a drink before going back to your hotel.
-Reserva Ecológica (Ecological Reserve)
Located in Puerto Madero.
If nature and enjoying outdoors are in your list of options, this place is for you.
Located in Puerto Madero, our Ecological Reserve is the largest natural space in the city. We also need to consider that, here, biodiversity is at its peak.
Interesting enough, this reserve is a result of an abandoned idea of building a modern administrative center for Buenos Aires on land previously reclaimed from the river and used as debris dumping. When the project was not continued, nature recovered territory and the area was declared a nature reserve in 1986.
In 2005, it was declared a Ramsar area by BirdLife International, due to its importance as a wetland.
Along different paths, you will be able to observe different species of mammals, birds or reptiles, just to mention some of them, and hundreds of native tree species. Not to be missed!
These are just some of the suggested options to enjoy parks and natural spaces in the city. If you visit Buenos Aires, make sure to set aside a day or at least an afternoon to enjoy the city’s green spaces.
Still finding it difficult to make up your mind about where to go and enjoy outdoors? Don’t worry. We can help you with that!
You can book a 30-minute free consultancy call to talk to one of our travel experts who will help you with all the questions you may have:
https://calendly.com/signature-tours/talk-to-an-expert/?month=2023-06
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”.