What to See in Buenos Aires in One Day

Taking advantage of the fact that last year I was living in Buenos Aires for about two months and that two good friends have decided to visit Argentina on their honeymoon. Ana and Juan, congratulations! I have started to review my notes and photos. The following recommendations are based on all of this: what to see in Buenos Aires in one day.

Recommended Tours

Buenos Aires is a city that is too big to be summarized in one day, so the task is complex. A good piece of advice that they gave me (although I didn't follow it hehe) and that I make applicable is to take (sorry, forbidden word in your Argentine stay; take) the typical tourist bus on the first day. Another great tip to find my way around the city that Fabri, a friend who lived there for two years, gave me is to take into account the online map of Buenos Aires.

To put ourselves in a situation, the city has about 3 million inhabitants and Greater Buenos Aires has about 13 million. The most typical neighborhoods are Palermo, Recoleta, Retiro, Congreso y Tribunales, El Centro, San Telmo, La Boca and Puerto Madero.

Each neighborhood needs more than one day to get to know it, so for this post to be useful to both you and Juan and Ana, I will focus on what to see in Palermo in one day and to mention at least one essential site for each of the remaining neighborhoods.

Where to start in Palermo? I would dedicate the morning to visiting MALBA, the Latin American Museum of Buenos Aires, where you can see some of the best works by classical and contemporary Latin American artists. If you haven't had breakfast, it has a good cafeteria to have a coffee with the delicious Argentine croissants. I would continue the morning with a walk through the Japanese garden. If it's time for lunch and you like sushi, inside the garden is one of the best sushi restaurants in Buenos Aires.

As you already know, for Argentinians the best pizzas are made there. Very close to the Japanese garden is Guido's Bar, an Italian restaurant with a long history in the city. There you can check if the saying about Argentine pizzas is true. However, since I am more of a meat type, I would go to Don Julio, what a wonderful restaurant! From time to time I dream about their meats and their extraordinary winery.

After lunch is a good time to take a walk to the area of Palermo Soho and at the same time lower the food. Palermo Soho is one of the two parts of the area called Palermo Viejo. It is a recently renovated area where there are numerous craft and fashion stores, galleries and restaurants full of design. Ideal for doing some shopping! You can continue the path along the Armenia Square and have a coffee, mojito or similar in the place you like the most, there is no shortage of cool places.

Since to get to know a city you have to walk around it, mid-afternoon is a good time to go to Palermo Hollywood. On the way there is a very charming bar-bookstore, Crack-Up, at Costa Rica 4767. Palermo Hollywood is the perfect place to see some alternative theater in Buenos Aires. If that is your plan, there are countless cool places to dine in the area, although I am clear that I would dine at Club Eros, the typical traditional place with good prices and a spectacular chorizo steak!!! I have to thank Ana and Martín, some friends who live there, for showing it to me.

To end the day (or start the night, depending on how you look at it) what better way to go than to Serrano, a couple of “blocks” beyond Club Eros. In Serrano Square there are a lot of lively places and for those who want to go clubbing in the area later there are plenty. In this link of clubs in Buenos Aires you can see some, I don't dare to recommend because I was only in one. But if anyone who reads us knows, we appreciate suggestions.

What can't you miss in the other Baires neighborhoods?

• Recoleta. Visit the generic Floralio. Highly recommended guided tour of the Recoleta cemetery with Eduardo Lazzari, an expert historian in Buenos Aires and, of course, the El Ateneo bookstore.
• Congress and Courts. Visit the Teatro Colón.
• Withdrawal. I wouldn't highlight anything to visit, it is a cool but dangerous area.
• San Telmo. A must visit on Sundays to its market.
• Microcenter. A coffee or even a tango at Café Tortoni, one of the most famous and beautiful cafes in the world.
• Boca neighborhood. El Caminito and the Boca stadium. If you can't see a match live, at least visit its museum.
• Madero Port. Explore it on foot, passing through the Puente de la Mujer and as a recommended restaurant (thanks Flavio Bastos) go to Cabaña las Lilas.

Have you been to Buenos Aires? What would you add to what has been discussed here?