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Buenos Aires is one of our favorite places in the world. It is dubbed the “Paris of South America” due to its historic, beautiful buildings, food, culture, and so many fun things to do. If you only have 48 hours in Buenos Aires, it may be hard to know what to see or do. We have narrowed it down to make a jam-packed weekend to see as much of this amazing city as possible!
Argentina is a large country with so much to see or do. Hopefully, these 48 hours will help you get a taste for longer next time! We do have a wonderful two-week itinerary to see the whole country. Buenos Aires has amazing food, wonderful monuments, and tons of fun activities; we detail them here.
48 Hours in Buenos Aires: Itinerary
Day 1: Traditional Buenos Aires
We will start the day with a delicious breakfast! Our favorites include cafe con leche and bread with jam. Many different cafes have combo breakfast options that include sandwiches, medialunas, or toast and jam, all with cafe con leche. Check out the best foods to eat in Argentina here to prepare yourself. After breakfast, we will start the day at the Hop On Hop Off Bus stop.
Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour & Stops:
For this first day, we will use the Hop On Hop Off bus to help us get to the many wonderful places Buenos Aires has to offer in the first 24 hours of 48 hours. Find the bus stop closest to your breakfast and take it down to the Recoleta area. Another fun option, which we did, is to ride the whole route of the Hop On Hop Off bus before getting off the bus so you can see the main areas of Downtown Buenos Aires (or “El Centro”).
Is the Hop On Hop Off Bus not your thing? Check out this Bike Tour of the Best Places in Buenos Aires instead!
Explore Recoleta
This neighborhood of Buenos Aires is most known for its cemetery. It is like a city within a city; it is very easy to get lost inside this cemetery. We recommend doing this tour to avoid getting lost and find the interesting sections and graves. If a tour is not of interest, I highly recommend getting a map at the entrance to find your way.
Another great place to explore in your 48 hours in Buenos Aires is the Art Festival in Recoleta. Open every weekend from 10 am-7 pm in Plaza Francia, it is a place where you can explore and buy many incredibly locally made things. We’ve got some cute home decorations, jewelry, and locally-made food here. It’s definitely worth your time. You’ll see this plaza from the Hop On Hop Off bus; there is a stop that allows you to see the fair.
Go To San Telmo Market
From Recoleta, we will head to San Telmo for lunch. San Telmo market is a famous local market. Every weekend, the indoor market extends outside with local artisans and produce. Here, you’ll find choripans and empanadas, which are both local favorites. We also recommend stopping by La Casa Del Dulce de Leche to try a wide variety of local dulce de leche (and maybe buy some to bring home).
Enjoy the Colorful Boca
From San Telmo Market, you can swing by the Statue of Mafalda to see a famous local cartoon character, then head back to the bus to go to the Boca neighborhood. Here, you’ll see the famous Bombonera (the football stadium for the Boca team) and walk through the birthplace of tango. You can tour the stadium if you’d like.
In El Caminito, you’ll see colorful buildings, street art, and many tango shows on the street. Of course, we will be going to a dinner and tango show tonight, but if you’d rather see it here, there are plenty of amazing shows. If you want to learn more about Boca, check out this walking tour, which will give you amazing information about this colorful neighborhood.
If you’re in Buenos Aires during futbol (soccer) season, you should definitely go to a local match to experience the intense and exciting soccer culture in Argentina. Check out the schedule and get your tickets here. In this family, we are River Plate fans, but we will forgive you for going to a Boca game.
Merienda
From Boca, we will finish up the loop of the Hop On Hop Off Bus before it closes for the day. Then we will go to Havanna Cafe for a merienda. Since dinner in Argentina is typically really late, it is important to have an afternoon snack to hold over for dinner. We like Havanna because it has a wide variety of the famous alfajores. We tasted all the different flavors (we highly recommend the super Dulce de Leche and the dark chocolate ones). For the sake of the next stop after our break, we recommend going to the Havanna on Avenida Cordoba near Galerias Pacifico.
Galerias Pacifico & Ateneo Gran Splendid
From Havanna, you can go home and take a little nap, or you can head over to the Galerias Pacifico. You’ll be walking along Avenida Cordoba to get to the mall. It is a beautiful mall that is great to walk around and see the art and grandeur. You can also walk outside via Calle Florida (Florida Street) to walk down the famous pedestrian area. On Calle Florida, you’ll find many people wanting to buy your USD for the “blue dollar” price. Be cautious if you want to exchange money here as it is technically illegal, and you don’t want to be scammed.
From Galerias Pacifico, we will head over to the famous El Ateneo Gran Splendid. This is the most famous bookstore in Buenos Aires. It is definitely worth a visit during your 48 hours in Buenos Aires. This bookstore was converted from an old theater. Spend time browsing and exploring. There is also a cafe inside. It is located on a busy street with lots to explore. Heading down the street is one of our favorite ice cream shops, RapaNui. They also sell incredible chocolate.
Tango Show and Dinner
On this first night in Buenos Aires, we will head over to a tango show and dinner. El Querandi is one of the most popular and highest-rated tango shows and dinners. Dinner is optional, but we recommend it. You’ll get three courses, and it includes a bottle of wine as well (get the Malbec). This show will give you a cool history of tango as it progresses from its early days to today.
Get your Tango Show and Dinner tickets here!
Day 2: All the Monuments & Important Stops
Since last night was a late night with the tango show, feel free to sleep in a little today, but it will be another jam-packed day.
Breakfast- Gran Cafe Tortoni
For breakfast today, we will head over to Gran Cafe Tortoni. Now yes, this is a touristy spot, but it is also the oldest cafe in Argentina. So we need to go here for the beauty and history. Don’t be frightened by the line out the door; it moves quickly. We recommend the Dulce de Leche coffee here. It is something I still dream about.
Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada
From Cafe Tortoni, we will walk down Avenida de Mayo to the Plaza de Mayo and to the Presidential Palace, Casa Rosada. Unlike the White House, the president of Argentina does not live in the Casa Rosada. You can tour the presidential palace at no cost; all you need is an appointment and your passport.
From the Casa Rosada, we will walk down to the river and see the Women’s Bridge. Then, we will loop up to the Obelisco, which became famous after Argentina won the World Cup. It is a symbol of Buenos Aires and is located in the center of the widest street in the world, Avenida 9 de Julio.
Teatro Colon
From the Obelisco, we will continue our walk down to Teatro Colon. This famous theater is absolutely gorgeous, and they offer tours when there isn’t a performance going on. The English tours are at 11 am and 1:30 pm daily. If you have more than 48 hours in Buenos Aires, I’d recommend trying to catch a show in this theater. It is absolutely stunning with incredible shows showcasing Argentine culture.
Lunch
For lunch, we will walk down to El Palacio de la Papa Frita, or “the palace of the fried potato” in English. Here, you’ll want to get a milanesa and potato souffle as well as a tortilla de papa for an appetizer. A restaurant based around potatoes is a place after my own heart, really!
Palermo
From lunch, we will take the SUBE to Palermo, specifically Mercat Villa Crespo. This is a food hall and market (as you can tell, we love food). Then, from here, we will walk down through Palermo Soho into Palermo. There are many cool things to see in these neighborhoods. Palermo Soho is where Don Julio is found. This is an incredibly famous and popular Argentine Steakhouse. If you want to eat dinner here, you will need a reservation.
Plaza Serrano is a great area within Palermo Soho, with lots of cool shops, restaurants, and street art. You can keep walking down to Plaza Italia to check out the Botanical Gardens. There is also a RapaNui in Palermo if you want ice cream today instead of yesterday. Freddo is also a famous Argentine ice cream place to check out (get the dulce de leche with chocolate chips).
There are so many amazing foods and restaurants in Buenos Aires; check out all our favorites here for a dinner option!
Extra Time? Check Out These Fun Activities
Mataderos Fair
Cows are a big deal in Argentina since beef is one of the major exports and parts of the economy. With such importance in Argentine culture, there is a fair dedicated to cows, meat, and butchers. Every Sunday, the Feria de Mataderos is open to all. There are artisans, plenty of food, and traditional gaucho music and dances. Don’t worry, there is no butchery happening at the fair, but with hundreds of stalls you’ll find plenty of delicious food and really get to enjoy gaucho culture.
Empanada Making Class
We grew up making empanadas at home. They are some of my favorite foods, so we think that if you have time in your 48 hours in Buenos Aires, you should learn how to make these goodies. Empanadas are essentially hand pies. They have a variety of fillings, with ham and cheese and beef being the two most popular. Caprese and humitas are good vegetarian options.
Get tickets to the empanada-making class here! It does include a wine tasting, too.
Parrillada
The famous Argentina BBQ is a whole-day event where you meet in the late morning/early afternoon (Buenos Aires is not a city of early risers) and spend all day together around the grill. The Parrillada is full of meats to try (pace yourself), some veggie sides, and a traditional grilled cheese. Family and friends will get together on weekends to enjoy.
So you’re thinking to yourself, how can I get in on this? Luckily, the Porteños have thought of this! You can do a grill tour in San Telmo to learn all about the parrillada and how it is made. Another fun way of having a parrillada is to go to una estancia (a ranch) and have a gaucho style parrillada. Get to ride some horses and eat lots of Argentine meats.
Day Trip To Uruguay
From the port in Buenos Aires, you can actually take a ferry to Uruguay. It is a quick ride across the river to Colonia Del Sacramento or even continuing on to Montevideo. Make sure to bring your passport in order to leave Argentina and enter Uruguay. Colonia del Sacramento is a small town that is a UNESCO site. It is a very unique place to visit. Check out if we think it’s worth visiting here!
Things to Know About Spending 48 Hours in Buenos Aires
How To Get To Buenos Aires?
Unless you are in some other local area near Buenos Aires, you will want to fly here. There are two airports in Buenos Aires. El Ezeiza (EZE) is the airport you will fly into if you’re coming from anywhere outside of South America. We recommend scheduling someone to pick you up from the airport to take you to where you’re staying.
How To Get Around Buenos Aires?
Where To Stay In Buenos Aires?
Wrap Up: 48 Hours In Buenos Aires
48 hours in Buenos Aires does not necessarily feel like enough time, but it does give you a great sense of what this city has to offer. It is a great capital city with so much to do. Argentina is a huge country and we do recommend about two whole weeks in order to explore most corners of this wonderful country. Hopefully, this 48-hour guide will give you everything you want to explore one of our favorite places for a while longer.
