Top 19 Compelling Reasons to Explore Buenos Aires

With stunning architecture, fashion, and a booming culinary scene, Buenos Aires is a city that should be on your radar.

Words alone could never capture the charm of Buenos Aires. Its restaurant and art scenes are as vibrant as ever, with new venues opening regularly. Moreover, its historic cafes are always alluring—not to mention ideal for some prime people-watching—while its speakeasies remain impossibly cool. It’s not an exaggeration to say Buenos Aires has something for everyone—that is if you’re willing to look for it.

Buenos Aires is a dynamic place whose sophistication and fashionable citizens echo those of other chic capitals like Milan, and where reinvention is as valued as preservation. Buenos Aires is proud of its literary heritage—heroes new and old, like Silvina Ocampo, Jorge Luis Borges, and Samanta Schweblin—and it shows in its lively bookstores and landmarks like the Biblioteca Nacional. The city also loves its steak—especially one paired with an Argentinian Malbec, which almost always guarantees a great meal.

If those aren’t enough reasons to entice you to go, here are a few more.

Incredible Steak

Argentinians take their beef seriously, as evinced by the enormous prime cuts on offer in the country’s parrillas (steakhouses). Just don’t expect the waiter to plunk down a steak knife and sauce next to your plate and call it a day. Porteños smother their medium-cooked ojo de bife (rib eye) or vacio (flank steak) with colorful salsas like criolla, made with tomato, onion, and red, green, and yellow bell peppers, or chimichurri, made with olive oil, garlic, oregano, and parsley. Slide into a table at Don Julio in Palermo Viejo and order the entraña (skirt steak) to experience this delicious part of Argentinian culture firsthand.

El Ateneo Grand Splendid

At the turn of the millennium, the 1,050-seat Teatro Grand Splendid—opened in 1919 and modeled after the great opera houses of Europe—was refurbished and converted into what some have called “the world’s most beautiful bookstore.” It now welcomes roughly a million visitors annually. Here, amid gilded balconies, marble columns, and the original ceiling fresco, you’ll find more than 200,000 titles (mostly in Spanish), along with thousands of DVDs, CDs, and vinyl records, a coffee shop, and live piano music on the same stage where tango legend Carlos Gardel once performed.

A Strong Cafe Culture

You shouldn’t visit Buenos Aires without dropping into one of its old-school cafes, embodiments of the city’s status as a literary hub. Bar El Federal, an institution in San Telmo dating back to 1864, has window seats that beckon you to people-watch while nibbling on tapas. In Palermo, the salmon-hued El Preferido de Palermo nods to its past life as a grocery store—and haunt of Jorge Luis Borges, who grew up across the street—with hanging hams and stacks of canned pumpkin.

Speakeasies

At Frank’s, in Palermo Hollywood, eager guests must learn and use the secret password to gain entrance to a darkened hallway with a telephone booth at the far end. When the phone rings, the guests must pick up the receiver and enter a 4-digit number. This opens the back panel of the booth, revealing a swanky bar where the cocktails are artfully mixed. At Isabel in trendy Palermo Soho, a limited number of tables means you’d better join the guest list.

Boutique Luxury Hotels

Stylish options abound for hip travelers in search of something better than what the chain hotels have to offer. Legado Mítico, in Palermo Soho, offers 11 rooms themed around distinctive personalities in Argentinian culture including Victoria Ocampo, Jose Hernandez, Benito Quinquela Martín, and José de San Martín.

The Tango

This sensual dance is as much a part of Argentina’s identity as fútbol and gauchos. So don’t miss your opportunity to watch a show, and maybe learn a few steps, in the city where it all started. Milongas, or dance halls, are your best bet and you’ll want to ensure you have seats in advance. Our picks: La Catedral, a no-frills joint in Almagro that’s great for beginners, and La Viruta Tango de Solanas in Palermo, where the party lasts all night.

Next-generation Coffee

Sure, most of the coffee you’ll find in the classic cafes appears stuck in the past. However, if you’re willing to wander off the beaten path, you’ll be well rewarded with creative coffee. In the Mercado San Telmo, amid the spices and vintage toys, is Coffee Town—former journalist José Vales’ ode to Central American coffee—where beans from Colombia and Brazil, along with his country’s own output, are on offer. In upscale Belgrano, look for All Saints Cafe, where the Colombian espresso is deliciously bold.

Malbec

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when Argentina wasn’t on wine lovers’ radars. However, it was less than 25 years ago that the country became one of the world’s fastest-growing exporters of wines, especially Malbec. Mendoza, near the stunning Andes Mountains, is Argentina’s most important wine region and worth a two- or three-day visit. In the meantime, match a glass of red with your meal in Buenos Aires—you won’t regret it.

Farinelli

In addition to the airy, all-white ambiance of this Palermo staple, you’ll enjoy the seasonal menu, which allows customers to assemble their dishes any way they want, like a picnic. Each day, the shop offers a selection of sandwiches and healthy salads (think quinoa with cherry tomatoes).

World-class Design

Brazilian Modern may get all the love, but Buenos Aires is a force to reckon with in the contemporary design world. The annual Feria Puro Diseño remains the city’s foremost design fair, where many of Argentina’s brightest talents showcase their cutting-edge work to collectors and retailers from around the world.

Fashion Week

Every year, fashion lovers flock to BA’s Fashion Week. Creativity is key, and each designer is distinct. In past editions, Augustina Dubié’s “Mundo Ordinario” (Ordinary World) collection celebrated strong women with reinvented staples like trench coats and denim jackets, while Marcelo Giacobbe’s collection of 10 looks, inspired by El Bosco’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” focused on garments “floating” over the body.

Bar de Cao

You might not think to explore Avenida Independencia, a bustling street lined with shops and cafes in San Cristóbal. But Bar de Cao, which dates back to 1915, is worth a visit. With its antique wooden cabinets, original marble counter, and etched-glass windows, it feels like stepping back in time. The vibe is super laidback, so make yourself comfortable with a café con leche and stay awhile.

Casa Rosada

This storied mansion on Plaza de Mayo—now the seat of Argentina’s national government and president’s office—is a treat for tourists. Legend has it that the building was painted using cow’s blood because they thought it would hinder the paint from peeling. Another story asserts the hue represents the red and white of Argentina’s two original political parties. It was from a second-floor balcony that First Lady Eva Perón rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters during her husband’s first presidential term, from 1946 to 1952. Today, curious visitors can take free guided tours on Saturdays or Sundays.

Recoleta Cemetery

Opened in 1822, this labyrinth-like cemetery is a feast for the eyes, with almost 4,700 dazzling mausolea designed by some of the city’s most renowned architects and sculptors. More than 90 of these masterpieces are listed as national historical monuments. The Duarte family vault, Eva Perón’s final resting place, is a popular attraction, but look out for the Art Nouveau tomb of Rufina Cambaceres. A white-marble statue depicts the doomed teenager with her right hand on the vault’s iron door as if she were about to open it.

Graffiti Mundo

The graffiti in Buenos Aires says a lot about the city, and Graffiti Mundo, an organization dedicated to preserving and championing Porteño street art culture, brings it to life for you. Join a street tour of Colegiales and Palermo Hollywood, where you’ll get a sense of the movement as it’s happening now, along with an intro to the city’s history of “expression in the streets.” The group also offers private tours that take visitors through the most colorful and art-filled barrios of Buenos Aires, often stopping in galleries along the way.

Teatro Colón

This 1908 opera house is an architectural gem, with a gilded salon reminiscent of Versailles, a horseshoe-shaped main hall revered for its acoustics, and Italian and French elements that reflect the influences of the original architects. The building took around 20 years to construct, and it was completely refurbished between 2006 and 2010. If tickets are sold out—which wouldn’t be a surprise considering that legends like Caruso, Pavarotti, and Carreras have performed here—then opt for a guided tour or sit through a rehearsal.

Jardín Botánico de la Ciudad

Landscape architect Julio Carlos Thays designed this gem of a garden, which opened in 1898. With more than 1,000 tree and plant species, reproductions of Greek and Roman sculptures, and a visitors center that looks like an English castle, it’s a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle you’ll find around nearby Plaza Italia.

Bebop Club

Get your jazz, blues, funk, and soul fixes at this spare music space under a restaurant and wine bar. Just two blocks from Plaza Serrano in Palermo Soho, the club serves a first-rate selection of cocktails and nibbles, not to mention some colorful programming. On Saturday, you may find singer Delfina Oliver interpreting standards by Gershwin and Porter, while Fridays often feature global luminaries like trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis or pianist Tomoko Ohno.

Latin American Art

Considered by many to be one of the best art museums in South America, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) is not to be missed. Featuring Argentine innovators like Antonio Berni and Luis Felipe Noé, as well as legends like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the collection here is guaranteed to move you.