Travel, taste and tango your way through the vibrant Argentine capital with our one day guide to unforgettable Buenos Aires.

9 AM

Wake amid woven antique tapestries and traditional Argentine pottery, selected and appointed by iconic film director Francis Ford Coppola when he designed Be Jardín Escondido (below) to be his Buenos Aires home. Functioning as a small hotel now, Be Jardín Escondido’s plant-laden patio and refreshing pool serve as an urban oasis on the edge of trendy Palermo Soho. Rise at a leisurely hour as breakfast is being served al fresco and sample freshly-baked goods from the next-door bakery, while the buffet features yoghurt and fruit or omelettes stuffed with ham and cheese.

Follow up with a stroll between the sleepy sidewalk cafes that line Palermo’s leafy avenues, led by the flurry of life gathering in Feria de Plaza Serrano. This open-air market and bohemian hub is ideal for a leisurely browse, with handcrafted goods laid out on display and the morning chatter emanating from the surrounding cafes, restaurants and bars ever-present.

11 AM

Delicately carved marble facades flank wide, breezy avenues in Recoleta. It’s Buenos Aires’ most glamorous area, packed with elegant porteños (the term designated to residents of the portside city) perusing made-to-measure leather goods, bespoke perfumes, and customisable jewellery. Admire the eminently Argentine architecture as you wander the leafy streets to Recoleta Cemetery. Arguably one of the most beautiful on earth, it consists of grand above-ground mausoleums, engraved with religious signs or statues and gothic-style ecclesiastical porticos. The tomb of Eva Peron is one of the most visited, but you can spot the names of hundreds of Argentina’s famed writers, artists, statesmen and revolutionaries interred inside.

Stop street side for a snack after. La Cocina is nearby – you’ll spot it by the crowd of hungry locals that converge upon the popular empanada joint. It sells carefully-crafted pastries like picachu, a spicy cheese and onion empanada.

Alternatively, Recoleta (above) is also home to one of the latest additions to the Michelin Guide, Argentina having only been inducted in 2023. Stop in to República del Fuego to indulge in “knife-cut” carne empanadas densely packed with succulent meat.

2 PM

Stop for lunch at Mercado de San Telmo (below), the main draw of the street-art-plastered, bohemian neighbourhood of San Telmo. Distinctly Italian in style and patronage, the oldest market in Buenos Aires originally dished out hearty meals to the Italian immigrant population. Peer over the parrillas, enveloped in tendrils of smoke sparked by the master grillers sweating over hunks of beef, spicy sausages and sweetbreads.

Don’t become too tempted though; another of Argentina’s signature dishes is waiting to be devoured at La Choripaneria. Choripán does what it says in the name – thick, spicy slabs of chorizo paired with white bread rolls and doused in zesty chimichurri, served fresh from the sizzling grills.

9 PM

The Argentinians never eat early. Even by 9 pm, most are just settling in for a pre-meal coffee and catch-up. Yet, Don Julio’s customers are already rubbing shoulders back in Palermo. Under the low light of the famed steakhouse, you can select which part, or parts, of the cow to watch brown on the 110-square-foot parrilla at the centre of the seating area. All the meat is locally produced and grass-fed. All the steaks are cooked perfectly bien jugoso (wall-to-wall pink, medium rare) alongside seasonal salads of fire-roasted peppers, charred zucchini and leafy greens draped in Argentine olive oil.

Surrounded by the cowhides and gaucho tchotchkes, or souvenirs, that pay homage to the country’s cattle-rearing reputation, you can try to make out the names of former customers etched on to the wine bottles stacked along the walls. The restaurant also boasts one of the largest collections of Argentinian wine in the city. Pair your fare with a glass of Malbec because, as the blackboard inside reads, “life is too short to drink bad wine”.

11 PM

At this hour, Buenos Aires’ vibrant nightlife is only just starting to show its face. Unlike the reggaeton-riddled neon bars popular across much of Latin America, the porteños favour discretion. The city is filled with secret speakeasies, disguised as pizza joints or flower shops or cobblers with password-guarded entrances. Sticking to Palermo Soho, enter the unassuming wooden doors of J.W. Bradley to find yourself inside a turn-of-the-century train carriage. Order another Argentine red from the long, amber-illuminated bar or a pisco cocktail infused with elderflower.

If you’re willing to put in a little extra work (by browsing Facebook groups for hints at the password), visit Frank’s (above) in Palermo Soho. One of Buenos Aires’ original speakeasies, an air of secrecy is still maintained at the chandelier-lit bar. You’ll knock on a black door, give the passcode and be ushered into a dark room with a phone in the corner. Type in the numerical code he gives you and watch as the space opens out and reveals gloved mixologists designing bespoke cocktails for each and every guest.

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