Recoleta Cemetery

Tip: There is no metro access to Recoleta Cemetery. I highly recommend picking up the small red pocketbook – “Guia T” – if you will be using public transit much while in the city (AR$5 (or $1.25)).

If you decide to take a bus or “colectivo” as they are so called in Buenos Aires, then you will most likely take a bus that runs along Ave. Libertador. Get off at Callao for the stop nearest the cemetery. Buses require exact change and will cost (AR$1.10-$1.60).

This is the final resting place of many of the wealthiest and most important Argentine historical figures, including the country’s most famous export, Eva ("Evita") Peron. It sits in the midst of the city’s most exclusive neighborhood, which has a distinctly European (specifically French) feel. You’ll no doubt hear and repeat to others that "Buenos Aires is the Paris of the Americas."

Just outside the gates to Recoleta Cemetery and within a 2 block radius, you’ll find all of the following places. Within the 2.5 hour time period given in the itinerary, you should be able to explore one, a few or even all of the below places, depending on your pace.

Plaza Francia

Price: Free
Address: Libertador and Pueyrredon

Try to make it here on the weekend when they have “ferias” or artisanal fairs. It’s here where you’ll see Argentines doing what they do best – drinking mate, hanging out with friends and adding to their chic, eclectic wardrobes.

Centro Cultural Recoleta
Price: Free
Address: Junin 1930
Website: http://centroculturalrecoleta.org/ccr-sp/
One of the most important exhibition halls for the plastic arts in the city and includes the Museo Participativo de Ciencias. Next-door, the Buenos Aires Design Recoleta features shops specializing in home decor. Among the best is Tienda Puro Diseño Argentino, which features high-quality items designed and manufactured only in Argentina.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA)
Price: Free
Address: Avenida del Libertador 1473
Hours: Tues-Sun 12:30-7:30pm
Website: http://www.mnba.org.ar/
As the national museum of beautiful arts, you’d expect MNBA to have a rather large collection of Argentine art. It certainly doesn’t disappoint. Among the collections of late 19th and early 20th century art are works by the renowned Argentine artists Ernesto de la Carcova, Antontion Berni, Alfredo Guttero, Martin Malharro and Benito Quinquela Martin to name a few. Additionally, the museum houses a collection of European Impressionist art including works by Monet, Manet, Degas and Gaugin. Also of note, there is a collection of Picasso drawings featured in the museum.

Church of Nuestra Senora del Pilar
Price: Free
Address: Right next to Recoleta Cemetery
Hours: Tues-Sun 12:30-7:30pm

Takes about 2 minutes to go through, but it’s a charmer. Head over to La Biela across the street for great views of the church along with some tango to tempt your inner tourist.

Café La Biela
Price: $3 - $12 (including coffee and main courses)
Address: Avenida Quintana 596
Website: www.labiela.com.ar
Come here. Go there. Whichever, this is a must. No matter if you’re on vacation, touring always makes you tired. So, if it’s nice, take a seat outside and enjoy maybe the best people-watching this side of the Atlantic while sipping on a "café con leche" (strong coffee with milk). Also, the local gum or "ombu" trees are a sight to be seen, seemingly straight off The Wizard of Oz set.

Tip: Eating inside is cheaper than outside. Same menu, but outside seats are a premium, literally. If it’s hot, eating/drinking inside in the air-conditioned restaurant can also save you a few pesos.

Walk from Café La Biela to El Sanjuanino

One block down the hill from Café La Biela you’ll see the beginning of the famed Avenida Alvear, B.A.’s version of the Magnificent Mile. Take a right (R) onto Alvear. Walk one block until you get to the Alvear Palace Hotel on the corner of Ayacucho. Take a left (L) on Ayacucho and walk down the hill one block to the street Posadas. Take a right (R) on Posadas and walk a half-block and the restaurant El Sanjuanino will be on the left across the street. If you get to Avenida Callao, then you’ve gone too far (it’s right behind you!).

El Sanjuanino

Hours: Open daily from 12:00-4:00pm and 7:00pm-1:00am
Website: http://www.elsanjuanino.com/

Eat here and you will thank me. That’s not me bragging, just me being right. While living in Buenos Aires  I ate a lot of empanadas. And I like to eat. A lot. So trust me when I tell you that 1) when traveling to Argentina you have to try empanadas and 2) these are the best the city has to offer. Home-made with love and care, providing great value at only $.85 each, this is the type of food that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Couple things – most places fry their empanadas – not here. Make sure to order the tomato, basil and mozzarella empanadas. They are insanely delicious. Wash it down with some cold Quilmes or a glass of Malbec and you’ll be questioning if you should return for dinner.

Walk Like a Porteno, Architectural Walk from Alvear Palace Hotel to Four Seasons

From El Sanjuanino, take a left and walk up Posadas, then take a right (R) on Callao. Walk one block back up to Avenida Alvear, where you’ll take a left (L) to continue your stroll. From here, it’s a straight shot down the block, making sure to notice a few of the very special buildings on the street, outlined below.

Alvear Palace Hotel
Price: If you are going to stay here, you probably don’t even need to ask…
Address: Alvear and Ayacucho
Website: http://www.alvearpalace.com

Exterior and interior of Alvear Palace Hotel

Send this hotel a “Get Well Soon” card because it is sick! Sick in a good way. I mean – in a really, really good way. If you’re like me and can’t shell out to sleep here, you can still pretend to “make it rain” by ponying up for afternoon tea. It’s still expensive but it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

Palacio Duhau & Vatican Embassy
Address: Alvear and Rodriguez Pena
This is a 2-part beauty with a whole lot of history. Former mansions of the archetypal barons (robber?) of Argentine history, the palace is now the Park Hyatt Hotel (one of the city’s finest) and the other half now the Vatican Embassy (yes, that tiny city-state of only 800 people in Italy has an embassy!). They are gorgeous in architecture and you’ll enjoy gawking as you continue your stroll down the rest of Avenida Alvear.

Palacio Duhau and exterior of Vatican Embassy in Recoleta

Patio Bullrich
Address: Posadas 1245
A block away are the awnings of the beautiful Patio Bullrich mall (a recycled old auctioneer's warehouse turned into an exclusive mall, with fashionable stores and 6 excellent cinemas and a food court open from 10am until well past midnight).

Walk to the Four Seasons Hotel

Continue walking down Alvear until you hit the street Cerrito. Then take a left and walk one block to Posadas. Take a right on Posadas and to the right is the Belle Epoque mansion that houses the luxury suites of the Four Seasons Hotel. Walk down Posadas and underneath the highway where you will see several fine-dining restaurants. Once past the highway, take your first right on Carlos Pellegrini.

Four Seasons Hotel & Jockey Club of Buenos Aires

Jockey Club of Buenos Aires and The Mansion at The Four Seasons Hotel

Website: www.fourseasons.com

If the Four Seasons Hotel is good enough for Michael Jackson and Madonna to stay in, it’s certainly good enough for me (to admire, at least). The Mansion at the Four Seasons, housing the hotel’s luxurious suites, is a classic example of French Renaissance architecture, one of many found in the Recoleta neighborhood. The suite annex was a gift given by an Argentine elite as a wedding gift to his bride in 1920, if you can believe that.

Just down the street is another architecturally-significant edifice, the Jockey Club of Buenos Aires, a top-level social center for the Poreteno elite. It was modeled after the high-class clubs the founders had visited on trips to France and England.

Israeli Embassy Memorial

At the corner of Arroyo and Suipacha, you’ll notice a row of trees to memorialize those who lost their lives in the attack on what was Israel’s embassy in Buenos Aires.

Walk to Plaza San Martin

Continue walking down Arroyo past the Sofitel Hotel until the street dead-ends into Esmeralda. Take a right on Esmeralda (straight, really) for 2 blocks until you hit Avenida Santa Fe. Take a quick left and you will see the leafy and beautiful Plaza San Martin.

Plaza San Martin

Plaza San Martin is a pleasant, leafy park in the heart of the city. The area it stands in is called Retiro and breaks up the business district (Microcentro) from Recoleta and Barrio Norte. It’s home to ombu trees and a slew of grand edifices and monuments. Walking around the plaza only takes 10-15 minutes but after your walk, take some time to relax, people watch and enjoy one of the city respites!

The following places all surround Plaza San Martin and are meant to give you some architectural information. If you choose to visit any or all of them, you should give yourself more than the 30 minutes noted in this part of the itinerary.

Left to right: English Tower, Kavanagh Building, Plaza Marriott

Tower Monumental (Tower of the English)
It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810.

Kavanagh Building

Address: 1065 Florida (overlooking Plaza San Martin)
Art deco skyscraper located on the plaza, this used to be the tallest building in South America and the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world.

Plaza Marriott Hotel
Address: Florida (overlooking Plaza San Martin)
Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/buear-marriott-plaza-hotel-buenos-aires/
Yet another turn-of-the-century grand hotel in B.A. This was designed by Adolf Zucker, the architect behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Shopping on Calle Florida (Florida Street)

Calle Florida is one of the city's leading tourist attractions. Florida Street bustles with shoppers, vendors, and office workers alike because of its proximity to the financial district. By evening, the pace relaxes as street performers flock to the area, including tango singers and dancers, living statues, and comedy acts. Its variety of retail stores, shopping arcades, and restaurants became of greater interest to foreign tourists and business travelers following the devaluation of the Argentine peso in 2002.

Galerias Pacifico
Address: Florida and Cordoba
Upscale mall modeled on Le Bon Marche in Paris and situated right on Florida, it’s worth entering this century old building just to check out the frescoed ceilings done by the famous Argentine painter, Antonio Berni.

Plaza de Mayo

Plaza de Mayo is the main square and one of the focal points of the city, steeped in history as a revolutionary point both past and present. It is also home to the Executive branch of government. The “Casa Rosada” is Argentina’s White House (only it’s pink), which you might recognize as Madonna’s standing place from the movie “Evita.” This is where the famous Eva Peron spoke to the masses, from atop the front-facing balcony.

It is also where the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo meet every Thursday afternoon to mourn the loss of and fight for government recognition and justice for the “desaparecidos” or “disappeared,” their children and grandchildren murdered during the military dictatorship and Dirty War between 1975-1983. It is estimated that 9,000-11,000 people are still unaccounted for.

I highly recommend walking around the perimeter of the Plaza and stopping to take a few photos of the Casa Rosada, visiting the main Catholic church of the diocese of B.A. – the Metropolitan Cathedral (the remains of the great liberator General Jose de San Martin, and looking in at the Cabildo, now a museum but what was during the colonial times, the main government building.

Walk from Plaza de Mayo to Café Tortoni

Walk down Av De Mayo from Plaza de Mayo to Café Tortoni (see map below)

Café Tortoni

Interior of the iconic Café Tortoni

Website: www.cafetortoni.com.ar

Café Tortoni is perhaps Buenos Aires’s most iconic café (and there are thousands in the city!). This place is an institution, a classic that transcends time and an absolute must for any visitor to the city. Dapper-dressed waiters will gruffly take your order as they have done for over 120 years for the likes of Argentina’s (and the world’s) politicos and intelligentsia, including Carlos Gardel, Jorge Luis Borges, Albert Einstein and Hillary Clinton. Order the churros and chocolate, people-watch and enjoy the rest-up for a fun-filled night out on the town.

Taxi to Puerto Madero

A taxi is your best and easiest option to get to Puerto Madero. From Recoleta (AR$8), Palermo ($AR12), or San Telmo (AR$6) it should take 5-15 minutes.

Dinner & Drinks on Puerto Madero

Tip: Argentines eat late…very late. I suggest using the down time before dinner tonight to take a quick nap or rest a bit before heading out for dinner. This way, you can get adjusted to the Argentine time of doing things. You can stay on your schedule and eat earlier, but this would be a huge mistake, as you’ll be missing out on what this city is all about.

Puerto Madero is a place to see and be seen. This newly-revived part of the city is a Godsend for locals wishing to detour away from the traffic-choked and chaotic madness of the neighboring downtown business district. In the 1990’s, these dockyards attracted the architect Santiago Calavatra and designer Phillipe Starck to transform barren wasteland and decaying warehouses into chic, new hotels, offices, restaurants and townhomes for B.A.’s wealthiest inhabitants.

Puerto Madero starts dinner a bit earlier, due to it being a popular start for tourists (don’t worry, justifiably so – you’ll see many well-heeled Portenos around these parts, too), so this is a good way to start your culinary tour of the city.

View along the waterfront promenade of Puerto Madero

La Cabana Las Lilas
Price: Expensive
Hours: Sun-Thurs noon-12:30am; Fri-Sat noon-1am
Website: http://www.laslilas.com/
Address: Alicia Moreau de Justo 516 (at Vilaflor, on Dique 3, Puerto Madero)

Admit it. You came to Argentina for the beef. You’ve heard about how supreme the all grass-fed beef is and how coddled the Argentina cattle are, ranging freely and being pampered every step of their lives. Even if you didn’t think this before, you will now. For this is where Argentina’s version of "prime" beef comes to rest – on your plate in 20oz portions. Forget Wagyu or Kobe – this is cattle’s greatest gift to man.

The owner of the restaurant has a cattle farm in the pampas and selects only the finest cuts of beef for this restaurant. While prices may be high, you are guaranteed some of the best beef in Argentina, and by proxy, some of the best beef in the world.

Enjoy the dock-side views along the quay and a glass or two of Malbec wine. I, writing this, am jealous of you, eating that.