Buenos Aires

2.12.2014 – 2.17.2014 || Buenos Aires | Argentina (First visited in 2004)

I am finally sitting down to document my travels to Argentina after two very memorable trips there in 2004 with my BFF and then again in 2014 with my husband. I will share where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate. I will only include recommendations for places that are still in business as of February 2023.

Where We Stayed:

• The Hilton Buenos Aires is located riverside in Puerto Madero and right alongside the South Atlantic Ocean. I stayed here in 2004 and again in 2014. The hotel has a beautiful atrium lobby, a great rooftop pool, and is in walking distance to many attractions and sights. There is also a great wine shop practically across the street called DeBarricas.

What We Did:

• Walked to the Plaza de Mayo to check out the Casa Rosada and to the Oblesico before heading back to Puerto Madero via Calle Florida, a popular shopping street. I accidentally had a filter on my camera the first day that resulted in the yellowish photos below.

• Visited the Cemetario de Recoleta known for notable graves such as Eva Perón (Evita). We spent Valentine’s Day exploring the “streets” in the cemetery. We went to lunch in the Palermo neighborhood before heading back to Puerto Madero.

• Spent an afternoon wondering around the Recoleta area. We came across the Plaza San Martin, the opera house, a market, and more.

• Walked to the San Telmo area to check out the market and for lunch.

• From San Telmo, we took a taxi to La Boca, home of Boca Juniors soccer team. Remember when we went to another famous soccer stadium in Barcelona? We explored the narrow alleys with brightly painted buildings.

Where We Ate Lunch: (note: several places that we went to are no longer open so I did not include them below)

• Jardín Japonés – while in Palermo, we explored the grounds and had lunch at the sushi restaurant. Recommend adding both to your itinerary for a change of scenery from the urban sights.

• El Hipopótamo – a true Buenos Aires gem, located in San Telmo on a bustling street corner near the market, has been open for over 100 years (according to this article). A bit of a diner/cafe vibe as one person can get a ham and cheese sandwich while the other can order homemade ravioli.

Where We Ate Dinner: (note: several places that we went to are no longer open so I did not include them below)

• Cabaña Las Lilas – the first steakhouse that we ate at in Puerto Madero that served complimentary limoncello and sambuca to end the meal.

• La Cabaña Restaurant – a steakhouse in Puerto Madero that was also very good but not as photographed as the one above since I was not blogging or on Instagram in 2014. If choosing one steakhouse in Puerto Madero, the food was great here and perhaps a little less crowded, less flashy than the one above.

• La Cabrerra – an Argentinian restaurant in Palermo that served my favorite grilled provolone and had complimentary Chupa Chups lollipop.

• Chila – one of Latin America’s 50 best restaurants is located in a former grain warehouse in Puerto Madero. Regularly featured in the top 20 (number 26 as of 2022), Chila is one of Buenos Aires’ best fine dining restaurants overlooking the river. Their approach to fine dining was fresh, creative, innovative, and fun. The yellow liquid was broth that was later poured over a piece of fish. This was one of the best meals I have ever had.

Tips:

• Uruguay is across the Atlantic from Buenos Aires and can be reached via ferry in approximately 75 minutes if your destination is Colonia. We did not plan far enough in advance so a day trip was out of the question for us as we could get to Colonia but we couldn’t return on the same day. I recommend looking at ferry schedules in advance or plan to stay the night if this is something that you would like to do.

After spending a few days in Buenos Aires, we continued on to El Calafate in Southern Patagonia. This is a must see if you are looking for another city to extended your trip beyond Buenos Aires. Check out what we did!

Question: Now that I have been to Buenos Aires in 2004 and 2014, I think I should go back to Buenos Aires in 2024 to make this a trip that I repeat every decade .What should I do next time I visit?