In short: even a single day in Buenos Aires is worth it before travelling to Northwest Argentina, to reset after a long-haul flight and take in the Plaza de Mayo, Calle Florida and San Telmo. Two or three days let you add Recoleta, a milonga and a closed-door dinner. From here you fly on to Tucumán, Salta or Jujuy in about two hours.
For me, every trip to Northwest Argentina begins in Buenos Aires. Even when I am heading straight up to Tucumán, Salta or Jujuy, I always carve out a little time in the capital. It is partly practical, since most international flights land here, but it is emotional too. Buenos Aires stirs something in me every time, no matter how often I have walked its boulevards.
Arriving in Buenos Aires
Landing at Ezeiza after a long-haul flight can feel overwhelming, but the transition is simple enough: taxis and shuttle buses reach the centre in under an hour. If I am only staying a night, I drop my luggage at the hotel, or in the lockers at Retiro bus station, and head straight out for my favourite ritual, a café con leche and medialunas at a corner bar. Buenos Aires is an easy place to slip into the Argentine rhythm. Meals are late, nights are long, the city pulses, and yet it always keeps a few quiet corners where you can catch your breath.
A short itinerary in the centre
If your time is limited, focus on the Microcentro and the Plaza de Mayo, framed by the Casa Rosada, the Catedral Metropolitana and the Cabildo. This is where Argentina’s history has played out, from colonial days to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, who still march every Thursday to demand justice for their disappeared children. On a personal note, the square carries a childhood memory for me too: my uncle Mauro once convinced me he had been born right on top of the obelisk.
From there, Calle Florida is the main pedestrian street, where buskers and tango dancers still perform for passers-by. Puerto Madero shows the modern city, old docks turned into sleek restaurants and glass towers. And San Telmo, with its cobbles, antique shops and lively Sunday market, is where Buenos Aires feels most like itself to me: slightly faded, deeply romantic and endlessly fascinating.
The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
During the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983, thousands of people were forcibly disappeared. From 1977, a group of mothers began gathering in the square every Thursday, wearing white headscarves embroidered with their children’s names, to demand truth and justice. The associated Grandmothers have worked ever since to identify children stolen from their disappeared parents, and their efforts have recovered well over a hundred stolen identities to date. The marches continue decades on. To me, that weekly presence is a reminder that history here is still alive, and that memory can be an act of courage in itself.
With more time
If you can spare extra days, the Recoleta cemetery, where Eva Perón rests among ornate mausoleums, is extraordinary. La Boca, with its colourful Caminito, is worth a look, though it is very touristy now. And in the evening, seek out a milonga, where locals dance tango late into the night, a completely different thing from the staged tango shows.
Buenos Aires is also a culinary capital, and one of my favourite ways to eat here is at a puerta cerrada, a closed-door restaurant. These are private dining experiences in people’s homes or hidden spaces, where a chef serves a multi-course meal to a small group. It feels like being let into a secret society: you ring a doorbell on an ordinary residential street and walk into a cosy salon full of strangers who quickly become friends. The food is often inventive, pairing Argentine flavours with international twists, and the atmosphere is as intimate as dining in someone’s living room.
Staying safe
Buenos Aires rewards a little street sense. Leave the jewellery in the hotel, keep your phone in your bag while walking, stick to well-lit areas at night, take particular care in crowds like the San Telmo market or on the Subte, and use registered taxis or a rideshare app after dark. With those precautions I have always felt comfortable moving around on my own. My longer guide to avoiding theft and scams while travelling has the rest.
Why stop here before heading north
For me, Buenos Aires is more than a gateway. It is a palate cleanser before the quiet valleys and high plateaus of the Northwest. Walking its wide avenues and busy markets, I remind myself that Argentina is a country of contrasts: one day colonial architecture and political history, the next a dusty mountain road in search of a Pachamama shrine. From here, the journey north begins.
Frequently asked questions
Even one full day is worth it to reset after a long-haul flight and get a first taste of Argentina, focusing on the Plaza de Mayo, Calle Florida and San Telmo. Two or three days let you add Recoleta, La Boca, a milonga and a closed-door dinner before flying up to Tucumán, Salta or Jujuy.
Taxis and shuttle buses reach the city centre in under an hour. Use registered taxis or a rideshare app rather than unofficial drivers, especially late at night.
Broadly yes, with normal city street sense: keep valuables out of sight, stay in well-lit areas at night, take care in crowds and on the Subte, and use registered taxis or rideshare after dark. Many solo travellers, myself included, move around the city comfortably.
Fly to Tucumán, Salta or Jujuy in around two hours, or take one of Argentina’s famously comfortable long-distance buses, which run overnight and take much longer but are an experience in themselves.
Further reading
This is the first stop in my three-week Northwest Argentina series. Next comes Tucumán and Tafí del Valle, the green gateway to the region. And for the capital’s most romantic ritual, read about tango and the milongas of Buenos Aires.
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