Buenos Aires
Nowhere treats sleep with such contempt.
- Best forNightlife · Foodies · Culture seekers
- In September18°C · 6 rainy days
- Ideal stay4–5 nights
- Approx. flying time~12h 20m from Los Angeles
- CurrencyARSArgentine peso
- LanguageSpanish
- Local time07:154h behind the UK
- PlugsType C / IBring an adapter
- Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
- Dialling code+54
Why go
A large, European-looking capital of plane trees, wrought-iron balconies and enormous avenues, divided into barrios with strong personalities: Palermo for bars and boutiques, San Telmo for cobbles and antiques, Recoleta for grandeur, La Boca for colour and football. The clock runs late here. Dinner at ten is normal, and the social life properly begins when other cities are closing up.
Four or five nights lets you eat well, see a tango hall and take a day out to the delta at Tigre or across the river to Uruguay. Spring and autumn, around October and April, are the most comfortable months, while January is hot and half the city is at the coast. Exchange rates and prices shift fast, so check the current position before you go.
- Ideal stay
- 4–5 nights
- The vibe
- Late, theatrical, carnivorous
From our guides
Buenos Aires hides its best rooms on purpose: Florería Atlántico sits beneath a working flower shop, and half the Palermo greats lurk behind fridge doors and phone boxes. The house accent is vermouth and Italianate bitterness — porteños drink aperitivo like Milanese with better steak. Adjust your clock accordingly: bars fill at 1am, so book a 10.30pm dinner first. A negroni-adjacent order earns approving nods almost everywhere.
Featured in Ten cities where the night never really ends and Ten cocktail cities for a very grown-up bar crawl
Things to do
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Recoleta Cemetery
Streets of marble mausoleums, including Eva Perón's, laid out more like a small city than a graveyard. Go in the morning light.
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San Telmo market
A covered market of food stalls and produce, plus a Sunday antiques fair that spreads along Defensa street with street tango at the far end.
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A milonga
Neighbourhood tango halls where locals of every age dance with total seriousness. A class usually precedes the dancing, and watching is perfectly acceptable.
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Teatro Colón
One of the world's leading opera houses, with daytime guided tours of the auditorium and workshops if you cannot get to a performance.
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Palermo
Soho and Hollywood between them hold most of the bars, restaurants and late drinking, spread across leafy, walkable blocks of low buildings.
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Asado and parrilla
Beef cooked over wood coals and ordered by cut, with chimichurri and a malbec. Lunch is the gentler introduction to the portion sizes.
Getting there
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Fly to
Buenos Aires (EZE)
Nearest airport to Buenos Aires, about 27km away as the crow flies.
-
Then
To Buenos Aires
Aeroparque (AEP) handles domestic and regional flights and is 15 to 20 minutes from the centre by taxi. Long haul arrivals land at Ezeiza, around an hour out.
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On the ground
Getting around
The Subte metro and a dense bus network cover the city, and Palermo, San Telmo and Recoleta are pleasantly walkable. Take a taxi or ride hail after midnight, which is when the evening actually begins.
Public transport: Good and very cheap, though the Subte closes well before the nightlife does.
Flights
Los Angeles Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Roughly 12h 20m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.
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When to go
Daytime highs run from about 14°C in July to 29°C in January. Driest May to September; wettest in March, with rain on about 10 days.
The year at a glance — pick a month for detail
September18° · rain 6 daysMild with the odd shower.
Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis). Live conditions from MET Norway, CC BY 4.0.
Where to stay
Apartment rentals and boutique hotels in converted mansions dominate, with international chains clustered in Retiro and Puerto Madero. Hostels are cheap and social.
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Best base overall
Palermo
The city's eating and drinking heartland, split between leafy Soho and Hollywood, with parks, boutiques and the hidden bars. It is a taxi or subte ride from the historic centre, which most visitors accept.
Find stays in Palermo -
Best for couples
Recoleta
Belle epoque apartment blocks, the cemetery, good museums and quiet tree-lined streets. Restaurants skew traditional and expensive, and the area is sleepy after midnight.
Find stays in Recoleta -
Best value
San Telmo
Cobbles, antique shops, milongas and the Sunday fair, with guesthouses and flats at lower prices than Palermo. It is rougher at the edges and worth taking taxis late at night.
Find stays in San Telmo -
Best with children
Belgrano
Residential, green and calm, with parks, the zoo nearby and family-sized apartments. You are a long way from the tango halls and the late dinners, which is the trade-off.
Find stays in Belgrano
Worth knowing before you book: Payment rules and exchange rates shift often in Argentina, so confirm what currency and method your booking accepts. January is hot and half the city is on holiday.
Search everything else in Buenos Aires by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.
Good to know
- Timing
- Restaurants open for dinner around nine, bars fill at one and clubs at three. Adjust your day or you will eat alone.
- Money
- Argentina's currency situation changes quickly. Check how cards, cash and exchange are working shortly before you travel rather than months ahead.
- Late nights
- Use ride-hailing apps between barrios after dark rather than walking. Daytime walking around the central neighbourhoods is straightforward.
- Football
- Tickets for the big clubs are hard to get independently and usually reached through organised trips. Plan it well in advance.
- Sundays
- Many shops close on Sundays, when the city heads for markets, parks and long family lunches instead.
Further afield
Related articles
Quick answers
When is the best time to visit Buenos Aires?
Daytime highs run from about 14°C in July to 29°C in January. Driest May to September; wettest in March, with rain on about 10 days.
How long should I spend in Buenos Aires?
Our suggestion: 4–5 nights.
How do I get to Buenos Aires?
Aeroparque (AEP) handles domestic and regional flights and is 15 to 20 minutes from the centre by taxi. Long haul arrivals land at Ezeiza, around an hour out.
Do I need a car in Buenos Aires?
No. Good and very cheap, though the Subte closes well before the nightlife does.
What currency and language are used in Buenos Aires?
Currency: Argentine peso (ARS). Language: Spanish. Plugs: type C and I.
Who is Buenos Aires best for?
Best for nightlife, foodies and culture seekers. In a phrase: late, theatrical, carnivorous.