This is the second part of our highlights and recommendations for Buenos Aires. For more about our time in the wonderful Argentine capital, please see part one.

Day Five

On long-term travel such as this, it’s important to not cram every day with tourist attractions and activities—travel starts to lose it appeal and can be draining. So our fifth day in Buenos Aires was purposefully meant to be a slow and relaxing one, starting with a long and leisurely (and inexpensive) brunch at a cafe near our apartment.

Afterwards, we went to the the Parque 3 de Febrero and rented bikes to explore the green and lush park. And while this was meant to be our “day off” in Buenos Aires, biking around the park ended up being one of our favorite things.

Then in the evening, we did something really normal—we finally saw Star Wars! (And I have many theories of who Rey may be …)

Day Six

Now back to the main attractions: We spent the first half of Sunday exploring the Reserva Ecológica park near Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires’ port area. It was pretty neat to see such a large, preserved wildlife reserve so close to the city, and it’s virtually the only part of town where you can see the river. However, unless you are really into bird watching or are craving an escape from the concrete, we think the eco-reserve is skippable if you have only a few days in Buenos Aires.

From there, we returned to San Telmo for the barrio’s Sunday street fair. Not only is the main Plaza Dorrego filled with stalls, but the whole avenue that cuts through it is packed with vendors and buyers alike for several blocks. At dusk as the stalls were closing up, we saw several street parades and elaborate performances, plus more tango in Plaza Dorrego. We were glad to have enough time in Buenos Aires to go to San Telmo both on a regular day and on the street fair. 

Day Seven

On our last day in Buenos Aires, we took the overground metro to El Tigre, a town about an hour north of the city that porteños escape to for weekend getaways. El Tigre sits on the delta of el Rio de la Plata, which flows past Buenos Aires and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean.

El Tigre is composed of a small town on the mainland and then islands that are only accessible by boat. On the islands, there is no potable water, and residents have to rely on getting supplies from vendors that regularly sail out to various outposts to deliver goods. We bought tickets (around 100 pesos per person) to get on a boat and sail through the islands. (You could also rent canoes, but it was too hot and we craved the shade that the boat would provide.) We enjoyed seeing this unique place, though if you’re pressed for time in Buenos Aires, we think it’s better to enjoy the city itself and not come out to El Tigre.

Overall, we loved our time in Buenos Aires and would like to return someday. But for now, there’s more in Argentina and beyond to explore!

Travel Notes:

• Our average daily cost in Buenos Aires was $40.80 per person—much lower than I was initially expecting! We did cook ourselves more than we had previously, which helped keep our costs down. This figure also doesn’t include the costs of travelling into and out of the city.
• Renting bikes in el Parque 3 de Febrero was cheap—50 pesos per person, less than $4 USD—but make sure your brakes work before you ride away!
• To get to El Tigre, you can take El Mitre (overground subway) for around 3 pesos, AKA pocket change. There is also an allegedly nicer train designed for tourists, with more interesting views, but it was easier for us to take El Mitre. (El Mitre is also less expensive, but we’re talking about a difference of around $1 USD here…)