Buenos Aires 5 Day Itinerary
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Five days is our 4-day itinerary , the core plus one day trip, with a second day trip added, a full day across the river in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, plus more museum and barrio time. Bring your passport, this is an international crossing even though it barely feels like one.
Day-by-day at a glance
| Day | Focus | Est. spend (excl. hotel) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plaza de Mayo, Microcentro, Recoleta Cemetery | ~$35-55 USD |
| 2 | San Telmo, La Boca/Caminito (day only), a tango show | ~$60-100 USD |
| 3 | Palermo, Bosques de Palermo, MALBA, an asado dinner | ~$50-90 USD |
| 4 | Tigre or La Plata day trip, El Ateneo, Puerto Madero | ~$25-45 USD |
| 5 | Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay (full day, passport) | ~$70-110 USD |
Book before you go
- A tango show for Day 2.
- The Colonia ferry for Day 5, from around $65 USD one-way with Buquebus, or a budget option with Colonia Express; the first boat is typically around 8:15am, and you’ll clear Uruguayan immigration at the port.
Day 1: Plaza de Mayo, Microcentro, and Recoleta
Morning: Plaza de Mayo, then the Obelisco on Av. 9 de Julio and Teatro Colón (a guided tour runs about $46-47 USD for foreign visitors).
Afternoon: Recoleta Cemetery, about $15-20 USD for foreign visitors and volatile with the peso, check current pricing; Eva Perón’s grave is in the Duarte family mausoleum.
Evening: Coffee at Café Tortoni, open since 1858.
Tip: Check dolarhoy.com before you fly and treat any peso figure here as a starting point, not a promise.
Day 2: San Telmo, La Boca, and a tango night
Morning: On a Sunday, San Telmo’s Feria de San Telmo fills Plaza Dorrego and Calle Defensa, about 270 stalls.
Afternoon: Taxi or Uber to La Boca for Caminito, genuinely safe by day, heavily policed; stay on the painted strip, taxi or Uber back out before dark.
Evening: A proper tango show, El Viejo Almacén, El Querandí, or Rojo Tango, not the sidewalk dancers on Caminito.
Tip: Tip about 10% cash on the show’s dinner; the “cubierto” cover charge is separate from the tip.
Day 3: Palermo and a real asado
Morning: Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, then Bosques de Palermo, including El Rosedal (free) and the Jardín Japonés (small fee).
Afternoon: MALBA, about $7-10 USD, half-price on Wednesdays.
Evening: A proper asado, achuras first, then tira de asado, then bife de chorizo or ojo de bife last.
Tip: Tip about 10% in cash even when you paid by card.
Day 4: a day trip, El Ateneo, and Puerto Madero
Morning: Tigre and the Paraná Delta, about an hour by train, or La Plata, about an hour by train, a planned 1882 city with a huge cathedral.
Afternoon: El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a 1919 theater turned bookstore, free to walk in.
Evening: Puerto Madero’s Puente de la Mujer, then the free Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur. No Subte access, plan a taxi back.
Tip: Puerto Madero is reputedly the safest barrio but goes quiet at night, don’t expect much street life after dinner.
Day 5: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
All day: The Buquebus or Colonia Express ferry crosses in about 1h15; the first boat is typically around 8:15am. Colonia’s UNESCO-listed colonial old town, cobblestones, a lighthouse, riverside cafés, is small enough to walk end to end, and this is widely rated the best international day trip from Buenos Aires. Bring your passport for both sides of the crossing.
Tip: Book your return ferry time before you leave the port that morning; sailings fill up on weekends and you don’t want to be stuck negotiating a later crossing at the counter.
Is 5 days enough for Buenos Aires?
Five days gets you the honest core plus two real day trips, including one that puts a stamp in your passport. It’s a comfortable, unrushed pace. Our 6-day and 7-day itineraries add San Antonio de Areco and deeper museum time if you have it; if this is closer to your trip, see our Buenos Aires guide for everything else worth knowing.