The Full Day Walking Tour
Spend 1 glorious day falling in love with ‘BAires’
Below is a full description of our ‘Standard Full Day Tour’.
We’re happy to discuss how we can best customize the tour to fit your desires & needs.
Please feel free to message us with your questions & requests!
It all starts with a private pickup. Remember that pickup & drop-off at any city hotel, airbnb, or cruise port is included in the price. Airport pickup/drop-off is also available for an extra charge.
Recoleta
For the ‘Standard Tour’, we start in the beautiful barrio (neighbourhood) of Recoleta, home to many of the city’s most luxurious palaces & homes. Here you will soon see how Buenos Aires got its nickname of ‘The Paris of South America’. This is also the barrio of the renowned Recoleta Cemetery. The very historical cemetery is an absolute ‘must see’, full of sculpture, history, beauty, & mystery.
The tour starts with a quick stop at El Ateneo, ‘The world’s most beautiful bookstore’ according to National Geographic (2019) before making our way to Recoleta Cemetery. After a thorough tour of the cemetery’s most interesting stories, momuments, & mausoleums, we stroll down the main street of Recoleta, filled with opulent French architecture.
Retiro
Our walk seamlessly leads into the barrio of Retiro, home of the picturesque Plaza San Martin, where 360 views of historical architectural excellence abound. Retiro train station, the British Tower, the Kavanagh Building (the city’s first skyscraper & excellent example of ‘rationalist architecture'), the Palacios San Martin & Paz - all are within view from the Plaza named in honor of Argentina’s most celebrated hero, Jose San Martin.
From here we take the subway just a few stops to the city centre. Not only are the subways of Buenos Aires safe, the walls are laden with beautiful tilework depicting scenes of the city’s rich culture. The subway system is literally an underground gem!
City Centre
In the City Centre, we arrive at the 9 de Julio - the widest city street on the planet - which also happens to be right in the heart of Buenos Aires' version of ‘Times Square’. Buenos Aires is always listed within the top 10 cities worldwide for live theatre and here you will see that on full display, with the beautiful Teatro Colón, & numerous Broadway-esque theatres all around.
This is also where the famous Obelisco lives. This enormous momument to Argentine Independence is a center point for city fiestas. You may have seen it when Argentina won the World Cup of Fútbol (Soccer), hundreds of thousands of proud Argentines gathered here to celebrate!
Plaza de Mayo
We then stroll down the photogenic ‘diagonal norte’, passing by the famous Calle Florida, to the Plaza de Mayo.
The Plaza is the home of the ‘Pink House’ (Argentina’s version of the ‘White House’), the stunningly beautiful national Cathedral (where Pope Francis used to work!), the Cabildo (Argentina’s first government building when it was still a Spanish colony ), plus many other very photogenic & historical buildings.
San Telmo
The pavement of the City Centre soon gives way to the cobblestone of San Telmo, a sign that we’re making our way into some of the oldest parts of the city. In the early days of Buenos Aires, San Telmo was home to the city’s wealthiest families. A series of yellow fever epidemics led to the wealthy to move to the outskirts of the city (now Recoleta & Retiro) and San Telmo began its decadent decline. Artists & the working class soon moved into the mansions, converting the neighbourhood into what it is now beloved for: a bohemian haven for antiques, tango, cafes, bars, & restaurants, as well as the famous San Telmo Street Market held every Sunday.
La Boca
Our final stop is to the country’s original port, La Boca. While the port closed in the 1960’s, this area is still very full of life, most known for its colorful streets full of tango, art, & fútbol (aka soccer!). La Boca’s rich history is still very much alive in the many conventillos (tenement housing for the old port’s labour force) now converted into cafes, parrillas (steakhouses), & souvenir shops. La Boca is a great place to see street tango, purchase a keepsake or 2, & appreciate one of Argentina’s greatest painters, Benito Quinquela Martín, who revived the neighbourhood by converting it into one of the most emblematic tourist sites in the country.
Food & Drink Options
In each barrio, there are several options for refreshment breaks in various ‘cafe notables’, historical cafes where old world charm, design, & service reign.
We can take as many short breaks as you like, keeping in mind that there will be 1 main ‘lunch break’ during the day.
Tasting Tour Option: Sample some of Argentina’s most famous foods, such as empanadas, choripan, medialunas, & dulce de leche, while on the tour!
We make quick ‘snack stops’ in each barrio instead of a more formal lunch break, however 1 of these stop will be a longer ‘sit down’ to enjoy a well deserved rest & snack.
*Please let us know if you would like the tasting tour option before the tour begins, so we can pace our stomachs & schedule accordingly!
This is the ‘Standard Tour’.
We’re happy to discuss how we can best customize the tour to fit your desires & needs.
Please feel free to message us with your questions & requests!
To get a sense of other options, please visit the 2 Day Tour Page.
Tour Price: all prices are in USD
Single Person: $200
2 People: $140 per person
3 People: $100 per person
4 People: $80 per person
Please message us for more info on prices for groups of 5 or larger.
To book this tour:
Send us a message to inquire about available dates. We will get back to you within 24 hours.
Once we have a date set, book the tour online!
Pay in full at the time of booking and receive 10% off using promo code ‘payinfull’
OR
Pay a deposit of 30% at time of booking to secure your date using the promo code ‘deposit30’ then pay the remainder anytime before the start of the tour - either online or in person.
