Where you stay in Buenos Aires decides what kind of city you get. Recoleta gives you Paris; Palermo gives you restaurants and nightlife; Puerto Madero gives you water and quiet; San Telmo gives you the old city. The good news is that all four are safe, well connected and no more than twenty minutes from each other by taxi, so the choice is about atmosphere, not logistics. Here is how the neighbourhoods compare, and the hotels worth knowing in each one, from the famous names to the ones we include in our own packages.
By Laura, Senior Travel Planner at 01Argentina Travel Agency
In this guide:
- How to choose the neighbourhood
- Recoleta: elegance and the classic hotels
- Palermo: boutique hotels, restaurants and nightlife
- Puerto Madero: modern hotels by the water
- San Telmo: the historic quarter
- Retiro and the centre: the practical choice
- Getting from the airport to your hotel
- Frequently asked questions
How to choose the neighbourhood
Ask yourself two questions. First, how many nights do you have? With two or three, stay central (Recoleta, Retiro or Puerto Madero) so that the main sights are on foot. With five or more, Palermo’s slower pace and restaurant scene start to pay off. Second, what do you want to do at night? If it is a tango show and dinner, any neighbourhood works, because the shows collect you from your hotel. If it is wandering to a different bar every evening, Palermo Soho is the answer.
Recoleta: elegance and the classic hotels
Recoleta is the neighbourhood of French mansions, the famous cemetery, the Sunday craft fair and Avenida Alvear, with its embassies and antique dealers. It is central, very safe, quiet at night and the natural base for a first visit.
The Alvear Palace Hotel is the grande dame of the city: marble, chandeliers, a doorman in a top hat and a service style that has not changed in decades. The Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt, a few blocks away, combines a restored 1930s palace with a modern wing around a garden, and has one of the best afternoon teas in town. The Four Seasons, on the edge of Recoleta where 9 de Julio ends, adds a mansion of its own to a modern tower. Casa Lucia is the newest of the group, a boutique hotel in a restored building that has become the fashionable address. A step down in price, Loi Suites Recoleta is a comfortable four-star a short walk from the cemetery, with a pool and good breakfasts, and a favourite with families.
If what you want is the Alvear with the tango evening, the city tour and a day in the countryside already organised, our sister site has a four-day Buenos Aires programme at the Alvear Palace that does exactly that.
Palermo: boutique hotels, restaurants and nightlife
Palermo is the largest neighbourhood in the city and the one that has changed most in the last twenty years. Palermo Soho is cobbled streets, boutiques and cafés; Palermo Hollywood, across the railway line, is where the restaurants and bars are. Both are full of small hotels in converted houses, which is the charm and, occasionally, the drawback: rooms can be small and the street outside can be lively until late.
Fierro Hotel in Palermo Hollywood is the most polished of the boutique hotels, with a rooftop pool and a serious restaurant. Mine Hotel and Miravida Soho, which has its own wine bar, are the classic Soho choices; 1828 Smart Hotel and Krista are smaller and quieter, and Duque adds a small spa. None of these has more than a few dozen rooms, so they book up early for spring and autumn weekends.
Puerto Madero: modern hotels by the water
Puerto Madero is the old port rebuilt as a district of brick warehouses, glass towers, wide promenades and the city’s best-known steakhouses. It is the safest and quietest neighbourhood to walk at night, ten minutes on foot from Plaza de Mayo, and the only one with water views. What it lacks is street life of the old kind: no corner cafés, no newspaper kiosks.
The Faena Hotel, in a converted grain silo, is the most theatrical hotel in the city, red velvet and gold from the lobby to the pool, and home to the Rojo Tango show. Hotel Madero is a sleek modern hotel with a rooftop terrace on the docks, and the Hilton Buenos Aires is the large, reliable option that families and groups tend to choose. The Alvear Icon, in one of the towers, is the Alvear group’s modern sister.
San Telmo: the historic quarter
San Telmo is the oldest part of Buenos Aires: colonial houses, antique shops, the Sunday market on Defensa street and tango danced in Plaza Dorrego. It is bohemian and a little rough at the edges, which is precisely why people love it. Hotels are smaller and cheaper than in Recoleta; keep to the main streets late at night, as you would in any old quarter.
Anselmo, Curio Collection by Hilton, right on Plaza Dorrego, is the one full-service hotel in the neighbourhood and the best choice if you want San Telmo’s atmosphere with a chain’s reliability. Patios de San Telmo is a restored nineteenth-century house built around courtyards, with a small rooftop pool, and L’Adresse is a well-run boutique hotel on a quiet street.
Retiro and the centre: the practical choice
Between Recoleta and Puerto Madero lie Retiro and the city centre: Plaza San Martín, Florida street, the Obelisk and Avenida 9 de Julio. It is the most convenient base for sightseeing, busy by day and quieter at night, and where the large business hotels are.
The Marriott on 9 de Julio (the former Panamericano) has the view of the Obelisk that appears on every postcard, from its rooftop pool. The Park Tower, near Plaza San Martín, is a solid business hotel with a rooftop pool and jacuzzi. The Sheraton Buenos Aires, next door in Retiro, is the first hotel on the list for our own packages, and the Emperador, a favourite of airline crews near Retiro station, and the 725 Continental on Diagonal Norte are dependable four-stars at fair prices. Because everything is within walking distance, this is the area where most of the hotels in our Buenos Aires tour packages are, from the Sheraton down to good three-star options such as the Dazzler Maipú or Art Suites in Recoleta.
Getting from the airport to your hotel
Ezeiza international airport is about an hour from any of these neighbourhoods, more in rush hour. Our packages include the airport transfers, with a driver waiting at arrivals with your name on a sign, which after an overnight flight is worth more than it costs; if you are arranging your own, use the official taxi and remise counters inside the terminal rather than anyone who approaches you in the hall. Domestic flights to Iguazú, Patagonia and Mendoza leave from Aeroparque, on the river fifteen to twenty-five minutes from Recoleta and Palermo, which is another reason those two neighbourhoods are convenient for a longer Argentina trip.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best neighbourhood to stay in Buenos Aires for a first visit?
Recoleta. It is central, safe, elegant and walkable to most of the sights, and it has hotels at every price.
Is Palermo or Recoleta better?
Recoleta for sightseeing and a short stay; Palermo for restaurants, nightlife and a longer, slower visit. They are fifteen minutes apart by taxi.
Is Puerto Madero a good place to stay?
Yes if you want quiet, modern hotels and water views, and you do not mind taking a taxi to the livelier parts of town in the evening.
Is San Telmo safe for tourists?
By day, entirely. At night, stay on the main streets and take taxis late, as you would in any historic quarter.
Do 01Argentina packages include the hotel?
Yes. Our Buenos Aires packages include the hotel, the airport transfers and the excursions, and you choose the neighbourhood and the category; we do not book hotel nights on their own. See the list of hotels in Buenos Aires and the Buenos Aires tours and packages.
Tell us your dates, how many nights you have and what kind of stay you are after, and we will recommend the hotel and build the rest of the trip around it: contact 01Argentina Travel Agency.