Where to stay in Buenos Aires
Palermo, Recoleta, San Telmo or the centre — four districts that change how many times a day you go underground.
- First visit
- Palermo
- For the classics
- Recoleta: the cemetery
- For character
- San Telmo — cobbles
In Buenos Aires you choose a district rather than a hotel, because the distances are European and the districts enormous. Palermo is the largest and has the most choice, Recoleta is the classic city and quiet after eight, San Telmo the oldest, and the centre the cheapest and empty at night.
Palermo — the largest and the pleasantest
A district the size of a small city, split into Soho, Hollywood and Botánico. This is where the parks, the most restaurants and the most flats are. Twenty minutes to the centre by subte, half an hour to San Telmo. Choose it for a first visit and for stays over three days; the one drawback is a daily subte ride to the museums in the centre.
Recoleta — the classics and the price
Wide avenues, French architecture from the years when the city was built to look like Paris, the cemetery and three museums within fifteen minutes. For decades this was the dearest square metre in the city; since 2026 Puerto Madero and Palermo sit ahead of it. Quiet in the evening, which is both the advantage and the drawback.
San Telmo — the oldest
Cobbles, colonial houses, antique shops and a market that spills down Defensa street on Sundays. Cheaper than Palermo and Recoleta and with the most character; in exchange it is louder, and at night you keep to the lit streets. The centre is walkable.
The centre — cheapest, and why
The Microcentro is the business district: full of people on weekdays, empty after seven and at weekends. Prices are the lowest in the city and everything is on foot or one subte stop away. Choose it for a short stay and for people who will be out in other districts anyway.
What to avoid
- Puerto Madero. The dearest square metre in the city, on the water, where almost nobody lives — the restaurants are for visitors and everything else is a cab away.
- A room on Avenida 9 de Julio. Sixteen lanes under the window carry through triple glazing.
- La Boca for sleeping. Caminito is a tourist street by day; the rest of the district is not a place to stay.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Palermo or Recoleta?
Palermo for restaurants, parks and a longer stay; Recoleta for museums, quiet and the classic city. Palermo is cheaper and has more choice, Recoleta is closer to the centre and quieter at night.
Is the centre a good choice?
For a short stay on a low budget, yes — everything is on foot or one subte stop away. For longer, no: the Microcentro is a business district that empties completely after seven and at weekends.
Does the metro run at night?
No. The last trains leave between 23.00 and midnight on weekdays, up to half an hour later on Saturdays, around 22.00 on Sundays; only line B runs until 1.30 on Fridays and Saturdays. Since the evening here starts after midnight, you come back by bus — most lines run at night, less often — or by ride app.
Ready for Buenos Aires?
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