48 Hours in Buenos Aires Without the Tourist Stops
Not a checklist. Just a different way to experience Buenos Aires in 2 days.
Buenos Aires rewards the curious. This two-day weekend itinerary (with an optional extra day) offers a fresh way to explore the city. It goes beyond the postcard highlights and explores some of the more offbeat and random ways to explore Buenos Aires. Expect riverside walks, laid-back parks, food markets, hidden record stores, and plenty of good things to eat along the way. Whether you're here for the weekend or seeking a different side of the city, this alternative weekend guide strikes the perfect balance between culture, cuisine, and fresh air. It includes a few spots you might find in the guidebooks (hey, they're there for a reason, and they’re worth the visit!), but combines them with an “off the beaten path” schedule to provide you with some variety and alternatives to the typical suggestions. This isn’t the ultimate “alternative itinerary”, just an eclectic mix of options you can use as a starting point for your own adventure. Enjoy!
Day 1: A Day of Markets, Food, and Subway History
Breakfast at San Telmo Market
Start your day beneath the wrought-iron bones of Mercado San Telmo, a 19th-century landmark that still buzzes with life. Once a fresh produce market for immigrants, it later became dominated by antique dealers. In recent years it’s seen a move back to a food emphasis, with everything from Argentine to Greek and Swiss cuisine on offer.
Grab a seat at Chantal - Café des Délices, order your favorite brew along with a freshly-baked pastry (or two), and watch the morning action unfold. With the caffeine kicking in, spend a while browsing through butcher stalls, fresh fruit vendors, and the last-remaining antique stores stacked with tango vinyls, soda siphons, football jerseys, and vintage oddities.
Location: Corner of Bolivar and Carlos Calvo, San Telmo
Time: One to two hours
Best time: 9.30 am, before the large crowds draw in
Walk Along Defensa Street to Plaza de Mayo
Exit the market and follow cobblestone Calle Defensa north toward the city’s political heart. On the way, you’ll pass buskers, pop-up tango duets, and historic buildings that shelter tales of a storied past. Peek inside antique shops and into Iglesia de San Pedro Telmo, then continue to Plaza de Mayo, home of national emblems like the Casa Rosada, Cabildo town hall and Buenos AIres Metropolitan Cathedral.
Time: Allow 30 minutes to one hour
Bonus: If it’s a Sunday, you’ll see the artisan vendors setting up their stands for the weekly San Telmo Market
Trundle Underground on Argentina’s First Subway Line
Just off Plaza de Mayo, drop into Peru station and hop on the Subte A line. Opened in 1913, this is the oldest subway in Latin America. Its 17 stations are decorated with 170 artworks, each representing different artistic movements and created by established and emerging artists. Ride the line all the way to Carabobo station in Flores, roughly 30-40 minutes. If you’ve picked up a bit of Spanish, you might note that the station name translates to Fool (Bobo) Face (Cara).
Duration: 30 to 40 minutes
Tip: Bring your Sube card or pay with any contactless Visa, Mastercard, or digital wallet
Bonus: Throughout the year, the city runs special rides on the line’s original wooden carriages, allowing passengers to travel as locals did in the 1900s. Keep an eye open for events via BA Subte.
Lunch at Patio de los Lecheros Market
From Carabobo, it’s around a five-minute walk to Patio de los Lecheros, a food-truck-style courtyard with a family-friendly community vibe. Built on the grounds of an old train depot that once received milk deliveries from the interior, it serves up street flavors with flair. There’s often live music, entertainment, or a horticulture class or vinyl record pop-up sale going on too.
The food options here range from brochettes, chorizo burgers, and ribs at Ásame Mucho and Venezuela cornmeal cakes at Miss Arepas to the wood-fired pizzas of Farinatta.
Location: Donato Álvarez 185, Caballito
Time: One to two hours
Asian Flavors and Culture at Mercat Villa Crespo
From Patio de los Lecheros, it's about a 20-minute drive to the day’s last market stop, Mercat Villa Crespo. Taxi or rideshare is the quickest way here, but if you’ve got your Sube, then you might want to jump on the 76 bus for a cheap ride.
Menos súper y más mercado (less super (market), more market) is the slogan of this industrial-style venue. The idea is to bring the diverse communities present in Villa Crespo together in a shared space. Don’t miss the entire top floor, dedicated to Asian culture, featuring shops that sell candy, comics, manga, and more.
If you’re still full from the previous stop, order a quick bite to tide you over until later in the evening. That could be shawarma at Ian Armenian Food, cookies and milkshakes at Koiyakikoi, or gyozas at Niwatori.
Location: Thames 747, Villa Crespo
Time: One to two hour
Bonus: Check the socials for themed events, which can be Star Wars, football, vinyl Dj sets and everything in between.
Final Act: Choose Your Evening Ending
Option 1: Gig at Movistar Arena
Catch a live act to cap your day with a musical punch. Just a 10-minute walk from Mercat, Movistar Arena hosts big-name concerts, local legends, and high-energy dance parties. Liam Gallagher, Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Sting have performed here in recent years.
Option 2: Dinner in Chacarita
Make reservations for dinner at a hip restaurant in Chacarita, one of BA’s best burgeoning culinary neighborhoods. Whether it's wine and tapas at Naranjo Bar, the sought-after Anchoita, or ocean-inspired small plates at Michelin-recommended Ajo Negro, there’s something for all tastes.
Option 3: Palermo Speakeasy
Still got some gas in the tank? Palermo is the heart of the BA speakeasy scene. You know the deal, bars concealed behind dark doors or down rickety staircases where the drinks are more stylish than the clientele. Try J.W. Bradley to be transported to the golden age of train travel, and La Uat for fluorescent cocktails and an 80s and 90s soundtrack. Or pass through an unassuming pizzeria to enjoy a warehouse-style setup at La Calle.
See our complete speakeasy recommendations.
And for more information on the city’s food markets, take a look at our complete guide.
Day 2 - Riverfront Strolls, Parklife and Urban Sports: Exploring the City’s Costanera Norte
Late-Morning Start at the Fisherman’s Club
After an easy rise, make your way to the breezy Costanera Norte. Either jump in a taxi or rideshare, or catch one of the bus lines (8, 33, 34, 37, 45, 160 and 166) heading towards the Aeroparque domestic airport.
Today’s adventure begins at the Club de Pescadores, aka El Muelle. Built in 1930, the castle-like building commands a striking image in front of the vast Rio de la Plata river. It currently serves as a fishing club, restaurant (opening at midday), and events venue. If you need a caffeine pick-up, grab a quick (and basic) coffee from the nearby carritos (food carts).
Location: R. Obligado, Av. Costanera Rafael Obligado.
Duration: 30 minutes, more if you want to sit for a while in the adjacent park.
Bonus: Feeling energetic? There’s an Ecobici station here.
Walk to Parque Saint Tropez
Set off north from El Muelle along the riverfront promenade, stopping to see an imposing Monument to Christopher Columbus and pausing to watch planes taking off and landing. You’ll continue by the water, passing cyclists, joggers, and more food carts, before arriving at Parque Saint Tropez.
Location: Av. Costanera Rafael Obligado 6151
Duration: Allow 40 minutes to an hour
Urban Sports and Relaxation
Tucked inside Parque Saint Tropez is Parque Deportivo Costanera Norte, Buenos Aires’ playground for urban sports lovers. This 18.5-acre playground features a skate bowl, halfpipes, a mini pump track, and bike circuits, buzzing with skateboarders, inline skaters, and BMX riders showcasing their tricks. Not into the action? No worries – grab a spot on the grassy lawns and enjoy the laid-back energy.
Recently, this whole zone grew bigger, incorporating the interconnected Parque Vega and Parque Costero, thus expanding the green space and river views. When you’re recharged, stroll along the winding paths and promenades, perfect for picnics, people-watching, and enjoying the river breeze.
Location: Av. Costanera Rafael Obligado 6151
Late Lunch or Street Food
When the afternoon appetite kicks in, the costanera has you covered, no matter your preference. Try Enero Costanera, a sleek and river-facing restaurant where fresh seafood, crisp salads meet Argentine twists and big slabs of meat. Or, dive face first into smoky, fall-off-the-bone ribs with abundant sides at the casual and unpretentious Ribs al Río.
For a true local hit, hunt down the carritos parked along the waterfront. Grab a choripán with chimichurri, or a lomito (steak) sandwich piled high. Quick, delicious, and wallet-friendly, these are typical street foods of Buenos Aires.
Duration: From 30 minutes to two hours, depending on your choice
Wind Down at Parque de la Memoria
After lunch, make the short walk north to Parque de la Memoria, a quiet, evocative space where the city exhales and remembers. Set along the river’s edge, this sculpture-filled and sloping park honours the victims of Argentina’s last dictatorship, blending stark memorials with open lanes and panoramic views of the river.
This is a place to breathe and slow down. Watch the light play off the water, trace your steps through a commemorative wall to the victims, or simply sit in silence and let the breeze do the talking. Or delve deeper into the history via rotating displays inside the park’s Sala PAyS – Presentes, Ahora y Siempre exhibition hall.
Location: Av. Costanera Rafael Obligado 6745
Duration: One hour or more
Optional Add-On: Reserva Ecológica Costanera Norte – Ciudad Universitaria
If time’s on your side, wander into the lesser-known Reserva Ecológica Costanera Norte near Ciudad Universitaria. Boardwalks wind through this ecological reserve, where wetlands teem with birdlife, butterflies, and native plants. It’s a peaceful, wild patch of green that feels miles from the city, and where a quarter of all Argentine bird species thrive. All this makes for a worthy detour for nature lovers or anyone in need of a quiet reset before returning to urban life.
Location: Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria
Complete your day with dinner near the river.
Head to Costa 7070 for sleek 70s-inspired disco vibes paired with Spanish food. Think paellas and DJs. If you want to continue the party until the early morning, consider checking out one of the nightclubs in the area, such as Moby Dick or Tequila.
Optional Day 3: Crate Digging, Musical Murals, and Grooving After Dark
Corrientes Record Stores
Start this day in the Avenida Corrientes area west of El Obelisco. Most famous for its theaters and pizzerias, it’s also where you’ll find some of the city’s best record stores. These are the kind of places that send analog lovers down a musical rabbit hole. Top spots include Brujas, Cactus Discos and Disqueria Bird. You’ll be flipping through tango classics, rare rock nacional pressings, and local bossa nova and jazz you didn’t know you needed.