However you can make your own walking tour by exploring the places mentioned below and their surrounding areas.
2. Recoleta Cemetery: Truly a gem in Buenos Aires. If you have ever visited Pére Lachaise graveyard in Paris the best way to describe it is like a miniature model of it that contains only the most beautiful monuments. Recoleta cemetery’s most famous current resident is Eva Peron. Its comparison to Pére Lachaise is especially apt because of its location in the most ‘French’ part of the city. On your way to the cemetery you will see the grand French style buildings and the chic cafes.
3. Cultural Centre Recoleta: The CCR is right next door to the cemetery. It is an events centre and art gallery. There are usually collections that vary from photography to sculpture. If you walk downhill from the CCR you will see the large Law faculty building. To the left of this is the giant metal flower that opens and closes with the daylight. This is a great walk but be careful of the mosquitoes.
4.The Botanical Gardens, Palermo: If you spend any time in Argentina the name Charles Thays (or Carlos as he is most commonly known) will become familiar. He has left his mark in nearly every city of Argentina and especially in Buenos Aires. The Botanical Gardens are one of his triumphs. When you enter from the hustle and bustle of Plaza Italia it seems like you’ve stepped into a dream. It is decaying and overgrown but has a charm that shows the decadence and greatness of a long lost Buenos Aires. I would advise you to sit awhile or read an classic novel but the mosquitoes in the gardens are particularly vicious and huge. There are also lots of cats that the locals feed-it acts as a make shift sanctuary of sorts. It adds to the surreal elegance of the gardens.
5. Window shopping in Palermo Viejo: Palermo Viejo was renamed Palermo Soho because of its resemble to the Soho neighbourhood in New York. Argentina’s favourite poet and writer Jorge Luis Borges was born in this area and it is said to have inspired many of his works. However, I would guess that it has changed quite a bit since his day. In fact Palermo Soho changes week from week. Shops open and close in a blink of an eye but that is half the fun. There are shops of every kind. Designer clothes are everywhere especially on the chic shoppers posing outside the cafes. There are no real bargains but window shopping is particularly fun as so many of the shops are so innovative and interesting. It’s not odd to have a coffee shop, bar, clothes shop, book shop and CD shop all in the same little space. If you go there on Saturday and Sunday there are outdoor markets on Plaza Serrano and Plaza Palermo(also known as Plaza Armenia).
6. Bosque Palermo: This is another of Charles Thays creations. Depending on the day you choose to go it can be so crowded you can barely sit down or so quiet you feel like your in your own private garden. There is a boating lake and a rose garden. If you venture on down towards the back of the park you will find the space ship shaped planetarium. Try some of the cheap roadside parillas. They are great value and safe.
7. The Hippodromo, Las Cañitas: A very upmarket horse racing track. It is in a grand old fashioned style setting and you can place bets if you so wish but you will have to figure out the process first. The waiting time between the races can be long and the races themselves short. One way to pass the time is to watch the horses being shown. You can also simply watch the people who are equally as interesting as the horses.
8. The MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) on a Wednesday: This is only free if you are a student but if you don’t have a student card then Wednesday is also much cheaper than the other days. It is 6 pesos. If you are not a fan of modern art the MALBA may surprise you. The permanent collections take the term ‘modern’ to mean painted in the last 100 years rather than the strange conceptual dot on a canvas type stuff found in many other modern art museums. There is also a great gift shop with interesting locally made products from notebooks to toasters.
9. San Telmo Market on a Sunday: Probaly one of the most famous tourist attractions in Buenos Aires. Plaza Dorrego is normally listed as the main attraction but unless you’re an antiques expert most of the interesting stuff is in the streets off the plaza. There are artists, dancers and con artists and every kind of person you can imagine at the San Telmo market. It can be so crowded you can barely move but the earlier you go in the day the better.
10. Spend the day browsing book shops: Buenos Aires is full of the written word. In every magazine stand you can find at least 30 different publications about anything. There are book shops everywhere. In particular if you walk up Avenida Corrientes you will meet lots of different kinds of book shops from boring to bizarre. Browsing is a delight as you can come upon the oddest things and sometimes the rare second hand English treasure. Also don’t forget the famous El Ateneo on Avenida Santa Fe.
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