Travelling is always an incredible experience. Travelling alone is also an excellent opportunity to find time and space for reflection and relaxation with no obligation other than doing what you feel like doing at every moment. Here are five suggestions for enjoying Buenos Aires under your own steam.

 

 

There are some musts that every visitor to Buenos Aires should visit, and many of them can be found in the city’s Historic Quarter, whose main attractions straddling the neighbourhoods of Monserrat and San Telmo. The Cabildo, the Casa Rosada, the iconic Plaza de Mayo and the Jesuit block, the Manzana de las Luces, are some of the most important sites and offer a journey back through the history of the country. If it’s not your first time in the city and you already know the most important sites, or you simply wanted to discover more, other highlights include the Palacio de la Legislatura, San Ignacio de Loyola church, the Museum of the City and the observation deck at Galería Güemes. To really get to know the historic quarter in depth, you can seek out these surprising lesser known spots.

 

 

The Costanera Sur Ecological Resort is the largest green space in Buenos Aires City and a favourite place for locals and visitors alike to walk, run, cycle or just relax amid the metropolis. Just minutes from the city’s financial centre, the reserve’s 350 hectares are home to more than 2,000 species of flora and fauna, including hundreds of birds (it’s estimated that a visitor can spot around 50 species in a two-hour visit), plus insects, turtles, lizards and coypus.

 

 

In the neighbourhood of Recoleta you can find the bookstore that National Geographic has rated the most beautiful in the world. The Ateneo Grand Splendid is housed in what was originally the Grand Splendid Theatre, and it spectacularly preserves the old theatre’s splendour and elegance with its fresco-decorated dome and original bannisters and decoration. This serene temple to books is the perfect place to enjoy a coffee – the cafe is located on what was the old theatre’s stage – while reading a book. There are also comfy chairs located on both sides of the main room, while the old theatre stalls function like small reading rooms. To complete the experience, head to the top floor, which hosts exhibitions. 

 

 

There are few more effective ways to get to know a city in depth than by walking it from one side to the other. Buenos Aires offers the chance to explore with a guide through one of the many guided tours available, including the tourist board’s own Urban Trekking guided tours.

 

The famous avenue Avenida Corrientes runs more than 8km through several key neighbourhoods. Known as the street that never sleeps in the heady period of the 1940s, it includes seven blocks in the downtown theatre district, from the junction with Callao to the intersection with Avenida 9 de Julio, which is pedestrianised at night, offering a unique chance to stroll along this traditional Porteño avenue famed for its nightlife. Idiosyncrasies include book stores that open late into the night, as well as the musicals and plays at the many theatres and a large number of iconic pizzerías. There are also some great ice cream shops to stop at for dessert.