Neighbourhood guide
Recoleta: palaces, marble and the Avenida Alvear
The cemetery and the Basílica del Pilar, the palaces and boutiques of the Avenida Alvear, the grand hotels, Aramburu’s two stars and the Bellas Artes.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsRecoleta is the Buenos Aires of the grand manner: French apartment buildings with wrought-iron balconies, palaces turned hotels and embassies, and the Avenida Alvear with its boutiques. At its heart lies the Recoleta Cemetery, beside the white Basílica del Pilar and the lawns of the Plaza Francia.
Sights
The Recoleta Cemetery, the Basílica del Pilar, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Floralis Genérica and El Ateneo Grand Splendid.
Eating
Aramburu (Two MICHELIN Stars) and Bis Bistró (Bib Gourmand), Elena, Duhau Restaurante & Vinoteca, Gioia, Fervor, Sottovoce and Roux (all in the 2026 MICHELIN selection), and La Biela on the square.
Walk the Avenida Alvear in the morning and the cemetery before the midday sun.
Staying
The Alvear Palace, the Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt, the Four Seasons, MIO and the Palladio.
Our advice: take tea at the Alvear Palace after the cemetery, then walk down through the parks to the Bellas Artes.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating
- Staying
What’s nearby
Distances from Recoleta: palaces, marble and the Avenida Alvear are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest Subte stations
- Facultad de Derecho - Julieta LanteriLine H500 m6 min walk
- Las HerasLine H500 m6 min walk
Key sights
- The Recoleta Cemetery200 mWalk 2 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 6 min
- The MALBA1.6 kmWalk 20 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 10 min
- The Teatro Colón1.7 kmWalk 21 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 11 min
- The Plaza de Mayo2.9 kmWalk 37 minCycle 15 minCar or taxi 15 min
- Puerto Madero3.3 kmWalk 42 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Aeroparque3.8 kmCycle 19 minCar or taxi 18 min
- San Telmo’s Plaza Dorrego4.1 kmCycle 21 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Ezeiza Airport29 kmCar or taxi 102 min
Location
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