Buenos Aires: Tango, the Delta and an Estancia

1. Day 1: Arrive in Buenos Aires

   Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) to your hotel in central Buenos Aires

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), about 35 km south-west of the centre. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the 45 to 60 minute drive into the city, along the motorway and then the broad avenues of the centre. Your hotel is in a central neighbourhood such as Recoleta, Palermo or Retiro, chosen so that cafes, bookshops and restaurants are a short walk away, and it is home for all four nights. The afternoon is free to sleep off the flight or take a first walk under the plane trees. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a short briefing: how the days run, how to pay for things in a country where exchange rules change often, and which streets are best for an evening stroll. Then we walk to a neighbourhood parrilla for a welcome dinner of grilled beef, provoleta and Malbec, earlier than locals eat but late enough to feel the city waking up.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner at a parrilla

   Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing

   Activity: Land by about 3 pm to settle in before the briefing; later arrivals are met and join the dinner if they can.

2. Day 2: La Boca, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and a tango night

   La Boca by van, then Plaza de Mayo and San Telmo on foot

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 2 details

   We start in La Boca, the old port quarter on the Riachuelo, going by van in the morning before the midday crowds to see the painted tin houses of Caminito and the Boca Juniors stadium from the street; we stay in the busy, safe blocks with your guide. The van then drops us at Plaza de Mayo, where Argentina's history has been argued over since 1810: the pink Casa Rosada, the Cabildo, where we go inside when its museum is open, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, which holds the tomb of General San Martín. From there we walk south down Calle Defensa into San Telmo, the oldest neighbourhood, with cobbles, antique shops, painted shutters and Plaza Dorrego. On Sundays the street fair fills Defensa for blocks. Lunch is at the iron-and-glass San Telmo Market, and the van has us back at the hotel by about 3 pm for a proper rest. The evening is tango: a beginners' class, then dinner and a show with dancers and a live orchestra.

   Included

   • La Boca: Caminito and the Boca Juniors stadium from the street
   • Plaza de Mayo with your guide: the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the Metropolitan Cathedral
   • Walk down Calle Defensa through San Telmo and Plaza Dorrego
   • Lunch at the San Telmo Market
   • Beginners' tango class
   • Dinner and tango show

   Easier option: Skip the tango class and arrive for dinner and the show.

   Free time: From about 3 pm free at the hotel before the tango evening

   Activity: About 3 km on foot in the morning, on cobbles in San Telmo. The show ends late, often after 11 pm.

   

3. Day 3: Tigre and the Paraná Delta

   Buenos Aires to San Isidro and Tigre, a boat through the delta, then back to the city

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 3 details

   A slower start after the tango night, then we drive north along the river through San Isidro, a leafy suburb whose cathedral looks out over the Río de la Plata, to Tigre, under an hour from the centre. Tigre sits at the edge of the Paraná Delta, a maze of brown channels and wooded islands where families live in houses on stilts and the grocer, the school launch and the post all arrive by boat. We board a boat in the morning, while the channels are quiet, for a slow trip along the Sarmiento and Luján rivers past rowing clubs, wooden jetties and old summer houses, with your guide explaining how island life works. Lunch is at a riverside restaurant in the delta. Back on the mainland there is time for the Puerto de Frutos market, good for wicker, wood and local preserves, before the drive back to the city by mid-afternoon. The evening is free: your guide can suggest a parrilla, a pizzeria or a wine bar near the hotel.

   Included

   • Drive north through San Isidro to Tigre with your guide
   • Boat trip through the Paraná Delta on the Sarmiento and Luján rivers
   • Lunch at a riverside restaurant in the delta
   • Puerto de Frutos market

   More active option: A guided kayak paddle on a quiet delta channel in place of part of the boat trip, where a local outfitter runs it; confirmed at booking.

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free

   Activity: Mostly seated on the boat; short walks on jetties and in the market. Bring a hat and sunscreen in summer.

   

4. Day 4: An estancia day in the Pampas

   Buenos Aires to San Antonio de Areco and an estancia nearby, then back to the city

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 4 details

   We leave after breakfast for the Pampas, about an hour and a half west on Ruta 8, to San Antonio de Areco, a small town known for its gaucho traditions, silversmiths and leather workers. A short walk takes in the main square and the old bridge over the Areco river before we continue to a working estancia nearby for a día de campo, a country day. Empanadas and a glass of wine on arrival, then a horse ride across the fields with the estancia's gauchos, or a carriage ride if you prefer. Lunch is the main event: a long asado of beef, sausages and chicken from the parrilla, with salads and wine, at a shared table. On most days the afternoon brings a show of gaucho horsemanship, including the sortija, where riders at a gallop spear a small ring. We are back in the city by about 6 pm, with the evening free and no need for a big dinner.

   Included

   • San Antonio de Areco: the main square and the old bridge with your guide
   • Día de campo at an estancia near San Antonio de Areco
   • Empanadas on arrival
   • Horse ride or carriage ride
   • Asado lunch with wine
   • Gaucho horsemanship show, where the estancia runs it that day

   Easier option: A carriage ride instead of the horse ride, or a quiet afternoon in the estancia garden.

   More active option: A longer ride across the estancia with a gaucho, where the estancia offers it; confirmed at booking.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: About 3.5 hours of driving in total, broken by the stop in San Antonio de Areco. Horse rides are at a walk and suit beginners.

   

5. Day 5: Recoleta at opening, then home

   Recoleta Cemetery, then Ezeiza International Airport (EZE)

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   Day 5 details

   We walk to Recoleta Cemetery, entry fee included, for its opening at about 9 am, before the tour groups arrive, and spend an hour and a half in a city of marble and bronze mausoleums laid out in streets and avenues. Your guide leads you to the Duarte family vault where Eva Perón lies, to the tomb of Domingo Sarmiento with its wall of plaques, and to the lesser-known stories: the girl said to have been buried alive, the boxer in his dressing gown. Next door is the white Basílica del Pilar, one of the oldest churches in the city. There is time for a coffee on the square under the giant rubber tree, or a quick look inside El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookshop in a former theatre, before we return to the hotel to check out around midday. Your guide says goodbye at the hotel and the driver takes you to Ezeiza for an international flight, or to Aeroparque if you are flying on to Patagonia, Iguazu or Mendoza.

   Included

   • Recoleta Cemetery at opening with your guide, entry fee included
   • The Basílica del Pilar
   • Drop-off at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) or Aeroparque (AEP)

   Free time: Late morning free in Recoleta

   Activity: Book an international flight leaving after about 4 pm from Ezeiza, or a domestic flight after about 2 pm from Aeroparque, the city airport for Patagonia, Iguazu and Mendoza.

   

Wildlife and weather: Spring (September to November) brings jacaranda blossom and mild days; autumn is similar. Summer is hot and humid, so we walk early and rest at midday. Winter days are mild but can be grey and wet, and the estancia and delta are cooler.

• Buenos Aires4 nights