Your first week in Buenos Aires: a practical day-by-day plan

Get mobile data, a SUBE transport card and one familiar route sorted before crossing Buenos Aires for attractions. Put San Telmo’s fair on whichever day is Sunday and use the other days to get your bearings. This plan assumes a weekday arrival; move the market day, not your flight.

Day 1: get online and eat close to where you're staying

If your Australian phone supports a travel data eSIM, you can get online before heading out. Check whether it’s data-only or includes an Argentine phone number. For a local number, Personal's tourist prepaid offer explicitly accepts a passport. Buy at a Personal commercial outlet if you can: Personal says chips bought there come activated. Buy from a kiosk and you’ll need to visit an outlet with ID to activate the chip. Ask for prepago para turistas (tourist prepaid), bring your passport and use an unlocked phone. The SIM and eSIM guide explains the options and the difference between a top-up and a monthly plan.

For your first meal, stay near your accommodation. Try a neighbourhood pizzeria, café or parrilla (grill restaurant) before setting off for a restaurant across town. Pizza, pasta and grilled beef are common starting points, as the city’s food overview explains. Your first dinner needn’t double as a navigation test. Read the bill before paying and see how tipping works in Argentina if the card terminal asks about a propina (tip).

Day 2: buy a SUBE card and learn the way home

The city transport page lists subte stations, Tourist Assistance Centres and many kiosks as places to buy a SUBE travel card. Load credit at a subte station and take a simple ride to learn the stop nearest your accommodation. The city recommends its Cómo Llego route planner too. Save your accommodation address offline so you know where to get off on your first bus ride.

Use SUBE for the bus and subte; don’t assume your Australian bank card works at every reader. SUBE's official site has current information on cards, loading and sales points. Check that site for current payment options and fares, rather than budgeting around an old ride price.

Day 3: sort a payment backup, then walk your barrio

Try your Australian-issued card on an ordinary peso purchase. Visa’s visitor rate page explains conversion for eligible foreign-issued Visa purchases. Check the peso amount on the receipt and the AUD amount in your card app later. Keep some pesos for a small purchase or a tip, since cards aren’t accepted everywhere. An ATM may charge its own fee on top of your Australian bank’s charges. See the cash, cards and ATMs guide for the rate distinction and withdrawal trade-off.

Walk the blocks around your accommodation. Find a supermarket and pharmacy, then work out the route back from the nearest transit stop. If you’re considering a longer stay, judge the street and commute for yourself rather than choosing a whole barrio from a postcard. The neighbourhood guide gives a starting point. For a longer rental, search furnished places on PlataPlace after walking the area yourself.

Day 4: put Recoleta's cemetery and museum together

Visit Recoleta Cemetery for the mausoleums and Eva Perón’s tomb, then head to the nearby Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Its contribution is voluntary and it closes on Mondays, so swap this with the park day if day 4 is Monday. Check cemetery admission before leaving: a free guided tour doesn’t necessarily mean free entry.

Day 5: cross Palermo on foot, not on a checklist

Give Parque Tres de Febrero and its rose garden the morning. Pick a café after your walk; you don’t need to cover all of Palermo by arvo. For an Australian-style brunch, Surry Hills Coffee advertises its Palermo café at Arévalo 2877. If you’d rather try a neighbourhood parrilla, ask about the cut before ordering. The city’s steakhouse glossary has the Spanish names.

Day 6: take one central walk, then decide on a ticket

Walk the Plaza de Mayo area to see Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and Metropolitan Cathedral, all on the city’s must-see list. If you'd like to see inside Teatro Colón, find a slot on its official guided-tour page first. Save La Boca's Caminito for its own outing rather than adding another cross-town journey at the end of the day.

Day 7: keep Sunday for San Telmo, whenever Sunday falls

Plaza Dorrego’s antiques fair and the Calle Defensa stalls run on Sunday. Browse antiques around the square and crafts farther along the street. Arrived on Saturday? Make this day 2 and move the SUBE errand to a day an outlet suits your schedule. The Buenos Aires things-to-do guide has more nearby stops and low-cost options.

Skip the unverified attraction pass. Don’t squeeze the cemetery and La Boca into one rushed outing or wait for your first long bus ride to sort your phone. Know one route home, have a payment backup and get your bearings around your neighbourhood before stacking up tickets.