Buenos Aires City Tour: 5-Hour Small Group with Guide

Five neighborhoods, one guide, the story of how Buenos Aires became itself

A 5-hour small group city tour of Buenos Aires with hotel pickup and a professional guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese, visiting Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo, La Boca, Puerto Madero and Recoleta. The guide takes groups of no more than 16 people through the historical sites and neighborhoods that shaped the city, and you can ask about anything that catches your interest along the way. An optional empanadas snack is available to add at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Plaza de Mayo20m
2. San Telmo5m
3. Caminito20m
4. La Boca5m
5. Puerto Maderopass by
6. Retiropass by
7. Recoleta15m
8. Floralis Generica15m

Historical and cultural city tour

• Hotel pickup
• Visit Plaza de Mayo
• Explore San Telmo neighborhood
• Tour Caminito in La Boca
• Visit La Boca area
• Pass by Puerto Madero
• Pass by Retiro neighborhood
• Walk through Recoleta area
• Visit El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore
• See Floralis Generica sculpture
• Visit Faculty of Law building

The experience

The tour starts with pickup from your hotel and heads to Plaza de Mayo, the oldest public square in Buenos Aires and the site where the city was founded. This is where porteños gathered in 1810 to expel the Viceroy and form a creole government, and the square has witnessed every major political and social event in the country since. From there, the guide takes you into San Telmo, a neighborhood full of winding streets, antique shops, art galleries and street murals. Lezama Park runs through it with jacaranda trees, and on Sundays the Dorrego square fills with a street market and performers.

La Boca comes next: a working-class neighborhood where brightly colored zinc houses line Caminito, a narrow alley that still holds the character of an immigrant neighborhood. Street artists and asadores (grills) mark the entire street, and if there's a match day, the Bombonera stadium becomes the center of the neighborhood's energy. The Proa Foundation, a modern art museum, sits nearby with views of the old docks. From there you move into Puerto Madero, a renovated waterfront neighborhood with redbrick buildings, modern skyscrapers and the elegant Woman suspension bridge, then into Retiro with its art deco architecture, train station and the busy Florida pedestrian street. The tour ends in Recoleta, known for Parisian-style terraced houses, the Recoleta Cemetery with its extravagant tombs, and the National Museum of Fine Arts.

The guide is a professional who knows the city's history and can answer questions about anything you see. This is what a small group makes possible. You'll also pass the Floralis Generica, a giant aluminum and steel flower sculpture in Plaza Naciones Unidas that opens and closes like a real flower each morning and evening. If you choose the snack option, empanadas are included during the tour. The tour works best early in your visit, since the overview of neighborhoods and landmarks helps you plan where to spend your remaining days.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• live commentary from a professional local guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
• empanadas snack if you choose that option at checkout.

Options for this experience

2 options

5-hour city tourGuide in English, Spanish or Portuguese · 09:00pickup is included

Tour with snack, 5 hoursGuide in English, Spanish or Portuguese · 09:00This is a 5-hour city tour with an added empanadas snack, and pickup is included

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Child (2 to 8 years)

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tours Buenos Aires

Is this one for you?Book this tour early in your visit if you want a structured overview of the city's neighborhoods and history before exploring on your own: the guide's knowledge of how Buenos Aires developed from its foundation, combined with the small group size, means you get both context and the chance to ask about what interests you most.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 8 years).

What neighborhoods does the Buenos Aires city tour actually cover?

The tour visits Plaza de Mayo in downtown Monserrat where the city was founded, then moves through San Telmo with its antique shops and street art, La Boca with Caminito's colored houses, Puerto Madero's renovated waterfront, Retiro's art deco architecture and Florida street, and ends in Recoleta with its cemetery and museums.

Can I ask the guide about things I want to see during the tour?

Yes, the small group size, capped at 16 people, means you have the chance to ask your guide about your interests and get recommendations for places to visit during the rest of your stay.

Is hotel pickup included in this tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so the guide collects you from your hotel at the start and returns you at the end of the 5 hours.

What is the Floralis Generica and when can I see it?

The Floralis Generica is a giant aluminum and steel flower sculpture in Plaza Naciones Unidas, designed by architect Eduardo Catalano in 2002. The petals open and close like a real flower every morning and evening, and you'll see it during the tour.

Can I add food to this tour?

An optional empanadas snack is available to add at checkout. If you choose it, the snack is included and enjoyed during the tour.