Recoleta

Recoleta: Where Eva Perón Is Buried and the Living Eat Very Well

The Recoleta Cemetery is one of the stranger tourist attractions in the world: a city of elaborate mausoleums where Argentina’s wealthy and famous have been interred since 1822, the whole complex occupying about 5.5 hectares of prime Buenos Aires real estate. Eva Perón’s tomb, which you have to navigate through the labyrinthine passages to find, is consistently marked with fresh flowers. She is the most visited resident and has been dead since 1952. Whether you find this affecting or unsettling probably depends on your prior relationship with Argentine political history.

The cemetery is open daily and entry is free. Allow 90 minutes; the passages have no obvious grid and the mausoleums range from miniature Gothic chapels to neoclassical marble structures the size of small houses. Guided tours are available and provide the historical context that makes the architecture meaningful rather than just elaborate.

The Neighbourhood

Recoleta is the most affluent neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, with French-style mansions and broad tree-lined avenues. It looks more like a prosperous European capital than the South American city it is, which is part of its character and part of its history – much of it was built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Argentine elite who modelled their aspirations on Paris.

The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes on Libertador Avenue has a comprehensive collection of Argentine and international art from Goya and Rodin to the major 20th-century Argentine painters. Entry is free. The building’s sculpture garden provides a reasonable break in the middle.

MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) is south of Recoleta proper and holds the best collection of 20th-century Latin American art in Argentina, including significant works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Argentine artists who rarely appear in European or North American museums. Entry is around ARS 2,500.

Food

La Biela on Avenida Quintana has been a Recoleta gathering place for several decades, with outdoor terrace seating under enormous trees across from the cemetery entrance. The food is secondary to the coffee and the setting. For actual eating, Don Julio Parilla a few blocks away is one of Buenos Aires’ consistently praised parrillas (grill restaurants) – order the rib-eye, eat slowly, and do not apologise for the amount of red wine consumed.

Buenos Aires in general operates on European dinner timing: eating before 9pm marks you as a tourist. Most Recoleta restaurants take reservations; book ahead for weekends.

Where to Stay

The neighbourhood has hotels across most price points. Mid-range and boutique options in converted mansions or apartment buildings give character that chain hotels cannot. For the most atmospheric experience, the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt on Alvear Avenue occupies a restored French palatial mansion and connects to a modern tower; the combination makes it one of the more unusual luxury hotel experiences in South America.

Palermo

The adjacent neighbourhood of Palermo, a short walk from Recoleta, operates at a different register: street art, independent restaurants, design shops, Sunday antique markets. Combining the two neighbourhoods gives you a more complete picture of upper-to-middle Buenos Aires than either delivers alone.