Buenos Aires is large, flat and organised into barrios with strong individual characters, and the most common planning mistake has nothing to do with geography: it is scheduling a European day into a city where dinner starts at ten and the evening goes on from there.
Four days is a good fit: the barrios are distinct enough that one per day works well, and the city is best absorbed slowly rather than checked off.
A fifth day opens the river delta at Tigre or a crossing to Uruguay, both easy and both a genuine change of scene.
A grid, mostly flat, with barrios that feel like separate towns. Walking within one is easy; crossing between two takes longer than the map suggests.
The seasons are inverted relative to Europe and North America, which catches people out: January here is high summer, and July is winter.
Autumn, and the best walking weather
Warm days, cool evenings, and the parks turning. The most comfortable stretch of the year for a city that you cover largely on foot.
Spring, and the jacarandas
Mild and green, with the jacaranda trees flowering across the city in late spring — a genuinely striking few weeks that most visitors do not know to plan for.
Winter: grey, damp, and cheap
Rarely freezing but persistently cold and overcast. Prices drop, the theatres and tango halls are in full season, and a trip built indoors works well.
Hot, humid, and half the city is away
High summer with real humidity, and January is when Argentines take their holidays — many restaurants and smaller places close, and the city is noticeably emptier.
A four-day trip needs Premium; the free version covers one destination for up to three days, with real places from open data either way.
