Secret Gardens: the best parks in Buenos Aires

Secret Gardens: the best parks in Buenos Aires

We explore the best parks in Buenos Aires to help you find a place of calm in Argentina's hurricane capital

Buenos Aires whizzes by. While its cafés, bars and restaurants spill out onto the sidewalks, honking traffic rushes past just a few centimeters away. Porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) barely raise an eyebrow over their espresso, but for those of us who aren't in the know, Buenos Aires can be overwhelming.

For all its tree-lined avenues, the “Paris of South America” is among the least green cities in the world, with only about 1.8 m2 of green space per capita – well below the World Health Organization's minimum recommendation of 10 m2.

Luckily, peace can be found. The feverish metropolis that nearly 13 million people call home is home to a number of green plazas and public spaces where the city's residents spend their time picnicking, dog walking and rollerblading.

Since this was our second visit to the city (and in significantly warmer weather), we decided to spend our time exploring the sights on foot, taking regular breaks for pit stops in the city's green spaces.

The best parks in Buenos Aires

From a haven for the city's Japanese community to a haven for birds, lizards and butterflies, these are the best parks in Buenos Aires.

Tres de Febrero Park

Famous for the Rosedal, a beautiful rose garden with over 18,000 roses, Parque Tres de Febrero is the city's largest and most popular park. The sprawling grounds in fashionable Palermo are also known as Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Forest). The park has several artificial lakes with pedal boat rentals, a poet's garden with busts of famous writers and the city's planetarium, the Planetario Galileo Galilei.

NiarKrad/ShutterstockThe rose garden in Tres de Febrero

The park is popular with picnickers and families thanks to its expansive lawns and large trees that provide plenty of shade. In the middle of the park is its largest lake, which is regularly circled by joggers, cyclists and inline skaters.

Jardín Botánico

Located between the confluence of two busy avenues, the Botanical Garden offers a sheltered retreat from the hustle and bustle of nearby Plaza Italia. The lush gardens, designed by famed landscape architect Carlos Thays and opened in 1898, showcase an array of native plants mixed with more diverse flora from around the world.

Atlas & Boots / de Dios Editores/Shutterstock

The Botanical Garden is one of the best parks in Buenos Aires

There are Roman and French-influenced gardens, as well as dedicated research areas, connected by a network of gravel paths that pass fascinating sculptures, peaceful ponds and Art Nouveau greenhouses.

Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve

The Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve borders the honey-colored waters of the Río de la Plata, the widest river in the world. It was a popular spot for waterside walks in the 1950s until it was avoided when the Plata's water quality deteriorated. Derelict in the 1980s, the area turned into a massive landfill.

Daboost/ShutterstockCostanera Sur Ecological Reserve

Eventually, nature took back control and the wetland is now rich in biodiversity and the only place in the city inhabited by wild native plants and animals. Colorful butterflies and more than 300 species of birds fly from the trees, while giant Argentine tegu lizards and even turtles can be seen from the trails.

Jardín Japonés

Opened in 1967, Jardín Japonés was a peaceful refuge for the Japanese community in Buenos Aires. The gardens are well maintained and feature a series of pretty bridges spanning ponds filled with koi (carp) surrounded by bonsai trees, orchids and Japanese sculptures.

saiko3p/ShutterstockThe Japanese Garden in Buenos Aires

But a word of warning: peace seems to evaporate during the Argentine summer. We had to queue to enter the gardens, found them crowded inside and were dismayed to hear tinny pop music playing over multiple speakers. We visited on a Saturday during the school holidays, so you are likely to do better on a weekday and/or outside the holidays.

Plaza Francia

This immaculate park – along with its connecting gardens around Miter, Intendente Alvear and Ramón J Cárcano squares – features manicured flowerbeds and charming grounds that reflect the chic streets and boutiques of the capital's most upscale barrio, Recoleta.

Orsolya_L/ShutterstockThe famous Recoleta rubber tree

Opposite the entrance to Recoleta Cemetery stands the majestic Gomera de Recoleta, a rubber tree believed to be over 200 years old. It's an ideal place to grab some ice cream and people watch.

Park Lezama

The entrance to Lezama lies in San Telmo, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, and is guarded by a monument to the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza, who is said to have landed here in 1536 when the first attempt to found Buenos Aires failed.

Bernd Zillich/ShutterstockChess players in Lezama Park

Today the park consists of a sculpture garden, a pavilion and landscaped gardens, as well as the former Lezama family mansion, which is now a museum. The park's tables are regularly occupied by groups of chess players.

Park Centenario

Located right in the city's geographical center, Parque Centenario is a circular park popular with the city's free spirits. Don't be surprised to find musicians, tightrope walkers and acrobats honing their skills on the grounds.

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There's also a skate park, a playground and even a group of swing dancers who get together to practice their steps. On the weekends, stalls with works of art, books and second-hand clothing are set up, among other things.

Other quiet retreats

From the oldest café in Buenos Aires to one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, you'll find more oases of calm here.

Recoleta Cemetery

It may sound macabre, but the Cementerio de la Recoleta is one of the city's top attractions. It's also the only outdoor space we found where we could completely escape the noise of the city's relentless traffic.

SC Image/ShutterstockRecoleta Cemetery

Bounded by high walls, the cemetery is a labyrinthine network of paths lined with ornate statues, crumbling crypts and marble mausoleums. The graves include former presidents, military heroes, influential politicians and, of course, Argentina's legendary first lady Eva “Evita” Perón.

Hotel Club Frances

We stayed at the Hotel Club Francés in the heart of the chic Recoleta district, where it's easy to see why Buenos Aires has become known as the "Paris of South America." Club Francés is a restored historic building decorated with sophisticated antique artworks and dates back to 1866.

Atlas & Boots

The bar at the Hotel Club Frances in Buenos Aires

This mansion was where the city's respected French people - known as the French Club - met. Even if you don't stay at the hotel, we recommend an afternoon drink in the elegant bar after a visit to the nearby cemetery.

El Ateneo Grand Splendid

This majestic building was built in 1919 as a performing arts theater and is now one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It retains many of its original features - ornate carvings, crimson stage curtains and ceiling frescoes - and through them the elegance and grandeur of days long gone.

Atlas & BootsEl Ateneo bookstore

While the stage is used as a café, readers gather in comfortable chairs scattered throughout the store. Most attractive are the rounded balconies, now used as tiny reading rooms.

Café Tortoni

Opened in 1858, Café Tortoni is the oldest café in the city and one of the “Bares Notables” – a collection of 70 historic Buenos Aires cafés and bars that have been preserved as close as possible to their original design and layout.

TasfotoNL/ShutterstockCafé Tortoni

Dubbed one of the most beautiful cafes in the world, Tortoni is located on the bustling Avenida de Mayo between Plaza del Congreso and Plaza de Mayo and is the perfect lunch stop. We recommend the medialunas (local pastries) or churros.

National Museum of Fine Arts

Museums tend to be cool and quiet, and Argentina's premier art museum won't let you down. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has free entry and houses an impressive collection of over 12,000 pieces, including works by Argentina's leading artists as well as Goya, Picasso and Renoir.

SC Image/ShutterstockNational Museum of Fine Arts

Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno

Argentina's National Library and the largest in the country is one of the city's most distinctive buildings. The brutalist concrete building towers over the surrounding terrain and neighborhood. While it doesn't hold a torch to El Ateneo, its modernist interior still makes for a peaceful retreat from the city's sidewalks.

Diego Grandi/ShutterstockThe brutalist national library

The essentials: the best parks in Buenos Aires

What: Explore the best parks in Buenos Aires during a short city break on the way to our expedition to Antarctica.

Where: We stayed at Hotel Club Francés, a large and historic boutique hotel in the heart of the upscale Recoleta district. The rooms - and beds - are ridiculously large and luxurious, all offering views of either the garden or the chic Rodriguez Peña, while some even have a sauna and hot tub.

Atlas & Boots

Hotel Club Frances in Recoleta

On the ground floor are the exquisite lobby, bar and restaurant areas, as well as the bright and green solarium, where the à la carte breakfast - with French pastries - is served. In the evenings, the gourmet restaurant cooks sumptuous French and Argentinian dishes.

When: The best time to visit Buenos Aires is during the off-season from April to June or September to December, when temperatures are milder, crowds are thinner, and prices are lower. Since we were on our way to Antarctica, we visited Buenos Aires in January, the best time to visit the polar region but also peak season in Argentina.

How: We walked through the city, which is easy to navigate but can offend the senses. There is an underground subway system called Subte, which consists of six lines connecting the city's main streets, train stations and bus stations. To use the Subte (and the buses) in Buenos Aires, you must purchase a SUBE card and top it up at one of the numerous “kioskos” (kiosks and corner stores) or eight tourist information centers located throughout the city. Uber is available, but not as quick or easy as other cities.

Domestic bus routes run between Buenos Aires and larger cities such as Salta, Mendoza and Córdoba. A handful of long-distance trains run to cities such as Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Rosario and Tucumán.

Buenos Aires is easily accessible by air from international, continental and domestic destinations. We flew from London to Buenos Aires with British Airways. Book via Skyscanner for the best prices.

In Argentina, we stayed online with a Keepgo Lifetime World LTE SIM card, which connects to local 4G networks in over 100 countries. Use this referral link to get 10% off any Keepgo product.

One final note: take all your USD cash with you and exchange it for local currency once you're in Argentina. The country's "Blue Dollar" rate means you get a lot more for your money compared to withdrawing from an ATM or paying with a card.

Main image: SAIKO3P/SHUTTERSTOCK

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