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Walk · Recoleta · Buenos Aires

Recoleta Cemetery Quiet Walk

A hushed walk among marble avenues.

Recoleta Cemetery Quiet Walk — Recoleta, Buenos Aires

A slow, contemplative walk through the oldest corner of Recoleta. The Cementerio de la Recoleta, opened in 1822 as the city's first public cemetery, is a small city of its own, with marble avenues, angels, and domes above the tombs of the people who shaped Argentina. Around it sit the whitewashed Basilica del Pilar, the arts centre, and the weekend craft fair on the lawns of Plaza Intendente Alvear.

On this plan

  • The oldest public cemetery in the city
  • Marble avenues and grand mausoleums
  • The whitewashed Basilica del Pilar
  • The weekend fair on Plaza Francia
  • Cafe La Biela a step away
  • Calm and easy to wander

Your afternoon

  1. 9:30 AM · Plaza Intendente Alvear
    The craft fair, best on a weekend
  2. Centro Cultural Recoleta
    A look at whatever is showing
  3. Basilica del Pilar
    The whitewashed church from 1732
  4. Cementerio de la Recoleta
    Wander the marble avenues slowly

What to bring

  • Water
  • Comfortable shoes
  • A hat
  • A camera

Getting there

Buses to Plaza Francia along Avenida Las Heras or Quintana, or Subte Line H to Las Heras and a walk down.

The cemetery is calm and open by day, and loveliest in the morning for the quiet and the light. Grab a map at the gate, since the avenues are a maze, and step out to Plaza Francia for a coffee after.