7 Best Sights in Buenos Aires, Argentina

All of Buenos Aires' history is packed into this unusual house. The street it's on was once a small river—the zanjón, or gorge, of the property's name—where the first, unsuccessful attempt to found Buenos Aires took place in 1536. When the property's current owner decided to develop it, he discovered all sorts of things below: pottery and cutlery, the foundations of past constructions, and a 500-foot network of tunnels that has taken over 25 years to excavate. With the help of historians and architects, they've now been restored, and the entire site has been transformed into a private museum that's valuable urban archeology. Excellent 50-minute-long guided tours in English Monday through Friday and Sunday at 12 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm take you through low-lighted sections of the tunnels. Expect few visitors and plenty of atmosphere on weekdays; you can also visit next-door property Casa Mínima (guided visit 14,000 pesos).

Wedged between three busy Palermo streets, this unexpected haven has 18 acres of gardens filled with 5,500 varieties of exotic and indigenous flora. Different sections re-create the environments of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas. An organic vegetable garden aims to teach children healthy eating habits, and winding paths lead to hidden statues and a brook. The central area contains an exposed-brick botanical school and library, plus a beautiful greenhouse brought from France in 1900 (but unfortunately not open to the public).

Art exhibitions, concerts, fringe theater performances, and workshops are some of the offerings at this cultural center; one must-visit is Fuerza Bruta, a fantastic water and acrobatics collective that pops up in summer and for one-off shows. The rambling building it occupies was converted from the cloister patios of the Franciscan monks.

Like the bonsais in the nursery within it, this park is small but perfectly formed, and maintained by the Argentine-Japanese Cultural Foundation. A slow wander along the arched wooden bridges and walkways is guaranteed to calm frazzled sightseeing nerves. A variety of shrubs and flowers frame ornamental ponds that are filled with friendly koi carp. The restaurant, where you can enjoy sushi, adzuki-bean sweets, and tea, overlooks the zen garden.

Inside Estadio Boca Juniors (aka La Bombonera or "the candy box"), this modern, two-floor museum is heaven for fútbol fans. It chronicles Boca's rise from a neighborhood club in 1905 to its current position as one of the best teams in the world. Among the innovative exhibits is a giant soccer ball that plays 360-degree footage of an adrenaline-fueled match, recreating all the excitement (and the screaming) for those too faint-hearted to attend the real thing. A huge mural of the late Maradona (the club's most revered player), a hall of fame, jerseys, and trophies complete the circuit. For the full-blown experience, buy a combo ticket that includes museum entry plus an extensive tour of the beloved stadium. Lighthearted exhibits take you all over the stands as well as to press boxes, locker rooms, underground tunnels, and the emerald grass of the field itself. Everything you need to Boca up your life—from official team shirts to school folders—is available in the on-site gift store (shops outside La Bombonera sell cheaper copies).

Known locally as Los Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), this 400-acre green space is actually a crazy quilt of smaller parks. A stroll along the paths takes you through the Jardín de los Poetas (Poets' Garden), dotted with statues of literary figures, and to the enchanting Patio Andaluz (Andalusian Patio), where majolica tiles and Spanish mosaics sit under a vine-covered pergola. Near the lakes in the northwestern part, some 12,000 rosebushes (more than 1,000 different species) bloom seasonally in the Paseo El Rosedal.

You can jog or rent bikes, in-line skates, and pedal boats. The park gets crowded on sunny weekends, as this is where families come to play and have picnics. If you like the idea of the latter, take advantage of the street vendors who sell refreshments and choripán (chorizo sausage in a bread roll) within the park. There are also several posh cafés lining the Paseo de la Infanta (running from Libertador toward Sarmiento in the park).

One of the city's most iconic buildings, the Planetario Galileo Galilei is a great orb positioned on a massive concrete tripod in the middle of Palermo's Parque Tres de Febrero. Built in the early 1960s, it looks like something out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind—especially at night, when the dome glows with eerie blue and red lighting. Tickets for the twice-daily sky shows (five times on weekends), narrated in Spanish, go on sale at 9:30 am Tuesday through Friday and at noon on weekends; note that they usually sell out fast. Three meteorites that landed in northern Argentina 4,000 years ago guard the entrance. The nearby pond with swans, geese, and ducks (also lit up at night) is always a hit with kids.