Neighborhood 48H guide
Retiro & Plaza San Martín: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Plaza San Martín and belle-époque palaces.
Between Recoleta and the centre, Retiro is built around the sloping Plaza San Martín, framed by early-20th-century palaces such as Palacio Paz, with the pedestrian Calle Florida starting at its corner.
Photo gallery
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Napoletano (photo)Louis-Marie Henri Sortais (building) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Walkable to Recoleta and the centre, with the train and metro at Retiro.
Who it's for: Travellers who want a central, elegant base.
Pros
- Central
- Elegant
- Transport hub
Cons
- Busy traffic
- Station area rough at night
- Business feel
48H in Retiro & Plaza San Martín
Plaza San Martín and belle-époque palaces.
10:00 – Plaza San Martín
The park and its palaces.
15:00 – Palacio Paz
Guided visit of the palace.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
See / do
See / do
Palacio Paz
Av. Santa Fe 750
Belle-époque palace, now the Círculo Militar, with guided visits and tango shows in 2026.
Photo: Napoletano (photo)Louis-Marie Henri Sortais (building) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
Plaza San Martín
Plaza San Martín
Tree-filled sloping park with the equestrian statue of San Martín.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
Sofitel Buenos Aires Recoleta
Posadas
Luxury hotel with an indoor pool on Posadas.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Casa Lucía, Member of Meliá Collection
Arroyo
Luxury hotel opened in 2024 in a historic building on Arroyo.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Retiro & Plaza San Martín.
In the City of Buenos Aires, every apartment rented to tourists for one night up to three months must be in the city’s free Temporary Tourist Rental Register (Law 6.255), and the registration number must appear on every listing and booking. Before booking on Vrbo, check that the listing shows its city registration number.
Browse vacation rentals in Retiro & Plaza San Martín on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Buenos Aires
- Palermo Soho — Plaza Serrano, boutiques and the Japanese Garden.
- Palermo Hollywood — Parrillas, bars and the Palermo parks.
- Recoleta — The cemetery, Bellas Artes and grand avenues.
- Centro & the Obelisco — Teatro Colón, the Obelisco and Avenida Corrientes.
- Plaza de Mayo & Avenida de Mayo — Casa Rosada, Café Tortoni and the CCK.
- San Telmo — Cobbled streets, the Sunday fair and the market.
- Puerto Madero — Docks, the Puente de la Mujer and the nature reserve.