Make the Recoleta Grand Hotel your base for discovering the historic (and super trendy) Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

Among Recoleta’s highlights are:

El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Named the “world’s most beautiful bookstore” by National Geographic, this historic building opened in 1919 and served as a theater and cinema before transforming into the city’s most renowned bookstore.

Café La Biela
This old time Argentine coffee shop is opposite the Basílica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar and adjacent to Recoleta Cemetery. The large outdoor terrace is shaded by a giant rubber tree while the interior is decorated with auto racing memorabilia and photographs.

Cementerio de la Recoleta
The labyrinthine paths of this massive burial ground lead to the graves of several notable Argentinians including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, dictator Facundo Quiroga and several presidents. Seventy of its elaborate tombs and mausoleums have been declared national monuments. Around the July 26 anniversary of Evita’s death, flowers appear at her grave.

Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar
Built by the Recoleto friars and opened in 1732, this beautiful, whitewashed church is most famous for its six German baroque–style altars. The cloisters house a small museum with religious artifacts.

Feria de Artesanos de Plaza Francia
On weekends the “French Plaza” outside Recoleta Cemetery comes alive with an open-air artisan market. Although it officially opens at 11 a.m., many stalls aren’t fully established until after 1 p.m.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
The world’s largest collection of Argentine art and works by European artists from the 12th through 20th centuries. The museum hosts several high-profile temporary exhibitions throughout the year.

Centro Cultural La Recoleta
Art exhibitions, concerts, fringe theater performances and workshops are staged in a structure that started life as a cloister for Franciscan monks.

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