French Embassy Palace

Recoleta is an upmarket district of Buenos Aires.

See

• Recoleta Cemetery - an elegant last resting place for eminent residents. The elaborate tombs were built above ground because the bodies would float to the surface in the marshy land. Home to Eva Perón and other dignitaries. Tombs that have fallen into disrepair are often not maintained, so be prepared a few coffins! Well worth a visit.

• Del Pilar Church (Iglesia del Pilar) - a beautiful church close to the cemetery with a lot of history

• 1 Museo Evita, Lafinur 2988, ☏ +54 11 4807-0306, info@museoevita.org. Tuesday to Sunday 11.00-19.00. The museum provides a good overview of the life of Evita Peron. Many of her personal belongings are displayed. 

• National Fine Arts Museum (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) - a top-notch museum - some well-known impressionists are represented, including some wonderful Degas ballerinas. The museum brings home to you the fact that BA was a rich part of the European mainstream for much of its history. Free entrance [1].

• El Ateneo Bookstore - If you like books (or even if you don't), don't miss this beautiful bookstore. Back in the old days used to be a theater; now it is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world [2]. Located at Av. Santa Fe 1860.

• French Embassy Palace - Cerrito 1399, just at the beginning of Av. Alvear, one of the most beautiful buildings in Buenos Aires. During the year, some times there are "open doors" events so you can visit the building inside. Ask for guided tours.

• Alvear Palace Hotel - Av. Alvear 1891. One of the most traditional and luxurious hotels in Buenos Aires, it has been home to notable guests such as Sofia Loren, Nelson Mandela, among others. Its restaurants (La Bourgogne and L'Orangerie) are among the top ones in Buenos Aires for eating. You can also go for tea time.

• Palacio Duhau (Park Hyatt) - Av. Alvear 1661. Inspired in the Chateau du Marais in Paris, it is one of the finest properties in Buenos Aires. Its interior is amazing, with the garden designed by Carlos Thays, who has also designed many parks in the city, such as El Rosedal, in Palermo.

• Ralph Lauren store - Av. Alvear 1780. Very nice mansion in Recoleta, home to the Ralph Lauren brand in Buenos Aires.

Do

• Ahin Spa, Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires Hotel, Avenida Alvear 1661, ☏ +54 11 5171 1234, buenosaires.park@hyattintl.com. 

Palacio Pereda

• Walk along Avenida Alvear:. Right after seeing Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA), you can walk along Avenida Libertador until it splits in two. At this point, take the right path, which is the starting point of Avenida Alvear. Walk until it ends (around 7 blocks), where you'll find the French and Brazilian embassy. In between, there are also many beautiful buildings, like the Alvear Palace Hotel, Duhau Palace, the Ralph Lauren House, fine art shops, among others.

Eat

• La Biela Cafe Av. Presidente Manuel Quintana 600. La Biela is a great place to settle in for a few hours outside under the huge ancient tree. Apparently, the Biela is part of a car necessary for it to run, and racers used to gather here a long time ago.
• El Parillon de Recoleta excellent selections of meats, salads and pasta with an Uruguayan influence. Specializes in roast baby pig. Dependable and friendly service, moderate prices.
• Los Inmortales:. As a consequence of the Italian immigration, Buenos Aires has a strong tradition in pizzas (pastas as well). 'Los Inmortales' is considered one of the most traditional pizza restaurants in the city, and one of the first 'pizzerias' to offer the "pizza a la piedra" (thin crust). In Recoleta, the restaurant is located at Junin 1727. Tel: 4803 3328 
• Cumaná, Rodríguez Peña 1149. 12:00 - close. Rustic, reasonably priced Argentine food includes tamales, calzones, locro, pizza and empanadas. 
• La Madeleine, Santa Fe 1726, ☏ +54 11 4813-8400. 24 hours. Open 24-hours and offering pizza, empanadas, salads, pastas and grilled meats. Also offers delivery. 
• Club Sirio, Ayacucho 1496, ☏ +54 11 4806-5764. 20.30 until 1.30. Unique Arabian food restaurant complete with belly dancers in a beautiful 19th century building. 
• Gran Bar Danzon, Libertad street 1161. A legendary restaurant/pub in Buenos Aires that still maintains its style. Great place to go for some drinks at night or also for couples looking for a romantic dinner.
• Circolo Italiano, Libertad street 1264. For those looking Italian food in Recoleta, Il Circolo Italiano is one of the best options for its price/atmosphere/food value. The place offers an executive menu during weekdays at lunch worth trying. You can also go for dinner inside this beautiful house.
• Palacio Balcarce. Av. Presidente Manuel Quintana 161, 1st Floor. This is a nice place where you can go and have dinner or also a brunch/tea while enjoying a beautiful atmosphere. Recommended for couples. 

Drink

• The Shamrock Rodriguez Peña 1200, Irish Pub.

• Casa Bar, Rodríguez Peña 1150 (@Santa Fe), ☏ +54 11 4816 2712. Open from 7PM nightly. Popular Recoleta bar with a fantastic international beer and liquor selection, excellent American-style bar food, DJs and live music and all international sporting events on two floors. Happy hour specials 7PM-11PM. 

• L'Abeille, Arroyo 872. Don't miss this stylish after office, with good music and gourmet food served during the night. Check their website for information on events [3]. Great place to go on Thursdays.

• The Spot, Ayacucho 1261. The bar invites visitors for a drink, especially if you are from far away lands. 
• Milion, Parana 1048, ☏ +54 11 4815-9925. Classy bar and restaurant in a renovated mansion in Recoleta. Come earlier in the evening for dinner and to get a table in the gorgeous enclosed garden. Expect upmarket prices and a good DJ, but don't expect to dance. This is a place to relax with a cocktail or linger over dinner. 

Buy

• Santa Fe Avenue features many fashionable clothing stores. Recoleta also has many antique and interior decoration shops.

• The Antique Bookshop, at Libertad 1236. This small bookshop offers many rare, hard to find very old books about topics like Buenos Aires urbanization, French/English/Argentinean literature, British publications about things going on during the early days of Buenos Aires, etc. The store has a very nice atmosphere.

• Patio Bullrich:. Originally an auction house dating back to 1867, Patio Bullrich is now an upscale shopping center, offering brands like Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss, Ferragamo, among others. It is located at Posadas 1245. 
• COTO Hypermarket, multiple in Barrio Norte. 8:30AM-10:30PM. The COTO chain is akin to Super Target and Walmart Supercenters. For expats living abroad, you'll find everything from groceries and paper products to electronics, bed and bath, and children's books. This chain has several locations in Barrio Norte, a section that's on the edge between Recoleta proper and Palermo.

One great feature of this and other supermarkets in Buenos Aires is the availability of home delivery (envio a domicilio). COTO charges, as of February 2011, $7 pesos per order. It's a boon to anyone buying multiple jugs of water, beer, wine etc. How it works: you'll shop in the store, and choose the checkout lines with "envio a domicilio" on the sign above. The clerk rings up your purchases, and when you pay, you give your address, telephone number and preferred delivery time. The groceries are then packed into plastic tubs. If the delivery will be made much later, or even the following date, the stores place the tubs containing your order into cold storage.

Please note that time is a fluid concept in Buenos Aires, so give a time for which you can be home an hour before and an hour after. The delivery person will ring the bell for your apartment and come up in the elevator with a wheeled cart with your containers of food.

Tip: check the website for daily credit card discounts. Post-2001 crisis, the Argentine government, banks, and major retailers are partnering to give discounts for placing transactions on credit cards. Some of the discount comes from an instant reduction in the 21% VAT. This benefits the government by encouraging more transactions to come into the white economy. 

• Uru Recoleta, Vicente Lopez 2132, ☏ +54 11 4804-9844. Large leather goods showroom featuring jackets, gloves, handbags. Also has a nice selection of sweaters. Small selection of wallets, cuff links and similar accessories.

Jackets are tried on in the showroom to choose the design and find your size, but can be custom fit to your taste. This shop offers a wide selection of leathers for each coat, and will alter a design to suit your preferences (such as shortening the length of a coat, if you're petite). Service is high-touch, attentive, and available in both Spanish and English. This is one of the most hassle-free places to browse for leather in Buenos Aires. 

• Feria Plaza Francia (Recoleta cemetery). Weekends during daylight. One of the more popular street fairs in Buenos Aires, the Recoleta Feria sprawls across Plaza Francia, just outside the famous cemetery. Most items are artisanal designs. Among the things you'll find here are leather belts; clothing; musical instruments, oft of African origin; stained glass; handbags; and more. Clothing is typically one-size-fits-all ("unica"), or comes in Size 1 and Size 2. If you want to shop for clothing, plan to pull it on over your clothes and assess in a handheld mirror. As most Portenas are quite slim and weight-conscious, a "size 2" seems to equate to a US size 4 or 6. Skirts and dresses are also noticeably shorter, owing more to the petite stature of the locals. 

Sleep

• Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Avenida Alvear 1661, ☏ +54 11 5171 1234, buenosaires.park@hyattintl.com. 5 star hotel with its own art gallery and a full service spa. 
• Howard Johnson Boutique Hotel Recoleta, ☏ +54 11 4800-1992. Built in 2009 includes 28 Deluxe Rooms and one fully equipped Executive Suite. 
• 1054 Apartments, ☏ +54 11 5007 3122. Offers temporary apartments located in the city’s most fashionable neighborhood. The clean, furnished Recoleta apartments feature a range of desired amenities similar to an apart hotel, and present an inexpensive alternative to hotels.