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| Buenos Aires |
After spending two nights in the beautiful Colonia del Sacramento, it was time to set the sails and hop onto a… well, a ferry. Without the sails, but you get the idea. Matias had booked Buquebus ferry tickets online, so it was an easy check-in at the counter, our big backpacks went onto the belt, and we encountered passport control. First Uruguayan, then just a few steps to the next counter that read Entrada Argentina — and hey, we were cleared to enter Argentina.
(Ok, we might have taken a few missteps and even checked the second floor before returning to the right place, as we didn’t catch the sign or the language barrier got in the way a bit.)
After some chilling, it was soon time to board the ferry. I had actually done some research beforehand thanks to @woltersworld — fun guy, lots of helpful travel videos and he seems to love Turku too which is always a bonus). I’d learned that you could pay a little extra and sit more comfortably on the second floor of the ferry — but I forgot to mention this to Matias. Well, luckily the tourist seats were fine and the wind wasn’t too bad. The trip took a little over an hour, so quite manageable.
Arriving at the Buquebus terminal was a bit confusing. I did see a sign that said immigration, but didn’t see anything or anyone in that direction, so we just continued with the others, got our backpacks screened, and suddenly we were in the terminal. It seems Argentina doesn’t really do stamps anymore or double-check passports or fingerprints, so this was a very easy entry.
What wasn’t fun — or easy — was when Matias tried to order a Cabify and it got declined. Shortly after, he received a message from our bank saying the card had been blocked due to suspicious activity. So he had to call them to clarify the situation. After 16 minutes and roughly a 40-euro call, we were finally able to continue our journey and actually see Buenos Aires and our Airbnb in Palermo Soho.
Buenos Aires – the big city
Montevideo was not very touristy — colonial, yes, but we hardly heard any other languages. The first time we did was actually in Colonia, on our first day at Restaurant Picasso, when I heard a distantly familiar tone… and yes, the first language (other than Spanish) we heard on this trip was Finnish 😆. So we knew things were about to change.
Our neighbourhood in Palermo was very lively and felt safe. Our Airbnb was perfect for us and had a balcony where we could sip mate or coffee — or watch the Christmas peace declaration early in the morning. It also had laundry machines and a rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi that needed a reservation beforehand. We tested the jacuzzi once and it was a dream.
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| Christmas peace declaration broadcast from Turku to Buenos Aires |
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| Hola! |
But there was no time to just sit in the sun — there were playgrounds to be found, empanadas, steaks and choripán to be eaten, steps to be taken, and touristy things to do.
We spent a total of eight days in Buenos Aires and really loved the place. Writing a day-by-day diary would be too much, so I’ll try to sum things up a bit.
We visited Ecopark to see some cute animals for free (maras, a sea lion, giraffes, a monkey, birds etc.). We also went to the Japanese Garden, which was full of tourists with Instagram pictures in mind — cute, but to my taste, meh.
Recoleta Cemetery was creepy, but a must. Our son was intrigued, but I personally struggled a bit with checking out different coffins up close. Amazing place, nevertheless.
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| Recoleta |
A little pricey maybe (especially if you try to keep costs down), but it’s important to keep the balance when travelling with a kid.
And in Buenos Aires, we — and by we I mean Backpacker Junior — were in great luck: there were truly awesome parks and playgrounds everywhere we went. Highlights in Palermo included the lighthouse park, science park, Ecoparks otter park, palm tree park, and the kid’s favourite: big tree park. Lots of slides, swings and space to run. Hands down the best playgrounds so far.
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| Buenos Aires playgrounds are 🔥 |
Hop-on, hop-off and colourful streets
We also did our first-ever tourist bus tour. Ever since following my ex-co-workers world tour on facebook (2022 ish) and picking up clues, tips and tricks, I liked the idea of seeing a big city on wheels. Second floor, roof open, sun shining, wind in your face — ah, I really enjoyed cruising around.
We stopped to see El Caminito. At first it didn’t look like much was happening, but then the colourful streets and tourist traps opened up, tango dancers appeared, and music filled the air. Such a lively and colourful place. We walked around, grabbed a bite to eat, and continued to the next stop.
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| La Boca's Balcony of Messi |
We actually meant to go straight to San Telmo Market, but after spotting a playground in Parque Lezama, we were obligated to do a test round and stop for a while.
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| Whii! |
After that, it was wandering around San Telmo and the Puerto Madero area before hopping on for our final stint back to Palermo Soho — really handy this hop-on hop-off tour — and we can recommend it! Fun to hear more info through the headphones, plus some nice music along the way.
Then I think it’s time to talk about the meat.
I’ll let Mateo write about that 🙂
The Bite That Silenced All Doubt
I’ll happily do the honours for the last chapter, especially when the subject happens to be so meaty 😋. Because in Buenos Aires, you have to talk about the meat. And yes — we did our homework.
At some point during trip planning, I found myself googling the world’s best steak restaurants — partly out of curiosity, partly because meat culture is such a big deal in this part of the world, and I wanted to see if any of the “best of the best” spots would realistically fit our route. And there it was — right at the very top of the list. The best of the best. The world’s number one steak restaurant, sitting perfectly along our route: Don Julio.
A quick look at Google Maps made it even better. Not only was it along our route — it was actually just a couple of blocks from our Airbnb. That sealed it. We booked a lunch table almost two months before the trip.
And as if that wasn't enough, the credentials didn’t stop there. Don Julio has also been ranked #10 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, and it holds a Michelin star. As our reservation date got closer, a few doubts started to creep in — at least for me. With that kind of hype, could it really live up to expectations? Could they really turn a piece of meat to be an experience?
Turns out, that question was answered very quickly.
Even before we got to the table, the place was already doing its thing. While waiting outside, we were offered champagne at the front door — a small detail, but it set the tone instantly.
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| Not all queues are created equal 🥂 |
Fast-forward to the moment the steak arrived: Ojo de Bife. There was a brief pause before the first bite — that tiny moment where expectations are sky-high and you’re almost bracing yourself for disappointment.
Then came the bite, and any doubt I had disappeared instantly. The meat practically melted in my mouth, and at one point I literally got chills. 😄 Looking back now, it’s hard to argue — this was very likely the best steak I’ve ever eaten.
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| This is why we came 🥩🔥 |
The service was also excellent throughout, and the sides weren’t just an afterthought either — the arugula and cheddar side in particular was muy rico, perfectly complementing the steak.
Premium quality comes with a premium price tag, and that lunch definitely pushed our daily budget well above average. Still — I would do it again in a heartbeat. The experience was unforgettable, and without a doubt one of the highlights of our time in Buenos Aires.
A few days later, on our last full day in Buenos Aires, we made our second big steak stop at La Cabrera, another place with a strong reputation. The meat itself wasn’t quite as perfect as Don Julio’s (still really good — it’s just that the bar has now and for the future been set extremely high...), but the overall experience was excellent: genuinely warm service, and sides kept arriving until the table looked like it had been upgraded to a buffet. The value for money was outstanding, and we left the restaurant very, very full.
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| The La Cabrera experience, sides very much included |
-Sini & Mateo
