9 of the Best Museums in Buenos Aires and How To Visit

Immortalized in the award-winning Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita and later played by Madonna in the movie adaptation, Eva Perón—Evita—became arguably the most iconic Argentine figure in global history. Learning about Evita offers a window into a crucial time in Argentine history, culture, and politics, making the Evita Peron Museum one of the top museums in Buenos Aires. The small museum is packed with photos, videos, and political memorabilia, alongside a sizable collection of her clothes, shoes, and handbags.

Don’t miss: The photograph of Evita kicking a football (soccer ball) in heels is one of the most memorable.

If you only have time to visit one of Buenos Aires’ art museums, make it the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires, more commonly known as the MALBA. Here, you can admire works by internationally renowned artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, see collections from Fernando Botero and Tarsila do Amaral, and discover more under-the-international-radar Argentine artists, including Xul Solar and Antonio Berni.

Don’t miss: Frida Kahlo’s 1942 painting Self-portrait with Monkey and Parrot is one of her most instantly recognizable works.

Argentina’s leading art museum, the Buenos Aires National Museum of Fine Arts, is brimming with works by internationally renowned artists. Housed in a converted pump house, the permanent collection includes paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Manet, Chagall, Picasso, and Goya. Combine your museum tour with a bike tour of the surrounding Palermo and Recoleta neighborhoods or a visit to the nearby Recoleta Cemetery for a full tour of Buenos Aires landmarks.

Don’t miss: The plaster cast version of Rodin’s The Kiss sculpture (the marble versions are in Paris’Musée d’Orsay) is a highlight, along with Argentine artist Martha Boto’s kinetic art creations.

Few nations are as passionate about soccer as Argentina, and the famous La Bombonera Stadium, home of championship team Boca Juniors, is an unmissable Buenos Aires cultural attraction. After attending a football match at La Bombonera and touring the stadium, visit the on-site Passion for Boca Juniors Museum, where multimedia exhibitions chronicle the team’s rise to the top, including a video wall, a 360-degree cinema experience, and a gallery devoted to the club’s most iconic player, Diego Maradona.

Don’t miss: Football fanatics should also pay a visit to the River Plate Museum to learn about the Boca Juniors’ longtime rivals.

In the heart of San Telmo, just one block from Plaza Dorrego, the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art turns the focus to Argentine and international art from the 1950s onward. Works by big names such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Salvador Dalí sit alongside those by Argentine artists, including Alberto Greco, Kenneth Kemble, and Luis Felipe Noé. The temporary exhibitions also shine the spotlight on local artists and unique art forms, such as murals, poster art, montages, and digital art.

Don’t miss: Combine a visit with the neighboring Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Museum (MACBA) for a full day of museum-hopping.

The northern neighborhoods of Recoleta and Palermo are by far the best destinations for visiting museums in Buenos Aires, with the MALBA, the Evita Museum, and the National Museum of Fine Arts all within walking distance. Another unmissable museum in the area is the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, where the exquisitely decorated rooms display furniture, sculptures, tapestries, and decorative items that date from the 14th–20th centuries and include rare paintings, such as El Greco’s Jesus Carrying the Cross.

Don’t miss: The building itself: It's magnificent early-20th-century palace designed by French architect René Sergent, who built the Hôtel Trianon Palace at Versailles.

Purpose-built to house the impressive private art collection of its founder and namesake, the Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Art Collection also boasts a remarkable setting overlooking the waterfront in glamorous Puerto Madero. While it’s slightly more expensive than other Buenos Aires museum tickets, you can admire works by Dalí, Klimt, and more; the temporary exhibitions; and the waterfront museum café. If you're traveling on a budget, admission is half price on Thursdays.

Don’t miss: Key artworks include J.M.W. Turner’s Juliet and Her Nurse, Andy Warhol’s * Portrait of Amalia Fortabat*, and The Census at Bethlehem by Pieter Brueghel II.

Few names are as legendary in the world of the Argentine tango as Carlos Gardel, and the small Museo Casa Carlos Gardel, located in his one-time home, offers a rare insight into the life and works of the enigmatic singer-songwriter. Step inside the original 1920s-style house to learn about the singer’s musical roots, his rise to fame, and his untimely death. A must for tango fans, it’s the perfect accompaniment to watching a tango show in Buenos Aires.

Don’t miss: Listening to Gardel’s early recordings and admiring his musical instrument collection, which includes guitars and a bandoneón.

While the city excels in art and cultural museums, there are slim pickings when it comes to Buenos Aires’ historical museums. The most intriguing is the small museum behind the Casa Rosada, Argentina’s famous pink-hued Presidential Palace, where you can follow a detailed timeline of Argentina’s history and former presidents. Built to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Argentina's independence, it houses a copy of the Argentine Declaration of Independence, and admission is free.

Don’t miss: The striking Ejercicio Plástico mural painted in 1933 by David Alfaro Siqueiros.