There are a wealth of museums in Buenos Aires to choose from to fill your itinerary.
Learn all about Evita in a Spanish colonial mansion, peruse Gaucho themed art in the Fine Arts Museum and end with modern art installations with port views in La Boca.
This article lists out all the best museums in Buenos Aires.
I’ve organized them into sections including Buenos Aires art museums, history museums, football museums, and end with children’s museums.
Heavy hitters like MALBA are likely already on your radar. I recommend making an extra effort to visit smaller museums housed in stunning mansions to see a unique side to Buenos Aires’ history.
Keep in mind that most museums close on Monday and/or Tuesday, plan well if you’ll be touring on those days. Wednesdays are often half price or free. Always confirm current hours on each museum’s website or socials, I have included links for all.
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Buenos Aires Museum Map
My Buenos Aires interactive map on the Rexby platform has more than 330 pins saved. 40+ of these pins are museums.
It’s a great resource worth the minor investment to use as you wander the city. You can filter things to do to show only the museums and organize your stay. Once at the museum, you can open the map (available to download for offline use) to see what restaurants or sites are nearby.
You can see the map below. Click here to purchase it and use code BLOG to save 15% as a thank you for being here!
Art Museums in Buenos Aires
Below is a list of the best Buenos Aires art museums.
Some museums are worth visiting for the building alone, the art within being a huge bonus.
Many are housed in historic mansions, some with restaurants or cafes in their patios. Take note of each museum’s full description to plan your day’s itinerary, you may want to coordinate a visit with lunch or tea time to get the full experience.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Buenos Aires’ Fine Arts Museum in Recoleta is just steps from the Floralis Generica statue and the cemetery and is free to visit.
Bellas Artes’ collection spans European and Argentine masters, including Goya, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Rodin and key 20th‑century Argentine artists.
My favorite part of the museum are the exhibits of local Argentine art, including iconic paintings of gauchos and rural life. Works such as Un alto en el campo by Prilidiano Pueyrredón and the Los gauchos series by Cesáreo Bernaldo de Quirós capture traditional gaucho dress, horses, and traditional customs.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Arts is open 6 days a week, closed on Mondays | Website | Instagram
Museo de Arte Latinoamerica de Buenos Aires (MALBA)
MALBA is one of the most popular Buenos Aires museums and may very well already be on your radar. This is the largest museum in the world dedicated exclusively to Latin American art.
MALBA’s collection spans from the start of the 20th century to the present with works from all across Latin America, including paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Temporary exhibits are typically on the upper floor, check their website for current exhibits on display as well as special events like cinema nights.
Restaurante Coronado is on MALBA’s ground floor, offering breakfast, lunch or dinner (as well as specialty coffee and a cocktail bar) in their modern dining room and spacious outdoor patio.
MALBA is closed on Tuesdays, and on Wednesdays entrance is half-price. Confirm hours and open exhibits in advance. | Website | Instagram
Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo (MNAD)
The star of this museum is the mansion it’s housed in – the Palacio Errazúriz.
This palace was the home of a major aristratic marraige – Matías Errazúriz and Josefina de Alvear, the granddaughter of Independence-era leader Carlos María de Alvear.
The home was completed in 1916, designed by French architect René Sergent. But when Mrs. Errazúriz died in 1935, the home was donated to the national government. Two years later the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo was founded.
Today you can tour the museum free of charge. There are permanent and temporary exhibits throughout the home.
Croque Madame is a cafe operating in the entry to the museum. Stop for coffee with palatial views.
MNAD is open in the afternoons Wednesday through Sunday with daily guided tours, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. | Website | Instagram
Casa Museo Ricardo Rojas
Museo Ricardo Rojas is in the writer’s beautiful Recoleta home, built by architect Ángel Guido. The home plays heavily on Rojas’ concept of Eurindia – the fusion of Argentine indigenous and colonial Spanish styles.
Visits to the museum are self-guided but they have online resources to use throughout your visit here (option for English available).
Casa Museo Ricardo Rojas is open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays and entrance is always free. | Website
Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco
This small colonial art museum in Retiro is one of my favorite Buenos Aires museums on this list.
It’s housed in the Palacio Noel, an eclectic Baroque mansion in Retiro, steps from Recoleta. Martín Noel was a French Argentine architect and he designed this mansion and shared it with his brother Dr. Carlos Noel (who was also the mayor of Buenos Aires).
Palacio Noel was sold to the city in 1936 and became a museum in 1947. The collection is mostly Isaac Fernández Blanco’s personal collection of Spanish art and Latin American art (of the Cuzco school), particularly religious icons. Blanco was an engineer but played the violin and a room on the ground floor displays his string instrument collection.
☕ The garden here is a virtual oasis among the Retiro apartment blocks and the restaurant – Los Jardines de Las Barquin – here is a wonderful place for a cafe or relaxing lunch. It is open from noon to 7 pm, see more here.
The museum is open Wednesday through Monday, closed on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays entrance is free. Confirm hours on their Instagram page.
Fundación PROA
Fundación PROA is a private contemporary art foundation on the waterfront of the Caminito in La Boca.
There is a perfectly curated bookstore with books on contemporary art and a cafe on the top floor. I recommend grabbing a coffee to enjoy on the terrace on a beautiful afternoon.
PROA is open to the public from Wednesday through Sunday with twice daily guided tours. Wednesdays are free of charge. | Website | Instagram
Teatro Colón Fábrica
In La Boca, you can visit the warehouse housing Teatro Colon’s past sets, props, and costumes.
The Teatro Colon is one of the few theaters in the world capable of producing their shows completely in their own workshops. The largest is in the basement below the theater itself and they also utilize other workshops in Chacarita. None of these are open to the public.
Now with Teatro Colón Fábrica, visitors can view these works of art and the theater itself can preserve its work.
Colón Fábrica in La Boca is open Monday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, including Feriadas. There are two time frames with free entry (no tour). Confirm details on their website. You can visit with or without a guided tour. | Website
Museo Benito Quinquela Martín
Benito Quinquela Martín was a self-taught painter with no formal training who became one of Argentina’s most renowned artists.
Quinquela is known as the painter of the port, as his work largely depicts scenes of the port you see here in La Boca.
Using the profits made from selling his works he was able to purchase property right here on the water of his beloved La Boca.
He donated the majority of the land to be used as a school, a theater, and a museum, retaining the upper floor for his residence and workshop.
All of this remains here today. Attend the free museum, but pay the minimal suggested donation for an entrance fee.
His living quarters is in tact, all painted in a rainbow of tones similar to what you see in the Caminito below.
The Quinquela Museum is open from Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. Confirm hours and current suggested donation on website | Website
Museo Moderno de Buenos Aires
The Museo Moderno (Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires) is a public art museum in San Telmo dedicated to modern and contemporary Argentine art.
It was founded in 1956 by poet and art critic Rafael Squirru and holds over 7,000 works focusing heavily on avant-garde trends.
Museo Moderno is closed on Mondays and certain holidays. Confirm schedule and open exhibits on their website. On Wednesdays entrance is free. | Website | Instagram
MACBA – Museum of Contemporary Art in Buenos Aires
Neighboring the Museo Moderno is MACBA, a private museum founded by art collector Aldo Rubino.
MACBA features contemporary art from the mid-20th century to present, emphasizing geometric abstraction, op art, and kinetic art.
MACBA is open 7 days a week and offers once daily guided tours. On Wednesdays entrance is half price. I Website | Instagram
Buenos Aires History Museums
Dive into Argentina’s fascinating history with these history museums in Buenos Aires.
Whether you want to learn about the history of the nation or its water purification systems, there’s a Buenos Aires museum to choose from.
Museo Histórico Nacional
If you are looking for the best Argentina history museum in Buenos Aires, then go to the Museo Historico Nacional in San Telmo.
This free museum is dedicated to the nations history, covering the history of Argentina’s indigenous populations, the Spanish conquest and colonial governments, the Revolución de Mayo, Porteño high society in 1810, San Martin’s crossing of the Andes, and more.
The museum is located in San Telmo, right where Pedro de Mendoza founded the city.
This historic mansion was built at the beginning of the 19th century and was acquired and expanded upon by José Gregorio Lezama. In 1880 it was sold to the state and ever since 1897 it has been the National Historic Museum.
The remainder of Lezama’s gardens became the public park, Parque Lezama, that surrounds the museum.
The National Historic Museum, Buenos Aires is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entrance is free. Confirm hours online. | Website | Instagram
Museo Nacional del Cabildo
The Cabildo in Plaza de Mayo houses a free Buenos Aires history museum. The full name is a mouth full – El Museo Histórico Nacional del Cabildo de Buenos Aires y de la Revolución de Mayo.
When under Spanish colonial rule, Cabildos housed the local government.
This was the scene of the Revolución de Mayo in 1810, the battle that marked the beginning of the fight for a free Argentina.
Definitely pop into this museum when touring the Plaza de Mayo and surroundings to learn about this vital moment in Argentina’s history.
Cabildo is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 am to 5 pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Confirm hours before visiting. | Website | Instagram
El Zanjón de Granados & La Casa Minima
This San Telmo museum is housed in what was the seventh and final block to the south of the city as founded by Juan de Garay in 1580. The city ended here not by chance, but because a creek ran alongside the block from nearby hills towards the Rio de la Plata.
When Jorge Eckstein bought this land in 1986 he had plans for a restaurant but excavations discovered tunnels and remnants of centuries of history buried underneath.
Now you can tour the home, basement and tunnels and see the discovered artifacts that span four centuries of history.
Just around the corner is the Casa Minima, the city’s narrowest house. It forms part of the same museum complex. Legend has it that after the owner of the main house emancipated his slave, he gifted him with this sliver of land to build his home.
Both buildings must be visited as part of a guided tour. El Zanjón de Granados is open daily and the tour lasts one house, La Casa Minima is only open on weekends and holidays. To visit both you can purchase a promotional entrance ticket in person only. Click here for full tour information. | Instagram
Museo Evita
Museo Evita was founded in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of María Eva Duarte de Perón.
It was designed to help visitors understand the life and importance of one of Argentina’s most important women.
The museum is housed in Palermo’s historic Casa Carabassa mansion. In 1948, the Fundación Eva Perón used this space as a transitory home to house vulnerable women and children and help them reintegrate into society.
☕Museo Evita Restaurant on the ground floor and inner courtyard is a beautiful spot for lunch, dinner or coffee.
Museo Evita is open from Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. They have audio guides available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. | Website | Instagram
Museo Casa Carlos Gardel
This museum is housed in the home where Carlos Gardel lived together with his mother in Abasto.
The exhibits include Gardel’s belongings and documentation about his life along with other objects related to the history of tango.
Gardel’s museum is open Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays. | Website | Instagram
Museo del Agua y de la Historia Sanitaria
One of Buenos Aires’ most stunning palaces never housed aristocracy, it housed the city’s water purification system.
This is the Palace of Running Water and in it you can visit the Museum of Water and Sanitation History. It’s far more interesting than you’d think and I highly recommend it.
The Water Museum is open Monday through Friday with two time frames – from 9 am to 1 pm, then again from 2 pm to 4 pm (final entry at 3:30). Entrance is cheap but it’s free on Wednesdays. Confirm before visiting. | Website | Instagram
Buenos Aires Museo
The BAM (Buenos Aires Museo) in San Telmo focuses on cultural history and daily life in Buenos Aires over the years. It’s an engaging museum that’s fun for all ages traversing the city’s history from its foundation to present day.
It crosses multiple historic buildings, like the Casa de los Altos de Elorriaga (the city’s oldest two story hjome) and the Casa de los Querubines.
Don’t skip going to the rooftop terrace where you’ll see murals on neighboring buildings painted with the intention of being viewed from the museum’s terrace.
BAM is open Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, entrance is free. | Website | Instagram
Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos
Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos, formerly known as ESMA, was once a notorious detention center used during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.
Today it is a museum featuring a wealth of information detailing the atrocities committed during that dark period.
The plaques are mostly in Spanish but there are audio guides in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. During my last visit in 2025, the guides in English were accessed by scanning a code with my phone that opened the audio in Soundcloud.
Espacio Memoria is open Tuesday through Sunday, entrance is free and not appropriate for children under 15. | Website
Museo Malvinas e Islas del Atlántico Sur
In this museum (on the same complex as ex-ESMA), you can learn all about Argentina’s sovereignty claim on the Islas Malvinas.
The museum leads you through centuries of Argentina’s history and claim on the islands up through the 1980’s war with Great Britain and post-war diplomacy.
Museo Malvinas is open Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Entrance is free. | Website | Instagram
Buenos Aires Museums: Football Teams
Football fans flock to Argentina for obvious reasons (Messi and Maradona, namely). You can tour football stadiums and follow in these legend’s footsteps in the following Buenos Aires museums.
You can hop onto guided tours of these museums by going on this Boca Juniors/River Plate stadium tour.
- Boca Juniors Stadium: Tour the famous Bombonera stadium by visiting the Museo de la Pasion Boquense in La Boca.
- River Plate Stadium: On the other side of the city, tour River Plate’s museum and stadium.
- Argentinos Juniors Stadium: The museum in this stadium is full to the brim with artifacts donated by loyal fans, touring the stadium is a must not only for Maradona fans (this was his first professional team) but all football fans. Tourist match day experiences include a brief visit to the museum after matches.
- La Casa de D10S: Just a couple blocks from the Argentinos Juniors stadium you can tour Maradona’s home at the start of his career, gifted to him by the team. He lived here with his family and the home is preserved just as it was when they were here, down to Doña Tota’s kitchen.
- Book this Maradona Tour to tour La Casa del D10S, Argentinos Juniors stadium, and more
Buenos Aires Museums for Kids
Buenos Aires is a great city for families and there are a lot of great museums in Buenos Aires designed for the littlest, most energetic among us.
I have them all listed in my guide to Buenos Aires with kids, give that a read to find interactive museums, science museums, the planetarium and more.
And also give a look at my guide on how to navigate Buenos Aires with kids to prepare for all the logistics of your trip.
More Buenos Aires Resources
- 3 Day Buenos Aires Itinerary
- Things to do in Buenos Aires: A City Guide
- Luggage Storage in Buenos Aires
- Mafalda, San Telmo & A Comic Strip Themed Walk
- Where to stay in Buenos Aires
- The Best Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires
Argentina Travel Resources
- BOOK A CONSULTATION | I offer one-on-one travel consultations to help you plan your trip to Argentina. Pick my brain to get a local’s insight. Click here for more information.
- MY MAP | Buy my interactive map with 300+ pins to have access to the city as I see it. It is an invaluable resource. See more here about how it works.
- AIRPORT TRANSFERS | Having a driver waiting for you is ideal for a stress free arrival, Cesar and his team here is the best option for a driver from Ezeiza or Aeroparque, they are my go-to airport ride!
- TRAVEL INSURANCE | Always travel insured. Anything can happen anywhere and it is scarier and costlier in an unfamiliar country. SafetyWing’s Essential Plan covers unexpected travel and medical emergencies and even offers add-ons like electronics theft or adventure sports. It is the best if you’re coming on vacation. If you’re coming as a digital nomad or an extended stay, you need their Complete Nomad Plan which also covers routine check ups, maternity, mental healthcare and more. Read more: Health Insurance in Argentina
- PHONE PLAN | These days, traveling with data is essential. Especially in Argentina where everything is managed on Instagram and WhatsApp. I recommend this E-SIM card. It’s hassle-free and affordable, for more read how to get an Argentina sim card.
- ACCOMMODATION IN ARGENTINA | booking.com is the most common hotel site used in Argentina and it’s where you’ll find the most options.
- RENTAL CARS | I love using Discover Cars, it is a great platform to compare different rates and providers and I find they have responsive customer service.
- BUS TICKETS | Check Busbud for long distance bus routes and tickets.
- VPN | If you’ll be using a public WiFi connection and want to secure your data, I highly recommend using a VPN, I personally use and have had a good experience with ExpressVPN. I also use it to access Hulu and American Netflix from Argentina.
- FLIGHTS | Always check Google Flights and Skyscanner for flights to and within Argentina. Aerolineas Argentina is the local airline with the most routes. FlyBondi and Jetsmart are two budget airlines with dirt-cheap prices (but expect to pay for every add-on like luggage).
