Caballito, Buenos Aires: A Neighborhood Guide

I’ve lived in Buenos Aires for almost 15 years and I’ve seen the neighborhoods here change over the years.

San Telmo has gentrified for the good and for the bad, Palermo is a revolving door of new hip restaurants du jour, and in a matter of a few years Chacarita has gone from a working class barrio to the most in demand real estate.

Yet Caballito feels perfectly the same.

This residential barrio is in the geographic heart of the city.

Get off the beaten path and see the “real” Buenos Aires by going for a walk in Caballito.

There are two beautiful parks, leafy cobblestone streets, beautiful homes, and the only remaining traditional market still in operation.

If you love to wander you won’t regret exploring Caballito.

Things to do in Caballito, Buenos Aires

Despite living here for so many years, I rarely find myself in Caballito.

I’ve ducked into the neighborhood once or twice for the historic tramway and a rare family commitment.

And I’ll never forget going to Caballito to meet new colleagues in the park back in 2010 for a random job I found on Craigslist. Times were different back then and I took any job that let me stay in Buenos Aires. But that’s neither here nor there. Back to the point…

The point is, Caballito is where the locals live. Come here, wander the parks and people watch.

Last month I decided to do just that. I did what I love to most in Buenos Aires – plotted out a route, explored, and had a lovely day.

After leaving my kid at school drop off I took the bus to Barragan Loncheria where I started out with a delicious second breakfast. If you also miss Mexican food, add it to your map.

With a belly full of tostadas, I hit the pavement and explored Caballito.

Here is the route I took.

Map of Caballito, Buenos Aires: A Walking Tour

All of the Caballito sites mentioned in this article are pinned on the map below.

I saw everything except for the historic tram and Patio de los Lecheros in one day, walking through the neighboorhood. I did those two activities on a weekend apart.

Basílica Nuestra Señora de Buenos Aires

Basílica Nuestra Señora de Buenos Aires is one of the most beautiful neo-gothic churches in the city.

The bronze doors have sculptures of four fundamental figures in the founding of Argentina –  Juan Díaz de Solís, Pedro de Mendoza, Cristóbal Colon and Juan de Garay.

In the interior you’ll find a rose granite alter with 19 meter tall columns. It’s a beautiful church and if you want to read more about its history and what to see inside, read this article.

Cid Campeador Monument

Atop a huge pedestal towering over this intersection if Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as Cid Campeador. He was a Spanish knight in Medieval Spain in 1099.

He fought with both Christian and Muslim armies during his life and his nickname comes from the latter – as-Sayyid – meaning “the Master” came to be El Cid. He was seen as the perfect knight and is remembered to this day as a popular folk hero.

This particular statue was donated to the city from the Spanish Society of America and has stood in this busy intersection since 1935.

🐎 Where did the name Caballito come from? Not from Cid’s monument! The name comes from a weathervane in the shape of a horse that stood outside of a historic pulperia (bar) in 1821 on the corner of Emilio Mitre & Avenida Rivadavia.

Parque Centenario

This circular park is one of the most beautiful parks in Buenos Aires. This park along with Parque Rivadavia are Cabillito’s living room.

Neighbors meet to gossip over mate, families play on the many playgrounds, and people exercise around the small lake.

It’s a welcome respite from the urban chaos.

There is also quite a bit to do and see here in and around the park.

• Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences – A must for any dino-loving kid. Open every day from 2 – 7 pm with a small entrance fee of the equivalent of $10 US for international tourists and a few bucks for locals, children under 6 enter for free. Just behind the museum are a couple excellent playgrounds to make a full afternoon of it.
• The Naval Hospital – You’ll see a huge blue structure across the street from the park, this brutalist structure was designed by iconic Argentina architect Clorindo Testa and is meant to take the form of a ship.
• Institute of Zoonosis Luis Pasteur – Important for residents, this institution is vital for residents needing free, public care like vaccines etc for their pets. The building is beautiful and you’ll likely see it as you explore the park.

Feria de Libros de Parque Rivadavia

Parque Rivadavia, like Parque Centenario, was built on the Lezica family estate. And like just about every green space in and surrounding Buenos Aires, this park was also designed by French landscape architect Carlos Thays.

I really enjoyed Parque Rivadavia. It felt like the neighborhood’s living room.

There was a dance class in front of the park’s center arch dedicated to Simón Bolívar, people walking their dogs whiles others read the paper on the park benches.

One group of women did some sort of group meditation together while others did tai chi and yoga alone.

One thing I’ve always found fascinating about large cities is how people live so much of their lives in the public space and Parque Rivadavia in the morning was a pure example of that.

A major highlight of the park is the Feria de Libros del Parque Rivadavia – or book fair.

Buenos Aires is a literary city, with more bookstores per capita than any other city in the world.

This book fair has been around since 1928 and can be fun to peruse for a new read.

Mercado del Progreso

Buenos Aires once had a lot of small markets that have unfortunately not withstood the test of time.

El Mercado de San Telmo is the exception (not the rule) that is thriving but to thrive it has had to change into a haven for expensive restaurants.

A few original stalls remain, but they are in the minority and their days are surely numbered.

Caballito’s El Mercado de Progreso, dating back to 1889, has broken the rules in that it is thriving completely as is and as it always has been.

Go for a stroll here to see locals shopping at the butcher shops, vegetable stalls, and more.

Barrio Ingles

El Barrio Ingles is a small subsection of Caballito contained by Pedro Goyena, Valle, Emilio Mitre and Del Barco Centenera streets.

Like the United States, Buenos Aires is a melting pot.

As immigrants came here looking for a better life, they built their homes in the same style as their home countries and you can see these unique architectural styles all over the city.

English immigrants started flooding into Buenos Aires in 1820 and by the turn of the century were making their impact by developing the country’s rail system.

Then in 1923, the Banco El Hogar Argentino created the project to built the Barrio Ingles here in Caballito for these English families. The name, however, didn’t come until 1960 thanks to real estate agents working their magic.

Today you can still see many of the homes maintained impeccably. You can see another neighborhood similar in purpose – built for railway workers but very different architecturally – in Liniers.

Caballito’s Historic Tramway

By looking at the city these days but tramways were once the most important form of transportation in Buenos Aires. If you pay attention you’ll see the rails still buried among the cobblestone all over the city.

After 100 years in operation, the trams disappeared in 1963. But thanks to the Asociación Amigos del Tranvía you can go for a 20 minute ride in the historic trams through Caballito.

The tram ride is complete free on the weekends on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 4-7 pm and Sunday mornings from 10 am to 1 pm. You can’t reserve and have to wait in line on a first come first serve basis (so it’s in your best interest to arrive early).

I recommend always checking Instagram pages for these sorts of activities in Argentina in case of special hours or cancellations (like for poor weather).

Depósito de Gravitación Caballito

In Buenos Aires, water distribution is done with elegance. The city’s first water distribution facility is housed downtown in a literal palace – El Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes (the Palace of Running Water).

When the city’s population growth outpaced the first facility, the government built two more of similar capacity in the highest points of the city.

The first one was the Deposito de Gravitacion in Caballito at Valle 414.

Like the Palacio de las Aguas, this facility also holds 72 million liters of water. A facility like this may not sound like something to have on your radar as a tourist, but the structure itself – built in 1915 – is very impressive. It shows both the vast wealth that Argentina once had and also the importance Argentina placed on sanitation and water distribution.

The exterior is less opulent that its counterpart downtown but the interior is nearly identical.

FOODIE TIP: And this isn’t related whatsoever to water purification and distribution, but on the streets surrounding the facility there are a lot of great dining options.

Chiazza Chocolates makes the best alfajores I’ve ever had, the excellent bakery Dos Escudos opened a location here, and many other bars and hipster cafes dot the streets here.

La Posta de Achával

There are certain things I always research when I explore a barrio here: the best empanadas, bares notables, and traditional pizzerias.

And La Posta de Achával delivered on the traditional pizzeria. The exterior is original, the interior is uninspiring in all the right ways (it makes no pretentions), and the pizza was excellent.

After a long day of crossing Caballito from end to end on foot I was ready for not one but two huge slices of cheesy pizza and a generously poured glass of their house red.

Even the best pizza in Buenos Aires gets a lot of hate from tourists, though, some come with an open mind. This is pizza al molde – it’s bready, very very cheesy, and light on the sauce. But when its down well, it’s very good.

And in my opinion, La Posta de Achával delivered. I got a slice fugazzeta rellena and a napolitana and could not choose a favorite.

These greasy spoons are neighborhood icons and one can only hope they never change.

Patio de los Lecheros

The Patio de los Lecheros is one of the coolest dining halls in Buenos Aires.

Its name comes from its location, housed in what was the train station that served dairy farmers bringing their products into the city. Sellers would wait here with their horse and buggies to purchase milk for resale throughout the city.

It functioned until 1961 when the sale of unpasteurized milk was outlawed. For 55 years this station was in disrepair until in 2016 it was converted into a dining hall.

You’ll find a variety of options here from parrilla (always present) to international cuisine and even a wine bar. It’s a great option for a sunny Saturday afternoon or a night out.

Read More Buenos Aires Neighborhood Guides:

• A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Almagro & Abasto
• Once: Jewish Heritage, The Palace of Running Water & Unique Shopping
• San Telmo: Market & Neighborhood Guide
• A Traveler’s Guide to La Boca, Buenos Aires
• Boedo, Buenos Aires: A Neighborhood Guide
• Recoleta: A Buenos Aires Neighborhood Guide
• The Perfect 3 Days in Buenos Aires Itinerary by a Local