The Getaway: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Day 3: Wrapping it up

Start your last day in Buenos Aires with a ham and cheese medialuna (a sweet and flaky pastry that looks similar to a croissant) and a pot of agroecologically produced and hand-harvested tea from the Guarani Colony at Cuervo Café (cuervocafe.com).

A block away from the café is Trippin (Armenia 1838; trippinstore.com.ar), where you can pick up souvenirs like a box of Argentinian postcards, travel-friendly bags, and yerba mate sets. If you’re lucky, local artisans sell wooden crafts, accessories, and home décor at the periphery of Plaza Armenia, just outside Trippin.

Stop for lunch at Trattoria Olivetti (from AR$23,500; trattoriaolivetti.com). Decorated in familial furnishings, this restaurant serves generous portions of Italian classics such as seafood tagliatelle and pumpkin and mascarpone ravioli, with Tiramisu as the rightful ending.

Indulge in art at the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (AR$9000, malba.org.ar). Known simply as Malba, this museum houses an extensive collection of oeuvres by latino creatives, many of them acquired and restored. A typical visit lasts about two to three hours, spread throughout its three floors.

One of the more unique souvenirs from Argentina is a yerba mate set. For the unfamiliar, the set is a hollowed-out gourd that you fill with yerba leaves and hot water, then drunk from a metal straw called bombilla. You’ll see how ubiquitous this is in the country: Nearly every bona fide Argentinian never leaves without one, and you’ll see them taking small sips over the course of a day.

Now, you may love the vibe of drinking yerba mate in Buenos Aires, but not necessarily at home, and that’s totally okay! Pick up a more “everyday” gourd made from stainless steel and use the bombilla as a makeshift strainer for your tea.

Tea Time

Get a pre-dinner drink at one of Argentina’s well-known craft breweries: Temple (templebeer.com/es) and Patagonia (cervezapatagonia.com.ar). They have bars and refugios in most neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.

After a pint (or two), head to La Boqueria Palermo (Soler 5101; laboqueriagrill.com.ar) for your final taste of Argentinian steak—at least until you return. You can’t go wrong with Gambas al Ajillo and Asado Especial washed down with a Pinguino of red wine.