Recoleta Cemetery is seriously mind-blowing, there is nothing like it I have seen around the world. When I heard about a cemetery in Buenos Aires that is a ‘must do’ I had a picture in my mind about what it might be. A few headstones, maybe a few boujee ones being that the cemetery was dedicated to the ‘upper class’. This was a huge underestimate.

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Recoleta is a suburb in the heart of Buenos Aires, it mostly consists of dense skyrises, busy streets and everything you would expect from a suburb in the middle of a HUGE city. The two main attractions in the area are Recoleta Cemetery and El Ateneo the famous bookstore.

Prepare To Be Mindblown

There are many ways to get to Recoleta Cemetery and that all depends on what part of the city you are in. We simply walked from the suburb of Palmero which took about 20mins. Alternatively, you can take public transport or the seamless and economical uber.

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Once you are there, you will need to pay an entrance fee of 100paseo depending on the season (sometimes in high season) and your nationality. That will give you full access for as long as you like, and trust me you will need a couple of hours to fully get the most out of the experience.

As I mentioned before, once I walked into Recoleta Cemetery I was completely mind blown. The sheer scale of the cemetery is almost unbelievable and it’s hard to fathom that Recoleta Cemetery is located in the heart of Buenos Aires.

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It stretches as far as the eye can see in all directions. Not only is the ground area a surprise but the size of each tomb or headstone is crazy.

Recoleta Cemetery is where the rich, famous and upper class are laid to rest along with their families. The presence of wealth is quickly noted, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the structures were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are structures that are not only built for one person, yet the whole family.

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It can be a little bit confronting as well, within arms reach you can literally see coffins and urns full of ashes. Some have been well looked after and groomed, whereas others have been neglected. Smashed windows, dust and cobwebs coat the coffins.

Recoleta Cemetery gives off a spiritual vibe, an airy presence as such. How can it not, you are amongst the spirits of some of Argentinas most prestigious people and their families. I wouldn’t say its creepy or scary, you just have respect for where you are.

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We spent a solid few hours walking around Recoleta Cemetery, looking at the big, small and everything in between. It is somewhat an attraction by itself, but if you find yourself in Recolattea you might as well walk 10-15mins and check out El Ateneo while you are in the area.

Recoleta Cemetery is most definitely a must do in Buenos Aires, its a totally unique experience and something that is rarely seen around the world.

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