Map your stop

Recoleta Cemetery map and a self-guided route

Brief answer

A Recoleta Cemetery map route starts at the Junín gate and loops past the early heroes, Evita's vault, the presidents and the best-known stories before returning to the gate.

Before you start

  • Free paper map at the entrance2
  • Over 4500 vaults on the grid3
  • Most visited: Evita, Sarmiento, Alfonsín4

See 41 route stops

Recoleta Cemetery, tomb by tomb

Pick a route, then tap a marker or a stop for notes and a Google Maps link.

Map of Recoleta Cemetery with a numbered walking route from the Junín gate past the main tombs, from the early republic pantheon to the presidents' mausoleums

  1. Junín 1760: the entrance for visitors, where the English tour meets by the ticket booth and free maps are handed out.

    Google Maps

  2. The bronze Christ at the crossing of the central avenues: an easy landmark to regroup at if you lose your way in the alleys.

    Google Maps

  3. Simple tombs of the early republic: Cornelio de Saavedra, Antonio Sáenz and Deán Funes are honored here.

    Google Maps

  4. A votive column with a naval trophy, raised by his widow Elizabeth Chitty for the Irish-born admiral.

    Google Maps

  5. A compact tomb in the Egyptian mastaba manner, like that of Miguel de Azcuénaga.

    Google Maps

  6. Designed by Alejandro Christophersen; it also holds Torcuato de Alvear, the mayor who reformed the cemetery.

    Google Maps

  7. The vault of Luz María, the playwright's daughter who died in 1925 aged 15, and the source of the lady in white legend.

    Google Maps

  8. The writer's vault is among the most visited in the cemetery, the city says.

    Google Maps

  9. An Art Nouveau tomb of the early 1900s in white marble, raised by her mother.

    Google Maps

  10. Her bedroom recreated inside, and a bronze of her in her wedding dress with her dog at the door.

    Google Maps

  11. Eduardo Rubino's tomb for the president, with figures of Liberty, Duty and Justice.

    Google Maps

  12. Víctor de Pol's Masonic obelisk of 1889, crowned by a condor with open wings.

    Google Maps

  13. Evita's resting place since 1976, the most visited tomb in the cemetery.

    Google Maps

  14. Jules Félix Coutan's sculpture of 1908: a portrait medallion and the figure of Hope.

    Google Maps

  15. Crowned by a young man fighting a sphinx, carved by Léon-Ernest Drivier, a pupil of Rodin.

    Google Maps

  16. The caretaker who saved for his own tomb and statue over 30 years of work here.

    Google Maps

  17. Ettore Ximenes' monument to the doctor who died treating yellow fever patients in 1871.

    Google Maps

  18. The vault of the chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1970.

    Google Maps

  19. The family vault of the president, set where two avenues cross, with a small atrium.

    Google Maps

  20. Signed by the French sculptor Mercié and raised in 1913 by the Jockey Club for its founder.

    Google Maps

  21. Holds Leandro Alem, Hipólito Yrigoyen and Arturo Illia; designed by Ulrico Courtois in 1892.

    Google Maps

  22. His bust faces away from his wife's, at her own wish.

    Google Maps

  23. The tomb of the former president is among the three the tourism board names as most visited.

    Google Maps

Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Our Recoleta Cemetery map turns the maze of alleys into one loop from the Junín gate: early heroes, Evita's vault, the presidents and the best-known stories, stop by stop.

Editorial team, recoletacemeterytour.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · A 7 min read

Main facts

  • Start and finishThe main gate on Junín street.1
  • Free paper mapHanded out at the entrance.2
  • What you passVaults in every style, from Greek temples to Egyptian pyramids.3
  • Most visitedEvita, Sarmiento and Raúl Alfonsín.4
  • Prefer a guide?An English tour of 2 hours, from $12.

How the cemetery is laid out

This Recoleta Cemetery map makes sense once you know the plan behind it. The French engineer Próspero Catelin drew the layout in 1822, when the city opened its first public cemetery on the former orchard of the Recollect friars.5,6 Avenues and narrow alleys cross at right angles across the whole site, and the vaults line them like houses on a street.7

The city puts the number of vaults above 4500, built in every manner from Greek temple to Egyptian pyramid.3 Statues, sarcophagi, coffins and crypts number above 6,400 by the tourism board's reckoning,8 and describes the whole place as a labyrinthine city of the dead.9 Every alley looks like the last one after a while, which is why a plan in your hand matters more here than in most sights.

Use a pair of anchors. The gate on Junín is your way in and out, and the bronze statue of Christ where the central avenues meet is the point to return to whenever you lose your bearings. Our route starts at the gate, loops through the east side, crosses to the west and comes back past the northern wall, so you rarely walk the same alley twice and finish where you began.

What to look for

Highlights on the route

TombLook forStyle or maker
Guillermo BrownNaval trophy on a columnVotive column
Rufina CambaceresYoung woman at a doorArt Nouveau
SarmientoCondor with open wingsVíctor de Pol
Duarte vaultBronze plaquesEvita's family vault
Ramón FalcónYouth fighting a sphinxLéon-Ernest Drivier
Carlos PellegriniJockey Club tributeMercié
Del CarrilBusts facing apartA couple's story

From the national monuments commission's guide and the city tourism board.10,21,22,12,13,14,23

Before you set off

Pick up the free paper map at the entrance, which the tourism board recommends,2 and keep this page open on your phone, because it doubles as a map of Recoleta Cemetery: the pins match the stops described below, and each one opens in Google Maps. Tickets for local and foreign visitors are sold by the city, on the web as well as at the door,16,17 so sort yours out before you queue.

Check the visiting hours on the day. On its cemetery page the city sets visitor hours at 9 to 17 hrs daily,18 whereas the tourism board's listing reads 8am to 6pm,19 so the safest plan is to arrive in the morning and leave yourself plenty of time. The alleys have little shade, and the marble throws back the heat on a summer afternoon.

If you would rather follow a person than a map, hourly Spanish-language walks with a cemetery guide set off from the entrance at no charge.20 The English guided tour sold on this site spends 110 minutes inside and meets at the gate by the ticket booth. Many visitors do both: a guided tour first for the stories, then a second slow walk with this map to see what they missed.

The loop

The route stretch by stretch

  1. First stretch

    Gate to the central statue

    Early pantheons and Admiral Brown's naval column.10

  2. Second stretch

    The southern alleys

    Rufina, Crociati, Mitre, Sarmiento and Evita.11,12

  3. Third stretch

    The western wall

    Avellaneda, the Falcón sphinx and Alleno's statue.13

  4. Fourth stretch

    Toward the center

    Muñiz, Leloir, Roca and Pellegrini.14

  5. Last stretch

    The northern wall

    The 1890 pantheon, del Carril and Alfonsín.15,4

From the gate to the early republic

Walk in through the gate and head straight along the central avenue toward the statue of Christ. Right beside it is the pantheon of Meritorious Citizens, a group of unadorned graves for Saavedra, Sáenz, Funes and other men of the May Revolution.25 The national monuments commission describes the early pantheons, built between 1810 and 1860, as simple Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance work, and here you can see what it means.26

Next comes Admiral Brown, born in Ireland, who commanded the patriot navy through much of the War of Independence.27 Elizabeth Chitty, his widow, gave him a column topped with a naval trophy, its reliefs recalling his battles at sea.10 Nearby, the tomb of Manuel Dorrego takes the compact shape of an Egyptian mastaba, a fashion that followed Napoleon's expedition to Egypt.28

Bear toward the eastern wall for the Alvear vault by Alejandro Christophersen, resting place of the general Carlos María de Alvear and of Torcuato, the mayor behind the cemetery's great reform.29 Beside it rests Luz María García Velloso, the girl at the heart of the lady in white legend.30 Then walk south to the vault of the writer Adolfo Bioy Casares, one of the most visited in the cemetery.31

Map or guide?

Should you walk the route alone?

Decide by what you want to bring home.

  • If I want photos at my own pace

    Walk alone with this map

    Every stop on the route is marked, with a Google Maps link per pin.

  • If I want the stories behind the stone

    Book the English tour

    It spends 110 minutes inside with a guide.

  • If I am on a budget and speak Spanish

    Join the free hourly walk

    Free guided walks leave the main entrance every hour.20

  • If I only care about Evita

    Head straight for the Duarte vault

    No tomb here draws more visitors.12

  • If I love sculpture

    Follow the architecture tab

    Over 90 vaults are National Historic Monuments.24

Ways in

Map, free walk or English guide

Free

With this map

Your own pace

  • StartJunín gate
  • StopsThe great tombs
  • BonusGoogle Maps pins
See the tour

Free

Free city walk

In Spanish

  • LeavesMain entrance
  • FrequencyEvery hour
  • LanguageSpanish
See the tour

Guided

English guided tour

Sold on this site

  • Length2 hours
  • MeetsTicket booth
  • GuideIn English
See the tour

Rufina, Mitre, Sarmiento and Evita

Deeper in the southern alleys stands Rufina Cambaceres, carved in white marble on a tomb of the early 1900s.21 Our stories page tells why her mother commissioned it.33 A short walk on, the vault of Liliana Crociati shows a bronze of her in her wedding dress with her dog, and her bedroom recreated inside.11

Nearby, President Mitre lies beneath Eduardo Rubino's allegories of Liberty, Duty and Justice, marble virtues guarding his name.34 Then comes Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, whose Masonic obelisk by Víctor de Pol, made in 1889, is crowned by a condor with spread wings.22 The tourism board names it among the most visited tombs in the cemetery, and on a busy morning you will rarely have it to yourself.4

From Sarmiento, a few turns to the west bring you to the Duarte family vault, where Eva Peron lies.12 The tourism board points out that the crowd outside usually gives it away.67 Wait your turn quietly, read the plaques, and move on to let others in; our page on Evita's tomb tells the long story of how she came to rest here.

Prefer a guide?

Price a guided loop for your party

Compare guided versions of this route.

Weigh up 3 options

Price a guided loop for your party

Compare guided versions of this route.

2 people
  1. English guided tour2 hours · per person starting at $12

    ≈

    View
  2. Small-group tour2.5 hours · per person starting at $59

    ≈

    View
  3. Recoleta walk1 hour inside · per person starting at $57

    ≈

    View

Starting prices on GetYourGuide, exchanged at the ECB reference rate. The booking page gives the exact price.

The west side: presidents, a sphinx and a caretaker

Cross west to the far wall for Avellaneda, whose 1908 monument by Coutan pairs his portrait with a languid Hope.37 In the corner beyond rises the mausoleum of Ramón Falcón, crowned by a young man wrestling a sphinx, the work of Léon-Ernest Drivier, a pupil of Rodin.13 It is hard to walk past without stopping.

Turn north to find the tomb of David Alleno, who worked for 30 years as a gravedigger here and saved for his own plot and a statue of himself.38 Just beyond stands the monument to Francisco Muñiz, the physician who died treating yellow fever patients in 1871, commissioned from the sculptor Ettore Ximenes.39 The commission calls him the first Argentine naturalist.68

Back toward the center, look for the chemist Leloir, Nobel laureate of 1970, whose plain family vault draws a steady stream of visitors, the city says.40,31 Close by, look for Roca's family vault, which the commission describes as standing on a crossing of avenues behind a small atrium.41 Then look for Carlos Pellegrini's mausoleum, signed by the French sculptor Mercié and raised in 1913 by the Jockey Club.14

Video

A guide to Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires

Narrated Travel Adventures by Berra on YouTube · Playback files load only once you tap play.

Lose yourself for hours in this labyrinthine city of the dead.
Buenos Aires City Tourism Board9

Ready to walk

Self-guided route checklist

Before the gate3

  • Buy the entrance ticket, online or at the gate17
  • Take the free paper map at the entrance2
  • Check the day's visiting hours before you go18

On the route3

  • Use the central statue of Christ as your landmark
  • Make room for relatives at their own family vaults
  • Carry water: the alleys have little shade

Phone ready2

  • Save this page or screenshot the map tabs
  • Download the city's audio guide for the circuit66

The northern wall and back to the gate

Make for the northern wall, where the monument to the 1890 revolutionaries shelters Alem, Yrigoyen and Illia.15 The French architect Ulrico Courtois designed it in 1892, with bronzes by Emilio Cantillón.42 Presidents and party founders sharing one monument make it a quiet place of political pilgrimage, so walk past it softly and read the names.

A few alleys along you find Salvador María del Carril, the country's first vice president. Look up at the busts: his and his wife's are turned in opposite directions, by her own instruction, the tourism board relates.23 It is the most human of the cemetery's stories, told in stone with no words at all, and easy to miss unless you look up at the figures.

Finish at the tomb of Raúl Alfonsín, another of the tombs the tourism board names as the most visited,4 then follow the central avenue back to the Junín gate. Outside the gate, the whitewashed Pilar church, opened in 1732, is the neighbor that gave this corner its colonial look.49 A café terrace across the square is the natural place to sit down and look at your photos.

Printable maps, PDFs and apps

People often search for a Recoleta Cemetery map PDF to print at the hotel. The easiest official version is the sheet you collect as you go in.2 For the streets around it, the city offers a guide to download plus recorded commentary for every stop on its Recoleta circuit, which starts at the cemetery and the basilica.66,69 Download them before you go, because signal can be weak among the vaults.

This page works as a printable guide too: every tab above is a separate walk through the same grid, and each pin opens its position in Google Maps. Save the page or take screenshots of the panels before you enter. Our route follows the grid rather than straight lines, so expect to double back a little in the southern alleys, where the vaults stand closest together.

However you navigate, the cemetery rewards slowness. Look at doors, keys, wreaths and the small chapels behind the glass; read the names of sculptors cut into the stone. National protection covers over 90 vaults,24 yet plenty of fine ones carry no special status at all. Let the route guide you, and leave room to wander into the alleys that catch your eye.

FAQ

Questions answered quickly.

Is there a free map of Recoleta Cemetery?
Yes, at the entrance.

The tourism board advises picking up the map at the entrance before you start.2

Where does a self-guided route start?
At the main gate on Junín.

Junín 1760 is the visitors' entrance and the meeting point for the English tour.1

Which tombs are the most visited?
Evita, Sarmiento and Alfonsín.

The tourism board names these as the most visited tombs.4

How big is the cemetery?
About the size of several city blocks.

Spread over five hectares, it holds more than 4500 vaults across a grid of avenues and alleys.7,3

How long does a visit take?
Plan on a couple of hours.

The English guided tour spends 110 minutes inside; walking alone, add time for getting lost.

Is there an audio guide?
For the neighborhood circuit, yes.

Recorded commentary for each stop of the Recoleta circuit can be downloaded from the city.66

Can I join a free tour instead?
In Spanish, yes.

Free guided walks leave the main entrance every hour.20

Sources

  1. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  2. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  3. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  4. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  5. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  6. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  7. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  8. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  9. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  10. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  11. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  12. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · An aristocratic cemetery ↩
  13. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  14. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  15. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  16. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar), Cemeteries Directorate · Visitas turisticas al cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  17. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar), Cemeteries Directorate · Cementerios de la Ciudad ↩
  18. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar), Cemeteries Directorate · Visitas turisticas al cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  19. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  20. City of Buenos Aires · Visitas turisticas al cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  21. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  22. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  23. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery (Buenos Aires in 24 hours) ↩
  24. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  25. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  26. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  27. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Sepulcro de Guillermo Brown ↩
  28. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  29. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  30. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · The lady in white at Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  31. City of Buenos Aires · Cementerio de la Recoleta ↩
  32. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Sepulcro de Miguel de Azcuenaga
  33. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  34. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  35. Museo Evita (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Historicas Eva Peron) · El derrotero del cuerpo de Eva
  36. Museo Evita (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Historicas Eva Peron) · El derrotero del cuerpo de Eva
  37. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  38. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery ↩
  39. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  40. Nobel Prize Outreach (NobelPrize.org) · Luis Leloir: Facts ↩
  41. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  42. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos) ↩
  43. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Recoleta Cemetery
  44. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos)
  45. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos)
  46. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Sepulcro de Luis Vernet
  47. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Sepulcro de Emma Nicolay de Caprile
  48. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Guia de Monumentos Historicos Nacionales, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, parte 2 (PDF, pp. 315-324: Cementerio de la Recoleta, Sepulcros Historicos)
  49. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar ↩
  50. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Recoleta Cultural Centre
  51. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Recoleta Cultural Centre
  52. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · La Biela
  53. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · La Biela
  54. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Legends of Recoleta
  55. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Recoleta Tourist Assistance Center
  56. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar) · Barrio de Recoleta (self-guided circuit)
  57. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Plaza Francia
  58. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Plaza Francia
  59. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
  60. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Floralis Generica
  61. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Floralis Generica
  62. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Faculty of Law
  63. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Evita's resting place
  64. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · Biblioteca Nacional (National Library)
  65. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board (turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar) · 9.30am | Recoleta Cemetery
  66. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar) · Barrio de Recoleta (self-guided circuit) ↩
  67. Buenos Aires City Tourism Board · Evita's resting place ↩
  68. National Commission of Monuments, Places and Historic Assets (Argentina) · Sepulcro de Francisco Javier Muniz ↩
  69. Government of the City of Buenos Aires (buenosaires.gob.ar) · Barrio de Recoleta (self-guided circuit) ↩

Read on

More to read before your visit

GuideRecoleta Cemetery tickets and entrance feeGuideGuided tour, audio guide or on your ownGuideThe Recoleta Cemetery tours comparedGuideOpening hours and the best time to visit

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