La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Recoleta Cemetery is a massive cemetery located in the centre of the posh Recoleta neighbourhood of downtown Buenos Aires. The iconic cemetery is well known for its extravagant tombs, ornate mausoleums and eerie alleyways.
That, and the fact that it’s situated on some of the most expensive real estate in Argentina. It’s also the eternal resting place to some of Argentina’s most important people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín and several past presidents. Learn more about this famous cemetery in Buenos Aires.
Strolling through the maze of detailed alleys, one can’t help be feel slightly insignificant.
The graves are remarkable, almost unnecessarily so. But money and fame talks, so it’s no surprise that securing a resting place in Recoleta is the ultimate validation that your life made an impact (perhaps?).
Below are photos of La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires
As we walked past the various tombs, we noticed that many have been neglected, with broken glass at the entrances scattered throughout.
In the above photo, you can see the coffin resting in plain sight – we couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable in its presence. I can’t imagine I’d want tourists snapping photos of my tomb when I die, but this is the price one must pay to rest with Argentina’s elite.
Long, thin alleys of elegant mausoleums for Argentina’s rich and famous
This large tomb (above) had over a dozen family members resting together
The cemetery is also home to many cats that “watch over” the tombs.
They are quite friendly, but kind of creepy if you believe in reincarnation and spirits.
Inside another exposed tomb
How can one not be impressed by such extravagance?!
Nicole sitting in front of a giant tomb gives a clear sense of scale.
Now that’s an impressive tombstone!
We never thought we would find ourselves highlighting a cemetery as a must visit tourist attraction in Buenos Aires. However, the Recoleta Cemetery is certainly worthy of a visit.
Though it gave us chills at times, its opulence and grandeur is unlike anything we’ve experienced. Add it to your Buenos Aires travel itinerary if you find yourself visiting one of South America’s great cities.
Learn more about how to visit Buenos Aires and Argentina here.
Do you have an interesting cemetery story to share?
Share your story in the comments below, we’d love to hear about it!
I am a big fan of Recoleta! It was much cloudier the day I went though. My favorite tomb is the one with a statue of a young woman almost falling off the top, reaching for her rose she dropped. It was beautiful art and the symbolism was so moving. I did love the friendly gatitos who came over for a petting.
We really enjoyed it as well. There are so many beautiful tombs and statues… I had to narrow down about 50 photos!
Nice photos, I’m really looking forward to seeing this.
Thanks! It will blow your mind!
What gorgeous, wonderful photos. 🙂 I’m so glad I’m not the only one who loves wandering through cemeteries. I lived in Portugal for a few months and loved meandering through the gorgeous cemeteries there. 🙂
Thanks Krista! 😉
I think Andrew Lloyd Webber got his inspiration for CATS while walking the Recoleta Cemetery.
Gorgeous pictures! I can’t believe how many tombs there are and how close they are together–it looks almost like a little city! It reminds me a bit of Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. I got completely lost in there but thought it was so beautiful.
Thanks Emily – it was exaclty like exploring a little city! Some of the tombs are bigger than a full sized house – seriously.
I walked around the Recoleta cemetary a few times and enjoyed the interesting structures and ornate decorations. I couldn’t help thinking that if I was the only person there on a dark night…it would be soo freaky!
I hadn’t thought of that. It would be totally freaky at night! You’d probably get lost too 😉
Awesome pictures! I absolutely love the rooftop view, simply stunning and it does a great job of showing the size of this place.
Thanks Adam! We actually had a friend staying in the hotel, so we snuck up to the rooftop patio and caught these killer views!
Awesome pics of 1 of my fave places in BsAs. Been there like 5X haha.
Thx Andi! It’s a pretty unique place
I would love to visit this cemetery — fascinating place. Your photos are wonderful in giving a real sense of what it’s like.
I wonder if anyone who lives there could take a picture of my aunts tomb and post a picture or email it to me…she is in the wall and her name was Sylvia Brondarbit