For two hundred years Recoleta Cemetery was free to walk into. In April 2022 the City of Buenos Aires changed that for foreign visitors, and the rule has confused travellers ever since — partly because the price in pesos keeps moving, partly because old blog posts still say “free”. This is the current picture: what you pay, who doesn't, how to pay, when the gates open and what the free tours really are.
One thing the ticket does not include: any explanation of what you're looking at. Signage inside is minimal, the free tours are in Spanish, and the paid tours run to a group's clock. That's where a self-guided audio guide from TouringBee earns its place — it sits on top of your entry ticket, works offline, and tells the stories in English or Spanish at your own pace.
Still planning the whole trip? Start with our complete guide to Recoleta Cemetery, then come back here for the ticket details.
Recoleta Cemetery tickets at a glance
Check today's price on Entradas BA →
Get the audio guide →
The entry fee, explained
The fee was introduced on 4 April 2022 to fund conservation of a site with more than 4,600 vaults and 90-odd national monuments and to manage the crowds who come for Evita. It applies to anyone who is not a resident of Argentina. Residents show their DNI and walk in free.
The price has moved a lot: 1,400 pesos when it started, over 5,000 by early 2024, 16,100 by December 2024, and roughly 24,000 in 2026. In hard currency it has stayed in the same band — somewhere between fifteen and twenty-odd dollars depending on the exchange rate that month. That's the useful way to think about it: the cost of a decent lunch, for the best open-air museum in the city.
Because the number changes, don't trust a screenshot, a guidebook or this paragraph over the official page. The City sells tickets through its Entradas BA platform, which always shows the current price.
Recoleta Cemetery — Entry Ticket
Official city ticket · buy online or at the gate · Argentine residents enter free
About ARS 24,000 · non-resident adult · card or QR payment
- Sold by the City of Buenos Aires through Entradas BA — no third-party mark-up
- Show the e-ticket on your phone at the turnstiles
- Free guided walks in Spanish leave the gate every hour
The peso price changes with inflation — the official site always shows today's figure.
Where and how to buy
Online, in advance (recommended)
Go to Entradas BA, pick the Cementerio de la Recoleta, choose your date and pay by card. You receive an e-ticket with a QR code; show it on your phone at the turnstiles inside the portico. The site is in Spanish but the steps are simple, and foreign cards work. Buying ahead means you're not standing at the gate at 9:00 fiddling with a payment terminal while the light is at its best.
At the gate
Tickets are also sold at the entrance on Junín “subject to availability” — in practice, almost always. Payment is by card or QR. Visitors who turn up with cash pesos are regularly turned away to find a card, so have one ready. There is no timed slot; you enter when you like between 9:00 and 17:00.
With a guided tour
Most paid English-language tours on GetYourGuide include the non-resident entry ticket in the price, so you can skip the purchase altogether. Read the listing: a few small-group walks ask you to buy your own. See guided tours of Recoleta Cemetery →
Opening hours
The tourist window is 9:00 to 17:00, seven days a week, including holidays. Note the difference from a few years ago, when early birds could slip in at 7:00 with the families — that door is closed now. Last entry isn't formally announced, but staff start clearing the lanes towards 17:00, so 16:00 is the latest sensible arrival. Ceremonies, restoration work and heavy rain can close individual lanes without notice.
The best hour is the first one. The best-time guide explains why 9:00 beats every other slot of the day.
The free guided tours (and their limits)
The City runs a genuinely good free walk from the main gate, led by cemetery guides who know the history cold. Departures are hourly: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00, weekends and holidays from 9:00 to 16:00. Just be at the gate a few minutes early. Schedules are suspended for funerals, weather and special events, so confirm on the day.
The catch is the language. The municipal tours are in Spanish only; there is no English departure to wait for. If your Spanish is up to it, go — you'll get a proper chronology and a route through the maze. If not, you have three options: a paid tour in English, a self-guided audio guide, or wandering. Our guided vs self-guided comparison weighs them honestly.
Hear the stories at the tombs themselves
22 stops, offline map, English or Spanish narration — from €9.99, one payment, no subscription.
Get the audio guideRules once you're inside
- This is an active cemetery. Funerals and family visits have priority over tourists — yield the lane and lower your voice.
- Don't touch doors, glass, sculptures or flowers. Many vaults are fragile and all of them are private.
- Stay on the paved lanes; don't step into planted areas or through open doors for a photo.
- Photography for personal use is fine. Tripods, drones and commercial shoots need permission from the administration.
- Don't feed the cats. Their care is managed by volunteers and the population is deliberately small now.
- No food at the tombs. There's no café inside; La Biela and the Plaza Francia cafés are two minutes from the gate.
Accessibility
The lanes are paved but old and uneven, with occasional steps and tight corners. The main portico has a few steps; the City's accessibility information directs visitors with reduced mobility to the Junín 1750 entrance, where security can assist, and mentions wheelchairs available through the cemetery office. That information is not new, so confirm the arrangement before you travel. A short route on the map can still be physically demanding in summer heat — bring water.
Common mistakes at the gate
Arriving with cash only. Arriving at 13:00 in January and joining the crowd at Evita's lane in 35-degree heat. Assuming the “free tour” is in English and standing at the gate for an hour. Trusting a 2019 blog that says entry is free. Buying a “ticket” from someone outside the gate — the only sellers are the official windows and Entradas BA. And the most common of all: walking in without a map or a guide, seeing Evita, getting lost, and leaving after forty minutes having missed almost everything.
Recoleta Cemetery Self-Guided Audio TourInstant access
- 100% offline — no Wi-Fi or data needed inside the cemetery
- Offline map with the route — you start each story yourself at the tomb
- Narrated in English and Spanish
- Works on iOS & Android
- 22 stops, about 1–2 hours at your own pace
The takeaway
Buy the ticket online on Entradas BA the night before, arrive at 9:00 with a card in your pocket just in case, and decide in advance how you'll get the stories: the free Spanish tour if you speak the language, a paid English tour if you like a group, or an offline audio guide if you'd rather have Recoleta to yourself.
The audio guide is the one that costs the least and lets you linger longest. It doesn't include your entry ticket — nothing but the official site does — but it turns a ticket into a visit. Get the audio guide — €9.99
Frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee to Recoleta Cemetery?
For non-residents it's roughly ARS 24,000 per adult in 2026 — about the price of a mid-range restaurant lunch in Buenos Aires. The peso figure is adjusted with inflation several times a year, so check the official Entradas BA page the week you go. Argentine residents enter free with their DNI.
Who gets in free?
Argentine residents with ID, Argentine students on educational visits, and professional licensed guides. Everyone else pays, including foreign children (under-18s must be accompanied by an adult).
Can I pay in cash?
Plan on paying by card or QR. The city's ticket system is designed for online purchase and card payment; foreign visitors are regularly told cash pesos are not accepted at the gate. Buy online in advance and you avoid the question entirely.
Where do I buy the ticket?
On the City of Buenos Aires' official Entradas BA site (entradasba.buenosaires.gob.ar), or at the entrance on Junín, subject to availability. You'll get an e-ticket to show on your phone.
What are Recoleta Cemetery's opening hours?
9:00 to 17:00, seven days a week, all year. Arrive by 16:00 at the latest to have any real time inside.
Are there free guided tours?
Yes — the city runs free guided walks in Spanish from the main gate, every hour: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00, weekends and holidays from 9:00 to 16:00. They can be suspended for ceremonies or weather. There is no free English departure.
Does a guided tour include the entry ticket?
Most paid tours booked on GetYourGuide include the cemetery ticket for non-residents — check the listing. The free city tours don't: you still need to buy entry first.
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