Are you brave enough to explore the unseen side of Buenos Aires? ExpatPathways invites digital nomads, travelers, and expats to embark on a journey through the “Paranormal Tour in Buenos Aires: The 10 Most Mysterious Places to Visit,” where history and mystery collide.
From the whispered tales of the Cementerio de La Recoleta to the eerie silence of La Casa de los Leones, this guide promises an unforgettable exploration of the city’s most haunted locales.
Whether you’re seeking thrills, or wish to delve into the paranormal underbelly of Argentina’s capital, this article is your gateway to the unknown.
Dare to uncover the stories that linger in the shadows and discover why Buenos Aires is as much a city for the living as it is for the spirits that roam its historic streets.
The most mysterious places to visit in Buenos Aires
1. Cementerio de la Recoleta
Location: Junín 1760, Recoleta.
The Cementerio de la Recoleta stands out as a monumental repository of eerie tales and legends. This cemetery is not just a resting place for the dead but a collection of stories that straddle the line between reality and the supernatural.
The tale of Liliana Crociati, who tragically died on her honeymoon and whose bedroom was recreated in her vault, and the legend of Luz María García Velloso, the “Dama de Blanco” whose presence is still felt by some, are testaments to the cemetery’s haunted reputation.
2. Iglesia de Santa Felicitas
Location: Isabel la Católica 520, Barracas.
Another spectral landmark is the Iglesia de Santa Felicitas in Barracas, enveloped in the tragic love story of Felicitas Guerrero, a young heiress forced into marriage, only to be murdered by a scorned suitor.
This church is not only a symbol of architectural beauty but also a beacon for those who believe in the power of unrequited love and its ability to transcend the boundaries of life and death.
The legend that the spirit of Felicitas weeps behind the church’s bars each January 30, compelling visitors to leave a white handkerchief in solidarity with her sorrow, adds a deeply human touch to this ghostly narrative.
3. Palacio de los Bichos
Location: Campana 3220/3234, Villa del Parque.
Continuing our ghostly journey through Buenos Aires, the “Palacio de los Bichos” presents a narrative as tragic as it is eerie.
Built by an Italian aristocrat as a wedding gift for his daughter, this mansion near the train tracks was the scene of a horrifying accident when the newlyweds were struck by a train on their departure, leading to their untimely deaths.
The mansion, known for its gargoyle-like statues and animal representations, is now a site of spectral celebrations, with neighbors reporting ghostly dances and laughter emanating from the abandoned edifice.
This tale of love cut short and eternal mourning adds a hauntingly romantic note to Buenos Aires’ paranormal panorama.
4. Torre del Fantasma
Location: Wenceslao Villafañe 361, La Boca.
Not far from the echoes of the past in Villa del Parque, La Boca houses the “Torre del Fantasma,” an edifice cloaked in tragedy and mystery.
Constructed in 1910 for Auvert Aurnaud, one of the wealthiest women of her time, the building became infamous for its unwelcome inhabitants: duendes, or goblins, believed to have arrived with imported furniture.
The presence of these creatures turned the residence into a place of nightmares, leading Aurnaud to flee. The tower’s highest floor, rented to the artist Clementina, became the scene of her tragic suicide.
Photographs taken by a journalist shortly before her death eerily captured the images of three goblins among her paintings, suggesting a supernatural cause behind the building’s haunted reputation.
5. Cementerio de la Chacarita
Location: Av. Guzmán 680, La Chacarita.
The Cementerio de la Chacarita, sprawling and storied, is another bastion of the city’s eerie legends. Among its many tales, two stand out: the specter mourning his son and the anomalies of Galeria 16.
The first recounts a newly hired guard who encounters a young man weeping beside a grave, a figure later identified by a woman as her deceased son, suggesting a ghostly encounter that transcends time and grief.
The latter story unveils the mysterious rearrangements and aggressive disturbances of the cemetery’s equipment, culminating in a security guard’s chilling experience of being pushed down the stairs by an unseen force, believed to be the unrestful spirit of a man who tragically ended his life within the crypt’s confines.
6. Pasco and Alberdi subway stations
Location: Line A of the Buenos Aires subway – Avenida Rivadavia, Balvanera neighborhood.
Equally haunting are the ghostly vestiges of Buenos Aires’ subway, particularly the semi-abandoned stations of Pasco and Alberdi on Line A.
These stations, unique in their design and history, have been inactive since 1951 but are rumored to be haunted by the spirits of workers who perished during the subway’s construction.
The spectral presence is most palpable in the eerie glow of passing trains, where flickering lights and shadowy figures of long-dead laborers are said to be seen waiting on platforms, eternally anticipating a ride that will never arrive.
These stories add a somber note to the city’s underground, transforming routine commutes into potential encounters with the afterlife.
7. La Casa de los Leones
Location: Av. Montes de Oca 140, Barracas.
As we continue to unveil the mysteries of Buenos Aires, we encounter La Casa de los Leones, a mansion marked by tragedy and haunted by the echoes of the past.
This grand residence once belonged to Eustaquio Díaz Vélez, a man with an extraordinary fascination for lions, so much so that he imported three from Africa as pets.
The tale takes a dark turn on his daughter’s wedding day when one of the lions escaped and killed the groom. Overwhelmed by grief, his daughter took her own life, leading Eustaquio to sell the lions and commission statues in their memory.
It’s said that the spirits of the ill-fated couple linger, a testament to the sorrow and loss that permeate the walls of La Casa de los Leones.
8. La Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros
Location: Carlos Calvo 319, San Telmo.
Not far from this haunting legacy lies La Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros, a colonial residence turned into a traditional Argentine grill.
This establishment’s history is steeped in a dramatic love story featuring Margarita, the daughter of Sergeant Oliden. She defied the norms of her time by fleeing an arranged marriage to Ciriaco Cuitiño, head of the Mazorca, to be with her lover, Juan de la Cruz Cuello, a notorious payador.
Their attempt at happiness was short-lived, as Margarita was mortally wounded by Cuitiño’s forces and died back at the Tasca.
Legend has it that roses no longer bloom in the garden, and Margarita’s spirit roams the premises, with neighbors reporting the sounds of guitars and payadores echoing in the night, even when the restaurant is closed.
9. La Torre del Ahorcado
Location: Av. Entre Ríos 1081, San Cristóbal.
The narrative of Buenos Aires’ haunted locales continues with the tale of La Mansión Colombo, also known as La Torre del Ahorcado.
This mansion, touched by architectural grace and familial tragedy, became the scene of a love triangle ending in murder and suicide.
The Roccatagliatta family, including twins Emmanuel and Vitorrio, found their lives forever altered when both brothers fell for Celina Amparo, leading to a fatal confrontation that left one brother dead and the other a suicide.
It’s whispered that on rainy nights, the silhouette of a hanged man can be seen, a ghostly reminder of jealousy and lost love.
10. Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata
Location: Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900 La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires.
Not far from the tragic stories of urban legend, the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata presents a different kind of haunting.
Founded in 1887 by Francisco Pascasio Moreno, the museum not only served as a home for Moreno and his family but also as a prison for 12 indigenous people captured during the “Conquest of the Desert.”
Among those who died was the chief Incayal, whose spirit, along with another phantom named Gabino, is said to roam the museum at night, manifesting their presence through noises and the opening and closing of windows.
The museum’s catacombs add a layer of mystery with reports of disordered desks, doors that lock by themselves, and the echoes of voices in an unknown language.
(Featured Image Source: Pablo Stösst/flickr.com)
