A city of passion, porteños and parrilla! This blog provides valuable information for people visiting or planning to live in Buenos Aires


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Things to do

The Main Sights

Plaza de Mayo


Among all the hundreds of plazas (squares) in Buenos Aires, this is by far the most important. A huge open space in the middle of microcentro, Plaza de Mayo commemorates the revolution on 25th May 1810, which was the first step towards full independance from Spain. There is the Pirámide de Mayo obelisk in the centre to mark the first anniversary of independance from Spain, as well as many other important surrounding buildings: Casa Rosada, Cabildo and Catedral Metropolitana, all of which will be covered below in detail. This is also the place where a majority of the city's protests end up, and from where many Argentines come to see the President of the nation speaking from the balconies of Casa Rosada. Plaza de Mayo has also more recently become a financial centre, so you will find most of the major banks here, but in particular look out for Banco de la Nación, which is a very impressive building designed by architect Alejandro Bustillo in 1939.
To get to Plaza de Mayo and all of the surrounding buildings, take subte lines A, B, D, or E into downtown, or take a colectivo, check your "Guia T" for bus routes (see Transport section), or even jump in a taxi, it's very central, so really easy to get to.


Casa Rosada


One of the most spectacular views in Plaza de Mayo: Casa Rosada (Pink House) is a huge, luxurious and beautifully architected building. These are the offices of the residing President of the nation (currently Cristina Kirchner), and it was also from these balconies overlooking Plaza de Mayo that the Peróns, among many others, preached to thousands of impassioned Argentines.
There are two theories as to why the house was painted rosada (pink). One states that it was President Sarmiento's (1868-74) attempt to make peace and unite the red Federalists and the white Unionists by mixing the two colours together and getting this salmon-pink colour. Another believes that it comes from painting the palace in bovine (ox and yak) blood, which was a common practice in the 19th century.
Whatever the reason for the house being pink it is an unmissable sight, especially at night when the house seems to glow with pink lighting shining on it.
There is a museum next to Casa Rosada which is worth taking a look, as it has a lot of memorabilia and information about previous presidents of the nation, but make sure you bring your passport to get in.
Museo de la Casa Rosada Hipólito Yrigoyen 219; 4344-3802; free admission


Cabildo


This beautiful glowing white building also overlooks Plaza de Mayo, and has become quite iconic of the area. Initially built as an ayuntamiento (town house) in 1610, the cabildo has adopted many designs and sizes, beginning with the need to be expanded shorty after 1610 because it was too small. A huge restoration project was proposed around 1725 because the building had fallen into decay due to lack of maintenance; this included the construction of an extravagant tower which was finished in 1764, and the whole building being two storeys high and eleven arches wide. However, the whole project was still not complete by the time of the revolution in 1810.
In 1889 the cabildo needed to be reduced in size to allow space for the the new Avenida de Mayo, where the tower was demolished and three of the original eleven arches destroyed. Furthermore, with the construction of Avenida Julio A Roca in 1931, three more arches were removed, thus restoring the central place of the tower but leaving just five of the original arches. The colonial features of the cabildo were reconstructed in 1940 by architect Mario Buschiazzo, and nowadays it serves as a museum providing the history of the building itself and the history of the May Revoution, among old artifacts and paintings from the 18th century.
With all this history it is certainly worth taking a look.
Museo Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo Bolivar 65; 4342-6729; AR$1 admission, Fridays free


Catedral Metropolitana


This is a large and significant building, both religiously and architecturally, standing to one side of Plaza de Mayo. However, the most important thing noting here is that in the catedral lies the tomb of General José de San Martín, the country's most revered and respected hero, and probably the main driving force toward Argentine independance. There is a flame outside the building constantly burning and is said to keep San Martín's spirit alive. There are tours available in Spanish, and you may be lucky to catch a free choir concert.
Catedral Metropolitana On the corner of Rivadavia and San Martín; tel: 4331-2845; free admission, donations accepted


El Obelisco


A huge monument in the centre of the city, this is one of the major and famous sights in Buenos Aires, and one which is instantly recognisable to be Argentine. Built in 1936 to commemorate the 400th year of the founding of the city, it took a mere month to complete and stands 67 metres tall. It stands in the middle of the famous street Nueve de Julio, which marks the date of Argentine independence and is also the widest street in the world with 16 lanes! As one of the most popular landmarks in the city, nowadays el obelisco is used as a gathering place for sports fans to celebrate sporting victories, especially those of the national team! You can find el obelisco at the intersection of Nueve de Julio and Corrientes.


Teatro Colón


The principle opera house in Buenos Aires, and considered to be one of the top venues in the world for opera concerts. Literally meaning 'Columbus Theatre', this truly inspiring opera house has actually had two different venues. The first was built in 1857 in Plaza de Mayo, but towards the turn of the century it became clear that there was a need for a new bigger building, which lead to a 20-year construction project which was eventually completed in 1908 and opened on 25th May (Dìa de la Patria) of the same year close to the Tribunales building and next to the main avenue Nueve de Julio.
The new Teatro boasted 2,487 seats and standing room for a further 1,000 in the horseshoe-shaped auditorium, complete with lavish art and sculptures. It also claimed to be the biggest opera house in the southern hemisphere, which was true up until the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973.
Definitely worth a visit, especially if you can get to see a show there, it is one of Buenos Aires', and Argentina's, most treasured landmarks. Click on the website to see what's going on at the teatro.
Teatro Colón Cerrito 628; tel: 4378-7100


Palacio del Congreso


Such an elaborate building - that it holds the name palacio (palace) - and housing the Congreso de la Nación (National Congress) and legislative branch of the government of Argentina, this is bound to be a great sight! It was designed by and Italian architect Vittorio Meano and constructed between 1898 and 1906, yet dubiously opened and finished properly by Julio Dormal by 1946. In 1974 it became clear that the building was too small for what it intended to be, and so an extra consturction was agreed for the Edificio Anexo (Annex Building) which now serves as offices for the deputies.
The Palacio is located at one end of Avenida de Mayo, at the other end of which is Casa Rosada, and just in front of it sits Plaza del Congreso. It is here in the plaza that you will find the Monumento de los dos Congresos which in the centre represents the Republic on the march, with snake faces and an allegory of abundance at its feet. This was actually designed and created in Brussels by Belgian artist Jules Lagae, finished in 1909 and shipped to Buenos Aires in 1914 to celebrate the centenary year of independence. The two lateral figures represent the assembly of 1813 and congress of 1816.
Congreso de la Nación Rivadavia 1864; tel: 6310-7100


Galerías Pacífico


If shopping is your thing, then the Galarías are a must! Even if not, then you should see them just for the setting in a gorgeous and elaborate French-style building. It is full of paintings by famous local muralists, vaulted ceilings and many MANY great shops!
Originally modelled on Le Bon Marché in Paris by architects Emilio Agrelo and Roland Le Vacher, the building was built around 1889. It gets it's name from one of the companies that occupied it's space for use as offices: the Buenos Aires Pacific railway company. This was the first company to connect Buenos Aires to Valparaíso in Chile by rail, hence linking the city to the Pacific ocean, and it became known as Edificio Pacífico (Pacific Building).
In around 1945 the building was remodelled, separating them from the offices, and given a new, quite extravagent, paint job by local artists of the nuevo realismo (new realism) school of Argentine art. It was declared a national monument, but then abandoned for years until it was refurbished and reopened in 1992 into the glorious shopping centre we know today. Certainly worth visiting, if not for the shopping then for the art! 
Galerías Pacífico Florida and Cordoba; tel: 5555-5110


Cementerio de la Recoleta



This is certainly one of the worlds most beautiful cemetaries, where there are actual 'streets' displaying impressive statues and elaborate marble mausoleums for those influential, rich and famous Argentines such as Juan Manuel de Rosas, Bartolomé Mitre, Domingo Sarmiento and, of course, Eva Perón. History tells us that the monks of the Order of the Recoletos built the cementary around their convent and church: Our Lady of Pilar, in 1732. This Order was disbanded in 1822, the area became the city's first public cementary and the final resting place of many famous and powerful familes in the Recoleta area, especially following an outbreak of Yellow Fever in the 1870s. The cementary was remodeled in 1881 by Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo, and it now contains room for 4800 vaults all above ground.
Cementerio de la Recoleta On the corner of Junín and Guido; tel: 4803-1594; free admission


La Bombonera stadium and Caminito


One huge passion in Buenos Aires is fútbol (football/soccer), and Estado Alberto J Armando is one of the most celebrated stadiums, home of the famous team - and previous home of Diego Maradona - Boca Juniors. The stadium was nicknamed La Bonbonera (The Chocolate Box) after a reconstruction project completed in 1953 left the shape of three steep tiers and one flat end, and a capacity of 49,000. It was also painted yellow and blue (the teams colours) and is a really impressive construction with a lot of history. If you are lucky enough to get tickets for the superclásico - Boca Juniors vs River Plate - then you are in for a treat! Probably the biggest sporting event of the year!
In this barrio (neighbourhood) of La Boca, just south of San Telmo, you will see a multitude of colours in the pedestrian street Caminito. Some say this was as a result of some of the previous port dwellers in the 1900s sprucing up their houses with some leftover paint from the dock; others say that Argentine artist Benito Quinquela Martín repaired the buildings in the abandoned street and added pastel colours. so you'll see a variety of red, blue, green and yellow buildings. Now it is a bustling street with a crafts fair and dancers performing tango for some monedas (coins). Just be careful in this area, there is a shanty town nearby so avoid going at night and don't stray far from the touristy places, apart from that this is a fun and different area of the city to visit.
Boca Juniors Stadium (LA Bonbonera) Brandson 805; ask for tours
Caminito between Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid in La Boca


Museos (Museums)


The Planetario Galileo Galilei offers a variety of astronomical shows inside the planetarium, great for kids. Corner of Sarmiento and Belisario Roldán; tel: 4771-9393; AR$5-20 depending on show
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