Location: El Centro (Downtown)
Top Things to do in El Centro (Downtown)
Top 10 Points of Interest & Landmarks in El Centro (Downtown), Capital Federal District
The birthplace of the tango is, like the dance itself, captivating, seductive and bustling with excited energy. Atmospheric old neighborhoods are rife with romantic restaurants and thumping nightlife, and Buenos Aires' European heritage is evident in its architecture, boulevards and parks. Cafe Tortoni, the city's oldest bar, will transport you back to 1858, and the spectacular Teatro Colon impresses just as it did in 1908. Latin America's shopping capital offers the promise of premium retail therapy along its grand, wide boulevards.
Restaurants in Buenos Aires
1. Avenida de Mayo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,472 reviews
This elegant thoroughfare is one of the streets bordering the historic and cosmopolitan city center.
Reviewed By WorldTravelers34 - Chicago, United States
Avenida de Mayo is one of the grandest and most important in Buenos Aires, leading from Plaza de Mayo with the pink government palace Casa Rosada at one end, to Argentina’s National Congress building at the other. It was named in honor of the May Revolution of 1810 which lead to Argentina's independence from Spain. It is difficult not to compare this grand thoroughfare to other great boulevards around such world, such as those in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. This avenue is home to many famous buildings and architecture and home to many important historical events in Argentina's history, and continues to be the primary venue for protests, demonstrations, and celebrations. The avenue, officially inaugurated in 1894, is just under a mile long and it’s worth walking the entire length to take the city’s history. We spend lots of time walking around this area during our one-week stay in Buenos Aires.
2. Palacio Paz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 368 reviews
Reviewed By 311queenj - California, United States
This was the private residence of one of the most prominent families in Buenos Aires. It is a fantastic tour on which you are led through an impressive foyer and into opulent French-styled rooms with gold gilding, chandeliers, sculptures, dark imported Italian wood, tall stained glass windows, marble floors and staircases, etc, etc, etc. This was definitely my favorite tour, with the Museo de Arte Decorativo trailing behind by a hair. Palacio Paz is located across the street from the Plaza San Martin and is about an 8 minute walk from the Galerias Pacifico mall in the Florida shopping area. The Teatro Colon is about a 15 minute walk away. Though the tour was in Spanish, the guide did her best to speak slowly and gesture to help visitors understand. I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I caught about 2/3 of the presentation and helped explain to a few non-Spanish speakers on the tour. The enthusiasm and passion of the tour guide was one of the strengths of this tour. She really enjoys meeting new people and sharing this gem - a window to the style and opulence enjoyed by the aristocracy of 1909. The tour lasts about 1.5 hours. The palace can ONLY be visited on a guided tour and is closed the rest of the day. The outside gate is locked and doesn't open until around 10am. At this time, visitors may inquire about tour times by speaking to the guard in the palace doorway, but visitors are not allowed entry until about 15 minutes before the tour. The tour costs about 850 pesos ($15 or so) and in my opinion, is worth it. Just show up a little before 11am and wait to be allowed into the lobby and hall where you pay cash (Argentine pesos) at the cashier window. People start to gather outside around 10:45am, so it's a good idea to come a little early. The tour group is maxed out around 15 people, so don't snooze and lose. *The sign outside indicates two tours a day, but when we inquired, we were told there was only ONE TOUR at 11am (in Spanish). I don't know if that is because we visited on Friday, January 3rd, right after the New Year holiday - it was closed Dec 31st, Jan 1st, and Jan 2nd - or if they've permanently cut their tours back to only one tour a day. Supposedly, there is an English tour once a week at 3:30pm on Thursdays, but we didn't confirm that since Thursday wasn't an option for us. Hope that helps! Enjoy Buenos Aires! *Note: Finding information on opening hours or tour times was near impossible to do by internet. Google opening hours are completely inaccurate, the Argentine government website simply explains the building, and does not post hours or tour information. Therefore, it is not possible to book a tour in advance, which drove me bonkers. Be aware that the "tours" offered through various tour companies online are mostly walking tours that breeze by the outside, stop briefly to explain its significance, and then briskly whisk tourists away to the next stop. These tours do NOT go inside. There is one VERY pricey palace tour which may actually include a tour inside, but why pay a few hundred dollars when you can show up and pay $15? You just need to know when. I think that may be why there is so little information about tours and opening hours. It's mad annoying!
3. Palacio Pizzurno
4. Palacio San Martin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 145 reviews
Reviewed By igazic - Zagreb, Croatia
You should definitively visit. Shows grandness on Argentina! Was only shortly posessed by original owner
5. Paseo de la Historieta
6. Edificio Bencich
7. Plaza Dorrego
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 651 reviews
A lively fair with performers and street vendors takes place every Sunday at the second oldest square in the city.
Reviewed By LeahSydney01
We went to the feria de domingo at Plaza Dorrego on a Sunday in summer. It is vast, much bigger than comparable markets in a Madrid or Paris. Many of the surrounding streets are in fact a continuation of the market. There is a lot for sale: clothes, jewellery, art, bags, antiques. There is a lively atmosphere enhanced by many musicians playing all sorts of music. I would revisit if I were in BA on a Sunday again. My teenage daughter, who loves to shop, really enjoyed it.
8. Plaza de Mayo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 3,183 reviews
The political center of the country, this famous plaza is the location of the well-known balcony of the Casa Rosada from which Eva Peron addressed adoring crowds of workers.
Reviewed By IN_Travelers47906 - West Lafayette, United States
You have not been to Buenos Aires if you have not been to Plaza de Mayo, the plaza located directly in front of the Casa Rosada (Pink House) executive mansion and surrounded by many historic buildings such as the National Cathedral, the National Bank and the National Museum. It is the place where Eva Peron made her speeches that galvanized the country, it is the place where after 40 years mothers still march to protest the “disappearance” of their children during military rule and it is the place where today Argentinians and tourists choose to gather. It is also a wonderful place to begin or end a self-guided tour. It is just a 5-minute walk from the upscale Puerto Madero canal lined with restaurants, shops and street performers. On late Sunday morning walk south on Defense to enter the wonderful San Telmo market, or go NW to the obelisk, the opera house, the waterworks palace, the El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore and many other sights. We enjoyed our several visits there both day and night. Suggestion: If you like photography, be sure to visit Plaza de Mayo early evenings. The palace, the statues and the surrounding buildings are all illuminated for great pictures.
9. Plaza San Martin
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,053 reviews
A popular lunchtime respite for business folk, this lovely park is bordered by the San Martin Palace and the Plaza Hotel, and includes a huge monument to General Jose de San Martin.
Reviewed By WorldTravelers34 - Chicago, United States
We discovered this square while walking around this area. Plaza San Martín (English: San Martín Square) is a park located in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Plaza San Martín is one of the city’s oldest squares and was the site of several historic events. As well as containing examples of several native and foreign trees, the square contains several important monuments and sculptures.
10. Edificio Kavanagh
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 265 reviews
Reviewed By 277vincentm - New Orleans, United States
Modern high-rise buildings all too often are utilitarian big boxes engineered for commercial or residential space, with little or no attempt at architectural beauty. There are exceptions (K.L.’s Petronas Towers, Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, etc.), but most modern high-rises run the gauntlet from pedestrian to pug-ugly. The Edificio Kavanagh, however, combines state-of-the-(1930s)-art engineering with notable artistic vision. The engineers created a technological triumph: the tallest building in Latin America, with innovative reinforced concrete, and conveniences that included central air conditioning and a dozen elevators. And the architects made it a thing of real beauty, with stunning curves, indentations, and layers. Some folks, never happy unless they can define something unique, call the architectural style Internationalism, or Modernism or maybe Art Deco. Why pigeon-hole it? It’s a unique architectural masterpiece! As for the Kavanagh’s height: it sure is tall, but that shouldn’t impress us. The current world’s-tallest-building is 828 meters high, and sooner or later—probably sooner—someone will break the 1 kilometer barrier. But most of the modern skyscrapers taller than the Kavanagh are either Plain-Janes by comparison, or ostentatiously glitzy a la Vegas and Macau. The Kavanagh is a serenely beautiful architectural work, and a real part of Argentina’s cultural heritage. The Kavanagh is directly across from the Plaza General San Martin. But to really appreciate it, I recommend you view it from the SW corner of San Martin and the Av. del Libertador, (just east-nor’east of the Monument to the Fallen in Malvinas). Look at the Edificio Kavanagh. Then look at the remarkably ugly hotel on the opposite side of the intersection (I’ll refrain from mentioning its name) and the box-like modern high-rises with reflective windows beyond it. Then look back at the Kavanagh. It’s like comparing a Cellini chalice to a tin cup: they both hold water, but one’s a stupendous artistic work, and the other is, well, let’s say functional, at best. By the way: from the same corner, you also get a splendid view of another tall structure, the 1916 Torre Monumental. Mind you, the view I recommended is probably only the 2nd best Kavanagh Building view. The best one would be from one of the apartments at the top of the Kavanagh, looking down at us looking up. p.s. The visionary who commissioned the building was Corina Kavanagh, which is why the street’s named after her. The Basilica Santisimo Sacramento, just east of the Kavanagh, was also commissioned by a woman.
