Heart of Colonial Buenos Aires

About the audio tour

Travel five hundred years in the span of just a few blocks through the historic center of Buenos Aires. Follow the city's transformation from a remote Spanish colonial outpost to the cosmopolitan capital of an independent nation.

Major Landmarks

Cabildo, Metropolitan Cathedral, Casa Rosada, Manzana de las Luces

Directions to starting point

This tour is easily accessible by subway via lines A, D, or E. Take Line A to Perú, Line D to Catedral, or Line E to Bolivar. Once you reach street level, walk east toward the Plaza de Mayo. Alternately, you can take a taxi to "Plaza de Mayo." The tour begins on the southwest corner of the Plaza de Mayo, facing the Cabildo, a white two-story colonial structure with five sets of archways and a tower.

Tips

Places to stop along the way:

You can complete the walk without entering any of the sites, but I highly recommend stepping inside the Cabildo and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Guided tours are given at the Manzana de las Luces (daily 3pm, Spanish only) and the Casa Rosada (Saturday and Sunday only, bilingual English and Spanish).

Best time to walk:

If you would like to tour the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace), try the walk on Saturday or Sunday. On Sunday mornings some of the religious sites will be inaccessible, but the San Telmo Street Fair, a popular souvenir stop, will be in session.

Precautions:

As in any popular tourist district, be wary of pickpockets and keep an eye on your belongings.