Location: El Centro (Downtown)
Top Things to do in El Centro (Downtown)
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Things to do in Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District: The Best Sights & Landmarks
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. Basilica Maria Auxiliadora y San Carlos
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 42 reviews
2. Catedral Primada
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,255 reviews
This 1827 cathedral, a mixture of several architectural styles, houses the remains of Argentine Liberator General Jose de San Martin in a marble mausoleum.
Reviewed By 251wesleyc - Tucson, United States
AKA Catedral Metropolitano in some guidebooks. 8th Catholic Church to be built on this site -- consecrated in 1836. Greco-Roman style with 12 columns for the 12 apostles. The interior is much more impressive than the exterior (which looks more like a courthouse). Gorgeous main altar and multiple beautiful side chapels. Beautiful mosaic tile floors. Be sure to look for the masoleum holding the remains of General Jose de San Martin, the hero of Argentina's war for independence from Spain. A "must see" attraction located on the Plaza de Mayo near the Casa Rosada.
3. Calle Defensa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14,536 reviews
Architectural landmarks in the city’s oldest neighborhood have been restored, and this revitalized area is distinctly artistic, with cafes, antique shops, cobblestone streets and lots of artists and dancers.
Reviewed By pnc87
Loved staying in this historic part of Buenos Aires. The Sunday flea market is amazing, the restaurants, wine bars, tango displays, pop-up music events, gorgeous 19th century architecture, cobblestone streets, art galleries, unique local designer shops, this place has it all. And it even had a few restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which was a nice surprise.
4. 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.
5. Centro Cultural Kirchner
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,011 reviews
The communications office of Buenos Aires, a scintillating example of the city's gorgeous architecture.
Reviewed By LaOsa_life - Munich, Germany
I visited this center several times for free concerts. They all have been high level quality and they were from classic to tango music! Never in my life I found a place like this anywhere.
6. Centro Naval
7. Palacio Barolo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,855 reviews
The PALACIO illustrates and pays tribute to THE DIVINE COMEDY written by DANTE ALIGHIERI. This building shows a unique architectural style, mingling the neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic appearance followed by the dome, with its original hindu design, which belongs to the region of Bhubaneshwar. It represents the tantric union between Dante and Beatrice, both protagonists of The Divine Comedy.
Reviewed By myom624 - Coquitlam, Canada
It was a great time had during the tour (of about an hour & a half from about 11 15 am to 12 45 pm) of this 1920's building inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy in which I ascended from Hell through Purgatory to Heaven (as the floors of the Building are grouped in such way) while along the way was also like a metaphorical or symbolic "purifying of your soul", and yes it's from Heaven meaning the level with small balconies just before the Lighthouse (on the very top of the Building) then the Lighthouse itself that you get "pretty phenomenal" 360-degree views of the city especially to the west (where actually at just a very short distance from this building is the "spacious rectangular" Plaza Congreso & the green-domed building of Congreso Nacional past the plaza) and to the east (where the view is all the way to the "super tall" high-rises of the Puerto Madero waterfront and where you'll also see a little to the southeast one side of the two-sided Eva Peron's mural on Avenida 9 de Julio). As for the "structural part" of the Building: it was a "nice variety" of taking the old "original elevator" (likely the same one from the 1920's), the wide spiral stairways & also the "quite narrow" spiral stairway to the Lighthouse; sitting inside the Lighthouse with its big round-shaped light so close by was something I'd never done before (although I got inside two more of them later on in Uruguay); the fairly-big deck on the back side with the big "green facade" of like an Indian-styled architecture was quite awesome to look at (on our way down from the Lighthouse); and finally it was pretty great to get to sit behind the owner's desk in his office where there's also a copy of the "original Divine Comedy" (the last stop of the tour before going back down). So, the only thing somewhat on the downside about this site is the cost of the tour (which was 700 or so argentina pesos or about 20 US$ as of last January when I visited) was like more than twice of what I paid later at Palacio Salvo in Montevideo (which is like the "sister site" of this site) although yes what justifies the cost here I would say is its great views from above (as mentioned above) which you won't get at Palacio Salvo (with no top-floor balconies to go out for a view there & just kind of a "limited view" from its very top); and yes also my "great thanks" are to our tour guide Lucy for her "wonderful friendliness" and for her great knowledge of the Building (& the Divine Comedy too) who really just kept us all informed of all we needed to know throughout the tour. If coming by metro, Saenz Pena Station (Line A) is where to get off which is just conveniently right in front of this building on Avenida de Mayo. And apart from Plaza Congreso & the Congreso Nacional building (as mentioned above where it just takes about 5 minutes by turning left after coming out of here and going through the Plaza to the front gate of Congress), it's actually also not too far to the east end of that avenue (about a 15-minute walk to the right after coming out of here with also Avenida 9 de Julio to cross along the way) where there's Plaza de Mayo with Casa Rosada Presidential Palace & Metropolitan Cathedral (with the tomb of the libertador General San Martin).
8. Basilica Nuestra Senora de la Merced
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 175 reviews
Reviewed By 311queenj - California, United States
This church is about a 5 minute walk from the Catedral Metropolitana in the Plaza de Mayo. While not as large as the Metropolitan Cathedral, Merced has more history and ornate artwork. We had to come back two different days because it was not open the first or second time we passed by. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy) is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Spain. The original monastery was built in 1603 by the Mercedarian Friars of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, and was one of the oldest in Buenos Aires. The church contains the oldest historic archive of the city, dating back earlier than 1884. In 1733, construction of the Merced Basilica began on the old monastery grounds. In 1894, the church exterior was renovated in the neo-Renaissance style, and in 1905, the facade carving was added, depicting General Belgrano's 1812 victory against the Spanish in Tucuman during the war for independence. The church was declared a basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1917, and the building was declared a National Historical Monument in 1942. The building features both Baroque and Rococo styles. The baroque golden grand altar and the frescoes are impressive, to say the least. Though many of the church artifacts were destroyed during the anti church riots of 1955, the church still contains many of the original furnishings, and decorative items, such as the wooden Cristo de la Humildad y Paciencia, that was carved from a single tree. The basilica has beautiful stained glass windows, incredible painted arched ceilings, and an impressive collection of sculptures and artwork. Gold-leaf paint and gilding gleam from the walls, ceiling, altars, arches, pillars, etc. The detail here is almost overwhelming. Be sure to stop in and check it out!
9. Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,667 reviews
Reviewed By 277vincentm - New Orleans, United States
Early one evening, I noticed an interesting-looking church on a side street. I wandered over to see its facade, but a wedding was taking place, and the church was still open. The ceremony limited my ability to explore, but what a stunningly beautiful church: both overall, and in detail. (Note: I’m not Catholic, so if I say anything incorrect, my apologies in advance; I approach Basilica Santisimo Sacramento as you might approach a Sikh gurdwara or a Shinto jinja, strictly from a cultural and architectural perspective). Creation: Doña Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena, having spent years in France, and inspired by her favourite Parisian church (I suspect Sainte-Chapelle), wanted to build something similar in Buenos Aires. She covered 100% of the cost of this church: a very wealthy señora indeed! The church, based on a Parisian design, was consecrated in 1916 (a great year to be as far from France as you could get), and was promptly declared a minor basilica by the Pope. This church merits that honour. “Minor” is not pejorative; four ancient Roman churches are the only major basilicas: period. It doesn’t matter if Brunelleschi designed your dome, Giotto built your bell-tower, and Ghiberti did the doors: if you’re not one of those four churches, the best you can ever get is minor. Facade: The basilica’s facade is tall, narrow, and hemmed in by surrounding buildings all around, so you’re forced to look up at it from close by, rather than across a plaza or other open space, where you could get a better perspective. The style is Beaux-Art, with a heavy emphasis on neoclassicism. The arrangement of decorative arches on the facade is clever: in some places, a single arch is visually “supported” by two pillars. In others, two arches side-by-side are “supported” by only three pillars, the central one doing double-duty. Or, try four arches supported by seven pillars: the two-arch/three-pillar design but with a large third arch supported by two pillars right beside the outer double-arch pillars. And then a fourth arch over the third one, supported by two more pillars bracketing the third arch’s. And finally, at ground level, we get a trio of real arches and pillars, one before each door into the church. The bottom three arches actually do the work of an arch, supporting weight; the others are purely decorative. And back at top centre, within one arch high above them all: a remarkable marble sculpture of two kneeling angels worshipping the host: a stern padre is holding up an elaborate golden monstrance with rays radiating out from the host in its centre. A monstrance is a decorative objet d’art which displays the sacred host: the wafer used for Holy Communion; a monstrance with rays projecting out of it, as you see on the church facade, is called a solar monstrance. Right! So walk into the church and stare straight ahead at the fabulously beautiful altar, and what do you see smack dab in the middle of it? A real golden solar monstrance, the spitting image of the one on the facade! All this is sublimely appropriate, since the church’s name is Santisimo Sacramento: “the most holy sacrament” aka Eucharist (the other six sacraments, from baptism to extreme unction, including the matrimony those Porteños were celebrating, are santo, but not santisimo; see Facade and Monstrance photos). Interior: what you immediately notice is how light it is, thanks to all those windows (see Interior photo). That photo also gives a hint of the transept, off to the left. The nave is bright and cheerful; the aisles on either side of the nave are set off by pillars; (see Nave photo). The light beige ceiling above the nave is a rib vault (see Rib Vault photo). The elegant “second-story” galleries immediately above the aisles (called the triforium) are vaulted as well, and separated from the nave by an arcade with bright arches resting on shining black pillars. Above the triforium, the outside walls close in on the nave, so the stained glass windows at this topmost level (called the clerestory) get plenty of sunlight, another factor in the airy, bright nature of the interior. The clerestory windows continue to provide natural light throughout the nave, wrap around the transept, and then light up the ambulatory and apse (See Triforium and Clerestory photo). The apse (the front of the church from the transept to the altar) is stunning: the stained glass is breathtaking; the altar is made of beautifully-sculpted marble of various colors, particularly white Carrera marble, the same stone that Michelangelo used for David, Moses, and the Medici Chapel. The apse also has beautiful frescos (see Apse photo). I had a telephoto lens, but I do wish I could have gotten closer. Unfortunately, the only circumstance where it’s proper to interrupt a wedding by running up to the altar, is if you’re the decent chap who really loves the bride, and you’ve just obtained proof that the groom who’s only after her fortune, is still legally married to a woman up in Bogota; I didn’t fit that description. However, even way back at the stern of the SS Santisimo Sacramento, I could confirm the quality of the materials used, thanks to the side chapels (see Side Chapel photo) and the ornate craftsmanship on the wooden pulpit and confessionals, which were somewhat within line-of-sight (see Pulpit and Confessionals photos). Something as simple as the holy water font was elaborately carved and constructed from four—count ‘em—four different types of marble (see Font photo). Saintology: A close inspection of the stained glass windows here may introduce you to quite a few saints you’ve never heard of before. Several were brand new to me, though they might be famed throughout both Spain and Latin America. For example, one window honorus St. Hermengild, an early 6th century Iberian Visigoth prince who rebelled against his father the king. He lost the war first, and his head second. Saints have associated sacred symbols (Patrick-shamrock, George-dragon, Augustine-tedious books) and Hermengild’s is a headsman’s axe: on the stained-glass window, there’s one axe in the main portrait of the saint, and another down below in a smaller vignette of his actual beheading (see Hermengild photo). Pipes: The church’s pipe organ is a monster: French-built, with 4983 “sound tubes.” Thanks to the wedding, I got to hear the organ: it’s impressive. If you’re Catholic, I’d recommend going to Mass on some special occasion when they’re sure to be playing the organ, such as Saint Hermengild Day. p.s. 1: One morbid reflection: you know, given what this church is made of, and when it was built, it struck me that the same Catholic Italian freighter crews that carried beautiful Carrera marble to Buenos Aires for this basilica, may have loaded up with deadly munitions to take back to Italy, for use against Catholic Austrians on the Isonzo Front. Argentina was wise to stay out of that cataclysm. p.s. 2: After writing the above, I scanned other TA reviews. Apparently this church is a popular tour stop (I can see why). Some reviewers state that this is a cathedral, where the current Pope Francis presided, and where José de San Martin’s tomb is located. It’s a minor basilica, not a cathedral. Pope Francis might very well have had some connection with Santisima Sacramento at some point in his career, but once he became archbishop of Buenos Aires, his official seat would have been the Metropolitan Cathedral. José de San Martin’s tomb is in the Cathedral, not here, though it’s squirrelled away even there, for theological reasons. (Francisco Pizarro’s is proudly displayed in Lima’s cathedral, but Pizarro was never a Freemason.)
