Buenos Aires is riddled with landmarks that testify of major historical events that shaped both Buenos Aires and Argentina. On this page, foreign visitors will find numerous landmarks that should not be missed once you visit the city
Plaza de Mayo is the main square of the city, the administrative center of Buenos Aires, as well as a historical landmark where many revolutions and overthrows took place. The square is a distinctive orientation point because the entire city grew around the spot itself. Plaza del Mayo is home to several important buildings, including the city hall, the Argentine Parliament building and the Casa Rosada, or Red House. Moreover, the square is also home to the Metropolitan Cathedral, built during colonial times, as well as the building of the Central Bank of Argentina.
Casa Rosada – or the Pink House, is the seat of the government of Argentina, and the location of the presidential office. Casa Rosada was constructed in the same spot where a Spanish colonial fort used to stand. After Argentina won its independence, the fort was converted into a customs office by British architect Edward Taylor. In 1713, the building was further strengthened with a tougher frame, defensive towers, a watchtower, a drawbridge and a defensive moat. When the building’s strengthening process was completed in 1720, it was renamed “Castillo de San Miguel”. In 1820, the then-president Bernardino Rivadavia altered the fortress and swapped the drawbridge with a Neoclassical portico, and a part of the building became a Royal Treasury.
Teatro Colón is famous for its unbelievable acoustic capacities, stunning architecture, which make it one of the best opera houses in the world, together with the Scala of Milan, the Garnier of Paris and the Royal Opera House of London. Designed by Francesco Tamburini, Victor Meano and Jules Dormal, the Teatro Colón’s construction lasted over 20 years. It was opened in 1908, and some of the most important operas were performed in the venue, with the most renowned conductors, singers and dancers, including Igor Stravinsky, Daniel Barenboim (once a director of the Scala), Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, PlacÍdo Domingo and many more.
July 9 Avenue or 9 de Julio Avenue – the main avenue i.e. boulevard of Buenos Aires is called the 9 de Julio Avenue, named after the national day of independence, 9th July, 1816. The construction of this impressive avenue started in 1930, only to be finished in 1980, when it took the title of widest street in the world. This broad avenue is located about a kilometer to the west of Rio de la Plata. The bustling street is 140 meters wide, housing an astounding 12 lanes of traffic (six in each direction) and is almost impossible to cross without catching a red light.
The Metropolitan Cathedral is the main seat of Argentina’s Catholic church. This is the place where Pope Francis, then archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, served masses before becoming Pope in 2013. As you may already know, Pope Francis is an Argentina native, which is why a museum displaying some of his personal and church memorabilia was opened in his honor in the cathedral. The church that once stood where the Catedral Metropolitana is situated today was built by the orders of Juan de Garay in 1593. Since then, it saw many renovation efforts, the last one of which started in the 18th century, and was finally finished in mid-19th century.
