Historic Buenos Aires: Private Half-Day Walking Tour
Explore the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, 'the Paris of Latin America' on a half-day walking tour where you will learn about the historic and cultural highlights of Argentina's capital with your own private tour guide.
On your private tour you will:
- Take a stroll around Plaza de Mayo, an iconic 19th-century square in Buenos Aires that has witnessed remarkable moments throughout Argentina's history;
- Step into the magnificent Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, where Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, led mass as Archbishop until 2013;
- Travel back in time to the Cabildo, a public building in Buenos Aires, which used to be the seat of the Spanish coloniser's city council;
- Walk by Casa Rosada, where Argentina's president holds office, and find out the origin of its colour;
- Visit Museo del Bicentenario, also known as Museo Casa Rosada, inaugurated in 2011 to commemorate 200 years since Argentina's May Revolution;
- Visit San Ignacio Church (Iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola), built by a Jesuit architect to honour Saint Ignatius, the founder of the order;
- Dive into the oldest bookstore in Buenos Aires, Libreria de Ávila, opened in 1777 by Professor Francisco Salvio Marull;
- Step into one of Buenos Aires’ great culinary icons: Café Tortoni, inaugurated in 1858 and famous for its delicious hot chocolate and churros!;
- Learn about Argentine politics from the 19th century to the current day at the Congreso de la Nacion Argentino.
A city famous for its faded colonial grandeur with Spanish, French, and Italian architecture, the buzz and colour of its local neighbourhoods, a complex and dramatic political past, its steaks, nightlife, classical and street art, live music and of course, the tango! Buenos Aires is a melting pot of cultures, and on your tour, you will explore the highlights this incredible city has to offer with your expert private guide.
Your tour begins in the historic and iconic Plaza de Mayo, where you’ll learn about a number of remarkable moments in Argentina’s history. Several major landmarks surround the Plaza including the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace and seat of the government) the Cabildo (the city council during the colonial era), the May Pyramid, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires – whose most famous cardinal is the current Pope Francis, the city hall, the financial district and the Equestrian monument to General Manuel Belgrano.
You will hear about Madres y Abuelas (Mothers and Grandmothers) de Plaza de Mayo, an NGO of women who campaign for the safe return of their relatives taken during a dark period of Argentina's history – the Dirty War. On April 30th in 1977, they gathered for the first time in this historic square to demand the safe delivery of their children and grandchildren who had been kidnapped, tortured and disappeared by the military dictatorship.
The Cabildo is an iconic building in Argentinian history that was the centre of the 1810 May Revolution. Walking around the square, you will learn about the importance of the surrounding buildings and their role in the past two centuries, as your guide will tell you the tales of SI, the state intelligence service, and Argentina’s tumultuous financial history.
Stopping at the presidential palace of Casa Rosada, you will venture into the catacombs of the old colonial fort, now the Museo del Bicentenario; a place where presidential memorabilia stands alongside old finds from Buenos Aires’ colonial past.
Walking down Avenida de Mayo you will step inside the iconic Café Tortoni; a place synonymous with Argentinian delicacies – hot chocolate and churros – and with a history going back to 1858.
Your last stop will be the Congreso de la Nacion Argentino. Situated as a counterweight to the Casa Rosada at the end of the Avenida de Mayo, it is where Argentine lawmakers meet and deliberate. A fantastic place to learn about the multiple deviations of Argentine politics, and to find out why Eva Peron, known more commonly as Evita – “Don’t cry for me Argentina”, is still so popular here!
*Please note: the museum is only open on weekends. This is a minor part of your tour, and your guide will substitute it with other equally impressive attractions. However, if you wish to visit the museum with a guide, be sure to book a weekend tour.
