Argentina Tours & Travel | The Neighborhoods of Buenos Aires: Downtown Buenos Aires
The Microcenter and Retiro neighborhoods are considered the downtown of Buenos Aires, starting at the Plaza San Martin on the edge of the Recoleta and continuing south to where San Telmo and Puerto Madero begin. This is modern Buenos Aires, commercial center for business and banking as well as upscale shopping, dining and living for the very rich, a popular destination on Argentina tours.
Return to Previous Page
-
Here you'll find the historic presidential palace, La Casa Rosada, so named for its vivid hue. The building houses the Executive Branch of government but is not the residence of the president. In the basement is a museum and a library collection of 17,000 volumes on the history of Argentina. Visitors on Argentina tours may visit some areas of the complex. Behind the palace is the La Plaza de Mayo where, from the balcony, huge crowds once gathered for the speeches of Juan and Eva Peron during their reign, an important historic site to visit when you travel to Argentina. Across the street from the plaza is the Metropolitan Cathedral, a 19th century church that holds the tomb of Argentina's liberator, General Jose de San Martin. Southern Explorations offers Argentina tours to this historic area on its Four Balconies Tour Extension.
-
The Microcenter contains two major pedestrian shopping promenades along the avenues of Florida and Lavalle, many first class hotels for visitors on Argentina tours, some tango history and many 19th century office buildings. The European-style Galerias Pacifico occupies one city-block along Florida. This elegant multi-use building contains two floors of shops, a third floor cultural center that features contemporary art shows and a tango school on the top floor.
-
The widest street in the world, the Avenida 9 de Julio, is here. Requiring three stoplights to cross, it commemorates the arrival of the Spanish and other important events in the city's history. The Plaza de la Republica with its 220-ft tall Obelisk fronts on the avenue. Here big crowds gather to share momentous occasions such as victory in a World Cup game. Not far away is the sumptuous 100-yr old Teatro Colon, South America's premier opera house. Performances here are a thrill for opera-lovers. Even for those who hate the art form, visiting this remarkable building on your Argentina tours can be fascinating.
-
The Retiro is home to several museums to visit when you travel to Argentina. Among them is the elegant Fernandez Blanco Museum of Latin American Art, housed in a 19th century Peruvian-style colonial mansion. It contains a collection of art, silver and furniture from colonial times. A visit to this museum is part of Southern Explorations' Fine Arts Tour Extension.
