A revolutionary square, colonial tunnels and cafés where half of tango was written.
Buenos Aires was founded twice, became the capital of a viceroyalty and reinvented itself as South America's great European-style metropolis. Between Plaza de Mayo, the cobbles of San Telmo and Avenida de Mayo you'll find the fort beneath the Casa Rosada, Jesuit tunnels and the cafés of Borges and Gardel. Three free routes to explore on foot, at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the essentials.
From the fort that once watched over the river to the square where the May Revolution was born, and on to the colonial streets of San Telmo.
Colonial tunnels of uncertain purpose, 1807 cannon marks on a church tower, a buried stream and the riverbank where the first Buenos Aires starved.
The square of great rallies, the most famous café, a skyscraper inspired by Dante, Congress, Teatro Colón and the Obelisk.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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A day in the city
Link the three routes and you will see the best of the city on foot, for free: the essentials in the morning, history in the afternoon and legends as the sun goes down.
Morning
Afternoon
Early evening
Where to eat. Try Asado and bife de chorizo at Chiquilín.
What to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Grilled meat is almost a religion in Buenos Aires: short ribs, chorizo, blood sausage and a juicy sirloin strip, with chimichurri and a salad. Chiquilín, heir to a 1927 tavern, serves it in a dining room with hams hanging from the ceiling.
Where to try it
Thick, fluffy and overflowing with mozzarella: the pizza of Avenida Corrientes is a child of Italian immigration, but it has an identity all its own. Order it standing at the counter, with a slice of fainá on top, a thin chickpea-flour flatbread.
Where to try it
Golden baked pastry filled with hand-cut beef, chicken, sweetcorn or ham and cheese; each crimped edge signals the filling. Eat them with your hands, as a starter or a whole meal.
Where to try it
The classic Buenos Aires breakfast: a café con leche with medialunas, small glossy croissants made with butter or lard and brushed with syrup. Best enjoyed in a historic café, with marble tables and waiters in jackets.
Where to try it
Italian heritage turned Buenos Aires into an ice-cream capital, ordered by the cone or by the kilo to take home. Dulce de leche, in all its variations, is the flavour you can't skip.
Where to try it
