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Buenos Aires · History

From Colonial Fort to Capital: Buenos Aires in Six Stops

This walk follows the thread of Buenos Aires history from its political heart. You start in front of the Casa Rosada, built over the old fort, cross the Plaza de Mayo, step into the world of 1810 between the Cabildo and the Cathedral, discover the block where the Jesuits taught, and finish in San Telmo, the colonial neighbourhood that yellow fever left behind.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.3 km
  • 1 h 45 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The white Cabildo of Buenos Aires with its arches and clock tower

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Casa RosadaA pink palace built over the fort that defended the city from the late 16th century.
  2. 2 Plaza de Mayo and the May PyramidThe city's first patriotic monument hides another pyramid inside it: the original one from 1811.
  3. 3 Metropolitan CathedralA Greek-temple façade, a biblical relief with a political message and the tomb of General San Martín.
  4. 4 The CabildoThe building where the end of Spanish rule was decided lost half its arches to new avenues.
  5. 5 Manzana de las LucesThe Jesuits' block became the cradle of the city's university and culture: hence its name, the «Block of Enlightenment».
  6. 6 Plaza DorregoWhere ox carts stopped before entering the city, independence was sworn, and today San Telmo's heart beats.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From Colonial Fort to Capital: Buenos Aires in Six Stops

The May Revolution, on the ground

The Cabildo, the Pyramid and the Cathedral set the stage of May 1810, just a few steps from one another.

Layers of city

A fort beneath a palace, a pyramid inside another and tunnels under a Jesuit block: Buenos Aires was built on top of itself.

From square to neighbourhood

You end in Plaza Dorrego, where ox carts once stopped and where independence was sworn in 1816.

Keep exploring

More routes in Buenos Aires

Back to Buenos Aires
Mysteries & legendsUnderground Buenos Aires: Tunnels, Cannonballs and Forbidden Love EssentialsEssential Buenos Aires: From Plaza de Mayo to the Obelisk