Saturday, October 20, 2007
Buenos Aires City Tour Itinerary

During this exciting tour around Buenos Aires we will get to know the city’s most traditional neighbourhoods.
     Our tour begins in the May Square, where we will admire the main buildings that sum up the power of the city: the Casa Rosada (Pink House), office quarters of the President, the Cabildo (City Hall), a colonial building that witnessed the most important political events of the 19th century, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, a true work of religious art, influenced by Neoclassical architecture.
     We leave the square towards San Telmo that still preserves its colonial constructions and its original cobbled streets. Once there we will visit one of the many antique shops in the area, and also Dorrego’s Square, that every Sunday houses the traditional San Telmo´s Antique Fair. There one can buy from art pieces and deco objects to used books and second-hand clothing.
     This tour continues in La Boca that owes its joyful spirit and its cultural mixture to the immigrants that settled here at the end of the 19th century. The neighbourhood has its own identity that is reflected in its colourful wooden houses and its once very populated tenements. We will visit the famous Caminito (little path), whose name was inspired by a tango song, and we will pass by the Boca Juniors Stadium, witness of the enthusiastic passion porteños feel for football.
     We continue our visit in Puerto Madero, a very sophisticated area very close to the river that was totally remodelled and redesigned in the nineties, and continues to grow with residential and commercial projects. At the moment it houses the most elegant and chic restaurants and bars in town, as well as exclusive apartment buildings.
     Once we leave Puerto Madero, we head towards the north, where we find Retiro, Recoleta and Palermo. There we evoke the first decades of the 20th century, Argentina’s true Belle Époque, when the country shaped up as one of the main powers. At that time Paris was the cultural capital of the world and the aristocracy of Buenos Aires tried to recreate in their city the affluence of the elegant French metropolis.
     In our way to Recoleta, we will pass by the splendid San Martín Square, surrounded by elegant buildings of French architecture, where we begin our journey along the most aristocratic areas of Buenos Aires.
     Once in Recoleta, we observe the Parisian air of Alvear Avenue, home of the most exclusive fashion shops, the Promenade of Pilar, and the famous Basilic of Our Lady of Pilar, that in spite of being the second oldest in the city, stands out because of the perfect state of preservation of its lovely colonial style. Our visit will not be complete until we have entered the legendary Recoleta Cemetery. There the most outstanding figures of aristocracy, politics and the arts rest in peace. We will visit the tomb of Eva Perón, whose presence here does not cease to surprise because of her rejection by the upper classes.
     We end our tour in the traditional neighbourhood of Palermo, the main green area in town, strolling along its leafy trees, rose gardens, lakes and large parks designed by the famous French landscaper Charles Thays due to the centenary of the May Revolution. There we will admire the luxurious French palaces that were built in the style of the most important European capital cities, which nowadays house embassies and international organizations.

Approximate duration: 5 hours.