Buenos Aires: Tour ed esperienze

Set on the bank of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires is Argentina's capital and a city built by immigration — Spanish, Italian, and more — which is why its boulevards can feel closer to Paris or Madrid than to the rest of the continent. The civic heart is Plaza de Mayo, ringed by the pink Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the Metropolitan Cathedral, and still the stage for Argentine political life.

From there, Avenida de Mayo runs west past the extraordinary Palacio Barolo and the century-old cafés to the Congreso, crossing the Obelisco and the vast Avenida 9 de Julio on the way. North lie the aristocratic quarters of Retiro and Recoleta, with their French-inspired mansions, Plaza San Martín and the famous cemetery; south are the cobbles and antique markets of San Telmo. Tango, football and a fierce café culture are never far from any of it.

Our Buenos Aires experiences are guided walks led by local porteño guides, and all of them are free tours — you pay your guide what you think the tour was worth at the end:

• The heart of the city — a three-hour walk from the Congreso along Avenida de Mayo to Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, taking in the Obelisco and the Palacio Barolo.
• Aristocratic Buenos Aires — two and a half hours through Retiro and Recoleta, past the palaces of Calle Arroyo and Avenida Alvear, and the story of the families who built them.
• Argentine history, told properly — guides connect Perón, the immigration waves, tango and football to the way the city lives today, rather than reciting dates at monuments.

Tours run in English and Spanish depending on the departure. More Buenos Aires experiences are being added by our local guides — availability, languages and duration for each tour are shown in the live listings above.

Buenos Aires is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are reversed. Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) are the best times to walk the city — warm days, cool evenings and the jacarandas in bloom in November.

Summer (December to February) is hot and humid and the city empties out as locals head for the coast; morning tours are far more comfortable. Winter (June to August) is mild rather than cold and rarely freezes, which makes it a quiet, cheap and perfectly walkable season. Bring comfortable shoes and a layer for the river breeze whenever you come.