Architecture Tours
Art Nouveau & Art Deco Walking Tour of Buenos Aires
This tour is a journey through the golden age of early 20th-century design in neighborhoods like Barrio Norte, Retiro, and Balvanera. It focuses on the exquisite details of a style that defined the city's cosmopolitan aspirations. You'll learn to distinguish the organic, floral ironwork of French-inspired Art Nouveau (look for the iconic Casa de los Lirios) from the sleek, geometric elegance of Art Deco, seen in towering apartment buildings and the spectacular Edificio Kavanagh. The tour delves into the stories of the immigrant architects and the cultural moment that produced these stunning facades, offering a concentrated look at an era of unparalleled ornamental beauty
Palacios, Plazas & Power: The Political Architecture of Microcentro
Explore how architecture has been used to project state power and national identity in the dense heart of Buenos Aires. This walk through Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo, and the Congressional Plaza connects monumental buildings to the political history they represent. You'll analyze the neoclassical Casa Rosada, the grandiose Palacio del Congreso, and the opulent Palacio Barolo, understanding their symbolic roles and the European models they emulated.
The Modernist Tour: Puerto Madero & the Rationalist Revolution
Witness the dramatic shift in the 20th century from ornate historicism to sleek functionalism. This tour contrasts the old port warehouses of Puerto Madero with their avant-garde transformations and explores nearby icons of Modernist and Brutalist architecture. You'll study masterpieces like the Banco de Londres (today the HSBC Building) by Clorindo Testa—a groundbreaking Brutalist landmark—and other rationalist structures that rejected decoration in favor of concrete, glass, and pure form.
Architecture Tours
Hidden Courtyards & Mansions of San Telmo & Montserrat
Step off the cobblestone streets and behind the deceptively simple facades of Buenos Aires's oldest neighborhoods. This intimate tour grants you access to the secret heart of colonial and early Republican architecture: the interior courtyards (patios) and grand conventillos. You'll explore hidden passages, admire Italianate marble staircases, and stand in sun-drenched patios of former mansions, now often divided into collective housing. The experience brings to life the city's social history, from elite single-family homes to tenements for immigrants, revealing a layered, residential architecture not visible from the sidewalk.
The Recoleta Cemetery & Architectural Symbolism Tour
More than a simple cemetery visit, this is a profound exploration of funerary architecture as a statement of wealth, faith, and social competition. Within the iconic Recoleta Cemetery, an outdoor museum of marble and sculpture, an architectural guide decodes the diverse styles: neoclassical temples, ornate Art Deco mausoleums, and Gothic Revival chapels. You'll learn how families used architects and sculptors to craft eternal legacies, interpreting the symbolism in the materials, shapes, and iconography. This tour provides a unique, concentrated study of how architectural language extends even into the realm of memory and mortality.
The Modernist Tour: Puerto Madero & the Rationalist Revolution
Discover the cutting-edge face of Buenos Aires in the trendsetting Palermo district, particularly Palermo Hollywood and Soho. This tour focuses on 21st-century design, adaptive reuse, and sustainable urban planning. You'll see how old factories have been transformed into chic lofts, analyze the innovative use of materials in new residential and commercial buildings, and visit curated spaces like the MALBA museum. The guide discusses the forces of gentrification, the influence of global design trends, and how contemporary Argentine architects are creating a new vernacular that respects the urban fabric while pushing aesthetic and functional boundaries.