Plaza de Mayo: Buenos Aires Travel Guide (4.6★)

A square built for shouting

Argentina’s politics still happen here. The plaza takes its name from the May Revolution of 1810, when crowds gathered outside the Cabildo and the push toward independence began. Since then it has hosted rallies, coups, celebrations and the protests that carry on today.

Stand by the obelisk-like Pirámide de Mayo in the centre and turn slowly. Every building around you has a part in that story.

What surrounds you

The square is small enough to cross in a couple of minutes. The landmarks sit right on its edges:

• Casa Rosada (east): the pink presidential palace. Perón and Evita addressed the crowds from its balcony. The Belgrano equestrian statue stands in front of it.
• Cabildo (west): the whitewashed colonial town hall with arcades, where the 1810 revolution played out. It now houses a museum.
• Catedral Metropolitana (north-west corner): a neoclassical columned front that looks more like a temple than a church. Inside is the mausoleum of General José de San Martín, guarded by Granaderos in their 19th-century uniforms. Pope Francis served here as archbishop.
• Pirámide de Mayo (centre): put up in 1811 and the city’s oldest national monument.
• Banco de la Nación (north side): a heavy stone headquarters that tells you this is also the financial district.

Look down around the pyramid. White headscarves are painted on the paving stones, a tribute to the Madres de Plaza de Mayo.

Reading the plaza properly

This is one of the most visited spots in Buenos Aires, so don’t come expecting it to yourself. What helps is knowing what you’re looking at.

• Thursday afternoons: the Madres de Plaza de Mayo have walked around the pyramid every week since 1977, demanding answers about the people disappeared under the dictatorship. Watch quietly from the edge. Don’t join the circle or photograph faces up close unless someone invites you to.
• Protests: marches arrive without warning, and metal barriers sometimes split the square in two. They are usually peaceful. If the crowd is large, keep to the cathedral side.
• Casa Rosada tours: guided visits run on some weekends and must be booked ahead through the official government site. Bring your passport.
• Cathedral etiquette: it is a working church. Cover your shoulders, keep your voice down during Mass and don’t step past the Granaderos’ rope.
• Pickpockets: they work the busy edges by the Subte exits. Carry your phone in a front pocket.

Getting there and walking on

Three Subte lines stop here. Line A’s Plaza de Mayo station comes up on the Avenida de Mayo side. Line D’s Catedral station is by the cathedral, and Line E’s Bolívar station is by the Cabildo. Every turnstile takes the rechargeable SUBE card, which you can buy at kiosks and some stations.

From the square, Avenida de Mayo heads west for about 1.5 km to the Congreso building. Its turn-of-the-century façades and balconies were modelled on Madrid’s boulevards. Café Tortoni, open since 1858, sits on this stretch and usually has a queue at the door.

Head south down Calle Defensa and you’re in San Telmo within 15 minutes. Its Sunday street fair runs along that same street. Go east behind the Casa Rosada and you reach the waterfront at Puerto Madero.

Allow an hour for the square and the cathedral, longer if you go into the Cabildo museum. Daylight works best: the Casa Rosada’s pink shows properly then, and the surrounding offices are busy on weekdays.