El Centro: Tour, travel, apartment, hotel and city guide Buenos Aires

El Centro or the downtown neighbourhood is throbbing brain centre of Buenos Aires, marking the Obelisk as its epicentre. This proud barrio houses the major financial institutions, government buildings, cinemas, restaurants, famous shopping avenues and historical monuments. The buses that run through El Centro offer you access to the entire city and every subte line has its primary station in this barrio. From El Centro, take the 152 to arrive in Recoleta in 7 minutes and to Palermo in 15 minutes. Please note these times are estimates and depend on traffic and time of day.

Subte stations in El Centro are abundant. Line A begins in Plaza de Mayo and goes past Congress Centro Buenos Aires Square, Line B begins at L.N. Alem and goes through Abasto; Line C begins at Retiro and goes to the other main train station, Constitucion. Line D begins at Catedral and goes to Palermo and Belgrano and finally Line E begins at Bolivar and goes to the south of Buenos Aires city. Two of the most relevant historical landmarks of Buenos Aires, the Obelisk and Plaza de Mayo are located in El Centro. Buenos Aires always survives screaming highs and toppling lows and these landmarks are meeting points for celebration and protest, respectively. A quick tip, plan breakfast and your high tea at peak transport times as it stinks!

The Obelisk dates to 1936 celebrating the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Rio de la Plata. It stands in the middle of Avenida de Julio, said to be the worlds’ widest avenue. Cheering Porteños gathered at the Obelisk on occasions such as winning the World Cup in 1978 and seeing the city’s first snowfall in 89 years. The Obelisk connects to the Plaza de Mayo by Avenida Roque Saenz Peña, an ideal touring route.

Plaza de Mayo is the traditional protesting ground of Buenos Aires. This beautiful plaza faces the Casa Rosada where Evita spoke from the balcony. Labour unions and porteños gather here for peaceful demonstrations. Visitors are welcomed at these events and they serve as an excellent learning tool to understand Buenos Aires’ politics and social issues.

Stroll down Avenida de Mayo, one of its most important avenues that maintained its style throughout Argentina’s golden era. The intention was to link Casa Rosada to Congress Square.
Avenida Florida is the main ‘pedestrianised’ shopping street in this barrio. Along its 10 blocks, you will find some of the best leather outlets, bookstores, bars, fast-food outlets and restaurants. The end of Florida Street lands you in beautiful Plaza San Martin, known for its elegant cafes and shops. While during the day El Centro runs at a gentle roar, it calms down to a whisper in the evening and El Centro’s residential streets still provide very comfortable apartment blocks that are peaceful places to live. If you want to be in the tourist hub or you are in Buenos Aires for business, then this is the barrio for you.

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