Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada

Plaza de Mayo is where Buenos Aires began and where Argentine history has been made ever since. The square takes its name from the May Revolution of 1810, when the citizens of the colonial city gathered outside the Cabildo, the town council, and set the country on the road to independence; the white Pirámide de Mayo at its centre commemorates that first anniversary. At the eastern end stands the Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace, assembled in the late nineteenth century from earlier government buildings on the site of the old riverside fort. Its colour is the subject of competing legends, from a symbolic blend of the red and white of the country's rival political parties to whitewash mixed with ox blood, and its balcony is one of the most famous in the world: Juan and Eva Perón spoke to vast crowds from it, and it has seen celebrations, protests and football victories ever since. On the other sides of the square are the Cabildo, a whitewashed colonial building with arcades and a bell tower, now a museum of the revolution; the Metropolitan Cathedral, with a neoclassical portico that looks like a Greek temple and an interior that holds the mausoleum of General José de San Martín, the liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru, guarded by grenadiers in historic uniforms; and grand banks and ministries. The square is also a place of memory. Since 1977, during the military dictatorship, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, wearing their white headscarves, have walked around the pyramid on Thursday afternoons to demand justice for their disappeared children, and the headscarf symbols are painted on the paving. Visiting on a Thursday afternoon, respectfully, is one of the most moving experiences in the city.

Visiting the Casa Rosada: free guided tours of the palace usually run on weekends and public holidays, taking you through the ceremonial halls, the gallery of presidential busts, the patios and, when available, rooms used by the president, and they last about an hour. They are booked online through the official visits website, with English departures on some slots; bring the same passport you used to book, arrive early for the security check, and be aware that tours are always subject to presidential activity and can be changed or cancelled at short notice. Book a week or two ahead in high season. Behind the palace, the Museo Casa Rosada, set in the brick vaults of the old customs house and fort, is free, open from Wednesday to Sunday, and tells the story of Argentina through its presidents; its prize exhibit is Ejercicio Plástico, a whole room painted by the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, rescued and restored after decades in pieces.

The square is the starting point for the city's grand avenues. Avenida de Mayo runs west to the Congress, lined with Belle Époque buildings, the Café Tortoni, the city's most famous historic café, and the Palacio Barolo, an extraordinary office tower inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy with guided tours and a lighthouse-top viewpoint. The cathedral is free to enter, and the changing of the guard at San Martín's tomb takes place at regular intervals. The Cabildo museum is small but worth half an hour for its colonial rooms and the view from its balcony.

Practical notes: the square is often fenced or partly closed for demonstrations, which are a normal part of political life here and usually peaceful, but check the news and avoid large protests. Pickpockets work the area, as in any busy centre. The best plan is a weekend morning with a booked palace tour, then a walk down Avenida de Mayo to the Tortoni for coffee, or south along Calle Defensa into San Telmo. On a Sunday, combine it with the San Telmo fair, which begins a few blocks away.