500px Photo ID: 163678813 - Night shot of the Monument of General San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Michael Osterrieder / 500px

Plaza San Martín

Buenos Aires


French landscape architect Carlos Thays designed the leafy Plaza San Martín, which is surrounded by some of Buenos Aires’ most impressive public buildings. The park’s most prominent monument is an equestrian statue of José de San Martín; visiting dignitaries often come to honor the country’s liberator by leaving wreaths at its base. On the downhill side of the park you’ll see the Monumento a los Caídos de Malvinas, a memorial to the young men who died in the Falklands War.

Retiro was the site of a monastery during the 17th century, and later became the country retiro (retreat) of Agustín de Robles, a Spanish governor. Since then, Plaza San Martín – which sits on a bluff – has played host to a slave market, a military fort and even a bullring.

At the southern end of the plaza is Estación Retiro (Retiro train station), built by the British in 1915.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Buenos Aires attractions

1. Edificio Kavanagh

0.08 MILES

A feisty Irishwoman funded the construction of this handsome art deco–style apartment building, which was the tallest skyscraper in Latin America at the…

2. Monumento a los Caídos de Malvinas

0.1 MILES

On the downhill side of Plaza San Martín you’ll see the Monumento a los Caídos de Malvinas, a memorial to the 649 soldiers who died in the Falklands War …

3. Palacio Haedo

0.12 MILES

On an odd triangular block at the corner of Florida and Santa Fe, the neo-Gothic Palacio Haedo was the mansion of the Haedo family at the turn of the 19th…

4. Basílica de Santísimo Sacramento

0.12 MILES

In the shadow of the Kavanagh building is this French-style church built by the Anchorena family in 1916. Inside, check out the original tiled floor,…

5. Museo de Armas

0.12 MILES

This maze-like museum, in the basement of Palacio Paz, exhibits a frighteningly large collection of over 3500 bazookas, grenade launchers, cannons,…

6. Palacio Paz

0.13 MILES

Once the private residence of José C Paz – founder of the newspaper La Prensa – this opulent, French-style palace (1909) is the city's grandest. Inside…

7. Palacio San Martín

0.14 MILES

This impressive art nouveau mansion (1912) is actually three independent buildings around a courtyard. It was designed by Alejandro Christophersen for the…