Plaza San Martin

Most visitors arriving or leaving from Retiro Station pass through Plaza San Martin, and the square is a common stop on Buenos Aires sightseeing tours. A popular way to get around is by bike, and a cycling tour of North Buenos Aires will take you through the plaza en route to neighborhoods like Palermo, Recoleta, and Puerto Madero.

• The park has lots of benches and shady areas, making it a popular picnic spot.

• Look for a large selection of cafés, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs on and around the square.

• The wide walkways of San Martin are wheelchair accessible.

Plaza San Martin is located just south of the Retiro train station, at the northern end of Florida Avenue. The closest subway (subte) station is San Martin (Line C). The square is a major transport hub, with buses arriving from destinations all over Buenos Aires.

The square is busiest on summer weekends, when locals gather to picnic on the benches or sunbath in the park. The plaza is also a popular place for art exhibitions, events, sporting match screenings, and festivals, including a military parade that is held August 17 each year to mark the anniversary of the death of General San Martin.

Once home to Argentina’s last remaining bullring Plaza San Martin now hosts a number of monumental statues. There’s the Torre de Los Ingleses (English Tower), given to Argentina by the British in celebration of the 1810 revolution; the grand Monument to General Jose San Martín; and a poignant monument to those who lost their lives in the Falklands War. A number of impressive 20th-century buildings also line the square, including the luxurious Paz Palace.