Bird’s-Eye Buenos Aires: 6 of the Best Lookouts and Viewpoints in the City
Where to go to enjoy some great views of the city.
Much of our time in Buenos Aires is spent at ground level, navigating the energetic rhythm of daily life via calles, cafés and colectivos. The streets we pound are bathed in a mishmash of architectural masterpieces shaped by waves of immigration. But it’s often all too easy to pass them without thought. Step above it all, however, and an entirely different story of Art Nouveau towers and Neoclassical domes unfolds. These five viewpoints aren’t the tallest buildings in the city, though they have one thing in common: they let you see the city, not just move through it.
1. Torre Monumental
At the heart of Retiro is the Torre Monumental clock tower, a gift from the city’s British residents to honor Argentina’s century of independence in 1916. Originally called Torre de los Ingleses, but changed following the Malvinas/Falklands conflict, it’s constructed from red brick and carved stone imported from England. The 60-meter-tall monument’s facade displays the coat of arms of Argentina and the United Kingdom, as well as artwork representing Scotland. Its upper four sides feature replicas of the clock faces of the Palace of Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben). And it plays the same Westminster Quarters melody as its more famous London counterpart.
The tower’s panoramic lookout deck is accessible from the 6th floor, about 40 meters above the neat gardens of Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (formerly Plaza Británica). Views reach across the rooftops of Retiro, Plaza San Martín, Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, and Río de la Plata. Information on the protective glass panels signals some of the neighborhood’s most emblematic buildings. They include the British-built Estación Mitre (Retiro) train station and art deco-style Edificio Kavanagh, which was once Latin America’s tallest building.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; weekends and holidays, 10am to 6pm
Admission: Residents $2,000; tourists $10,000; free on Wednesday
2. Mirador Obelisco
For many, the intersection of the 16-lane Avenida 9 de Julio (the world’s widest avenue) and Avenida Corrientes (the city’s theater district) is the beating heart of Buenos Aires. This is also where you’ll find one of its most iconic sights. El Obelisco. The 67.5-meter-tall, 8-meter-wide stone pillar was unveiled in 1936 to mark the city's fourth century since its founding by Pedro de Mendoza. It occupies the site of a former colonial church, where the Argentine flag was first hoisted in the city. In modern times, it has become the meeting point for football fans celebrating victories for both club and country.
The lookout only opened to the public in 2023. Previously, access was reserved for maintenance or a you-need-to-know-someone experience. Even then, the way up was via a claustrophobic 206-step ladder. Now, an elevator takes you up to 55 meters, from where you need to climb a 35-step spiral staircase. Four viewing windows line up perfectly with the north-south direction of 9 de Julio and the east-west direction of Corrientes. They offer top-down views of the city’s busiest streets and major landmarks, including Teatro Colón. Look for the curios chalet perched atop a building on the corner of 9 de Julio and Sarmiento. And if you sense a slight tremor, it’s not an earthquake, just the Subte passing underground.
Opening hours: Daily, 9am to 9pm
Admission: Adults $36,000, children $29,000
3. Palacio Barolo
Few city buildings have a layered and eccentric story to match Palacio Barolo. Italian architect Mario Palanti’s masterpiece is a full-scale interpretation of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. From the ornamental street-level passageway to the balconies, tower, and dome, it’s split into Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Buenos Aires’ tallest building until Edifico Kavanagh came along, the palace’s searchlight once communicated with Palanti’s Palacio Salvo in Montevideo. The light was used to signal the result of a 1923 boxing match between Argentine heavyweight Luis Ángel Firpo and Jack Dempsey. However, it flashed the wrong color, sending local onlookers into a moment of false joy.
Guided tours of the palace and lookout travel from the shadowy lower levels of Hell to the elevator-reached balconies of Purgatory, and a stairway climb to Paradise. Open-air balconies on the 15th floor overlook Avenida de Mayo, with uninterrupted views of Plaza de Congresso and the Art Nouveau-style Confitería del Molino. From here, more steps climb into the working lighthouse. Tours last from 90 minutes to two hours, with the evening visit finishing with a wine tasting.
Opening hours: Daily, except Tuesday
Admission: Daytime: Residents $36,000, tourists $50.000; Night: Residents $50,000, tourists $63,000
Location: Avenida de Mayo 1370, Monserrat
4. Galería Güemes
Galeria Guemes is another landmark that once held the title of the city’s tallest building. The opulent, 100-meter-tall shopping gallery opened in 1916 amid the bustle of Microcentro. From the 14th floor, a staircase opens out onto a cupola and panoramic views of downtown. Of particular note in the surrounding skyline are the domes of Edificio Otto Wuff, the spires of Edificio Benrich, and the tower of the Buenos Aires City Legislature. On exceptionally clear days, it’s possible to make out areas in southern Greater Buenos Aires, the modern towers of Zona Norte, and Uruguay’s coastline (with a degree of imagination).
On the way in or out, it’s worth lingering to observe the building’s Art Nouveau decorations, including its interior glass domes, decorative arches, and bronze work. French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry lived on the sixth floor, from which he wrote Vol de nuit (Night Flight), based on his time in the city while working as a postal pilot. Legend goes that he kept a seal, brought from southern Argentina, as a pet in his bathtub. Café, clothing and accessory shops line the ground floor passageway, maintaining the original commercial aspect of the arcade. And Palacio Tango puts on tango shows and concerts in the basement.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.40pm
Admission: $5,000
Location: Florida 165, San Nicolás
5. Café Proa
While not a view from a great height, the café at the Fundación Proa art gallery delivers a unique perspective of La Boca. From the alfresco terrace, or indoors via huge floor-to-ceiling windows, you can gaze over the Matanza-Riachuelo river and surrounding docks. It’s this waterway that turned La Boca into a working-class port neighborhood, drawing in waves of immigrants, particularly Genoans, who settled along its banks. As well as the neighborhood’s iconic, multicolored houses, you’ll spot the Puente Transbordador Nicolás Avellaneda. The century-old transporter bridge is a relic of La Boca’s industrial past, once carrying people and cargo across the river to Dock Sud.
For art lovers, the gallery hosts rotating exhibitions of works by international artists such as Andy Warhol, James Turrell, and Robert Irwin. There are also interactive workshops, kids’ activities, and movie screenings. It’s part of Abre la Boca, a free minibus circuit around some of La Boca’s most important artistic and culinary spots. Among participating venues are MARCO - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de La Boca and Pablo Ducrós Hicken Cinema Museum.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 7pm
Admission: Café, free. Museum, $6,000 (free on Wednesday)
6. Puente Facultad de Derecho
Officially called the Puente Peatonal Carlos Sánchez Viamonte in honor of a notable Argentine lawyer and lawmaker, this pedestrian bridge crosses Avenida Figueroa Alcorta between the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Facultad de Derecho law faculty building. It’s been here since 1960, when it was built for the Exposición del Sesquicentenario de la Revolución de Mayo, which celebrated Argentina’s 150th anniversary. While it’s not a place to enjoy panoramas from above, it does afford an impressive view of one of the city’s busiest avenues.
Gazing west, you’ll spot the dominant Neoclassical facade of the Facultad de Derecho, with the Floralis Generica flower sculpture beyond it. To the south are the leafy gardens of Recoleta, while to the north is the ever-growing shantytown of Villa 31. You’ll also spot the church-like domed towers of an electricity plant once dubbed Nuestra Señora de la Electricidad (Our Lady of Electricity). Come at dusk to watch the sunset behind the modern residential towers of Palermo, and in November to admire the blooming jacarandas.
Opening hours: All day, every day
Admission: Free
Location: Facultad de Derecho, Recoleta
Bonus. Rueda de Buenos Aires
After around a decade on the sidelines, plans are once again moving forward for the construction of an observation wheel similar to the London Eye and Ain Dubai. To be located in Dique 1, the southernmost area of Puerto Madero, it will measure 79 meters in diameter and rise to a height of over 80 meters. This will allow for 360-degree views over Puerto Madero, the river, and Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur. LED lighting will make the attraction a visible landmark at night. The wheel will have 36 cabins with a capacity of 8 passengers, for a total of 288 people per rotation, and a full ride will last 20 minutes.
Inauguration of the wheel is scheduled for mid 2027, so stay tuned for updates.