As I have stressed many times here on About.com Argentina Travel, Buenos Aires is a great walking city.  Here, I add to our already existing piece on Walking Historic Florida Street by looking at nearby Retiro and Plaza San Martin.

This tour will likely take you about an hour and a half and up to three or four hours if you pop into most of the buildings.  It’s best to figure on doing this moderate trip from about 10:00 am to 4:00 pm when most buildings will be open.

  There are steps, and there are some longer distances and crossing of wide traffic heavy streets.  I also advise caution near the Retiro train station from pickpockets.

At the turn-of-the-last century during the belle époque period, some of Buenos Aires’s most beautiful mansions were built overlooking Plaza San Martín, and many still remain. This plaza, with trees and lazy atmosphere, makes me think of Savannah, Georgia. The Retiro area slopes down a hill from the plaza and encompasses the train station complex built by the British. This tour has a moderate walking level, but steps and a hill overlooking San Martín, and expanse of Retiro, can be a challenge.

Let’s start at the east side of Plaza San Martín, facing the Kavanagh Building.

1 Kavanagh Building

When this was constructed in 1936, this modernist art deco residential tower was South America’s tallest building, standing at about 120m (394 ft.). Since construction, many buildings have overtaken this more than 30 story behemoth, but it still dominates the Plaza.

Turn right and walk up the park along the sidewalk until you see:

2 Marriott Plaza Hotel

Buenos Aires’ grande dame hotel, the Plaza Hotel opened in 1908, and is now part of the Marriott chain. When opened, it was considered far from the main hotel district along Avenida de Mayo and many thought it would fail.  History has proven that idea wrong. The facade was renovated for its 100th anniversary and gives the Plaza a strong Parisian sense. We feature this hotel in several articles including this one on Buenos Aires options.

Continue walking right around the plaza, with Calle Florida to your left. Stop when you get to where Calle Santa Fe hits the park:

3 Círculo Militar & Palacio Paz

This was the mansion of the La Paz family who owned the La Prensa newspaper and is in my opinion the most beautiful structure on the Plaza. The Palacio Paz is now home to the Círculo Militar, an organization for retired military officers, which bought the building in 1938 when the Depression made keeping such a home impossible and tastes had also changed. The Museo de las Armas is also in the building.

Continue walking around the plaza to your right. Stop at the:

4 General José de San Martín Monument

This monument is memorial to General José de San Martín, who fought against Spain in the wars of independence and is known as the founder or liberator of the Argentine nation. The monument was designed in 1862 and expanded in 1900 into the multi-layered extravaganza seen here. San Martín is astride his horse, surrounded by soldiers and fawning women. The statue is a favorite hangout for the young, and it’s where dignitaries visiting from abroad leave a ceremonial wreath. The Plaza and the statue are absolutely spectacular in October and November, when the jacaranda trees bloom. Unfortunately, many bronze plaques were stolen when the price of copper skyrocketed in recent years. There is also an irony in that this statue celebrating Argentina’s freedom was built over the slave auction site which once existed in the Plaza.

Turn with the statue of San Martín is to your back and cross Calle Maipú, careful of traffic. Walk up Calle Arenales, toward the grand marble building at right:

5 Palacio San Martín

Another of the grand mansions, this was the home to the Anchorenas family for whom Avenida Anchorena is named. In 1936, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took over the building. The building is open periodically for free tours and also for events.

Head back to Plaza San Martín, in front of the San Martín monument and turn to your left to continue forward through the expanse of the plaza, following the balustrade, until you come across a large set of stairs cascading down a hill. In good weather you’ll see couples together and people suntanning. At the bottom of the stairs, to your right, you’ll find:

6 Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands War Memorial

This is a homage to the 700-plus Argentines who died in the war over the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands chain in the brief 1982 war with Great Britain. While the war is either barely remembered or considered almost a joke to most English-speaking countries that sided with Great Britain, including the United States, it is of utmost importance to Argentina. The country’s loss of the war led to the fall of the brutal dictatorship. The war over the islands remains an issue among Argentines, and it is best to treat discussing it delicately. The three branches of the military, the Army, Navy, and Air Force, take turns guarding the monument.

Turn your back to the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands War Memorial and carefully cross the wide and busy Avenida Libertador to find the:

7 Torre Monumental or British Clock Tower

This 1916 gift from the Buenos Aires British community in Buenos Aires was renamed after the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands War and is called the Argentine Big Ben by some. Decorated with British imperial symbols, the base was attacked during an Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands memorial service. Inside, you’ll find a small Buenos Aires City Tourism Information Office and an elevator to the top for an excellent view of the city.

Walk out of the Torre Monumental to your left towards:

8 Retiro Station

Retiro Station opened in 1915 and was constructed by the British. Four British architects designed it, with the steel structure coming from Liverpool. For years, the station was the main entry point into Buenos Aires. It’s still busy with suburban trains including that passing to Tigre. The central hallway has lost some of its decoration, but the mint green tiled ticketing area remains distinctive and some bronze fixtures still adorn the walls.

A few other train stations are in the complex—Bartolomé Mitre and Manuel Belgrano along with Retiro Station Bus Depot.

Facing the tracks, head left down the grand hall to:

9 Café Retiro

Opened in 1915 at the time of the station, it was renovated in 2003 and is a listed historical space for the city, part of the cafés y bares notables program. You’ll find massive bronze chandeliers, stained glass, and gilded columns. Might as well get a coffee!

When you want to leave, the subway Retiro Station is just outside.