Monserrat Viceroyalty History

Montserrat, cradle of the viceroyalty.

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Free pay what you want

Run by an independent local guide on GuruWalk

Takes you to the guide's GuruWalk page, where a free place is reserved directly. Nothing is paid here, and the walk is free, pay what you want.

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Language: Spanish and Italian
Meeting point: Plaza de Mayo
Where it walks: Plaza de Mayo
Guide: Inés
What it costs: Free, pay what you want

Overview

This walk starts at the Pirámide de Mayo, in the centre of Plaza de Mayo, and spends two hours 30 minutes in Monserrat, the barrio Inés Cordonnier calls the cradle of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The guide is a certified tour guide registered with the Buenos Aires City Tour Guides Association (AGuitBa), and the tour runs in Spanish and Italian.

The pale stone facade and arcade of the Cabildo on the edge of Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, plane trees dropping leaves on worn pavement, mid-morning light, a few distant walkers

The route traces how a village of dirt roads grew into one of the most European-looking cities in South America. Stops include churches and convents, Monserrat's oldest pharmacy and bookstore, its first university, and a Jugendstil building with eclectic and Neo-Gothic touches. Some entries are included with the walk, such as the Basilica and Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi, La Estrella Pharmacy and the Santo Domingo Convent, while the Buenos Aires Museum is an optional entry with its own admission charge and the London City confectionery charges an entrance fee with consumption optional.

The tour is booked on GuruWalk, where guiding works on a pay what you want basis: booking is free and guests tip the guide what they felt the walk was worth at the end.

Itinerary

Stop	What Happens
Meet at Pirámide de Mayo	The meeting point is the Pyramid of May, in the centre of Plaza de Mayo in Monserrat, in front of the Casa Rosada and the Catedral Metropolitana, between Hipólito Yrigoyen, Bolívar, Avenida Rivadavia and Balcarce.
Buenos Aires Museo, Defensa 187	Optional entry. This stop charges its own admission, so entering is the traveller's choice.
Basilica and Convent of San Francisco	Entered as part of the walk, with entrance included.
Farmacia La Estrella	The neighbourhood's oldest pharmacy, entered with the walk.
Further stops in Monserrat	The full route has nine stops; the tour description shows the first ones here. Others named include the Santo Domingo Convent with entry included, the Otto Wulff Building and the Buenos Aires City Legislature from outside, the Monument to Roca, and the London City confectionery, which charges an entrance fee though consumption is optional.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points worth knowing before reserving a place on this GuruWalk page.

Language. The walk runs in Spanish and Italian.
Pace and duration. Expect to be on your feet for two hours 30 minutes, moving between stops on foot through Monserrat. There is no pickup; everyone meets at the Pirámide de Mayo.
Extra costs. Guiding is pay what you want, but some stops carry their own charges. The Buenos Aires Museum charges admission, and the London City confectionery charges an entrance fee with consumption optional.
Group feel. The guide describes the tour as a conversation that is renewed each time it runs, led by a certified guide who specialises in cultural tourism. The focus is on stories of the pioneers who transformed the city, told street by street.

Duration	Language	Meeting point	What it costs
2 hours 30 minutes	Spanish and Italian	Plaza de Mayo	Free, pay what you want

Timing. The route has nine stops in total across the two hours 30 minutes, and the tour description names only the first few. Travellers who like to know a route in advance should expect some stops to be revealed on the day.

Common issues. There are no traveller reviews available for this walk listed, so the honest limits come from the tour description itself. Two stops charge separately: the Buenos Aires Museum, which is optional entry with admission charged, and the London City confectionery, where an entrance fee applies even though eating there is optional. The description shows only the first few of the nine stops, so the full route is partly a surprise. Pickup is not included; the meeting point is the Pirámide de Mayo in Plaza de Mayo.

More Free Places

Place	Free Or Ticketed	What Is Free	What You Still Pay For
Feria de San Pedro Telmo (Plaza Dorrego)	Free	Free to walk the Sunday street fair.	Nothing. There is no ticket to buy here.
Plaza de Mayo	Free	Open public square, free. Can be fenced for demonstrations.	Nothing. There is no ticket to buy here.
Madres de Plaza de Mayo Thursday March	Free	Public weekly march in the square, free to watch.	Nothing. There is no ticket to buy here.

Your Free Walking Tour Questions

Is This Tour Really Free?

Booking is free and the guiding works on a pay what you want basis: guests pay the guide what they think the walk was worth at the end. No tip amount is set. The reservation itself happens through the guide's page on GuruWalk.

Where Does The Tour Meet?

At the Pyramid of May, in the centre of Plaza de Mayo in the Monserrat neighbourhood, in front of the Casa Rosada and the Catedral Metropolitana, between Hipólito Yrigoyen, Bolívar, Avenida Rivadavia and Balcarce streets. There is no hotel pickup; the tour's GuruWalk page states pickup is not included.

Are Entry Fees Included?

Partly. Entrance to the Basilica and Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi, La Estrella Pharmacy and the Santo Domingo Convent is included with the walk. The Buenos Aires Museum charges its own admission and is optional, and the London City confectionery charges an entrance fee with consumption optional.

How Long Is The Walk And How Many Stops Are There?

The duration is two hours 30 minutes and the route has nine stops, of which the tour description names only the first few.

What Languages Does The Guide Speak?

The tour is offered in Spanish and Italian. The guide, a certified tour guide registered with the Buenos Aires City Tourism Board and AGuitBa, specialises in cultural tourism.

What Will I Learn About?

The walk covers Monserrat's role as the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires and its growth alongside the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, from colonial times to the contemporary city. Stories centre on the pioneers who turned a village of dirt roads into one of the most European-looking cities in South America.