Discover one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive and elegant neighborhoods on this walking tour through Barrio Parque, the city’s embassy district and a masterpiece of early 20th-century urban planning!
Designed in 1912 by renowned French landscape architect Carlos Thays, Barrio Parque was conceived as a garden suburb for Argentina’s most prominent families, blending winding streets, lush greenery, and magnificent European-inspired residences.
The highlight of the tour is the extraordinary Palacio Alvear Errázuriz, inaugurated in 1917 as the private residence of Matías Errázuriz Ortúzar and Josefina de Alvear. Inspired by French neoclassical architecture of the 18th century, the palace was designed by French architect René Sergent and built using imported materials, artisans, and decorative elements from Europe.
Today, it houses the National Museum of Decorative Art, preserving its original salons, boiseries, chandeliers, and grand staircase, offering a rare glimpse into the refined lifestyle of Buenos Aires’ Belle Époque elite. It is truly one of Buenos Aires' most important museums and a glimpse into the way of life of the Porteño Aristocracy of the late XIXth and early XXth centuries.
The tour continues to Plaza República de Chile, a peaceful and elegant square that reflects the deep historical and cultural ties between Argentina and Chile. Surrounded by embassies and stately residences, the plaza offers a quiet retreat shaded by mature trees, where diplomatic history and urban beauty meet. Chile boasts its largest Embassy in the world in Buenos Aires.
Then we move to Barrio Parque, one of the wealthiest and most stunning neighborhoods in Palermo. As we walk through it, you will encounter the embassies of several nations, many housed in former aristocratic mansions built in French, Italian, Tudor, and Spanish Revival styles. This area represents the transformation of Buenos Aires into a cosmopolitan capital during the early 1900s, when Argentina was one of the world’s wealthiest nations.