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Casa Rosada (Pink House) is the presidential palace of Argentina. It was built between 1862 and 1885 on the former site of Fuerte Viejo, the old fort of Buenos Aires. For many, the building is most famous for the time Eva Perón addressed her supporters from one of its balconies. It’s located on Plaza de Mayo.
Tours
With all of the police barricades, Casa Rosada looks like an intimidating place to approach. It’s actually surprisingly accessible. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, Casa Rosada is open to the public for free tours that last about one hour (as of April 2023). I highly recommend doing one of the tours. You have to reserve up to 2 weeks ahead of your visit on the official website. Tours in Spanish run every 15 minutes from 10am to 6pm, and tours in English are at 12:30pm only.
Patriots Room
The waiting room for the tours is called the Patriots Room (Salón Patriotas). It features several paintings of prominent political figures from all over Latin America. Portraits of Che Guevara, Salvador Allende, and Eva Perón all stuck out to me.
Patios
While waiting, I was also able to see Patio Malvinas and Patio de las Palmeras along with the Chapel of Christ King (Capillo de Cristo Rey). There are views of Patio de las Palmeras from the higher floors later in the tour.
Indigenous Peoples Hall
Once the tour begins, you have a few minutes to visit the Indigenous Peoples Hall (Salón Pueblos Originarios). It tells the story of the indigenous people of Argentina with a few artifacts behind glass cases.
Reception Rooms
Next, the tour went downstairs to the Blue Room (Salón Azul), the official reception room for foreign dignitaries. There are a few paintings on the wall by famous Argentinian painters.
We went up to the 2nd floor to visit another reception room, Martín Fierro Room (Salón Martín Fierro), and the Argentine Women’s Room (Salón Mujeres Argentinas), a conference hall dedicated to important Argentinian women.
Then, it was a quick look at Argentina’s “Wall of Fame” and a peek down into Patio del Aljibe.
Patio de las Palmeras
We started to get into the highlights of the palace with a stop at the Patio de las Palmeras. It’s a very Spanish colonial-looking patio with a fountain and few of tall palm trees in the center. I was impressed by the doors and stained glass windows.
Balcony
Through the Argentine Scientists Room (Salón de los Científicos Argentinos), we were able to go onto a balcony to see an incredible view of Plaza de Mayo.
Eva Perón Room
Next was the Eva Perón Room (Salón Eva Perón). This was easily one of the most popular rooms on the tour because it held the furniture used by Eva Perón. The famous balcony from where she addressed the public is attached to this room but is not open to the public.
Two important items to look out for in the Eva Perón Room are her dress in a glass case and a portrait of her and her husband, Juan Perón, before entering the room.
White Room
We were then led to the White Room (Salón Blanco), the room from where the president addresses the nation. It is one of the most beautiful and ornate rooms in the palace. Pay special attention to the mural on the ceiling.
The North Room (Salón Norte) is connected to White Room. Meetings with the Cabinet of Ministers are held in this room.
End of the Tour
The tour concluded with a visit to the president’s office. I was not expecting to get this much access to the palace, so it was a nice surprise. No photos were allowed in the office so I can’t show you a picture. After this, we went down a exited through the Hall of Busts (Salón de los Bustos), a room containing the busts of the presidents of Argentina.
Parque Colón
A park to the east of Casa Rosada, Parque Colón, contains a monument to Christopher Columbus. Unfortunately, it was disassembled for repair at the time of my visit. You can get a good view of the park from the Indigenous Peoples Room at the beginning of the tour.
