Buenos Aires is a modern city of great wealth. In its center are the Plaza de Mayo, a square whose buildings include the Casa Rosada (pink house), the office of the Argentine president, and the Cabildo, the former meeting place of the colonial town council and now a national museum. The Avenida de Mayo extends from the square to the Palace of the National Congress, c.1 mi (1.6 km) away. Other famous streets are the Avenida 9 de Julio (commemorating the date of Argentina's independence from Spain, July 9, 1816), said to be the world's widest boulevard; Calle Florida, the main shopping thoroughfare; and the Avenida Corrientes, which is the nucleus of the theater and nightclub district, often called the Broadway of Argentina.

Buenos Aires also has many beautiful parks, including Palermo Park. The Buenos Aires Cathedral (completed 1804) is a well-known landmark containing the tomb of José de San Martín. Among the numerous educational, scientific, and cultural institutions are the Univ. of Buenos Aires and several private universities; the National Library; the Teatro Colón, one of the world's most famous opera houses. The city has a subway system and is a railroad hub as well as a center of inland seaborne traffic. Nearby, at Ezeiza, is a large international airport.