Palacio Barolo Tour | The Best View in Buenos Aires
The Palacio Barolo Tour is one of the best ways to learn the history of Buenos Aires and get some of the best views from the city’s old lighthouse.
Hands down, one of the best guided tours I did in all of Buenos Aires was at the Palacio Barolo. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy inspired the creation of the Palacio Barolo building. This fantastic tour will explain all that went into building this incredible structure, which was once Argentina’s tallest building and even has a lighthouse up top.
I did this tour when my sister and mom visited, and we were all pleased. The tour guide was fantastic and made the tour fun and interesting. She also spoke perfect English and Spanish.
If you’re looking for a great way to learn about the history of Buenos Aires in combination with one of Italy’s most famous authors, then look no further. This is a unique tour to do in Argentina’s capital city.
Interesting Palacio Barolo Facts
- The construction is based on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy
- Palacio Barolo was once the tallest building in Buenos Aires
- The rooftop of Palacio Barolo once served as the lighthouse in Buenos Aires
- There is an identical building in Montevideo, Uruguay
Where is Palacio Barolo?
Palacio Barolo is located just one block east of the Plaza Congreso in Buenos Aires. It sits on Avenida de Mayo, which is one of the main roads in the capital city. From the rooftop dome (old lighthouse) of the Palacio Barolo, you can get fantastic views of the Congreso building, as well as the Dome Rooftop bar which is just below.
The Palacio Barolo sits on the edge of the Monserrat neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
Palacio Barolo Tour Information
Address: Av. de Mayo 1370, C1085 Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Telephone: 4381-1885 / 3221-1331
Whatsapp: +54 9 11 6915-2385
Email: info@palaciobarolotours.com.ar
Palacio Barolo Tour Prices
The prices vary depending on age, residency, and tour type.
| Palacio Barolo Cost | Non-residents | Non-resident Retire/student | Resident | Resident Retire/student |
| Daytime Tour | 38,000 pesos | 32,000 pesos | 26,000 pesos | 20,000 pesos |
| Night Tour | 55,000 pesos | 55,000 pesos | 37,000 pesos | 37,000 pesos |
| With Dante | 39,000 pesos | 39,000 pesos | 29,000 pesos | 29,000 pesos |
| Borgesian | 39,000 pesos | 39,000 pesos | 29,000 pesos | 29,000 pesos |
| Gourmet | 56,500 pesos | 56,500 pesos | 45,500 pesos | 45,500 pesos |
Palacio Barolo Tour Types
There are multiple types of tours, though the Diurna (Daytime) Tour is the most popular, and is the tour that I did. I loved this tour so much that I included it in my Ultimate 10-Day Buenos Aires Itinerary.
Diurna Bono Tour (Daytime Tour)
This is a 90-minute tour that occurs during the daytime. It is a bilingual tour with both English and Spanish. The tour includes good storytelling and information about the building, access to several floors, and the balconies and the glass dome up top.
Schedule of the Diurna Tour
Monday – Friday (no tour on Tuesdays): 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm
Sunday: 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm
Nocturna Tour (Nighttime Tour)
This is the Palacio Barolo sunset tour that lasts 2 hours. It is a bilingual tour with both English and Spanish. The tour includes good storytelling and information about the building, access to several floors, the balconies, the glass dome up top, and a glass of the “Palacio Barolo Red Wine.”
Schedule of the Nocturna Tour
Monday – Friday (no tour on Tuesdays): 7 pm & 8 pm
Saturday: 7 pm & 8 pm
Sunday: No Tours
Tour with Dante
This is a 90-minute tour that occurs during the daytime. It is a bilingual tour with both English and Spanish. The tour includes good storytelling and information about the building, access to several floors, and the balconies and the glass dome up top. This tour focuses more on the connection with Dante than the other tours.
Schedule of the Dante Tour
Sunday tours only: 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm
Borgeano Tour (Borgesian)
This is a 90-minute tour that occurs once a month. It is a bilingual tour with both English and Spanish. The tour includes good storytelling and information about the building, access to several floors, and the balconies and the glass dome up top. This tour focuses on the writings of Jorge Luis Borges (an Argentine writer) who greatly admired Dante Alleghieri.
Schedule of the Borgeano Tour
Saturday: The second Saturday of each month
Gourmet Tour
This is a 3.5-hour tour that occurs once a week. It is a bilingual tour with both English and Spanish. The tour includes good storytelling and information about the building, access to several floors, the balconies, the glass dome up top, and gourmet tapas at the rooftop salon.
Schedule of the Gourmet Tour
Sunday tours only: 7:30 pm
How to reserve Palacio Barolo tickets
Reserving your Palacio Barolo Tour is more complicated than it should be in 2025. There are two main options, neither of which can be done simply using a credit card on their website, unfortunately.
Go in person
Go in person to the Palacio Barolo Building to pay and reserve your spot. I suggest going a day earlier to ensure you get your desired time. If you’re in Buenos Aires during the high season (January, February), go several days in advance.
Reserve online
This option is complicated because you have to pay with a bank transfer as they do not accept credit cards.
Go to the website and choose your desired tour. Then fill in all the necessary information including your email. You will then receive an email with bank transfer information and an additional form to fill out. Make the bank transfer if you have a local bank account, or ask an Argentine friend to help you.
Once you get the receipt from the bank transfer, email Palacio Barolo again to confirm the reservation. This is nearly impossible to do without the help of a local friend.
Book with GetYourGuide
If you don’t mind paying a bit extra to make all of this easier, then I suggest booking a tour with GetYourGuide. Doing it this way allows you to book online using a credit card. You don’t have to go in person or figure out how to send a bank transfer.
The available tours with GetYourGuide are the Diurna (Daytime) Tour and the Nocturna (Nighttime) Tour with wine. Both options allow you to select your preferred time.
What is the Palacio Barolo Tour Like?
You must arrive 15 minutes before the tour begins to check in at the ticket booth and get your passes, which you’ll wear around your neck.
After checking in, wait for the rest of your group to arrive. If you want a tour in English, make sure to tell the guide at the start of the tour so s/he is aware and will translate for you. Our tour guide was fantastic. She was highly knowledgeable and spoke both languages fluently.
The Palacio Barolo Tour is one of the most unique tours in Buenos Aires, along with the Zanjon Tunnel Tour in the San Telmo Neighborhood.
Taking the Diurna Tour
We did the Diurna (daytime) Tour, which I recommend. It is a total of 90 minutes.
The tour began on the ground floor, near the ticket booth. The guide gave an intro to the building, the creators of the building, and the idea behind incorporating Dante’s Divine Comedy.
The ground floor is considered to be ‘hell.’ Then we moved to the 4th floor and had a chance to look over the ledge to the first floor, which was cool and scary at the same time. Next, we took the elevators up to a higher level to see what the office building looked like when it was first built in 1919. We got to try on hats and play around.
The 14 floors in the middle of the building are considered purgatory. Next, we went up to the 21st floor. This is considered ‘heaven.’ From here we had incredible views of the city and the Plaza Congreso. The final floor is the absolute top of the building, where you’ll sit in a small room with the original light that was once a lighthouse.
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What is Included in the Palacio Barolo Tour?
During the tour, you will receive a ton of information that connects the architects and Dante Aleghieri’s Divine Comedy. The tour will tell you a ton of interesting stories, and facts about the numerology of the building. It’s fascinating.
Your tour includes free admission to the Barolo cafe (16th floor), which has a slightly different menu than the general public. You can return at any point during the day of your tour to go to the rooftop cafe. From here you have a wonderful view.
If you want to visit the rooftop cafe without doing a tour, this is also possible. However, you must choose from a set menu to enter, and you’ll need to pay in advance at the ticket booth on the ground floor. The set menu has a set price you must pay in advance.
Is the Palacio Barolo Tour Worth it?
Yes, the Palacio Barolo Tour is worth it. I really enjoyed doing this tour as did my family. I found the information to be so interesting with the way it is woven into stories of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Our tour guide was fantastic and it was 90 minutes well spent. The best part was the views from the top!
Palacio Barolo Tour Final Thoughts
If you have some extra time and you’re wondering what to do while in Buenos Aires, I highly suggest taking a Palacio Barolo Tour. I did the daytime tour and we had amazing views of the city from up above. However, I can imagine that the nighttime tours would also be very special with the twinkling lights of the city from overhead.
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