Teatro Colón

The Teatro Colón is the cultural landmark of Buenos Aires and one of the most admired opera houses anywhere. The current building opened on 25 May 1908 with Verdi's Aida, after a long and troubled construction: Francesco Tamburini began the design, his pupil Vittorio Meano continued it, and the Belgian architect Julio Dormal finally completed it. An earlier Teatro Colón had opened in 1857 and closed in 1888. The theatre was declared a National Historic Monument in 1989 and reopened in May 2010 after a long restoration.

Its reputation rests above all on sound. The acoustician Leo Beranek, after surveying leading conductors and directors, ranked it the best hall in the world for opera and the second best for concerts. The horseshoe-shaped main hall rises through seven levels and seats around 2,487 people, with standing room taking capacity to about 3,000. Look up at the cupola, painted by Raúl Soldi and unveiled in 1966, and at the bronze chandelier, which is seven metres across and carries 730 bulbs.

The easiest way to see the interior is a guided tour. The theatre runs them every day, with departures every 15 minutes between 10:00 and 16:45. Each tour lasts about 50 minutes and takes in the foyer, the Galería de Bustos, the gilded Salón Dorado and the main hall. Spanish tours leave throughout the day, while English tours are scheduled at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 and 15:00 and Portuguese tours at 11:45 and 16:00. Groups are capped at 40 people, so buying ahead is sensible, and the route is suitable for visitors with reduced mobility.

Tickets are sold online through the city's ticketing site or at the box office at Tucumán 1171. The theatre accepts cash, debit and credit cards but not foreign currency. Note that the route can change at short notice because of rehearsals or performances, and that tours do not run on 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December or 1 January. Latecomers have only a five-minute grace period.

Seeing a performance is the best way to understand the building. The Colón is home to its own orchestra, choir and ballet company, as well as the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, so the season mixes opera, ballet and symphonic concerts. The Salón Dorado also hosts chamber concerts.

The theatre fills a whole block between Tucumán, Libertad, Arturo Toscanini and Cerrito, beside the wide Avenida 9 de Julio, with its main façade facing Plaza Lavalle. Allow an hour for a tour, or an evening for a show, and combine it with a walk along 9 de Julio.