Buenos Aires Retiro

Museo Municipal De Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco. Say that name five times fast. Located in the Palacio Noel, this gorgeous museum, with a name sadly too long for a reasonable acronym, boasts a setting as spectacular as its collection. The palace itself is named after its architect, Martín Noel , who designed the simple, white building in 18th-century, Neocolonial Peruvian style as a protest against the copying of Parisian palaces so common at the time. He later donated the building to the city, which, fittingly, turned it into a museum of colonial artwork. The most stunning pieces of the diverse ensemble are found on the main floor, which displays mostly religious artwork, including oil paintings, carved wooden statuary, and elaborate silver devotional pieces, in rooms with beautifully painted ceilings and carved doorways. The upper floor contains a library and temporary exhibits, while the basement showcases a huge variety of silver and recreated rooms incorporating colonial furniture. Outside are relatively extensive and attractive—if somewhat poorly maintained—gardens. In 1992, the building was damaged during the bombing of the Israeli embassy next door , though it has since been repaired. The former location of the Israeli embassy has been left empty as a memorial to the thirty people who lost their lives in the bombing. (Suipacha 1422. S San Martín. ☎4326 3396. Captions in Spanish. Open Tu-Su 2-7pm. AR$3.)

Museo De Armas De La Nación. Get trigger happy (or slightly ill) in this meandering museum in the Palacio Paz , which showcases a dizzyingly enormous collection of the ways people have used to kill each other in war. Displaying 12th-century German pikes, 20th-century machine guns, and everything in between, the collection focuses in particular on the development of the sword, revolver, rifle, and pistol, of which there are seemingly numberless examples. There’s also a small room of Asian armor and weapons as well as a room of missiles and cannon. (Sante Fe 702, in Palacio Paz. S San Martín. ☎4311 1071; www.circulomilitar.org. Open M-F 1-7pm. AR$5. Guided visits available by arrangement.)

Museo Nacional De Inmigración. Located in the rather decrepit former Gran Hotel de los Inmigrantes, the entry point for many Argentine immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century, this small museum explains the history of Argentine immigration and the Hotel itself. The somewhat bland displays include photographs, personal effects, maps, and immigration cards. Though it’s not particularly difficult to get here from Plaza San Martín, it can be a bit like crossing an industrial wasteland; if you don’t fancy traversing what seem like fifty lanes of traffic, it might be wise to take a taxi. The museum is technically in Puerto Madero, but is much closer to Retiro. (Antártida Argentina 1355. S San Martín. ☎4317 0285. Captions in Spanish. Open M-F 9am-5pm, Su 11am-7pm. Free.)

Museo Nacional Del Teatro. Housed in the slightly worn but still beautiful Teatro Nacional Cervantes , this very small museum has exhibits on the history of Argentine theater, ranging from costumes to instruments to photographs. As you can imagine, it’s only for those really interested in the subject. (Córdoba 1199. S Uruguay. ☎4815 8883. Captions in Spanish. Open M-F 10am-7pm. Free.)