Hotels near El Ateneo Grand Splendid

El Ateneo Grand Splendid opened in 1919 as a theatre with 1,050 seats, became a cinema in the 1920s showing Argentina's first sound films, and was converted into a bookshop in 2000 without anyone gutting the interior. The frescoed ceiling by Nazareno Orlandi survives, along with the carved balustrades, the crimson stage curtain and the boxes, which now hold reading chairs instead of theatre seats. Shelves fill the old stalls floor and climb three tiers of balcony.

The stage has been turned into a cafe, so you can sit where the orchestra once played and look out at the auditorium. Stock is mostly Spanish-language, with a reasonable English section on the ground floor and a basement of children's books and sheet music. Entry is free and nobody expects you to buy anything. It fills up from midday onward. The balcony levels are where people actually read rather than photograph, and the acoustics up there still carry.

Pro Tip: Climb to the second balcony on the left side for the clearest view of the Orlandi ceiling and the least foot traffic. Weekday mornings just after the 09:00 opening are close to empty.