Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the great city of the southern hemisphere — a European metropolis transplanted to South America, infused with immigrant passion from Italy and Spain, and given an ineffable Argentine character all its own. The architecture of Recoleta and Palermo could be Paris or Madrid; the food markets of San Telmo feel Barcelonian; the bohemian energy of Palermo Soho is distinctly New York. But the tango — that hypnotic, melancholic dance born in the city's early 20th-century immigrant tenements — is purely Buenos Aires, and watching a milonga in full flight at midnight in a crumbling old dancehall is one of the most unforgettable travel experiences in the Americas.

The city is arranged in barrios (neighbourhoods) each with a distinct personality. La Boca, centred on the colourful Caminito pedestrian street, is the tourist set piece — vivid painted corrugated-iron houses, tango dancers posing for photos, and the Boca Juniors stadium (La Bombonera) nearby. San Telmo is the city's oldest neighbourhood, its Sunday feria bringing out antiques dealers, street performers, and locals mingling on cobblestone streets. Recoleta is aristocratic Buenos Aires — French mansions, the extraordinary cemetery where Eva Perón is buried, and the MALBA contemporary art museum. Palermo is where the city eats, drinks, and plays — tree-lined streets of restaurants, design stores, craft beer bars, and parks.

The food scene has undergone a remarkable transformation. Buenos Aires was always famous for parillas (steakhouses) serving perfectly grilled beef — and they remain essential — but a new generation of chefs has made the city one of South America's most exciting culinary destinations. Restaurant Tegui, Don Julio, and El Baqueano offer sophisticated modern Argentine cuisine. The city's coffeehouse culture (porteños run on coffee) means café-hopping through the city centre is genuinely pleasurable. Empanadas and medialunas (crescent pastries) are the snacking language of the city. Come in spring (September–November) or autumn (March–May) to avoid the summer heat and January–February holiday lull.