Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is often called the "Paris of South America": broad boulevards, beaux-arts mansions and cafes with a century of history sit here alongside passionate tango and the smell of asado. It is the largest city in Argentina — around 3 million people in the city proper and some 15 million in the Greater Buenos Aires area — the cultural, political and gastronomic capital of the country, and one for which you should allow at least five days.

Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada

The historic heart of the city is the Plaza de Mayo, the place where the city was founded and where Argentina's major political events have unfolded. Here stands the Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace, from whose balcony the country's leaders have spoken, Eva Perón among them. Around the square are the Metropolitan Cathedral, where General San Martín is buried, and the colonial-era Cabildo. Every Thursday the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo still march around the square.

Recoleta cemetery and the aristocratic north

Recoleta is a fashionable district of museums and parks, with the famous Recoleta Cemetery, where family vaults form a whole city of marble mausoleums; Eva Perón lies here. Nearby are the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Recoleta cultural centre and the steel flower Floralis Genérica, whose petals open and close over the course of the day. From here it is an easy walk to Palermo, with the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden, the Rosedal rose garden and the Tres de Febrero park.

La Boca, San Telmo and tango

La Boca is a colourful port quarter where, along the pedestrian street of Caminito, houses stand painted in bright colours with what was left of ships' paint. The Bombonera stadium of the Boca Juniors club is here too. Neighbouring San Telmo is the oldest district, with cobbled streets, antique shops, a Sunday flea market on Plaza Dorrego, and milongas where tango is danced to the bandoneon. These quarters are considered the cradle of tango, born at the turn of the 20th century among the immigrants of the port.

What else to see

• The Teatro Colón — one of the finest opera houses in the world for acoustics, with guided tours available.
• The Obelisco and Avenida 9 de Julio — the city's emblem and one of the widest avenues on the planet.
• Puerto Madero — the renewed docklands, with skyscrapers, waterside promenades and the pedestrian Puente de la Mujer by Santiago Calatrava.
• Palacio Barolo — an eccentric skyscraper conceived on the themes of the Divine Comedy.
• The Palacio de Aguas Corrientes — a waterworks building with a richly decorated facade.
• MALBA — the museum of Latin American art (Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera) — and the Kirchner Cultural Centre in the former post office building.

Food

Argentine cooking is a cult of beef. Its basis is asado (meat on the parrilla grill), along with choripan, empanadas and the herbal infusion mate. The steak houses (parrillas) serve marbled beef, a perfect match for the local malbec from Mendoza. For something sweet there is dulce de leche and alfajores.

Transport and practical advice

The city is served by the Subte metro (six lines) and the colectivo buses; you need a SUBE card to pay, and Uber also works. Ezeiza International Airport is about 35 km out, with the Manuel Tienda León bus and taxis running into the centre. The best time to travel is autumn (March–May) and spring (September–November), when the summer heat is absent. Bear the local rhythm in mind: dinner here is after 21:00, and the clubs and milongas only come alive towards midnight. Palermo and Recoleta are the most convenient areas to stay. A popular trip out of town is to Tigre, a town in the Paraná delta with boats along the channels.