Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires has often been dubbed ‘the Paris of South America’ and a city tour is a great way to discover why, whether on foot or by bicycle.

Tours take in the best of the city: from the grand fin de siècle architecture and boulevards lined with jacaranda trees that lead to the central Plaza de Mayo, to elegant Recoleta with its grand neoclassical cemetery.

Buenos Aires’s famed street art is everywhere, especially in the artsy district of Palermo and leafy San Telmo. Alternatively, you can head to Boca, with its brightly painted zinc houses and the Boca Juniors football stadium, where the immortal Maradona first wrote his name in the stars.

Buenos Aires is the birthplace of Tango, first emerging in the 1880s, when the great boom in southern European immigrants helped forge an iconic piece of Argentina’s national identity. There is simply is no better place to see a tango show.

Milongas (tango events) can be found across Buenos Aires. They can take almost any shape or form, but if you want a guarantee of great dancers and music to match, a late night tango show is often the best way to go.

Tango shows typically include dinner, and often offer an introduction to other Argentinian folk dancers – though the snap of heels and guitar flourishes will quickly tell you which one people truly feel most passionate about.

With more than 60% of modern Argentinians claiming some sort of Italian ancestry, it’s no surprise that Buenos Aires has such a rich food culture.

There are many ways to experience this, but one of our favourites is a street food walking tour in the colourful Palermo district. Arrive hungry and be ready to discover dishes that are more than just empanadas, those delightful stuffed savoury pastries.

Argentina also takes its culinary cues from the gauchos (cowboys) who herd cattle across its plains. Asado (barbecue) is raised to an art form in Buenos Aires, and nowhere more so than at Fogón, where a juicy 9-course tasting menu will have you coming back for more.

If the bustle of Buenos Aires has you wanting to hit the reset button, escape is at hand in the nearby countryside with a stay at an estancia or historic ranch. 

Estancias are traditionally associated with Argentina's celebrated gaucho culture. While horseriding is often a key experience here, you're under no obligation to saddle up during a stay. Modern estancias offer a whole host of activities from walking trails and bike rides to cookery classes using fresh ingredients straight from their kitchen garden. 

Alternatively, you can do nothing but relax by the pool all day, rising only for a glass of wine before dinner in the ideal country escape.

A boat trip from Buenos Aires across the wide River Plate to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay is like travelling back in time. This World Heritage-listed town was founded in 1680 and is packed with delightful 17th and 18th Century colonial architecture.

The heart of Colonia is the Barrio Histórico, on a small peninsula that sticks out into the river. It is surrounded by fortified walls, which you pass through to explore cobbled streets and squares, all lined with historic buildings with fading stucco and red tiled roofs.

Major landmarks include Uruguay's oldest church, a lighthouse in the ruins of a convent and several houses converted into museums.

Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires is Argentina's international gateway. The airport is 14 miles (22 km) south of the city centre.

Domestic flights fly from Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery (AEP) in the centre of Buenos Aires. Allow at least five hours to connect between international and domestic flights.

There are multiple daily flights to El Calafate (FTE, 3 hours) for Los Glaciares National Park, Bariloche (BRC, 2 hours) for the Argentinian Lake District and Ushuaia (USH, 3½ hours) for Tierra del Fuego. Other domestic destinations include Iguazu Falls (IGR, 2 hours), Mendoza (MDZ, 80 minutes) and Salta (SLA, 2 hours).

There are direct flights to Santiago (SCL, 2 hours).