Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is South America's most European-influenced and sophisticated city — a vast, passionate Argentine metropolis of 15 million in the metropolitan area on the Río de la Plata estuary, where tango was born, where beef is a religion, and where the architectural heritage of the early 20th century boom years created one of the most visually impressive cities in the Southern Hemisphere. The Puerto Madero waterfront redevelopment is the city's most spectacular modern area — the Woman's Bridge by Santiago Calatrava, the converted red-brick dock warehouses now filled with restaurants and nightclubs, and the stunning Fundación Proa contemporary art museum. The Palermo neighbourhood (particularly Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood) is the city's creative heart — boutique hotels, restaurants, design shops and the city's finest people-watching. La Boca's Caminito alleyway (colourful corrugated iron houses, tango street performers) is tourist but genuine. The Recoleta Cemetery — where Evita Perón is buried in an elaborate mausoleum, surrounded by the tombs of Argentina's most famous families in a necropolis of extraordinary architectural extravagance — is a genuine highlight. The MALBA (Museum of Latin American Art) holds an outstanding collection. The Teatro Colón is one of the world's finest opera houses (guided tours available when not in use). The San Telmo antiques market on Sundays is excellent. Argentine beef, eaten at asado barbecues or in traditional parrillas, is world-class.