Buenos Aires, Argentina is a complex, energetic, and seductive port city which stretches south-to-north along the Rio de la Plata.  It has been the gateway to Argentina for centuries.  Porteños, as the multinational people of Buenos Aires are known, possess an elaborate and rich cultural identity which is hardly surprising considering that most are descended from (predominately Italian) immigrants who settled here in the 19^th century.  They value their European heritage highly – Italian names outnumber Spanish, and with its wide boulevards, leafy parks, grand buildings, and varied culture and nightlife, the city is reminiscent of Paris or Barcelona. 

Buenos Aires’ physical structure is a mosaic as varied and diverse as its culture.  The city has no dominating monument, no natural monolith that serves as its focal point.  Instead, Buenos Aires is composed of many small places, intimate details, and tiny events and interactions, each with a slightly different shade, shape, and character.  Glass-sheathed skyscrapers cast their slender shadows on 19^th century Victorian houses; tango bars hazed with the piquant tang of cigar smoke face dusty, treasure-filled antique shops across the way.

The city’s neighborhoods are small and highly individualized, each with its own characteristic colors and forms.  The Plaza de Mayo is the city center (the city, in fact, was literally built around it).  Surrounding it is the Government House, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Cabildo (town hall). 

The Recoleta is the most fashionable place in Buenos Aires to dine; it is adjacent to the Cementario de la Recoleta, Eva Peron’s final resting place.  Along with Evita’s much-visited grave, there is Our Lady of the Pilar Church, the Cultural Center, and the Palais de Glace, a major gallery.  You can walk along the Pilar which brims with a wide variety of restaurants and venues featuring live music every night.   

San Telmo is widely hailed as the most picturesque part of Buenos Aires.  Cobblestone streets and colonial buildings set the atmosphere for an array of shops and boutiques, tango parlors, and cafes. 

La Boca is perhaps the most colorful area in Buenos Aires.  This area that sits along the port has an assortment of brightly painted houses made of wood and metal.  The main street is Caminito, which has an artisans and painters fair, open-air tango shows and typical Italian cantinas. 

The Parque Lezama is one of the city’s most attractive parks – enormous magnolias, palms, and cedar elms grace the winding paths among the hills and a peaceful river cuts through the park center. 

Palermo is an area of woodlands and lakes.  Among the attractions are a pleasant rose garden filled with sculptures, polo fields, and the Japanese Garden.

Situated on the Parana River Delta, Tigre is a natural playground consisting of 350 rivers and streams and an ecological reserve.  You can partake in water sports and fishing or check out crafts at the Fruit Dock.  There are also two museums here, the Navy Museum and the Sarmiento which is a wooden house from 1860 now paying homage to its builder, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, an educator, journalist, and past president of Argentina.

A great excursion from the city is a visit to one of the many Estancias, or Argentine ranches.  Here you can get a sense of the traditional life of the gauchos (cowboys).  Many Estancias offer traditional food, live folk music, dancing, and exhibitions of gaucho horseback skills.

Throughout South America, Buenos Aires is famous for its shopping.  For the visitor from abroad, there has never been a better time to visit Buenos Aires.  Devaluation has made it an inexpensive city to explore and Buenos Aires shopping has become an unbelievable bargain.  The peso crisis also spawned an interesting trend:  With Argentina’s inability to import many fashion products, the crisis has allowed the creativity of local designers producing for the domestic market to flourish and expand.  In particular, you’ll find a wealth of young designers catering to the young women’s market, offering unique feminine and funky fashion found no where else in the world.  Buenos Aires is most famous for its high-quality leather goods.

This vast sprawling metropolis is a true 24-hour city – there is always something going on to occupy the senses.  With several new museums and a continuous agenda of cultural attractions and events, there is much to see and do.

Buenos Aires’ nightlife is one of the most active in the world.  When other cities choose to go to sleep, the darkness makes Buenos Aires come alive.  One thing you will notice immediately in this city is that people love the nightlife.  Trendy bars, clubs, and restaurants are packed until dawn.  Bars and clubs offer a range of music and entertainment options to meet all tastes from tango shows to techno nightclubs.  There are also casinos for those who enjoy wagering.

Although an array of international cuisine can be found throughout Buenos Aires, it is the traditional parrilla, a restaurant serving of grilled meat to which Argentines flock.  Cafés are a big part of Buenos Aires culture; at tea time they brim with locals.  Confiterías are larger cafés offering a varied menu and a wider selection of food.  The variety of restaurants cover a range from sophisticated to fast food, from steaks to seafood, from Asian, Italian, Spanish, French, Mexican, and Middle Eastern to American.  Eating is a shear delight in Argentina!  Argentina also has some of the world’s best wines which shouldn’t be missed.

A land of great contrasts, Argentina offers almost everything for an extraordinary vacation experience!