Buenos Aires

The city's founding square and the scene of Argentina's great political moments, faced by the pink presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, from whose balcony Eva Perón addressed the crowds. The Metropolitan Cathedral, where Pope Francis served as archbishop, and the old colonial town hall, the Cabildo, also stand here.

The oldest barrio, with cobbled streets, colonial houses, antique shops and old bars. On Sundays, the Feria de San Telmo street market stretches along Defensa street, with antiques, crafts and tango dancers performing in Plaza Dorrego.

TipWalk the Sunday market from Plaza de Mayo south to Plaza Dorrego, and stop in the covered San Telmo Market for lunch.

The old port neighbourhood where Italian immigrants lived in houses built from corrugated iron, painted in bright colours with leftover ship paint. Caminito, a short pedestrian street, is now an open-air museum of colourful façades and tango shows. Nearby is La Bombonera, the stadium of the Boca Juniors football club.

TipStay within the main tourist area around Caminito and visit during the day.

A city of the dead with more than four thousand ornate mausoleums in marble and bronze, lining avenues shaded by trees. It's the resting place of presidents, writers, and Eva Perón, whose family tomb is the most visited.

One of the world's great opera houses, opened in 1908, famous for its acoustics and its horseshoe-shaped auditorium of red velvet and gold. Guided tours run most days, but the best way to see it is at a performance.

A bookshop in a former theatre from 1919, with books lining the balconies and boxes and a café on the old stage beneath a painted ceiling. It's often described as one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world.

The city's largest barrio, with vast parks, a rose garden and lakes in the Bosques de Palermo, the Japanese Garden, and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano (MALBA). Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood are filled with boutiques, cafés, restaurants and bars, the centre of the city's nightlife.

The redeveloped docks east of the centre, with old brick warehouses turned into restaurants and offices beside the water, the white Puente de la Mujer footbridge, and the Costanera Sur ecological reserve, a wetland on the edge of the River Plate.

Tango was born in Buenos Aires, and the best way to experience it is at a milonga, a social dance where locals of all ages take to the floor. Many start with a lesson for beginners. Dinner shows are glossier but less authentic.

TipMilongas usually start late, around ten or eleven at night; look for one with a beginners' class first.