Buenos Aires was founded on the shores of the Rio de la Plata river in 1570 and was named after the patron saint of sailors for the good wind (“buen aire”). Buenos Aires has since become the cradle of Tango and has often been referred to as “the Paris of South America”. Many travelers agree that it is Latin America’s most beautiful and fascinating city and the world’s place to eat a tasty steak.
Downtown Buenos Aires is as sophisticated as any European city thanks to its wide avenues, grand tree-lined boulevards, fine colonial architecture, rows of Cafés, superb restaurants and shops, and energetic nightlife, which makes it an amazing destination. The city was built by French, Italian and Spanish immigrants so it comes as no surprise that travelers walking through the leafy parks and boulevards may feel as if they were in Madrid, Paris or Milan.
Though today it is one of the world’s biggest metropolis, with about 13 million people, the downtown area is still true to its distant past. In the San Telmo district, the city’s multinational heritage is embodied in a varied and cosmopolitan architecture – Spanish Colonial design cupolas with an Italian influence and a graceful French Classicism. In Boca, pressed tin houses from immigrant families of a century ago are painted with a rainbow of colors and muralists have turned the district’s side-streets into avenues of color.
Because of its great diversity and monumental size, Buenos Aires presents travelers with the spirit of Argentina. The national dance, Tango, is perhaps the best expression of that spirit displayed in dance halls, parks, open plazas, and ballrooms. Tango is an intimate dance combining elegance and an exuberant passion.