Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a wonderful combination of sleek skyscrapers and past grandeur, a collision of the ultrachic and tumbledown. Still, there has always been an undercurrent of melancholy in B.A. (as it is affectionately known by expats who call Buenos Aires home), which may help explain residents' devotion to that bittersweet expression of popular culture in Argentina, the tango. Still performed—albeit much less frequently now—in the streets and cafes, the tango has a romantic and nostalgic nature that is emblematic of Buenos Aires itself.

Travel to Buenos Aires is popular, especially with stops in the neighborhoods of San Telmo, Palermo—and each of its colorful smaller divisions—and the array of plazas that help make up Buenos Aires tours.

Inspect the art-nouveau and art-deco architecture along Avenida de Mayo; see the "glorious dead" in the Cementerio de la Recoleta and the gorgeously chic at bars and cafes in the same neighborhood; shop for antiques and see the tango dancers at Plaza Dorrego and the San Telmo Street Fair on Sunday; tour the old port district of La Boca and the colorful houses along its Caminito street; cheer at a soccer match between hometown rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate (for the very adventurous only).

Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA: Coleccion Costantini); Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes; Museo Municipal de Arte Hispano-Americano Isaac Fernandez Blanco; Museo Historico Nacional; Museo de la Pasion Boquense (Boca football); one of two tango museums: Museo Casa Carlos Gardel or Museo Mundial del Tango.

A drink, elegant tea or snack at Cafe Tortoni; the best beef at a parrilla (steak house) such as Cabana Las Lilas or La Cabrera; delicious wood-oven-baked pizza at Siamo Nel Forno in Palermo Soho; the trendy restaurants Olsen in Palermo Hollywood or Sucre in Belgrano; pasta at La Parolaccia; the unique dining experience of El Obrero in La Boca.

Dancing in the huge Crobar disco or the Funky Room at Club Bahrein; samba in Maluco Beleza; quaffing a beer at The Kilkenny or Down Town Matias; enjoying the decks and gardens at Terraza del Este; exploring Puerto Madero's Asia de Cuba disco-restaurant and other lively haunts.

An over-the-top tango-and-dinner show at stylish Piazzolla Tango; intimate concerts in San Telmo bars; old-style tango dancing at the remaining milongas across the city, such as the Club Gricel or Salon Canning.

Calle Defensa from the Plaza de Mayo to Parque Lezama in San Telmo; stroll through the Rosedal rose gardens, particularly September-February; follow the trails in the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve; Plaza Francia in Recoleta to browse the authentic handicrafts.

Feed the animals at the Jardin Zoologico; stroll along the yacht basin at Puerto Madero; check out the stars at the Galileo Galilei Planetarium; take a boat ride in the Parque de Palermo; the rides at El Parque de la Costa theme park.