Leisure

Dining

The smoky smell of top-quality steak fills Buenos Aires' streets at night. To go beyond the simple sirloin, order a typical parrillada grill dish with all the traditional trimmings - every variety of offal imaginable. Fresh homemade pasta and classic Italian pizza also feature largely on most menus.

In Palermo Viejo, you'll find trendy restaurants that offer an innovative take on classic Argentine cooking. Expect to pay more in upscale Recoleta and modern, glitzy Puerto Madero. Las Cañitas buzzes with young professionals. Downtown, Café Tortoni embodies the old grandeur of literary Buenos Aires. It is a good place for doing business over coffee and medialunas (croissants), accompanied by live tango. Tucked behind the Botanic Garden in Palermo is the tiny Italian trattoria Guido's. It serves a string of Italian dishes without offering diners even a glimpse at a menu. La Cabrera in Palermo Viejo offers excellent steaks and parrilladas.

Shopping

Fashionable, up-and-coming designers show their collections in leafy Palermo Viejo. Recoleta has designer labels and sophisticated shops with prices to match. Avenida Santa Fe and Florida are the main retail areas.

Prüne and Casa Lopez sell stylish, well-priced leather goods that make desirable presents. Seek out antiques and souvenirs such as tango memorabilia at Sunday's San Telmo Market.

Things to do

Eva Perón and others have addressed crowds from the balcony of the impressive pink presidential palace, La Casa Rosada. Recoleta Cemetery, final resting place of the city's rich and important, holds a mix of grand, ruined, modern and old tombs. The best time to visit is in the eerie hours around dusk.

The Obelisco looms over enormous, 12-lane Avenida 9 de Julio. Cutting-edge exhibitions draw visitors to the airy galleries of the Malba (Museo Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires). The Caminito in La Boca neighborhood is a vividly colorful reminder of Buenos Aires' first residents. The world-renowned Teatro Colón stages opera and classical music concerts.