24 hours in Buenos Aires: what to see

Buenos Aires tells its story well among the European palaces of the center and the colorful neighborhoods that gave it fame, with tango resurfacing as a connecting thread in more than one corner.

In one day it's possible to cross centuries of different architecture, from colonial Baroque to Art Nouveau, without ever straying too far from the center.

Plaza de Mayo serves well as a starting point: the central square of the city, surrounded by the Casa Rosada, seat of the Argentine government, and the colonial Cabildo, has been theater of the country's main political events.

Walking along Avenida de Mayo, you reach the Teatro Colón, one of the world's acoustically perfect opera theaters according to experts, visitable with guided tours through the main hall and underground areas.

Not far stands the Obelisco, at the intersection with Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the world's widest streets with its over ten lanes.

For lunch, the parrillas of the center offer the first taste of Argentine grilled meat, accompanied by a glass of Malbec.

La Boca, the port quarter where tango was born, with the colored sheet-metal houses of Caminito and dancers performing on the street.

On the other side of the city, Recoleta is the elegant quarter with its famous monumental cemetery, where Eva Perón rests in a labyrinth of marble mausoleums that rival each other in architectural grandeur.

San Telmo, among its cobblestone streets and milongas where tango is danced live, is the quarter that lends itself best to dinner.

Plaza de Mayo, Teatro Colón, and the Obelisk manage to return the European soul of Buenos Aires' center, while the afternoon choice between La Boca and Recoleta adds the popular or aristocratic side.

The Palermo neighborhood, with its parks and nightlife, and a more structured evening of tango in a dedicated venue remain chapters for a second trip. Watching tango danced in the street among the colorful houses of Caminito remains the photograph you take away from Buenos Aires.