Buenos Aires is the most European of South American cities, and one of its most captivating. The Argentine capital is a place of grand boulevards and ornate French-style palaces, of faded glamour and fierce passion, where tango spills from the cobbled streets of San Telmo, the cafés are works of art in themselves, and the nightlife runs until dawn. It's a city of distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own character: leafy, fashionable Palermo, elegant Recoleta with its extraordinary cemetery, colourful working-class La Boca, and the historic heart around the Plaza de Mayo. Add some of the best steak and wine on earth, and you have a city that seduces almost everyone who visits.
Here's the honest budget picture, and it's a happy one: Buenos Aires is one of the most affordable major capitals in South America for international visitors, and your money goes a long way here, especially on the things the city does best, food, wine and culture. A superb steak dinner costs a fraction of what it would in Europe, a glass of excellent Malbec is pocket change, the subway costs pennies, and many of the city's joys, the architecture, the parks, the street tango, the free museums, cost nothing. There's one quirk worth understanding about Argentina's money, which we'll explain, since getting it right makes everything noticeably cheaper. We'll show you how to enjoy this grand city well and cheaply.
