On Friday we chased ghost stories around Prague. This week we’re crossing the Atlantic to the home of the tango.

Buenos Aires feels like a European capital that moved south and learned to stay up late: grand boulevards, leafy plazas, steak cooked over the grill and dinners that often don’t start until 9pm or later.

48 HOURS IN BUENOS AIRES

Tango, steak and Malbec

Morning. Start at Plaza de Mayo, the city’s historic main square, with the pink Casa Rosada at one end. Then walk south along Calle Defensa into San Telmo, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city, all cobbles, antique shops and old cafés. The Mercado de San Telmo opens daily from 10am for coffee and a browse, and on Sundays the Feria de San Telmo fills Defensa with stalls from about 10am to 5pm.

Afternoon. Head on to La Boca for Caminito, a short street of brightly painted corrugated metal houses, with tango dancers and painters out front. Go by day and stay around the main tourist streets. For lunch, try a choripán, a grilled chorizo sausage in bread, usually with a spoonful of chimichurri.

Evening. Book a parrilla, a traditional steakhouse, for dinner. Order bife de chorizo, which is sirloin steak, not sausage, despite the name, with a glass of Malbec. Don’t rush: locals often sit down at 9pm or later, and nobody will hurry you out.

Morning. Get to Recoleta Cemetery for 9am, when tourist visits begin. It’s a maze of marble mausoleums, and Eva Perón, Evita, lies in the Duarte family vault. Entry for foreign visitors is about 24,000 pesos, and the ticket office takes cards only. Then walk to El Ateneo Grand Splendid on Avenida Santa Fe, a 1919 theatre turned bookshop, where you can have a coffee on the old stage.

Afternoon. Head to Palermo and wander the Bosques de Palermo, the city’s big park, and its rose garden, El Rosedal, which is usually closed on Mondays. Then stop for merienda, the late-afternoon snack: coffee with medialunas, small sweet croissants, and an alfajor filled with dulce de leche.

Evening. End the day with tango. Watch a show, or find a milonga, a local tango dance night, where you can watch from the side or join a beginners’ class first. Dinner can wait until late, as it always does here.

Local tip: Tipping in restaurants is usually around 10%, and it’s best left in cash so it goes straight to your waiter. The cubierto on your bill is a small charge for bread and the table setting, not a tip. And pack layers: November is spring here, and the jacaranda trees are usually in bloom.

TODAY’S HACK

Argentina used to reward travellers who arrived with stacks of dollars. Not any more: the street “blue” rate is now within a few percent of the official one, and foreign Visa cards get a tourist rate.

How to do it

  LOST IN TRANSLATION

CHEH

In Buenos Aires, “che” is how you get someone’s attention or warm up a sentence, a bit like “hey” or “mate”. It’s so typical of Argentina that Ernesto Guevara got his famous nickname from saying it. You’ll also hear porteños pronounce “ll” and “y” as “sh”, so “calle” (street) sounds like KA-sheh. And a warm “gracias”, thank you, always earns a smile.

Friday’s photo: It was Oia, on the Greek island of Santorini, perched on the cliffs above the flooded volcanic caldera. Its whitewashed houses and blue domes are famous the world over, and its sunsets draw a crowd every evening. Well done if you got it.

GUESS WHERE?

That’s everything from me this week. I’m writing this with an old tango record playing, already planning my next trip, so I’d love to hear about yours. Hit reply and tell me where you’re headed next. See you Friday!