Off the tango track

With the Rand strong against the Argentine Peso ($) and a number of well-priced package deals to the city on offer, tourists from SA are flocking to Buenos Aires to do (or watch) the tango, stock up on well-priced leather goods and enjoy a traditional Argentine asado (barbecue).

But BA's not just about swirling dancers and pent-up passion; this city that’s twice the size of London has much to offer tourists willing to venture off the well-beaten tango track.

Join a protest
Argentina’s history is almost as turbulent as South Africa’s, with coups, popular uprisings and economic collapse all making their mark on society over the last 50 years. With a history of chaotic government (a reputation it looks to be shedding) it’s no surprise then that the masses are only too happy to voice their unhappiness when their government steps out of line.

Protests are a regular feature of life in Buenos Aires and to get a taste of life at the picket line all you need to do is head for the Plaza de Mayo, opposite the President’s office. Every Thursday at 3.30pm mothers of some of the thousands who were abducted and killed — dubbed ‘the disappeared’ — by the security police in the turbulent 70s protest at the continuing lack of information on the fate of their loved ones.

Visit the dead
It was Argentina’s most famous daughter, Evita Peron, who first inspired the masses to criticise the government, and her resting place is today one of the capital’s most popular attractions.

While many of the city tours include a brief stop-off here to visit her family tomb, the cemetery is well worth a return visit to admire the beauty and history of the other elaborate family mausoleums.

The gardens outside are also the perfect place for spotting the famous Buenos Aires dog walkers exercising a dozen large dogs at a time, while just around the corner from the cemetery 'Buenos Aires By Design' offers uber-chic interiors from some of Argentina’s top designers.

Soak up the culture
If interiors are your thing, then the opulent Italian style of the Teatro Colon is sure to impress. Built in 1908 at the height of Buenos Aires’ wealth, the Teatro Colon is one of the world’s finest opera houses and can seat up to 2500 patrons who come to enjoy opera, ballet and classical music performances.

Tickets range from a handful to a few hundred pesos, depending on whether you’re in a box with a view or standing in the rafters. Visit the Teatro Colon website for details of performances, but if you can’t make it to a show there are daily tours ($12) of the theatre complex. English-speaking guides will show you the main auditorium as well as the rehearsal rooms, wardrobe and costume departments that plunge five stories underneath the theatre.

Cross the road
The subterranean maze of wardrobes and practice rooms stretches underneath the grandest boulevard in Argentina, and what’s rumoured to be the widest road in the world; Avenida 9 de Julio.

Taking pride of place along the avenue is the imposing ‘obelisco’ — a 67-metre tall granite obelisk — which towers above the Avenida’s 14 lanes of traffic! It’s commuter chaos and a nightmare for pedestrians who have to navigate four sets of traffic lights to cross the road, so take your time.

Despite losing some of their lustre in the last 50 years or so, the grand avenues of Buenos Aires are a destination in themselves. Take the time to pound the pavements and browse the bookshops of Avenida Corrientes, join the throngs of tourists and locals in the pedestrianised district along Avenidas Lavalle and Florida, or stop in at the famous ice-cream parlors and coffee shops of Avenida de Mayo.

On the waterfront
While most of the grand French-inspired architecture could do with a good scrub to wash off the years of diesel fumes, the Puerto Madero is a breath of modern fresh air at the eastern edge of the city.

Much like Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, Puerto Madero was a dilapidated dockyard until the mid-1990s when forward-thinking town planners decided to redevelop it into a trendy hub of apartments, restaurant and nightlife.

This is the place to join the uber-elegant portenos — as the 12-million residents of the Argentine capital like to call themselves — as they promenade along the water’s edge, or take a seat at one of the stunning waterside restaurants offering some of BA’s best cuisine.

The beautiful game
Football is as much part of Argentine culture as the tango, and you shouldn’t leave the city without experiencing the passion and excitement of a local football match.

While the down-at-heel suburb of La Boca is well-known for its colourful houses and tacky tourist shops, it’s also home to one of the world’s most famous football teams; Boca Juniors, made famous by football superstar Diego Maradona. Boca Juniors supporters are ferociously loyal and games at La Bombonera, their home ground, are a mixture of unbridled fury and passionate fervour. Support the opposition at your peril!

Tickets start from $60 (R130) or you can pay about $200 to go with a tour operator, which will include transfers and a guide.

No piranhas here...
After the excitement of the football you’ll probably be keen to sit back and relax for awhile, and the exotic Parana Delta makes a perfect day trip to escape the hectic streets of Buenos Aires.

A popular weekend getaway for portenos, and just an hour by train along the scenic ‘Tren de la Costa’, the river delta’s biggest attraction is that it offers the chance to do not much at all. You can swim, fish and try your hand at a few watersports, but the real beauty of the delta is simply to sit back, relax and watch local life float on by.

If that sounds far too laid-back you’ll be glad to know that Tigres — the town that’s the gateway to the Delta — is also home to Parque de la Costa; the largest amusement park on the continent.

So if you’re in BA by yourself (it takes two to tango, remember) or just need something to pass the time until the next milonga, make sure you get out and hit the streets of Buenos Aires for a true taste of this city known as ‘the Paris of South America’.