With just 24 hours in Buenos Aires, you'll have to choose from its many 'barrios' (neighbourhoods), starting from the centre, the Plaza de Mayo, the soul of Buenos Aires. The square is still the weekly meeting point for the 'Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo' although the ' Resistance Marches ', which began in 1981, ended in 2006, when the mothers felt that the government had demonstrated a real desire to bring those responsible for human rights violations to justice.
10:00 am
La Recoleta
Wandering around La Recoleta you will appreciate the chic buildings, the many museums and the large cemetery, which locals also use as a park.
12:30 pm
La Boca
Take a look down the alleyways at the colourful shacks of La Boca, joyfully mixing tourist tango attractions, artists' studios, dockworkers' houses (La Boca is located in the city's natural harbour), bohemian restaurants and popular cafes in the azure blue and gold colours of the Boca Juniors football club, where Maradona is still revered as a god since his time playing there in the early 80s.
2:30 pm
Shopping on Calle Florida
Browse the boutiques on the pedestrianised Calle Florida . Enjoy a drink. Puerto Madero, on the banks of the Río de la Plata and the capital's chicest neighbourhood, is a living example of a changing city - dockside warehouses abandoned just 15 years ago now house restaurants serving the best beef in the world, five-star hotels, offices, a cinema complex, a casino, a large ecological reserve and a beautiful art museum.
However, the best of Buenos Aires is found after dark : see a show at the spectacular Teatro Colon, built in 1908, go for a drink in the oldest bar in the city, Cafe Tortoni, with its mid-19th century feel, then go back to the future in one of the city's ultra-fashionable bars – ask the 'Portenos' (locals) about the trendiest places – in San Telmo, spend the night in one or two 'milonga' (tango) clubs and try the syncopated rhythm of the most sensual of dances.
6:00 pm
A quirky bar or theatre to start the evening
In Palermo, after shopping in Palermo Soho, begin the evening in a cool bar or quirky theatre in Palermo Viejo, then continue to Palermo Hollywood, the television and cinema quarter frequented by night owls. Why would you go to sleep in a city this fun? Watch the sun rise above Argentina's most vibrant city and then set off…
