Buenos Aires is passionate, stylish and wonderfully alive. Set on the wide Rio de la Plata across from Uruguay, Argentina's capital blends Creole, immigrant and European influences into a culture all its own. Grand boulevards, elegant architecture and bold museums earned it the nickname the Paris of South America. Locals, called portenos, also know it as the City of Fury, a nod to a history that has included dictatorship, economic crises and political ups and downs, and has made its people resilient, creative and fiercely devoted to family.

The best way to know the city is to dive into its neighborhoods. Wander colorful, art-filled barrios, catch a soccer match in one of its famous stadiums, and linger at a cafe over coffee and medialunas. Portenos love to chat, so don't be shy. See a sultry tango show in the city where the dance was born, browse antiques and vintage shops in San Telmo, and wander the marble mausoleums of Recoleta Cemetery. Visit the National Museum of Fine Arts, catch a horse race at the Palermo Hippodrome and stroll the Rose Garden in Palermo. And at least once, stay up late with friends and a bottle of Malbec. Dinner here rarely starts before 9.

I'll find you a great hotel in the right barrio and pair Buenos Aires with Iguazu Falls, Mendoza or Patagonia.