Here's a brief report on my recent trip to South America's coolest city.

La Recoleta
Recoleta is the home of Buenos Aires elite (both alive and dead). A posh neighbourhood with european designer shops, beautiful apartments and a real cafe culture, La Recoleta is a place to see and be seen. Recoleta is the home of the city's cemetery and the great and the good are buried here. On Sundays the gardens in Recoleta are home to a rather lovely craft fair which attracts a young home grown crowd and the usual tourists.

San Telmo
Is the home of the famous antiques market. It's reminiscent of London's Portobello Road and has the same eclectic mix of people - tourists, traders, hipsters, tramps and charecters. The market is set in a piaza surrounded by beautiful european architecture.

La Boca
Hidden in the 'rough' part of downtown is the colourful La Boca area. The houses in their bright rainbow paint have been photographed a million times but are definitly worth a visit. It's here that you'll be offered a tango, handed a thousand flyers and chat to a sales man whose family came from Liverpool 60 years ago.

Florida
The pedestrianised shopping street is a must visit with European and Argentine brands rubbing shoulders. The classical Galerias Pacificos mall is a must visit for the latest Argentine trends and the stunning frescos.


Puerto Madero
This long forgotten area of the city has been rejuvenated in much the same way as docklands in London. The four docks now boast up-market hotels, offices and bars on either side. The British style warehouses have been successfully converted into up-market apartments and offices for the Buenos Aires young professional. The area, like London's docklands, still lacks some soul but is worth visiting just for the Puente de la Mujer bridge.

Palermo
Palermo is the hottest destination in the city. However, on our visit we found it to be a little overrated. The area is huge and as a result bars and boutiques are far apart. However, the area is obviously developing with new stores opening weekly and the buzy Plaza Cerrano (which has bars in the evening that convert to make shift fashion boutiques during the day) gives an idea of what the area will develop into.

Tags: buenosaires, argentina