“For many years […] I tried to capture in my writing the flavour, the essence of the outlying suburbs of Buenos Aires; naturally I knew plenty of local words such as cuchilleros [knife-flashers], milonga [dance and music from the River Plate region; tango venue or party], tapia [mud wall], and others, and hence I wrote those forgettable and forgotten books […].” With these words, Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentine writer, maestro of maestros, evoked the land of his birth.

The city of Buenos Aires has a wide range of attractions to ensure that the visitor will have an enjoyable stay. Every neighbourhood has its own flavour, smell and colour. Beloved Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, full of dancing, undying letters, immortalised by the pens of such distinguished writers as Borges and Cortázar. A whole land to explore. A whole magic universe of discovery. A world to awaken the curiosity of the first-time visitor, and of anyone who wishes to discover it anew, step by step.

The heart of the city is home to most banking headquarters, international hotels and shopping, cultural and leisure offers. The visitor may stroll along the famous calle Florida, which is lined by many interesting venues and galleries, along with the renowned Galerías Pacífico Beaux Arts shopping centre in a building of highly-acclaimed architectural and artistic features, with huge frescos by Spilimbergo, Urruchúa, Colmeiro, Castagnino and Berni. On the top floor of the building are the Borges Cultural Centre and the Julio Bocca Ballet School.

One of Buenos Aires’ most beautiful squares is very near the shopping centre. This is the Plaza San Martín, which is flanked by the San Martín Palace and the elegant, modern, glazed tower that is the present headquarters of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Argentina. On the other side of the square is the Monument to the Fallen Heroes of the Falklands War and just opposite that is the British-built Retiro Station building. On another side is the Kavanagh Building which, with its 32 storeys and 12 elevators, was for many years the tallest building in South America.

The Avenida del 9 de Julio crosses the city and, measuring 140 metres from side to side, is considered to be the widest avenue in the world. At one of its intersections, the Plaza de la República, is one of Buenos Aires’ icons, the famous almost 70-metre-high Obelisk.

One of the world’s most famous opera houses, the prestigious Colón Theatre, pride and joy of the city’s inhabitants, where many great artists such as Caruso, Stravinsky, Strauss, Manuel de Falla, Maria Callas and Pavarotti have appeared, is an impressive presence in the Plaza Lavalle. Very nearby is the Palacio de Tribunales (Supreme Court, Appeals Court and Military Court), which was constructed in monumental style in 1899, its pillars evoking Roman, Greek and Egyptian architecture. Also very close is the Spanish-style Cervantes National Theatre.

Puerto Madero, in the eastern part of Buenos Aires, has a wide range of attractive tourist offers. This is the old port of the city now transformed into a zone that is full of gastronomic temptations and night-time entertainment venues. The visitor may stop to contemplate the Fragata Sarmiento, the Argentine Navy training frigate, which is over a hundred years old, the corvette Uruguay – the oldest vessel in the Argentine fleet –, the Puente de la Mujer (Women’s Bridge) by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava i Valls and, only a few minutes away, the Ecological Reserve, a coastal ecosystem of 350 metres, forming part of the city itself, where the visitor can enjoy long, pleasurable walks.

Not to be overlooked either is the Palermo neighbourhood, the biggest in the city and the one with the greatest number of green spaces in the form of parks, woods and squares. This area is divided into different parts, Palermo Chico (Little Palermo) – notable for its elegance and the distinction of its mansions –, Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo) and the newly recreated areas of Palermo Hollywood, Las Cañitas, and Palermo Soho. Here, the visitor may find the Buenos Aires Zoo, the Palermo Woods, the Botanical Gardens and the city’s Planetarium.

A visit to Buenos Aires would not be complete without going to see the emblematic Plaza de Mayo, the scene of great historical events and setting of the buildings of the city’s main institutions, for example the Casa de Gobierno otherwise known as the Casa Rosada (presidential palace), or the monumental Banco Nación and the neoclassical Cathedral of Buenos Aires, among other outstanding buildings.

Belgrano is another of what are deemed to be the city’s typical neighbourhoods and here the visitor will find the Enrique Larreta Museum of Spanish Art, the craft fair and the Avenida Cabildo, among other attractions. Also notable is the La Boca neighbourhood, with the Boca Juniors Stadium, home ground of one of Argentina’s most popular and celebrated football clubs, whose fame equals that of Diego Armando Maradona, the football star. Finally, is the San Telmo neighbourhood, and its San Telmo Fair, which enjoys world-wide fame thanks to its extensive offer of antiques, furniture and porcelain, the Modern Art Museum in which one may see works by international artists like Dalí, Matisse, Miró, Kandinsky and Picasso and the National Museum of History, which is in the Plaza de Lezama.

Argentina has been immortalised by great historic figures such as Gardel, Evita, Borges, Cortázar. Don’t cry for me, Argentina. The truth is I never left you. And the same words continue to be sung.