Good afternoon tea spots are hard to find. Los Angeles has a diverse collection of tea houses that range from traditional English to sleek and modern—you just have to know where to look. All the classics are present, from luxury hotels to Asian-inspired tea rooms. Here are our top 10 favorite spots:

10. Tudor House, Santa Monica

This Santa Monica tea room is classic English, casual, and perfect for tea followed by some beach time or shopping at Third Street Promenade. You won’t be fawned over by white glove waiters, nor hear harpists strum. Instead you can relax, enjoy classic English fare and pastries, then grab a pint at the English pub next door.

Tudor House Santa Monica
1403 2nd Street
Santa Monica, California
310.451.8470

9. Rose Tea Cottage, Pasadena

If you fancy being waited on by a butler in a tux and white gloves, then this is the place for you. Authentic to the core, the Rose Tea Cottage has been serving traditional English fare for nearly 30 years. By reservation only, the owners, Edmund and Mary Fry, often wait on you personally, and are very attentive—keeping your tea cup full at all times. Both the cuisine and the decor are traditional English, and there is also a well stocked gift shop where you can buy imported English specialties and cookware.

Rose Tea Cottage
801 S. Pasadena Avenue
Pasadena, California
626.793.3337

8. Jin Patisserie, Venice Beach

Jin Patisserie takes afternoon tea to the beach—Venice Beach, that is. Nestled behind an orange door on eclectic Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Jin Patisserie’s tranquil garden welcomes tea goers with soothing sounds of fountains and urban forests of bamboo. The owner, Kristy Choo, hails from Singapore and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Her teahouse is a fresh blend of Asian aesthetics and fusion pastry concoctions. Imagine classic ingredients like caramel, truffles, chocolate mousse, mascarpone cream, pistachio, and marzipan, paired with traditional Asian flavors like lychee, ginger, jasmine, green tea, and chrysanthemum. The outcome is an artful synthesis of spices.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, California
310.399.8801

7. Weekend Trip: Penelope’s in Lompoc, California

Penelope’s is a must-go destination for serious tea lovers who have exhausted all the hit L.A. haunts. Located between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo just 2.5 hours north on the central coast, Penelope’s is a great excuse for a weekend getaway.

Look for the white wooden teapot on Ocean Street in Old Town Lompoc. Inside the decor is charmingly victorian. Mismatched leather, wood, and wicker chairs are paired with velvet love seats and surrounded by green floral wallpaper, antiques, and a cozy fireplace. Tucked into little nooks and corners of the room, the lace-covered tables are lit with tiny lamps and set with fancy china that is decidedly floral. Penelope’s tea selection is massive, the food is delicious, plus the service is friendly, making Penelope’s a unique stop on the Southern California tea map.

Penelope’s Teas & Gifts
105 West Ocean Avenue
Lompoc, California
805.736.1122

6. Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles

This glamorous hotel has served as a filming hotspot for classics such as Davedevil, Beverly Hills Cop, The Nutty Professor, 24, and Heroes. At the Millennium Biltmore, afternoon tea is served in the Rendezvous Court, the Biltmore’s original lobby, Wednesday through Sunday. Here you’ll sip your tea among Moorish carved wood ceilings, gold leaf accents, plenty of marble, and the hotel’s signature baroque stairwell, making this one of LA’s most elegant and historic tea spots.

Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California
213.612.1562

5. Hotel Bel-Air, Bel Air

The newly renovated Hotel Bel-Air, with its swan-filled gardens, is a classy choice when it comes to afternoon tea. Formal to the core, afternoon tea accompanies a culinary feast from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s kitchen, including such savory treats as sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches with Gruyère cheese and shaved truffles, plus Grand Marnier cream puffs. They’ve also got some fantastic creative caffeine-free teas, including “Fresh Mint” concocted using spearmint leaves, “HBA Rejuvenation Blend” with apricot essence, lemon myrtle, rooibos, and rosehips, and “Egyptian Chamomile” with dried chamomile flowers hand picked from the Nile River Delta.

Hotel Bel-Air
701 Stone Canyon Road
Los Angeles, California
310.472.1211

4. Scarlet Tea Room, Pasadena

Step inside the Scarlet Tea Room, and you’re enveloped by live piano music. Lit with red and white crystal chandeliers and draped in red curtains, this seductive tea room serves both full meals and afternoon tea. Located in Old Town Pasadena, the Scarlet Tea Room’s 5-course Scarlet Tea Ceremony begins with sorbet, followed by the arrival of a classic 3-tier tray filled with goodies: finger sandwiches, scones with all the trimmings (the ginger scones are delicious), fresh fruit, and assorted pastries. The grande finale is Strawberries Romanoff, a pile of chopped strawberries drenched in orange liquor and awash in a sea of whipped cream. You can also add champagne or wine to sweeten the deal, and the tea menu has a large selection of fruit-infused teas. Best of all, afternoon tea doesn’t end early—you can enjoy it well into evening.

Scarlet Tea Room
18 West Green Street
Pasadena, California
626.577.0051

3. The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey

At the Ritz, you’ll sip your tea with the ocean breeze in your hair, gazing at the lovely panoramas of the marina from your table. The Ritz Royal Afternoon Tea is a swanky occasion, where classic fare is transformed with a contemporary twist. Your afternoon tea can be paired with champagne or a tea-infused cocktail. The tea sandwiches are culinary gems. The pastry course showcases a creative sampling of fruit tarts, cakes, and cookies. Show-stoppers like raspberry pistachio eclairs and chocolate-coffee macaroons accompany fresh-baked scones in creative flavors like lemon-blueberry.

The Ritz-Carlton
4375 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, California
310.823.1700

2. The Rose Garden Tea Room at The Huntington, San Marino

A ticket of admission to The Huntington is required to visit this busy tea house, as are reservations. Perhaps a big part of the allure here is that the afternoon tea is served buffet style with plenty of fancy finger sandwiches and pastries to go with your pot of tea and scones. Beyond the usual tea menu, fresh salads and a selection of cheeses beckon, accompanied by crackers and spreads like hummus and olive tapenade. Perched in the middle of The Huntington’s rose garden, this popular tearoom is lined with grand picture windows overlooking a sea of roses. It’s also the perfect setting for a post-meal stroll through Los Angeles’ best botanic gardens, featuring the expansive desert garden, the traditional Chinese garden, and the Japanese garden—a Hollywood film favorite.

Huntington Library and Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California
626.405.2100

1. The Peninsula, Beverly Hills

Often touted as the best spot for afternoon tea in Los Angeles, I wouldn’t be one to disagree. This classic five star hotel located in the heart of Beverly Hills commands upscale elegance from the moment you step through the fancy double doors. Afternoon tea is served in the Living Room, named for the casual arrangement of plush sofas and coffee tables where you take your tea, creating a relaxed atmosphere that perfectly compliments the swanky setting. Tall windows overlooking a garden fill the space with sunshine, and on weekends a harpist strums away. Four tiers of afternoon tea are offered here, and the exquisite Imperial Tea includes champagne and caviar on top of all the regular trimmings. Need I say more?

The Peninsula
9882 South Santa Monica Boulevard
Beverly Hills, California
310.551.2888

Hotel Max has a great sense of style and a great sense of play. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, this boutique hotel has its finger directly on the city’s pulse. The hotel features stunning design elements everywhere from the lobby to the hallways, and the rooms boast original artwork by local artists. With its amiable staff and beautiful aesthetics, Hotel Max offers a contemporary vibe for travelers in the Pacific Northwest.

The rooms are quiet and spacious, and the central location simply can’t be beat. It was a short walk to popular sights like Pike Place Market and Chihuly Garden and Glass (just a stone’s throw from the Space Needle), as well as several trendy and tasty eateries. Only five minutes from the light rail, Hotel Max is about as convenient as it gets. Even though it’s in the middle of downtown, you leave all the noise and commotion behind you the second you set foot in the lobby and claim your free gum ball at check-in.

See more at Hotel Max.

This is it—I’ve reached MONTH 11, yes eleven—in a full year of around the world travel. How can I even begin to describe the adventures? While I write about some of my favorite experiences in bite sized chunks, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Attempting to share everything I saw and did—now that’s proving to be quite a challenge. My mind is filled with so many impressions and facts…I’m looking forward to spending some time reflecting on everything, and of course delving into the huge photo library we’ve compiled over this journey—roughly 65,000 photos so far!

Fiji Me!
But first comes Fiji, a place I’ve always dreamed of going, and appropriately, the final destination is this giant adventure. It’s been one year, 4 continents, 27 countries, and over 200 cities—and what a year it’s been!

We’re taking a short hiatus while we soak up some sun and sand, but stay tuned for more adventures soon!

The national dish of Scotland is haggis. This hearty dish consists of minced sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs, mixed with suet and oatmeal and seasoned with diced onions and spices. All this is then cooked in the sheep’s stomach. It’s also served with neeps and tatties, or puréed turnips and mashed potatoes, respectively.

While the dish may sound a bit strange, but it’s absolutely delicious and a definite must try while in Scotland. Pubs are the best places to grab a bite of Haggis, washed down with a glass of whiskey or Scottish ale.

The flavor of haggis is full-bodied and reminiscent of liver, although the strength of the haggis is also perfectly complimented and mellowed out by the neeps and tatties which come with it.

Tip: Our favorite place in Edinburgh to get haggis is Deacon Brodie’s Tavern on the Royal Mile. This pub is full of history and was named after William Brodie, one of the inspirations of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Jekyll and Hyde”.

Berlin is a city that is constantly changing. Ultra modern building projects glisten beside historically grand structures and the occasional art-covered chunk of the Berlin Wall. In this constantly evolving landscape, there is never a shortage of sleek and stylish hotels either, many which have become some of the city’s most daring expressions of new design. Among these trendsetters Nhow Hotel has to be one of the most beautifully designed of them all.

Pretty in Pink

The minute you step inside Nhow Berlin you’ll encounter lots of pink. The lobby desk is nested in a huge pink egg-like counter. Pink candy beckons from glass beakers. Pink mood lighting abounds. Pink glowing hallways and pink elevators. Pink bathrooms with pink tile floors, hot pink bath products, and pink and white sandals. Pink bedding, pink pillows, pink towels, pink graphic design—pink, pink, pink!

A Music Lover’s Paradise

This hip music-themed hotel is located right smack next door to Berlin’s branch of Universal Music. Guests can request Gibson and Epiphone electric guitars that come with their own amps, delivered straight to the room for impromptu jam sessions. The hotel has its own recording studio too, as well as an art gallery, and a lobby filled with drums interspersed among glowing seats that look like clouds.

Curvy, Modern Bedrooms

The bedrooms at Nhow are just as high impact as the lobby with edgy, music-inspired geometric patterns covering the floors, curtains, and walls. Contemporary furniture, glass, and plenty of pink define the rooms, along with a bold curve motif. Curved glass coffee tables sit beside curved teardrop mirrors, and the bathroom and bedroom are divided by curved glass walls.

Spa Design

The spa has one of the most striking design elements in the entire hotel: a hot pink glass shower cube lined with rainbow-colored mood lighting. Adjoining saunas and a 24-hour gym sweeten the deal.

Food and Drink

For breakfast, Nhow Hotel rolls out a huge spread of hot and cold treats inside a pink bulbous plastic counter. In the evenings the bar serves up cocktails from faux record menus and the adjoining restaurant, Fabrics, has a definite focus on fresh sourced ingredients as well as great views of Berlin’s Spree river. Here they serve up creative takes on elegant classics, like “Rosti Pralinees Start Up,” which features salmon and lobster topped with two types of caviar, accompanied by drops of jelly melons and leeks with wasabi yogurt.

Seeking Sweetness

Best of all, the desserts push the limits of creativity. I was blown away by the floral candy creations that come standard at the end of all meals. There were pink and white cloud-like puffs of cotton candy strung on copper wire curlicues, set in a cocktail vase. Contrast that with swirled meringues dusted in gold beside chocolate balls—both planted on stems like flowers, and placed in a glass bowl of sugar rocks. My favorite dessert, which also wins bonus points for most creative title, were the “Pimped Lemon Crackling Balls.” These balls of creme were lined with chocolate and encrusted with pop rocks. These came paired with cooked, spiced apples, and a glass test tube filled with gold Pop-Rocks to sprinkle on top for that extra sizzle.

For design lovers, creatives, foodies, and those seeking a youthful, hip vibe, Nhow hotel is the place to be. Your entire experience here has been thoughtfully designed down to the last detail, and it’s truly hard not to be tickled pink.

Details

Nhow Berlin
Stralauer Allee 3
10245 Berlin
Tel: 49.30.2902990
berlin@nhow-hotels.com

As Austria’s largest city, Vienna is filled with abundant hotel chains. So where to start? For something really special, give Hollmann Beletage a try. This hotel is an oasis of pampering and relaxation right in the heart of the city. It’s a small boutique hotel with just a handful of rooms, but it has the feel of a roomy house.

There is a lounge filled with bookshelves and an adjoining breakfast room, serving up what is arguably Vienna’s best breakfast. I’m talking about an excellent gourmet 6-course breakfast that is served all morning long, with a new menu each day and items you can special order. Some of my favorites were the Viennese crepes with jam and the flavorful spinach and leek quiche. The best part is that all of this, plus additional snacks and drinks throughout the day, are included in the room rate.

Guest rooms are sleek and simple, and outfitted with plenty of cool little touches. By the sink we found Pez dispensers, and the rooms come with flashy CD players loaded with classic Viennese music, which you are welcome to keep if you like. Little stuffed birds peer down at you from the walls throughout the hotel and retro gum ball machines dispense snacks.

Also included is the use of a sauna and a small gym (which both usually cost extra in Europe). Plus downstairs there is a garden with a hammock next to a lounge where light snacks and drinks (like tea and sparkling wine) are served in the afternoons. There’s even a movie theater that shows movies in German and English, with its own self-serve old fashioned popcorn machine!

Did I mention that alcoholic drinks are on the house too? You can ask for whatever you want during reception hours, or there’s also a little self-service bar in the dining room.

Needless to say, I was impressed by the all-inclusiveness, and charmed by all the premium extras included in the stay. Best of all, the hotel is located in the dead center of the city, in Vienna’s first district (right near St. Stephen’s Cathedral). If you want to be pampered Austrian-style, this is the place for you.

See more at: Hollmann Beletage.

Looking for a hip, youthful, and fashionable place to stay in Vienna, Austria? Then check out the Twenty Five Hours Hotel Vienna. Located at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, it’s in the heart of the city (7th district), right next to the Hofburg Palace and most of the city’s museums, conveniently next to metro and tram stops. What’s so unique about this hotel is that it’s circus themed, plus it’s a nightlife hotspot too.

With great views overlooking the city, the hub of the hotel is the top floor Dachboden. The Dachboden transforms into a nightclub with DJ’s some nights, attracting a crowd of mostly locals sprinkled with few hotel guests. By day you can also enjoy the same great view over coffee and a healthy breakfast spread.

This hotel is a design dream, filled with off-beat design touches and retro decor, like old bikes, old phones and quirky objects such as painted elephants. It’s also part of a chain of individually themed design hotels that span Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

In Vienna the halls are lined with circus illustrations and you’ll find the rooms painted with different circus performers. Roomy and outfitted with Moroccan poufs, leather couches, and art books, guests also enjoy large bathrooms and full kitchens. There are plenty of cool touches like hanging knitted lamp shades that cast rotating shadows all over the walls, and mirrors that are mounted on circus caravan wheels which roll back and forth as you open the closet.

This hotel is extremely iconic, playful, and heaps of fun. The only thing to be aware of for the moment is that they are undergoing a major expansion, which means lots of construction. Other than that, I’d definitely recommend it for a memorable stay in Vienna.

See more at: Twenty Five Hours Hotels.

Having spent the month in Argentina, I’ve compiled a bunch of fun facts and tidbits on the country to help anyone planning an upcoming trip to Argentina, but mostly just to entertain anyone who loves travel. Here goes:

Origins of a Name

The name Argentina comes from the latin word for silver, or argentum. Also the Río de la Plata near Buenos Aires translates to “River of Silver”.

Size

Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world, with a population of about 40,120,000.

President

Argentina’s current and 55th president is Cristina Kirchner. Not only is she Argentina’s first elected female president, but she’s also the first woman to be re-elected as president of Argentina. She is also the widow of former president Néstor Kirchner.

Entry Fee

Argentina charges a reciprocity fee of $160 per person for US citizens. This fee must be paid in advance online before arriving in the country. You will need to print out the form yourself and bring it with you.

Food

“Spicy” in argentina really means mild.

Mate is strong green tea that is sipped communally from a gourd with a bombilla, or metal straw with a filter at the end. It’s passed around among friends, family and co-workers, and is rarely served in restaurants or cafes, so you’ll just have to get to know some friendly Argentinians to try it.

Going out to eat at 9pm is considered early in Buenos Aires.

Many fancy restaurants charge a per person cover charge called cubierto. (PS—this does not include the tip.)

Tipping: The standard is up to 10% in restaurants.

Argentina’s signature wine variety is Malbec.

Be sure to enjoy an asado, or barbecue while in Argentina. These were definitely the best meals I had while in Argentina.

Choripán: these yummy sausage sandwiches are served most often at street stalls. They are simple but great, and consist of just meat and bread (although you can also add chimichurri sauce).

Steakhouses in Argentina are called parrillas.

Steaks are usually cooked medium to well done.

Menu Decoder: Types of Beef

Bife de chorizo: sirloin

Bife de costilla: T-bone

Bife de lomo: tenderloin

Cuadril: rump steak

Ojo de bife: rib eye

Tira de asado: short ribs

Vacío: flank steak (makes a great sandwich at street vendors)

Money Matters

Currency: Argentine peso (AR$)

Though Argentina is typically viewed as a cheap country, it’s actually quite expensive to travel through. Food prices were just about equal to those in Los Angeles for instance, and it was hard to eat for less than $20 USD per person both in Buenos Aires and in rural tourist areas beyond. Hotel prices were high as well and often on par with prices for hotels in the US, although unfortunately the quality level definitely was not equal. Entry into national parks averaged $20 USD per entry, per person.

Spend all your pesos in Argentina before you leave as changing pesos back is difficult, if not near impossible at the airports.

Argentina is a cash-based society. US dollars are widely accepted and the exchange rate when paying in US dollars is usually the same as the exchange rate for withdrawing money from an ATM. Many places don’t accept credit cards so bring plenty of greenbacks with you.

Airport departure fees can be paid in either USD or pesos, and change will be given in the same currency used.

Transportation

Taxi meters in Buenos Aires start out with an automatic charge of 9 pesos, and it costs another 4 pesos if you call for one.

Buses in Buenos Aires require exact change, in coins only. For the subway you can buy tickets at the window with bills, or get a prepaid card.

Ruta Nacional 40: This is Argentina’s quintessential road trip route and runs the length of the country.

Language

For those planning to study Spanish in Argentina, Argentinian Spanish has its own specific pronunciation rules and accent, which may prove difficult if you are going to study Spanish elsewhere later or travel to another Spanish speaking country like Spain or Mexico next.

Like Italians, Argentinians say “Ciao” for goodbye.

Buenos Aires residents are called Porteños. (Spanish for a person from a port city).

Carnival

December-February is summer in Argentina. Argentinians celebrate carnival, but it’s very tame in Buenos Aires and you may not even notice any festivities if you visit the capital during that time (as we did). The biggest carnival celebrations take place in the cities of Gualeguaychú and Corrientes.

Patagonia

You can leave for Antarctica by boat from Ushuaia, Argentina. You can’t fly to Antarctica from Argentina, but you can from Chile. The nearest airport with flights to Antarctica from Chile is in Punta Arenas.

The weather in Patagonia is extremely unpredictable. No matter what the season is, don’t leave home without full waterproof rain gear, a warm hat, gloves, waterproof hiking boots thermal layers and a warm jacket. Don’t forget the sunblock either since the ozone layer is especially thin down there.

Don’t casually discuss the Falkland Islands (called Malvinas in Argentina) with Argentinians, unless they bring it up.

If traveling by bus from El Chaltén to El Calafate, the bus does stop at the airport, so you can get a direct connection out without trekking all the way back into El Calafate for the night.

Patagonia’s Big 3

Don’t Miss These Sights—they are Simply Amazing!
1. El Calafate & Glaciar Perito Moreno
2. El Chaltén, Mount Fitz Roy, and all the great hiking in this area.
3. Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia (gateway to Antarctica), the Beagle Channel & the Magellanic Penguins.

Buenos Aires is filled with colorful street art. Everywhere you turn buildings have been tagged, and much of it has been elevated to an art form. You’ll find street art across the city, signed by the artists themselves. These images encompass bold graphics and painted characters, as well as classic typography and iconography. Some of the best street art can be found in two of B.A.’s trendiest neighborhoods: the up and coming San Telmo historic district and the stylish Palermo Viejo neighborhood.

Buenos Aires is an exciting city. For starters, it’s home to the sultry tango. Its buildings seem to have been splashed with all colors of the rainbow and turned into open canvases for some of the world’s best graffiti art. There’s a whisper of European flavor to the city, with strong Italian and Spanish roots that have produced great things, among them top notch helado. Plus the city is packed with steakhouses and everywhere you turn are steaming empanadas. Here you can watch a tango show in the park over cold cervezas, shop in street markets for hidden gems, stay out till dawn in the city’s many hopping nightclubs, and just wander about enjoying the relaxed vibe.

My Favorite Buenos Aires Neighborhood: Palermo Soho

In a city this big, it’s good to know where to start. Buenos Aires is divided into lots of barrios, and each neighborhood is completely different. As a result, the neighborhood you choose as your home base tends to 100% set the tone of your experience. I started out my stay in the up and coming antique-filled district of San Telmo, with its old cobblestone streets, and historic flavor. But it was the trendy, vibrant, and upscale district of Palermo Soho that won my heart with its artistic energy, and beautiful shops and cafes.

Hotel Pick: Coppola Jardin Escondido

Jardin Escondido is Spanish for hidden garden, and that is exactly what you’ll find at Francis Ford Coppola’s Buenos Aires house—a secret oasis tucked away in the heart of the city. Coppola stays here from time to time when he writes, but the rest of the time his house serves as an exclusive 7-room boutique hotel that can be rented out by the room or in its entirety.

The experience here is intimate, like you are staying at a good friend’s home—if that friend had a sumptuous luxury villa right in the middle of the trendiest part of Buenos Aires, that is. The house is filled with quirky South American touches like woven Argentinian fabrics and exotic wooden animal heads on the walls. A big picture window showcases the lush, tropical gardens and a deep blue plunge pool.

The living room is set up for lounging, filled with books stacked on every surface ranging from Argentinian picture books to unexpected surprises like an Annie Leibovitz photography book inscribed with a private message to Sofia Coppola from Leibovitz herself.

You can lounge at all hours in the living room, stroll into the kitchen for a midnight snack, watch Coppola’s collection of movies, and enjoy his hand-picked wines. There’s even an on-call sommelier and Sunday asados (Argentinian BBQs) cooked right in the garden parrilla. Best of all, breakfast—or brunch if you prefer—has no time limit here. In addition to dulce de leche filled macaroons, homemade banana bread, fresh tropical fruit, and all the full breakfast trimmings, the friendly staff will also cook you up hot dishes on request.

Sightseeing Highlights in Palermo

A stroll through Palermo Soho will introduce you to plenty of trendy shops and cafes, abundant design boutiques, chic restaurants, and local craft markets. After taking in your fill of shopping, a stop at Tufic Heladería for ice cream is mandatory. Try the Super Dulce de Leche, filled with rich chunks of caramel and chocolate, or perhaps a refreshing fruit flavor like kiwi or sandia (watermelon).

Soak in some modern art at MALBA, Buenos Aires’ contemporary art museum which houses a collection of modern art by South American artists including Frida Kahlo and Fernando Botero.

Palermo has a lot of parks, and the nearby Japanese Gardens are perfect for a peaceful stroll through manicured landscapes punctuated with Japanese classics like a red moon bridge. The gardens are a true oasis of calm amid the surrounding skyscrapers.

More Top Buenos Aires Sights in Recoleta, San Telmo, and Microcentro

There are three additional neighborhoods that shouldn’t be missed on a trip to Buenos Aires: Recoleta, San Telmo, and Microcentro.

Recoleta

In Recoleta you can stroll along the rows and rows of iconic mausoleums in picturesque Recoleta Cemetery (free entrance). Visitors swarm around the cemetery’s most famous tomb of all: Eva Perón’s (aka Evita, the first lady of Argentina from 1946-52). Step away from Evita’s tomb, and things are mostly quiet again, giving you the chance to contemplate all the beautiful sculptural work and details that abound.

A short walk away is Buenos Aires’ top art museum: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which houses a collection of European art that includes the likes of Goya, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and more.

San Telmo

San Telmo is another great neighborhood where you can get to know Argentine culture. This historic barrio is home to loads of iconic antique shops brimming with treasures that evoke an art nouveau, almost Parisian spirit. There’s a big outdoor Sunday Market along Defensa Street that is filled with crafts and antiques. Plaza Dorrego, in the heart of San Telmo, is always a great place to watch some tango dancing.

Microcentro 

Additionally, there is one more classic Buenos Aires sight that shouldn’t be missed: Casa Rosada. Perhaps Buenos Aires’ most famous sight, it’s from the balcony of this salmon-pink presidential residence in Plaza de Mayo that politicians, including Juan and Eva Perón (and Madonna in the movie Evita), have preached to the Argentine masses.

Beyond Buenos Aires

With a little extra time, take a day trip by boat to nearby Uruguay. Just about an hour away by hydrofoil lies the colonial city of Colonia del Sacramento, and a bit further out is Uruguay’s capital city, Montevideo. Alternatively, if Gauchos are your thing, head out of the city to a traditional ranch, or estancia, to enjoy a day of horseback riding and an essential Argentine asado (barbecue).

Buenos Aires is a great place to begin or end a journey to Argentina. But it’s only a part of the big picture, which is composed of rugged wilderness and large-scale natural wonders. A trip south to the windswept landscapes of Patagonia will take your breath away. Highlights in the north include tropical Iguazú Falls on the border with Brazil, or the desert landscapes of Salta near the Bolivian border. For wine lovers, Mendoza is the place to be. Buenos Aires is the perfect place to live it up in the city before or after heading out to the stunning and wild landscapes beyond.