If you haven’t been to Argentina, the 8^th largest country in the world,  it’s well worth a visit. Go to Buenos Aires, the capital, and then add on a trip to the province of Mendoza. Reasons to go? It doesn’t suffer from overtourism, great value for the dollar, you eat really well, enjoy wine tourism, cultural offerings, soft adventure (Mendoza). Now it’s summer time so we in South Florida feel right at home climate wise. Here’s Part 1 on Buenos Aires things to do, a two part series.  Part 2 is on Mendoza.

Certainly in Buenos Aires things to do is walking. It is a great walking city with broad treelined avenues in many areas, some beautiful baroque architecture built in the late 19^th century in Argentina’s golden age when it was the 10^th wealthiest country in the world and things to see for all interests. Mendoza, west of Buenos Aires, is best known for its wine and vineyards,  said to number over 800 to 900 of active wineries of which 250 give tours,  and its opportunities for outdoor activities ranging from e-biking and horseback riding to fresh water fishing and hiking. The cities are under a two hour flight apart.

We spent ten full days there, 4 days in BA and 5 days in Mendoza which worked out well. Note that most flights from Miami are overnight, departing late in the evening and arriving early morning the following day. Rather than go into a long article, I decided to share a photo gallery of some of the highlights. But before that, another word about how inexpensive it is. In Buenos Aires we stayed in a good, three star hotel in the Recoleta area of BA for about $150 US a night. It was well located, spacious, and included in the price was the use of a steam and sauna, a fitness center, and buffet breakfast. There’s also the high end choice, the five star  Alvear  Palace Hotel, a landmark of French Style architecture ($1200 USD a night) At most restaurants expect to pay $50 for two for a very good dinner with wine and around $120 for two for a Michelin restaurant experience with wine. Ubers are as little as a third of the cost in Miami, and I could go on and on. First, Buenos Aires highlights.

Buenos Aires Things to Do: Culture

Culture lovers will love two museums in particular, MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires  with the premier collection of 20th-century Latin American art. Besides some of the big names you see in other major museums, they have unique Argentine and Uruguayan artists whose works we’ve never seen and we loved.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA holds the largest public art collection in Latin America. It offers a surprising mix of European masters (Goya, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Rodin) and the most comprehensive history of Argentine art.

Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo: Pure “Belle Époque” luxury.This was the private home of the Errázuriz Alvear family. It is one of the few houses where the original 18^th century European furniture, tapestries, and paintings remain exactly as they were, along with Chinese export porcelains giving you a literal window into how the Argentine elite lived during the country’s wealthiest era.

Not to be missed is a visit to El Ateneo called the most beautiful bookstore in the world by National Geographic and The Guardian. Dating from  1919 as a palatial theater, it then became a cinema and finally the bookstore, yet kept its ornate gold carvings, frescoed ceiling, crimson curtains and grandeur in its several stories. Besides an incredible number of books, it has CDs and vinyl records plus a stylish café.

Buenos Aires Things to Do: Eating

Buenos Aires has broad treelined avenues, lovely cafes to take a break, and areas with French style palaces. Sometimes we thought we were in France or Spain. And certainly you can’t write about BA without mentioning the food. OMG there are so many restaurants, bakeries, empanada shops and the like that I had thought maybe it is the city with the most restaurants per capita in the world (actually it’s Tokyo). Meat lovers will find it a nirvana, especially ones who like their meat grilled. The first word you’ll learn if you don’t speak Spanish is “parilla” as in grill, the local specialty. Befitting a “foodie capital” it has a wonderful food and flea market, San Telmo, with more than four steak restaurants and the popular street food, choripan (grilled sausage on a crispy roll with chimichurri sauce). And then of course there’s dulce de leche made with all kinds of sweets – cakes, cookies, crepes, candies.

No surprise, the shopping finds are leather items – lovely handbags, shoes, clothing, belts, and very accessible prices. Walking in the “chi chi” street of Alvear I found a wonderful Argentine designer whose fashion I’ve never seen here but would be very popular,Solange M. Her patterned linen dresses are strategically beaded and in some cases embroidered. She also sells online.

There’s also quite a nightlife scene between the tango shows and milongas (tango halls). And the Teatro Colon, considered one of the world’s most famous opera houses with programs comparable to those found in Europe. They pick up where dinner (at 9 or 10 pm) leaves off.