Buenos Aires is an impulsive city, famous for its diversity, especially in architecture, and its passion when it comes to dancing and it offers nearly everything a travelers heart could desire.

One is always accompanied by tango and the rhythm of the Porteños. For example, on the wonderful and multifarious fair in Recoleta or while walking along the Florida Avenue and even in the Subte (Subway). The city reaches out for you and wants you to experience her for every single minute. Go to the barrios (neighborhoods) in the north and you will find a variety of designer and second hand shops in Palermo; a lively neighborhood with a lot of bars and nightclubs. And for a more relaxed atmosphere there is a great forest nearby, called the Bosques de Palermo. The Palermo Woods are the biggest park in Buenos Aires with small lakes and a great forest. The botanic garden and the Zoo can be reached within walking distance from the Subway station Plaza Italia (Line D).

A winter wonderland without the winter

The weeks leading up to Christmas in Buenos Aires bring a set of cultural traditions which many people from the northern hemisphere will find reassuringly (or depressingly, depending on your view) familiar. On the one hand, similarities with the ways in which the Christmas festival is celebrated elsewhere should not be surprising given the particularly strong European influence in Buenos Aires (the origins of which lie in the unprecedented waves of immigration which occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century), as well as the ever-increasing global comercialisation of La Navidad. However, while the decor in the temporary Christmas shops which pop up across the city speak of colder climes, with snowdrops, Christmas trees, icicles, fairy lights and the like, the weather gives the spectacle a wholly different ambience. The start of December brings much warmer and humid weather to the city, encouraging porteños to spend more time outdoors in the plazas, the gardens and terrazas of its countless bars and restaurants. Whilst in colder parts of the world the people tend to hibernate for the harsher winter months, the arrival of Christmas in Buenos Aires brings a summery spirit and positivity. Moreover, this is when the city really comes alive in a cultural sense, hosting numerous national and international music, food/drink, theatre and film festivals. There’s certainly no shortage of things to do in Argentina at this time of year, which can be especially comforting for extranjeros (or foreigners) spending Christmas away from friends and families back home. (www.couchsurfing.org is also a great resource for meeting Argentines and foreigners who are looking to spend Christmas with other people in Buenos Aires; a kind of adopted family Christmas experience!)