Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a mixture of Madrid and Barcelona and probably South America's most European city. With roughly 12 million people living in the greater BA region it accounts for almost a third of Argentina's population. The city is situated at the Rio de la Plata three hours by boat from Montevideo and one hour from La Colonia de Sacramento (both cities on the Uruguayan side of the river). The city of BA has lots to offer besides Tango, soccer and incredible beef. Neighborhoods like Palermo are packed with fantastic restaurants, nice pubs, clubs and trendy shops as well as artists and designers. The area around Puerto Madero (the harbor) is very modern and one of the most expensive locations in Buenos Aires. San Telmo is kind of bohemian with a lot of little cafes, bars and restaurants reminding a little bit of the Borne neighborhood in Barcelona. BA used to be South America's richest city and financial and economic hub but experiences nowadays strong competition from Sao Paolo or Santiago de Chile.