Find your rhythm while ambling through Buenos Aires

WHETHER you are a beer, food or art lover, you will find something to suit your palate in these neighbouring European countries.

buenos aires

AS FORMER Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio slips on the shoes of the fisherman to become Pope Francis, Australians may like to stroll his home town of Buenos Aires.

Those who do should take good walking shoes as well as dancing shoes - the Argentinean tango capital is a great walking city but with woeful paving. Even its famous Calle Florida shopping street, a pedestrian mecca, is littered with broken pavers and potholes.

Yet with a little care, a walking tour is a fine day out.

It is a city of some faded grandeur but great promise, where the sheer volume of people and outdoor dining and entertainment venues give it a vibrant pulse.

A typical day might include Calle Florida. Closed to traffic, this long shopping mall is a little narrower than many Australian equivalents and gets quite packed.

There are buskers, flower sellers, shoeshine men, caricature artists, living statues, comedy acts, tango dancers, cafes and some elegant shopping.

Start at the parkland around Plaza San Martin and simply stroll and shop. Place names along the way reflect Argentina's turbulent history, such as Cafe La Junta de 1810.

Make sure you check out some of the interesting side streets with shops that can't quite afford the Florida rent.

Lavalle St bisects Florida and is another pedestrian mall with its own shops, cafes and lousy paving.

Keep wandering up Florida to Plaza de Mayo, a big square with grand government and cultural buildings. It was the centre of protests which started the May 1810 revolution that led to independence from Spain.

Plaza de Mayo also is home to the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, where Argentine Catholics have celebrated the elevation of their humble cardinal to Pope Francis.

Those of Christian faith might like to pause for a prayer where the Pope used to celebrate Mass.

Try to time your visit on a Sunday, and from Plaza de Mayo head down Defensa St towards San Telmo which turns into a huge market strip.

This is Argie-hippie heaven, with dreadlocks, incense and handicrafts galore. There are great bargains to be had, and behind the hundreds of stalls are interesting arcades, antique shops, churches, historic buildings and cafes.

There is little English spoken but smiles, hand signals and try-hard Spanish go a long way.

Defensa with its uneven flagstones winds down to the barrio, or neighbourhood, of San Telmo and into the park of Plaza Dorrego, which is the heart of market territory on a Sunday. Cafes around the markets are ideal to perch while you rest your feet.

From here it is a short stroll to Puerto Madero, the revitalised dock area. Where once were wharves are now cool restaurants, hotels, clubs, apartments and parks, clustered around a series of deepwater basins crossed by bridges.

It is a long walk around the series of basins with plenty to look at along the way, from bands playing to shops.

The wide walkways are flat and well made but beware the constant flow of in-line skaters, cyclists, joggers, even unicyclists. One skater was being towed by his large dog.

This is a place to promenade, for young couples to romance and for families to relax. There are myriad waterfront eateries to enjoy the view, many are upmarket but competition means you can find a good meal without breaking the bank. Being Argentina, meat is high on menus.

From the waterfront, slip back to Plaza de Mayo for a stroll along the grand Avenida de Mayo. This dates to 1894 when the city decided it wanted a Parisian-style boulevard. Today it is flanked by government and cultural institutions, gracious old buildings, monuments, fountains and a mix of shops, offices and billiard halls.

At a statue of Don Quixote, Avenida de Mayo meets Avenida 9 de Julio, BA's main city thoroughfare.

Reputedly the widest avenue in the world, the highway is actually a series of parallel roads divided by green space. Its wide footpaths get packed and is another good walk to take in a mix of cafes, hotels and boutiques en route though Monserrat and Centro.

Monuments are of interest but the one truly eye-catching sight is a homage to Eva Peron - Evita.

Buenos Aires seems obsessed with Evita and one of the city's tallest government buildings in the centre of Avenida 9 de Julio is dominated by a 10-storey high steel portrait of her on two sides, one singing into a microphone. It was here an estimated two million people rallied in 1951 in support of Evita running for vice-president. The wife of then-president Juan Peron is lauded as a defender of the poor and working class, and died aged 33 from cancer.

This walk will take you to the Recoleta district with its posh homes, upmarket shops, weekend markets and a cemetery housing many of Buenos Aires's rich and famous dead.

While walking Buenos Aires is great, a taxi might be in order to head to the Flores area, a few kilometres outside the CBD. This is where Pope Francis was born and is where his beloved San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team play, now with the Pope's picture on their jerseys.

By now you will want a rest before heading out for the night.

At night it's time to take out your dancing shoes. In Buenos Aires tango is everywhere - on shops, billboards, tourist maps and coffee mugs.

There are tango salons, shows, tours, restaurants and street performers. Even a famous bridge across a basin at Puerto Madero is based on the tango, and it does indeed evoke the image of a leaning couple entwined in the passion of dance.

This ubiquitous obsession with tango brings to mind two things: 1. Thank goodness the Argentines did not invent disco. 2. Where can I get some of this tango?

I wandered up Calle Florida and soon found a street blocked where a tango exhibition was under way..

A few blocks further on another street had the same scene, and when I found yet a third, it felt a little like overkill until I discovered a city-wide tango festival was under way.

Tango festivals are a regular occurrence in Buenos Aires.

In the Pope's home town, you'll need your shoes - for dancing and walking.

Go2 - BUENOS AIRES

Getting there: Options to get to Buenos Aires include flying Qantas to Santiago in Chile then LAN to Buenos Aires. While no visa is required for Australian passport holders, a $US100 ($A95) "reciprocity fee" must be paid online prior to arrival. It is valid for one year for multiple entries. It can be paid at www.migraciones.gov.ar, Argentina.org.au

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