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Nightlife

You won't be surprised to learn that Buenos Aires really heats up, rocking, rolling, and of course, tangoing with a passion, after dark. Most visitors will want to have a taste of tango, which is, after all, what's helped put Argentina – and particularly Buenos Aires culture – on the map.

There are dozens of venues of varying size, slickness, price, and degree of authenticity where you can catch a performance of the sultry dance or participate and take lessons. While popular, you might opt to overlook the numerous cheesy, overpriced tourist traps epitomized by Señor Tango, a high-tech, overblown mega-cross between a tango show, circus, and the musical Evita, complete with horses and audiences of 1000 or more. Instead, we recommend searching out something more true to the intimate, outlaw spirit of the sensual moves widely believed to have originated around the 1880s by male couples in brothels. These would be smaller, more authentic (and, by the way, less pricey) spots in San Telmo, like Bar Sur (Calle Estados Unidos 295; www.cctango.com.ar) and El Viejo Almacén (Avenida Independencia 300 and Balcarce; +54 (11) 4307-7388; www.elviejoalmacen.com.ar); also, near the Plaza de Mayo, check out the classic Café Tortoni (Avenida de Mayo 825; www.cafetortoni.com.ar), which dates from the mid-19th century. Note that the action generally doesn't heat up until 9–10.30pm.

Top lounges and nightspots without tango include a chic, rehabbed Recoleta manse called Milión (Calle Paraná 1048; +54 (11) 4815-9925); the hip Voodoo in Las Cañitas (Calle Báez 340, +54 (11) 4772-2453); and Palermo Hollywood's more underground Mundo Bizarro (Calle Guatemala 4802; +54 (11) 4773-1967). Jazz-seekers might seek out Thelonius Bar in Palermo (Calle Salguero 1884; +54 (11) 4829-1562) for some of the best live shows in town, but for homegrown folk/ethnic tunes, you should head up to the Abasto neighborhood to find La Peña del Abasto (Calle Anchorena 571; +54 (11) 5076-0148). There's now also a raft of world-class megaclubs complete with hot DJs and hot crowds; two standouts are Microcento's Bahrein (Calle Lavalle 345; www.bahreinba.com) and Costanera Norte's Pachá (Avenida Costanera Norte and La Pampa; www.pachabuenosaires.com). If you still have energy after all of that, one of the capital's hottest "after" parties grooves from 8am–2pm on Sundays at Fiction @ Caix (Avenida Rafael Obligado; www.caix-ba.com.ar), also in Costanera Norte.

Buenos Aires's gay scene has also been burgeoning in recent years, and a small gay neighborhood of sorts has sprung up in Barrio Norte (a subsection of Recoleta), on Avenida Santa Fe between Callao and Pueryrredón. Enjoy dinner and a drag show at Chueca (Calle Soler 3283; +54 (11)4963-3430); grab a drink and hang out at the new and trendy watering-hole Bulnes Class (Calle Bulnes 1250; www.bulnesclass.com.ar); and follow it up with dancing til dawn at the megaclub Amerika (Calle Gascón 104; www.ameri-k.com.ar) in Almagro.