The Argentine capital of Buenos Aires is a cultural wonderland and is often cited as people’s favorite city in Latin America. This enthralling metropolis is heavily influenced by its European heritage, from the French-style architecture and urban planning which has earned it the nickname of “The Paris of the South,” to the idiosyncratic Spanish that is laden with Italian gestures and local slang called lunfardo. Buenos Aires is awash with art, music, dance, theatre, food and nightlife, and young and old enjoy the city to the full, heading out late at night to drink a coffee, grab an ice-cream or talk a walk through one of the city’s many parks and squares. Buenos Aires is certainly a 24-hour city, and the warm and generous locals are more than happy to strike up a conversation at any given moment. Portenos, as Buenos Aires natives are known, are an energetic bunch, and their passionate spirit and zeal for life can be seen in every facet of the culture, whether it is the romance and melancholy of tango, or the traffic and chaos in the city’s streets.