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24 Hours of Tango

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Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the romantic tango, and foreigners have long drifted down south to partake of the sultry music and passionate dance, and the culture that it has spawned. You could spend weeks here and visit a different milonga (tango club) every night; unfortunately, most visitors have a more limited timeframe. For those with just 24 hours to kill, here is an itinerary with activities that vary from learning about the history of the development of the dance, to watching everyone from street performers to the country's top dancers, to learning a few steps and trying them out in the midst of locals who spend their evenings this way all the time.

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Author: elizabeth

Day 1 - Buenos Aires

24 hours isn't nearly enough time to experience all of the tango-related activities that Buenos Aires has to offer, but if one day is all you've got, the essentials are easy enough to pick out. Begin with a stroll down El Caminito, the strips of brightly-colored houses in the southern neighborhood of La Boca that is also known as Vuelta de Rocha. Here you will see tango dancers manuvering through the cobblestoned alleys, and you may want to sit and enjoy a show during your lunch. Note that this is the single most touristy spot in all of Buenos Aires, so the prices are inflated and the quality relatively low, but the sights are enjoyable nonetheless. Catch the bus or a taxi to the neighborhood that borders La Boca to the north, San Telmo. Also a traditional tango neighborhood, San Telmo's Plaza Dorrego tends to have less flashy, more sophisticated tango duos performing for the guests at the plaza's outdoor tables. You can also just watch from the edges of the square or take a seat on the low stone wall that borders Plaza Dorrego. From here continue north to Cafe Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo. Tortoni is one of the oldest still-functioning cafes in the city, and is certainly one of the most grand. Very affordable afternoon and evening tango shows run throughout the week - reservations must be made for this most authentic (and very intimate) of tango shows. If the World Tango Festival is in town, this is the time to check it out. Look at the website to get the schedule of events, which run throughout the day, all over the city. If your wallet is up to it, make a reservation at Madeo Tango for a dinner show, where you will be dazzled by the spectacle of glamorous, high-kicking men and women, as you learn a little bit about the history and development of the dance as a cultural movement. If the show leaves you itching to get out on the dance floor and try for yourself, La Diabla is where you want to be, where you can partake in tango classes led by professional dancers. The classes give way to the public as the night goes on and La Diabla transforms from a dance school to a milonga (tango club). If you haven't quite quenched the tango bug, finish your night at La Beba, another milonga.

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