Travel: 48 Hours in Buenos Aires

Friday, 8pm Check into Hotel Chile (Avenida de Mayo 1297, www.hotelchile.minihostels.com, from £29 for a double room). Built in 1905, it's one of the best examples of art nouveau in Buenos Aires and right in the heart of town.

10am Start the day with coffee and medialunas (sweet croissants) at Piazza Cafe (Saenz Pena y Avenida de Mayo).

11:30am Take a taxi over to El Caminito and marvel at the colourful neighbourhood of La Boca.

5pm Head to Avenida Santa Fe for some retail therapy. Pass the grand Teatro Colon (Libertad, 0054 011 4384 6905, www.teatrocolo.org.ar) and check out the Avenida 9 de Julio, which, with 12 lanes, is the world's widest avenue.

8:30pm Dine at La Americana (Avenida Callao, 0054 011 4371 0202) and taste the Italian heritage of Buenos Aires in this bustling pizza restaurant.

Sunday, 11am Take a walk down to Puerto Madero and revel in the breathtaking quiet of the riverside. Have a late breakfast at Soda (Olga Cossettini, 0054 011 4312 7315). A slab of cake is the norm for breakfast here.

1pm Go by taxi to the Cemetario de Recoleta and visit the humble tomb of Eva (Evita) Peron (www.info-recoleta.com). The tree-lined avenues, plus the designer shops and cafs nearby are among the reasons the city is known as the Paris of the south.

5pm Head for the thriving Mercado de San Telmo (Defensa and Estados Unidos), an undercover antiques market. Then watch tango in the Plaza Dorrego.

8:30pm Steak is ubiquitous in Buenos Aires. Desnivel (Calle Defensa, 0054 011 4300 9081) is a cheap and atmospheric parilla (steakhouse). Or book a table at upmarket La Cabrera (Calle Cabrera 5099, www.parrillalacabrera.com.ar).

The Facts

Flights from Glasgow to Buenos Aires start from 599 with worldwideflights.com

• This article was first published in The Scotsman, Saturday August 14, 2010