1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  CAFÉ TORTONI—Bronze fixtures, stained-glass windows, a polished-wood bar, bow-tied waiters, and the patina of history are all part of the allure at Café Tortoni. Founded in 1858, this is Argentina’s oldest café and still a favorite with locals and tourists alike, whether for conversation over a cappuccino, an appetizer or steak, or the intimate tango show in the back room. INFO: Tel 54/11-4342-4328; www.cafetortoni.com.ar. Cost: dinner $30.

  CASA FELIX—The hot trend in Buenos Aires dining is puertas cerradas, or “closed door” restaurants, tiny dining rooms in homes or other private spaces where top chefs prepare sumptuous meals just a few days a week for a handful of guests (reservations required). One of the best is Casa Felix, where on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings no more than 16 diners are welcomed into chef Diego Felix’s home for an expertly prepared five-course meal featuring organic and local products. Casa Felix is a marvelous place to share a lively evening with new friends and the perfect destination for adventurous diners weary of the region’s beef-rich diet: Meals are red-meat-free, focusing on fish, vegetables, and local fruit. INFO: www.colectivofelix.com. Cost: $45.

  THE GERMÁN MARTITEGUI EXPERIENCE—With its chi-chi nightclub atmosphere and menu of nouvelle Mediterranean and updated Argentine classics, no restaurant epitomizes Palermo Soho glamour quite like Casa Cruz. Polished wood, red walls, and warm lighting conspire to show patrons—heavy on fashionistas and visiting celebrities—at their stylish best. Its star chef, Germán Martitegui, also owns the Scandinavian-themed Ølsen, with sleek Nordic design, a huge selection of vodkas, and a popular weekend brunch featuring smoked fish, bagels, and caviar. Tegui, his most recent opening, offers a prix-fixe menu focused on Mediterranean-style seafood and seasonal produce. Less overtly showy than his other restaurants (the entrance is unmarked and graffiti on the walls is the work of local street-art provocateurs), Tegui is an excellent choice if you are looking for creative, contemporary Argentine cuisine. CASA CRUZ: Tel 54/11-4833-1112; www.casacruz-restaurant.com. Cost: dinner $100. ØLSEN: Tel 54/11-4776-7677. Cost: dinner $35. TEGUI: Tel 54/11-5291-3333. Cost: dinner $55.

  GRAN BAR DANZÓN—This moody-but-sophisticated wine bar is the perfect place to gather with friends and sample Argentine wines by either the glass or the bottle. Many porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) gather here before heading out to clubs and other nightlife spots; some make a night of it and stay for dinner. Argentine favorites such as grilled steak and Italian cuisine top the list, but there’s good sushi too. INFO: Tel 54/11-4811-1108; www.granbardanzon.com.ar. Cost: dinner $30.

  DE OLIVAS I LUSTRES—This trendsetting restaurant helped establish high standards in the Palermo neighborhood and continues to enchant with its 14-dish menu of Mediterranean-style tapas served in an antiques-filled dining room. Or choose from the selection of savory pies, cannelloni, and roast meats, all infused with Argentina’s Latin culinary heritage. INFO: Tel 54/11-4667-3388; www.deolivasilustres.com.ar. Cost: 14-course tapas $20.

  OVIEDO—Despite Argentina’s 2,900-mile coastline, good seafood is surprisingly hard to find in beef-crazed Buenos Aires. At formal, clubhouselike Oviedo, however, the focus is on fresh fish and shellfish, beautifully presented and prepared with a Mediterranean accent. Grilled shrimp and baby squid, oysters on the half shell, the fresh catch served with pumpkin gnocchi, and seafood-rich risottos are all accompanied by gracious service and a vast wine list that delves deeply into the best vintages of Mendoza (see p. 988) and Europe. INFO: Tel 54/11-4821-3741; www.oviedoresto.com.ar. Cost: dinner $45.

  WHERE TO TANGO

  EL VIEJO ALMACÉN—Founded by legendary tango singer Edmundo Rivero, El Viejo Almacén offers a show that is among the city’s most intimate, with little of the Hollywood feel found elsewhere. Grandfatherly tango crooners belt out songs by Carlos Gardel, the fabled singer who made the tango famous the world over before dying in a 1935 plane crash, while sensual young dancers perform in costumes recalling the early days of tango’s dark bordello roots. INFO: Tel 54/11-4307-6689; www.viejo-almacen.com.ar. Cost:$100.

  CASA BLANCA—The unassuming doors of this building on a cobblestone street in San Telmo are a portal to another time. Casa Blanca’s shows are a mix of folkloric dances and tango, distilling the best of the two traditions. Dressed in the clothes of the Pampas, the men try to seduce their partners by way of the zamba, a step dance in which each participant coyly waves a white handkerchief as they did when tango was first performed here in the early 20th century. INFO: Tel 54/11-4331-4621. Cost: $80, including drinks.

  Tango originated in 19th-century Argentina.

  BAR SUR—A sepia-toned throwback to old Buenos Aires, Bar Sur is a milonga (a place where locals dance) that puts on an intimate show for porteños and tourists alike. The small, turn-of-the-last-century bar offers lessons before each performance, beginning at 8 P.M. Later, the sleekly dressed tango dancers weave their way around the tables, bringing the action to patrons who sit, mesmerized, waiting for their own turn on the dance floor. It’s easy to pop in and out of the casual show at any time for drinks or dinner. INFO: Tel 54/11-4362-6086; www.bar-sur.com.ar. Cost:$50.

  CONFITERÍA IDEAL—The glory of old Buenos Aires shines from every bronze sconce and gilded flourish in this classic, century-old milonga, aglow with polished woods, well-worn marble, and stained glass. Patrons sit at tables on either side of the dance floor, usually separated by gender, with men and women exchanging stares and using subtle gestures, such as nods of the head or a flick of the hand, until the man approaches a woman to dance. It’s here that Madonna and Antonio Banderas famously danced for the movie Evita. While it’s open all day, the real action begins around midnight and goes on into the wee hours. Friday is the only day for shows, which are performed by professional dancers and musicians. INFO: Tel 54/11-5265-8069; www.confiteriaideal.com. Cost: daily milonga $8 (entry only); Friday dinner show $50.

  TANGO FESTIVALS—Tango is popular year-round in Buenos Aires, but for 18 days in August events and competitions overtake the city for a few mid-winter weeks with the arrival of Tango Festival y Mundial: This is when theaters along Corrientes host impassioned performances by some of the world’s best dancers and the milongas echo with stiletto heels and sultry rhythms. Indeed, from San Telmo to the Microcentro, the streets themselves become open-air dance spectacles, to the delight of the crowds that gather there each night. INFO: www.tangobuenosaires.gov.ar.

  A Gaucho Lifestyle Minutes from Busy Buenos Aires

  LAS PAMPAS AND ESTANCIAS

  Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

  The pampas—“the only place on earth where God can roam large” wrote Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges—are the vast, flat grasslands stretching for hundreds of miles from where Buenos Aires abruptly stops. These open, empty plains are the source of Argentina’s wealth—here, golden wheat and soy are grown and stout grass-fed cattle raised. This is the birthplace of the legendary gaucho, Argentina’s cowboy, and of estancias, which were originally a combination of fortress, farm, and ranch, and played a bloody role in the conquest of the Indians. Now many welcome tourists.

  Most estancias surround the leafy San Antonio de Areco, known for its silversmiths and the Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes, which is dedicated to the author whose novel Don Segundo Sombra helped make gauchos a respected part of the collective culture. The sleepy town comes to life in early November for the annual gaucho festival, Día de la Tradición.

  Visiting an estancia lets you witness the birth of animals, the harvest, and rural life in general, or to simply sit back and sip mate (the bitter Argentine herbal tea) or a glass of red wine with the gauchos or estancia owners. Most of the homes of the cattle barons—often quite opulent—were built during the 19th century, and many today lure guests with swimming pools, asados (barbecues), and sunset horseback rides. If you need a short break from the urban pace of Buenos Aires, some estancias are even within day-trip range.

  The Colonial-style Estancia La Porteña, near San Antonio, is a beautiful bed-and-b
reakfast that is set on 500 acres and dates back to 1800. It was once owned by Ricardo Güiraldes, the famous novelist, and still oozes literary allure. Guests can enjoy polo lessons, gaucho-led rides on the grounds, and generous home-cooked meals of Argentine specialties.

  Close to Buenos Aires’s Ezeiza Airport and also easily day-trippable is Villa María, a Gothic-and-Tudor confection created by Alejandro Bustillo, the architect behind the Llao Llao resort and other Bariloche landmarks (see p. 990). The sprawling mansion, once owned by the Anchorenas, a wealthy cattle family, sits on exquisite grounds and is more genteel resort than estancia, with polo matches, a spa, and golf on offer.

  WHERE: San Antonio is 70 miles/113 km northwest of Buenos Aires. ESTANCIA LA PORTEÑA: Tel 54/9-11-5626-7347; www.laporteniadeareco.com. Cost: $310, inclusive; day rate $85. ESTANCIA VILLA MARÍA: Tel 54/11-4832-8737; www.estanciavillamaria.com. Cost: $350, all-inclusive; day rate $100. BEST TIMES: Apr–May and Sep–Oct for best weather; Nov for Día de la Tradición.

  The Patagonian Atlantic

  PENÍNSULA VALDÉS

  Chubut, Argentina

  Jutting into the Atlantic from Argentine Patagonia, the Valdés Peninsula was, until recently, the country’s best-kept secret. Its grassy expanses and 250 miles of rugged, cliff-lined coast are one of the world’s most spectacular marine mammal and bird habitats. Puerto Madryn is the base for those who come to explore this unique environment.

  Indeed, more than 180 kinds of marine and shore birds make their home on and around the peninsula, from Magellanic penguins at Punto Tumbo Nature Reserve to herons, kelp gulls, and egrets that are found throughout the cliffs and muddy tidal basins on the ocean’s edge. At Punta Norte, in the peninsula’s northeast corner, orcas prey on the birds, sea lions, and elephant seals by letting the tide carry them onto the beach, then snapping up their quarry, and rolling back into the water. The beach on the Attack Channel is off-limits to humans, but platforms are built in February and March overlooking the violent feeding frenzy. You’ll also find nearly 2,000 southern right whales, half the world’s population, congregating in the sheltered Golfo Nuevo, south of the peninsula.

  The area’s most comfortable lodge is El Pedral, a former sheep farm at the edge of Punta Ninfas, 30 miles from Puerto Madryn. It’s a vast property that stretches up to the cliffs overlooking Golfo Nuevo. Located on its own secluded beach, the 1904 Tudor-style lodge has just eight rooms. The staff arranges private animal- and whale-viewing tours.

  WHERE: Puerto Madryn is 870 miles/1,400 km south of Buenos Aires. HOW: U.S.-based Borello Travel offers a variety of Península Valdés tours. Tel 800-405-3072 or 212-686-4911; www.borellotravel.com. EL PEDRAL LODGE: Tel 54/11-4311-1919; www.elpedrallodge.com. Cost: from $220 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak); from $290 (peak). BEST TIMES: all year for penguins and sea lions; Jun–Dec for right whales; Oct–Apr for orcas.

  A City’s Intellectual Center, Then and Now

  CORDOBA’S JESUIT BLOCK

  Córdoba, Argentina

  Now the country’s second-largest city, Córdoba was established in 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, and the Jesuits arrived soon after. The city’s romantic stucco-and-cobblestone heart is the Manzana Jesuítica, or Jesuit Block, anchored by the University of Córdoba. This is Argentina’s first university, opened in 1613, and one of the oldest in the Americas. Within the “block” are the architecturally stunning Iglesia Compañia de Jesús (Church of the Society of Jesus), Argentina’s first church and the city’s oldest surviving building; the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat, the country’s oldest high school; and the Capilla Doméstica (Domestic Chapel). These buildings, along with the flourishing estancias the Jesuits established outside of town, serve as one large historic museum. Nearby Plaza San Martõn is graced with a number of cafés and several of its own historically significant buildings. The Cabildo, or Old City Hall, is now an arts center whose various cultural events include a Friday evening tango performance. The eclectic Cathedral of Córdoba next door, known for its angels with Native American faces, was started in 1577 and worked on for more than 200 years in a charming pastiche of styles. A few blocks away is the Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobre Monte, housed in what was once a private home; dating from 1722, it is the city’s oldest residence still standing and an excellent example of Colonial architecture. Stay within the city’s historic district by checking into its first design-minded hotel, the 14-room Azur Real Hotel Boutique, set in a 1915 town house just blocks from the main plaza.

  La Cañada, a man-made canal lined with oak trees, meanders through town; its walkways and cafés are popular gathering points at night. On weekends, the Feria Artesanal del Paseo de los Artes bustles with handicrafts and antiques vendors.

  Entire towns have grown up around the former Jesuit estancias surrounding Córdoba, the oldest of which is Caroya (1616). Alta Gracia, dominated by a Baroque church that is reached by an imposing staircase, is the closest (16 miles southwest); the young Ernesto Che Guevara lived in a house on its outskirts. In early January, visit Jesús María (31 miles north of Córdoba) for the gaucho-themed Festival Nacional de Doma y Folklore. Later that month, nearby Cosquín (32 miles northwest of Córdoba) hosts the Festival Nacional de Folklore, followed by the Cosquín Rock music festival in February. With its polo fields, extensive grounds overlooking the Córdoba Mountains, and spa, the elegant Estancia El Colibrí, a nine–guest room property 20 miles west of Córdoba, will make you feel like you’re starring in an Argentine-style Ralph Lauren ad. Along with polo lessons and long rides accompanied by gaucho guides across the 420-acre tract, there’s a juicy steak and a glass of Malbec to enjoy at the end of the day.

  WHERE: 388 miles/624 km northwest of Buenos Aires. AZUR REAL: Tel 54/351-424-7133; www.azurrealhotel.com. Cost: from $125. ESTANCIA EL COLIBRÍ: Tel 54/352-546-5888; www.estanciaelcolibri.com. Cost: from $575 (off-peak), from $725 (peak), inclusive. BEST TIME: Jan–Feb for festivals and pleasant summer weather.

  Nature’s Mightiest Show of Sound and Fury

  IGUAZÚ FALLS

  Argentina and Brazil

  Emerging from the jungle in a mist-covered fury, Iguazú is the world’s widest waterfall, so impressive that Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have murmured “poor Niagara” upon witnessing its might. More than 60,000 cubic feet of water per second plunge over 200-foot cliffs, creating 275 separate falls (as many as 350 during rainy season) in a broad horseshoe that forms northern Argentina’s natural border with Brazil.

  Walkways drenched by Iguazú’s spray provide the best encounter, taking travelers through dense tropical jungle and alongside and over the falls. More than 80 percent lie within Argentina, including the most impressive cascade, the U-shaped, 270-foot-high and nearly half-mile-long Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). Exhilarating rafting excursions take you along the Garganta del Diablo canyon and into the watery spray, and to San Martín Island to climb the cliffs and look down onto the water from their precarious edge. Visiting the Brazilian side by bus or ferry is easy and lets you determine whether the view can possibly be better. (Helicopter rides, which launch from here, include special full-moon flights.)

  If you long to fall asleep to the thunder of the falls, the pink Colonial-style Hotel das Cataratas in Brazil is your best (and most luxurious) choice. If awakening or dining to an awesome panorama is your pleasure, go for the Sheraton Iguazú Hotel & Spa in Argentina, with rooms and a restaurant, Garganta del Diablo, that overlook the waters. The small Argentine town of Puerto Iguazú, 11 miles from the falls, has a raft of modest, cheaper accommodations. Tours depart from there into the nearby rain forest, where you can see some 400 feathered species, including parrots, toucans, and manakins. To truly experience the luxuriant jungle depths, stay in Argentina’s Yacutinga Lodge, 37 miles and worlds away from the falls. Its ten rustic but comfortable lodges blend organically with the leafy surroundings, where you may spot many of the 562 species of butterflies native to the region.

  The name Iguazú is derived from a Guarani w
ord meaning “great water.”

  WHERE: 960 miles/1,094 km north of Buenos Aires. HOTEL DAS CATARATAS: Tel 55/45-2102-7000; in the U.S., 800-837-9051; www.hoteldascataratas.com. Cost: from $405. SHERATON IGUAZÚ: Tel 54/37-5749-1800; in the U.S., tel 800-325-3535; www.sheraton.com. Cost: rooms with falls view from $245 (off-peak), $335 (peak). YACUTINGA LODGE: www.yacutinga.com. Cost: 2-night “Yacutinga Experience” from $440 per person, all-inclusive. BEST TIMES: Sep–Nov to avoid heat, rain, and crowds; May–Jul for viewing the falls at their most impressive.

  Where Malbec Is King

  MENDOZA

  Argentina

  Rich soil, intense sunlight, and a charmed, high-altitude location at the foot of the snow-capped Andes make Mendoza Province Argentina’s premier wine capital. The signature grape is the Malbec, originally brought by the Spaniards 500 years ago and now as emblematic of Argentina as the tango.

  Mendoza produced simple table wines until the 1990s, when technological changes and local determination improved the quality. Today, tens of thousands of acres and close to 1,000 bodegas (wineries) throughout the valleys surrounding Mendoza—Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu, and the Uco Valley—are planted with Malbec and other grapes. The best time to experience Mendoza’s wine culture is in early March, during the Vendimia, the harvest festival that brings the city of Mendoza alive for a week of parades and beauty pageants that culminate with one young Mendocina selected Reina Vendimia, the Harvest Queen.

  Mendoza abounds in outdoor adventure, from rafting in the Mendoza River to climbing Mount Aconcagua—at 23,000 feet, the highest peak outside the Himalayas—to skiing at Andean resorts. Much of the activity is concentrated along los caminos del vino (the wine roads) that link the dozens of vineyards that are open for visits. Or follow the local stretch of Ruta 40, the country’s iconic highway that originates 1,100 miles to the north at Jujuy Province’s border with Bolivia and continues through southern Patagonia, traversing some of the continent’s most beautiful scenery.