Buenos Aires Photos

Photograph by Bob Krist

Blending a 19th-century zeitgeist with a 21st-century dynamism, Buenos Aires serves up a colorful urbanity, including innovative retail and restaurant venues along Calle Florida.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Shopping is often a creative venture in fashion-conscious Buenos Aires, where stores like Lupe, a breezy, light-filled clothing boutique in the Palermo quarter, offer elegantly casual designs.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

A tango dancer perfects her stage persona for an appearance in the nightly show at the popular café Esquina Homero Manzi.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Serving Buenos Aires since 1850, the convivial café La Biela has been a gathering place for such luminaries as Formula 1 racing star Emerson Fittipaldi and writer Jorge Luis Borges.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Traditional Argentine fare is served with red wine and fresh flair at acclaimed Urondo Bar.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

All sculptural drama and soaring lines, Puente de la Mujer—Bridge of the Woman—designed by award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, seems to take flight from the Puerto Madero neighborhood in eastern Buenos Aires.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Playful porteño art imitates life in a mural depicting traffic on Avenida 9 de Julio—along a stretch of the real Avenida 9 de Julio.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Regal in size, operatic in feeling, the ornate Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid draws in bookstore patrons as much for its setting in a 1920s theater as for its shelves of books.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Grown rich on the beef farmed in the surrounding Pampas countryside, Buenos Aires still honors the gauchos, who rode the vast ranges at such annual festivals as the Feria de Matadores.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Patrons enjoy an al fresco meal at La Biela, a landmark that was designated a "place of cultural interest" by the city of Buenos Aires in 1999.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

It takes two to tango—and a crowd to mark the occasion—at the popular Sunday antiques market in the San Telmo neighborhood, considered the birthplace of Buenos Aires's iconic dance.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

A crescendo of vivid colors marks the Caminito neighborhood, a former slum area transformed into an arts-and-shops attraction.

Read more in "Authentic Buenos Aires" from the March 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.