When it's winter in the United States, it's summer in Buenos Aires, so from November to March, the port bustles with a steady parade of cruise ships. The Argentine capital has become a popular embarkation/debarkation point for cruises around the tip of the South America, to the Falkland Islands, and to Antarctica. Cruise lines usually offer pre- or post-cruise hotel packages, which are a good idea, because one day in Buenos Aires is definitely not enough.

If you happen to be here for a cruise departing in February or March, you can take advantage of the Tango Festival, a two-month celebration of the national dance that features performances at venues all over the city. Tango, with its European flair, sultry sensuality, and surprising twists and turns, is an apt symbol for the Argentine capital itself. You can encounter this dance anywhere at anytime--in a coffee shop, a restaurant, or suddenly appearing on a street corner. It's one of ways in which the city surprises. Robert Duvall, who directed and starred in the movie Assassination Tango, said, "I love New York, but I actually think Buenos Aires is the most exciting city in the world."

A quick look around and you'll understand the city's reputation as the Paris of South America. French revival architecture is everywhere. A hundred years ago, when Buenos Aires was rapidly growing, French, Italian, and British architects were in vogue. Yet, while the city may look European, its flavor is distinctly Argentine.

If you see it first from your approaching flight, Buenos Aires will look daunting--a metropolitan sprawl that is home to more than 12 million residents (known as portenos). However--another of those delightful surprises--Buenos Aires is very walkable, for the city proper houses a modest two million in 48 barrios, or neighborhoods, and the best way to tour around is to do one barrio at a time.

You might want to start with one of the most attractive areas, Recoleta, which is also the most touristed part of town, due in large part to one notable (deceased) woman--Evita. Argentina's controversial former first lady is interred in one of the world's most famous graveyards, Cemeterio de la Recoleta. It is ground zero for every guided tour of Buenos Aires.

This vast, walled complex is like a city in itself, a labyrinth of elaborate crypts and mausoleums that are the final resting places of Argentina's elite. Finding Evita's tomb without asking directions is virtually impossible. Evita herself almost didn't make it here, since the populist leader was shunned by the upper classes who guard the cemetery as if it were a private club. Evita, after all, was the illegitimate child of a working-class mother, but she was finally recognized by the family of her natural father, the land-rich Duartes. (You'll be looking for the Duarte crypt, not Peron; Evita's husband, General Juan Peron, is relegated to the lesser Cemeterio de la Chacarita on the other side of town.)

Evita is still a palpable presence here, like a ghost walking the streets. Not far from the cemetery, the Evita Museum occupies a fashionable mansion in which Evita had established a home for single mothers, much to the chagrin of the upscale neighbors. The lady enjoyed slapping the faces of the elite. "Today I have the honor of holding the two highest conditions a common woman can aspire to: love from the humble and hate from the oligarchs," she said. Don't expect to gain any real insight into a woman who was accused of being more interested in her own fate than that of "shirtless ones" she championed; the museum is an unapologetic propaganda piece.

The ghosts of Evita and Juan Peron also hang over the Government House, Casa Rosada, fronting Plaza de Mayo. This public square has long been the focal point of Argentinian political life. Crowds gathered to both cheer and protest the Peron government, to cheer and protest the Falklands War, to welcome new governments and damn old ones throughout the country's tumultuous history.

Casa Rosada, a mix of Italian and French styles, is painted pink to symbolize harmony between two political parties that held the official colors of red and white. Harmony, however, has seldom been seen in Argentinian politics. In the 1970s, a group of brave women began to march to demand the return of their sons who "disappeared" during the brutal military dictatorship then in power, or at least to hear an official acknowledgement of what happened to the victims. It never came, and the women, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, still march every Thursday at 3 p.m.

During the country's economic meltdown in 2001-02, protests here led to the deaths of seven demonstrators at the hands of police. The economic crisis has made Argentina embarrassingly cheap for visiting Americans, but it has devastated the middle class, putting more than half of Argentinians under the poverty line.

Extending west from Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo was the capital's first boulevard, reaching all the way to the Plaza de los Dos Congressos. The elaborate Greco-Roman structure there is the Palace of Congress, and the statue and fountain in the plaza commemorate the two meetings (dos congressos) that established Argentina's independence from Spain in the early 1800s.

Dissecting this boulevard at about its halfway point is the even more impressive Avenida 9 de Julio, at 16 lanes the world's widest avenue, lined with hotels and cafes and kapok trees that bloom pink in the austral summer. And where 9 de Julio intersects Avenida Corrientes stands an obelisk that has become an icon of the city. Standing 222 feet tall, the four-sided spire was erected in 1936 to mark four significant events that led to the establishment of Buenos Aires. Today it's a helpful landmark for getting one's bearings.

For instance, with the obelisk in view, you know you can walk a few blocks east and arrive at Avenida Florida, a long and fashionable pedestrian-only shopping street. Prices, as I mentioned, are cheap. Don't miss the handsome Galerias Pacifico, once the offices of a railway company but long ago converted into an elegant shopping mall reminiscent of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II. Take note of the murals on the domed ceiling, which were painted by some of Argentina's most noted artists. (It's common to see tango students here practice for the crowds--and pick up a few coins to finance their classes.)

One of my favorite neighborhoods for its Old World charm and cobbled streets is San Telmo. This barrio is the home of the tango. Catch a live performance for a very modest cover charge at Bar Sur or El Viejo Almacen. Or just stop for a beer at the outdoor tables in tree-shaded Plaza Donego in the late afternoon--a shapely porteno girl in killer high heels and her slim partner are sure to show up to show off their steps. This square hosts an antique fair every Sunday, and antique shops are numerous throughout the surrounding lanes.

I'll end this tour of Buenos Aires, fittingly, at the port. First, go to the old working class section called La Boca, which has become one of the city's most colorful barrios and a major tourist attraction. Here is an eccentric sprawl of houses, fashioned from whatever materials could be scrounged from the dockyards that employed the Basque and Italian immigrants, and painted with whatever leftover marine paint could be had. Today, the colorful concept is deliberately extended to delight tourists, and the streets have been turned into pedestrian malls flogging tourist bric-a-brac. But it's still worth a visit.

Then head to the trendy quayside area called Puerto Madero, the city's newest official barrio, and its most chic. Here, a string of old brick warehouses lining the docking basins along the Rio de la Plata have been converted into upscale lofts, shops, and restaurants. Dozens of fine dining spots have outdoor terraces with water views, excellent food and, thanks to exchange rates, unbelievably low prices. Don't miss the opportunity the try the many fine Argentine wines, which, even with restaurant mark-ups, are inexpensive.

The area is well worth a stroll before dinner. A brick promenade lines the quays, and you'll find two historic ships open to the public. One is the big handsome Fragata Sarmiento, an early 20th century naval training vessel and Argentina's oldest floating ship. The other, a short stroll away, is Corbetta Uruguay, famous for having rescued the Norwegian Nordenskjold expedition from Antarctica in 1903.

In between these two vessels is a striking new pedestrian bridge linking to the other side, Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman). A gift to the city by wealthy benefactor Alberto Gonzales, the bridge was designed to stylistically represent--what else?--a couple dancing tango.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO