There are a handful of places that I've fallen in love with over my travels and Buenos Aires is up there in the top few where I've felt at home. I arrived mid-July with a backpack full of pretty much the same clothes I had travelled to South East Asia. The optimistic Brit inside of me told myself that winter in South America would be like a mild European spring. Oh, boy was I wrong... But that didn't matter. The fact that I had arrived in the middle of winter made it even better. Here's why...

Dance Argentine Tango

Numero uno on my bucket list was to head to a milonga, a place dedicated to the art of Argentine tango. My hostel owner advised of three in particular: La Catedral, DNI Tango and  La Viruta. I'd recommend all of them! Especially La Catedral on a Tuesday night. I stumbled off from a 14-hour flight on Norwegian Air and headed straight to a dance class at La Catedral followed by an evening of dancing. The best part was that there were barely any tourists.If you're looking for more of a professional learning experience, DNI Tango is the place to be. The teachers are amazing and classes are taught in studios where once or twice a week you can get together with fellow students to practice your moves. I spent almost every evening at a milonga and if I went back, I'd probably spend 90% of my time doing just that.

Empanadas

Ok... it's probably time I confessed. I'm obsessed. There you have it. Every place I've been to in Argentina has involved a hunt for the best empanadas around. One of my favourite places in Buenos Aires was La Cocina. A bit of an old man's dive but so tempting to order empanadas by the dozen.Head to San Telmo Market on Sunday for some fresh oven baked empanadas. It gets crowded but totally worth the wait!

Walking Tours

Arriving in Argentina, I knew very little about its history. Buenos Aires Free Walks offers a number of walking tours around the city most days of the week. Whether it be a graffiti tour through Palermo or a tour focused more on history and politics, they're totally worth it.If you do the La Boca tour, head to El Gran Paraiso for lunch. Confession... I hadn't eaten beef for over 20 years. Let's just say that's no longer the case. Argentina changes you... If you're going to do something, you may as well do it right with some of the finest quality produce.Graffiti in Buenos AiresOne of my favourite past times in Buenos Aires was to walk around and admire the street art. There are almost no restrictions on where you can paint in the city and every mural pretty much serves as a blank canvas for artists and creatives. Walking around Palermo, Mercado de las Pulgas has awesome murals and also the area around San Telmo market.

Where to stay

Arriving during the thick of winter in Argentina, there were a couple of rainy days where chilling in the house that once belonged to the famous tango singer Roberto Rufino was on the cards. The Chillhouse Hostel located conveniently near my favourite milongas was perfect.

Have you been to Buenos Aires? What were your favourite parts of the city?