Argentina stretches from the subtropical north to the sub-Antarctic south across an extraordinary range of landscapes and climates, making it one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world. Buenos Aires, the capital, is one of the great cities of the Southern Hemisphere — a European-flavoured metropolis of wide boulevards, ornate architecture, excellent museums and a restaurant and nightlife scene that comes alive long after midnight. The neighbourhoods of Palermo, San Telmo and La Boca each have a distinct character; the Sunday antique market in San Telmo and a tango show in La Boca are essential Buenos Aires experiences. Patagonia in the south is one of the world’s last great wilderness frontiers. The Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate is one of the most spectacular and accessible glaciers on earth — an enormous wall of blue ice advancing across Lago Argentino, calving massive chunks into the water with thunderous cracks. Los Glaciares National Park surrounding it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Torres del Paine National Park across the border in Chile, though technically in a neighbouring country, is typically included in Patagonia itineraries and offers some of the finest hiking scenery on earth — the three granite towers of the Paine massif among the most dramatic landscapes anywhere. Mendoza in the Andean foothills is Argentina’s wine capital — the Malbec heartland, where tree-lined boulevards, excellent bodegas and the snow-capped backdrop of the Andes create a genuinely lovely setting. The north of the country — Salta, Jujuy and the extraordinary coloured rock formations of the Quebrada de Humahuaca — offers a very different, Andean culture rich in indigenous heritage. Argentina is typically visited October to April (the Southern Hemisphere spring and summer), when Patagonia in particular is accessible and at its best.