Urban

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  Blooming Flower in City

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  Modern church

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  Miraflores, Lima, Peru

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  Street Art, Brazil

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  Santa Marta Favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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  Modern Architecture

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  Metro

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  Contemporary use of Shapes in Architecture

Latin America is home to some of the world’s most cosmopolitan and exciting cities, where day and night merge into one

The urban scene in Latin America is developing rapidly as the local affluent middle classes demand ever more exciting and varied entertainment. In addition to great architecture, design, fashion, music and nightlife, a gastronomic revolution is sweeping the continent and many new top restaurants are opening up.

The arts scene is also becoming ever more vibrant, with a host of galleries in cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Lima and Buenos Aires leading the way. And let us not forget that the region also has some extremely important museums housing priceless treasures.

Not many Latin American cities have the fantastic setting and beautiful beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana that keep Rio de Janeiro at the top of the league as an urban paradise for visitors, but the diversity of experience in cities across the region is tremendous. Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, is the commercial heart of the country, and while it does not have the aesthetic appeal of Rio, it is a sophisticated and possibly even more thrilling city. With an estimated 15,000 clubs and bars, not to mention 12,000 restaurants featuring more than 40 global cuisines, Sao Paulo is an extremely important gastronomic and nightlife destination.

Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, is possibly the most European of South America’s capital cities. Visitors often relish a little retail therapy in one of the many famous shopping malls, such as Alto Palermo and Galerias Pacifico, or the smaller boutiques in Palermo. While parrillas (barbecues) are very popular, international chefs have descended on the city in recent years with new many new restaurants opening almost daily. Unsurprisingly many of these establishments have given a wine a very special place as well.

Santiago also has plenty to offer our guests who love a bit of urban living. With its heritage architecture, wide selection of international restaurants and arts scene, a short stay here will leave you energised for the more rural delights that make Chile a choice destination.

Latinos love to party, and as dusk falls and the city lights come on, the music starts, bars fill up and the main entertainment areas start to rock – especially at weekends. Students, the affluent middle class and visitors mix together creating a buzzy vibe in areas such as Lapa in Rio, Miraflores in Lima, the Zona Rosa/Parque 93 in Bogota. Buenos Aires also offers an exceptional night out: enjoy an evening at the theatre on Avenida Corrientes, try your hand at the tango, or impress with your funky moves into the early hours at the one of the big techno clubs. Several cities – notably Sao Paulo, Rio, Buenos Aires and Bogota – also now have thriving gay scenes.

Culture vultures will appreciate some of the fine museums in the region. Sao Paulo claims to have more than 70 museums, probably the best of which are the Pinacoteca do Estado and MASP: both house great art collections. Rio is fighting back with its Museum of Modern Art and the newly-opened Rio Art Museum. Buenos Aires boasts the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and the private MALBA-Coleccion Costantini… both are wonderful. In Colombia it would be a crime not to visit the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), while in Peru, Lima’s private Larco Museum and state-run National Museum both document pre-Inca and Inca civilisations very effectively.

Finally, there are a number of Latin American cities that have reinvented themselves during the past decade or so, and are worthy of note. Top of the class here is Medellin, Colombia’s second city, which has transformed itself from the drugs and murder capital of the world to win the ‘Most Innovative City of the World’ award in 2013. Not far behind is the remarkable urban renewal of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and main port. Again, it used to be deemed a highly dangerous and ugly city with little of interest to visitors. That has changed with substantial investment by the civic authorities. Other cities that are also hauling up their image and emerging as exciting urban centres include Bogota, Lima, Manaus and Salvador.

City living in Latin America is just one of many reasons why a visit to this continent is so satisfying.

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