Three Ways Get a Taste of Live Tango Music in Buenos Aires

Music is everywhere in Buenos Aires, and tango—a passionate musical style that accompanies the dance of the same name—is this city’s quintessential sound. There are several places to enjoy the melancholy-sensual strains of piano, bandoneon, and violin that characterize the tango.

Tango clubs, called milongas, are ubiquitous in Buenos Aires and are the place to see tango music paired with the sultry dance. Men and women with impossibly perfect posture gracefully glide and stomp in syncopated rhythm across the floor at clubs like the popular La Catedral.

Tango music isn’t always accompanied by dance. The city’s concert venues host tango music performances, too. At the offbeat Club Atlético Fernandez Fierro (CAFF), you can hear the haunting swell of the 12-piece Fernandez Fierro Tango Orchestra, as you sip malbec elbow to elbow with an eclectic crowd of porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) young and old.

Happening upon live tango as you wander the streets of the city is a delicious treat. Sundays at the San Telmo street fair are almost a sure bet for tango street musicians—alone or in groups—of every style, playing for tips.