36km (22 miles) W of Córdoba

A quick getaway from Córdoba, Villa Carlos Paz surrounds the picturesque Embalse San Roque. It's actually a reservoir, but vacationing Cordobés and Porteño families treat it like a lake and swim, sail, jet-ski, and windsurf in its gentle waters. Year-round, people come to Villa Carlos Paz to play outdoors by day and party by night, with disco-bound buses transporting the youth of Córdoba back and forth. The city of 44,500 inhabitants really comes alive in January and February, when more than 200,000 tourists a month pay a visit. Live theater, comedy shows, music, and dancing fill the night air, and no one seems to sleep. Yet you don't have to be a nocturnal animal to enjoy Villa Carlos Paz -- the area's quiet lakeside resorts are a more serene alternative.