In this article, you will find practical tips about Argentina, such as money and food.
You can read about Buenos Aires, neighborhoods, and where you should stay: Buenos Aires
Here about attractions in Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires – What to see
Here about Salta in the north and Patagonia in the south: category/argentina-en/
Accommodation
I’m used to using Booking.com to find accommodation. They have many accommodations in Argentina, but several times it happened that I received confirmation, only to be informed the next day that they couldn’t take us after all. WhatsApp seems to be the preferred communication method.
Airbnb also has plenty of apartments. Here, you pay with a credit card at the time of booking.
Outside of cities, there is usually no mobile coverage and very few accommodations on Booking.com. But we found one through Google Maps and booked a room via WhatsApp. So this is probably the safest way to book, at least to confirm the reservation.
The quality of the accommodations is quite varied. From a tiny room for 40 USDwithout air conditioning to a large room in an old colonial building with air conditioning, a large garden, and a pool for 38 USD. So take some time to study the options.
Everywhere we’ve stayed, we have been warmly welcomed. Even though English knowledge is poor and our Spanish knowledge is equally limited, this has not been a problem. In accommodations, restaurants, and stores, we have never experienced impatience or irritation, and we have always figured things out. Argentinians are generally very polite and pleasant to deal with.
Airbnb is somewhat easier to use as you pay with your card on their website.
Money and Price Levels
Money is a chapter of its own. Argentina has been plagued by high inflation in recent years, and in January 2024 there was a significant devaluation. All prices in this article are as of October 2024.
In addition to the local currency, Pesos, you can use US Dollars in some places. But it’s easiest to exchange to Pesos at one of the many exchange offices or at the hotel. Don’t exchange on the street, as the risk of being scammed is definitely present. The most common denomination is 1000 pesos, about 1 USD, so you end up with a huge stack of bills.
Argentinians operate with 3 different exchange rates:
– Dolar Blue: The rate for brand new 100-dollar bills. “Blue” comes from the blue security stripe. Lower denominations or worn bills give a worse rate.
– MEP: The rate for purchases with a credit card, and it’s about the same as Dolar Blue.
– Official Pesos Rate: This is lower than MEP and Dolar Blue but doesn’t matter for tourists unless you’re booking a room on, for example, Booking.com. Prices are usually listed in USD due to high inflation. But when you pay in pesos, the official rate is used for conversion, which works in your favor.
Credit Cards
Visa credit cards have their own rate, which you can find here: exchange-rate-calculator.html.
Note: Many places charge an extra 10-15% for credit cards, some also for debit cards.
Most places accept cards, even the smallest kiosks. But only about a third of taxis do. If you’re taking a taxi, remember to ask about this. It’s good to have some cash on hand.
Mastercard is generally not accepted
ATMs
There are quite a few ATMs, but it’s hopeless to use them with your card. You can only withdraw a small amount, maybe 15 USD worth of pesos, and you have to pay a huge fee, around 6-8 USD for the transaction.
Western Union
If you need to withdraw money, the trick is to download the Western Union app and transfer money to yourself.
You choose “send money” from the app and the amount you want to send in USD. Then you enter yourself as the recipient and provide your passport number. When the amount is sent, you receive a reference number that you take to a Western Union office along with your passport. Show the reference number and your passport to the cashier, and you’ll receive the amount in pesos. The exchange rate is roughly the same as Dolar Blue.
Price Levels and Tipping
A restaurant visit is quite affordable. A main dish costs from 8 USD for simple dishes, up to 20 USD for a 300-gram steak. Some restaurants have sneaky pricing policies, especially at typical tourist spots. For example, I bought a grilled trout for 12 USD. But then I had to pay an extra 6 USD for a small bowl of mashed potatoes, and then another 4 dollars for vegetables, so that meal became expensive. But outside of tourist spots, the dishes usually come “completo,” meaning with sides included.
A bottle of wine costs from 5 USD and up.
It’s not very common to tip in Argentina, except in tourist spots. A couple of times, I experienced waiters emphasizing that tips were not included and expecting an extra 10%.
Food
Beef
Argentinians love meat, especially beef, or “bife,” as it’s called. But be aware that the term “bife” covers everything from dry-cooked thin meat slices to thick, bloody steaks. If you want a proper steak, go for “Bife de Chorizo”, “Lomo”, or “Ojo de Bife”, which corresponds to ribeye. “Jugosa” means medium-rare, “A Punto” means medium.
In Buenos Aires, there aren’t many restaurants that serve fish, but they do exist. It’s usually grilled salmon. Further south in Patagonia, it’s easier to find fish, like mountain trout.
Parrilla – Grill
Meat is usually grilled, and this happens on a parrilla. Restaurants that serve grilled food are also called “Parrilla- something.” But you don’t need to go to a restaurant. You’ll find street food, carts selling grilled food, or small places where you can buy a beef sandwich.
Some typical sandwiches:
– Bondiola: Thin slice of pork, often with ham and a fried egg.
– Bife de Chorizo, Lomo: Full-size steak in a baguette.
– Choripán: Argentine sausage made from beef and pork in bread.
– Morcipán: Also a sausage, but made from blood, and possibly offal. Only for the brave.
– Milanese: Thin schnitzel.
All are often served with chimichurri, a well-spiced sauce.
After one of these, you can probably skip dinner.
Asado
Asado is Argentina’s national dish and is also grilled food. You often get invited to an Asado party, where grilling and eating go on for hours. It usually involves sausages and meat.
Transport
The city has five metro lines and a very good bus network, with dedicated lanes that bypass rush-hour traffic and car congestion. In many kiosks, you can buy a bus card, **SUBE**, which you can also top up there. A bus ride costs only 40 cent in the inner areas.
There are plenty of taxis, and they are also quite affordable.
The easiest option is Uber. You can order and pay in the app, avoiding any discussions with the driver. This is very convenient if you’re not fluent in Spanish.
SIM card
It can be helpful to have an Argentine SIM card to avoid high data costs. There’s WiFi in most places, but it’s also nice to have access to, for example, Google Maps all the time. Claro has the best coverage, and they sell data cards with lots of gigabytes cheaply. They have stores around BA where you can buy a “SIM turista.”
Airports and Immigration
There are two airports in BA. Aeropuerto Internacional Ezeiza is the large international airport where you’ll likely land if you’re coming directly from the USA or Europe. It takes about an hour by taxi to the city center and costs around 45 USD. The airport is commonly referred to as Ezeiza. If you book a car online or use Uber, the ride costs 25 USD.
If you have had a layover, for example, in Brazil, you might arrive at the smaller airport Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery, usually just called Aeroparque. This one is close to the city center. It’s also the airport most used for domestic flights and some international flights to neighboring countries.
Upon arrival, you must be able to provide an address where you will be staying. It’s a good idea to have a printout showing your booking. You may also be asked for a return ticket, and some people have been denied entry if they don’t have one. From most countries you get a visa upon arrival. It’s valid for three months and can be extended, for example, with a trip over to Uruguay.
All about Argentina here: category/argentina-en/
