Effective December 28, 2009, citizens of US, Canada and Australia will be required to pay a fee when visiting Argentina.
Americans will pay US$131, Canadians US$70 and Australians US$100. The entry fee will be collected only at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires.
The fee permits Americans multiple entries into Argentina for 10 years. Canadians and Australians [...]
Clarry Smits (seen here with dance partner Lorie) is one of the top tango dancers and instructors in Vancouver, Canada. He also runs Tango a Media Luz, a popular Vancouver milonga that features Golden Age tango every Friday night.
Clarry recently visited Buenos Aires and I asked him about his tango experience in “the Paris of [...]
Many tourists visit Buenos Aires without having dinner in Las Cañitas. It’s a shame. Las Cañitas is, in my opinion, the best restaurant zone in all of Buenos Aires.
Las Cañitas is a small neighborhood just east of Avenida Dorrego and just south of the Polo grounds (El Campo Argentino de Polo). Technically, it’s part of [...]
Want to know the most the most common problems encountered when renting a furnished apartment in Buenos Aires? How about which neighborhoods to stay in and which to avoid? Or the best time of year to visit the city?
To get answers to these and other questions about renting in BA, I interviewed a local expert.
Adriana [...]
What are the best things about Buenos Aires, the things that make the city such a popular and much-loved travel destination? How about the worst things?
What follows is a personal list — purely subjective and by no means complete. I hope you will tell me about the things you like and don’t like about Buenos [...]
Love beer? Then why not take a beer lover’s tour of San Telmo?
The tour, which lasts 3 hours and covers 4 pubs, showcases the best craft beer Argentina has to offer from regions such as Cordoba, La Plata, and outer Buenos Aires.
“I really didn’t want the tour to be a pub crawl type thing but [...]
Pedro Werberg knows Buenos Aires inside and out. A native of Buenos Aires fluent in English, German and of course Spanish, Pedro offers guided tours that explore the hidden treasures of the city.
I asked Pedro about his favorite restaurants, shops, cafes and things to see and do in BA. Here’s what he had to say. By [...]
The favorable exchange rate between most major currencies and the Argentine peso entices many tourists to head to the mall. Note that stores list prices in Argentine pesos, not US dollars. Don’t be confused by the $ sign. It means pesos, not dollars.
A tax of 21% is included in the price. It will not be added [...]
If you are taking a trip to Argentina and don’t plan on leaving Buenos Aires, you probably don’t need any special vaccinations. However you may need certain vaccinations if you will be traveling to other parts of Argentina, such as Iguazu Falls.
Below is a brief summary of recommendations offered by the Centers for Disease Control [...]
Are you traveling to Buenos Aires alone? Would you like to meet people to hang out with? Here are a few tips on how to make friends in Buenos Aires.
In my experience, one of the best ways to make friends quickly is by taking group Spanish classes. Enroll for classes and you will find that [...]
No matter what country you visit there are always a few bad apples looking to take advantage of tourists and exploit their disorientation and unfamiliarity with their surroundings. Unfortunately this is also true in my beloved Buenos Aires.
Personally I’ve not fallen victim to a tourist scam in Buenos Aires, and I’ve taken numerous trips, staying [...]
The Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve is a lush greenspace only a short walk from the noise and commotion of downtown Buenos Aires. Go to escape the city and immerse yourself in nature without having to take a major excursion.
Porteños and tourists go to the reserve to jog, bike, stroll and birdwatch. I’m told there are [...]
Buenos Aires is one of the top 29 cities in the world to live in, according to a new feature article at AskMen.com.
The feature, published March 31, is a comprehensive roundup of 2009’s most inhabitable cities for the modern man. Cities are rated according to a number of criteria including dating & sex, sports & [...]
Over the past couple months a number of people have asked me how they can find apartments for rent in Buenos Aires directly from the owner. Others have inquired whether they can post information about their apartments on this blog. To satisfy these requests, I decided to add a Free Classified Ads section to BAtips.
Feel [...]
One of the most interesting trends in the Buenos Aires restaurant scene is closed-door restaurants, also known as restaurantes a puertas cerradas or simply puertas cerradas. These restaurants aren’t really restaurants at all but rather dinners served in the homes of private chefs, or in exclusive private clubs.
Alejandro Langer, chef at La Cocina Discreta in Villa [...]
Looking for a good Buenos Aires travel guide? The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has published a handy, 26-page travel guide that you can download and print before your trip.
The guide, which is in PDF format, contains all kinds of useful information for tourists. Topics include, museums, sports, festivals, neighborhoods, getting around the [...]
Most tourists who rent a furnished apartment for their stay in Buenos Aires use a rental agency such as Apartments BA or ByT Argentina to arrange their accommodations. But that’s not the only way to do it. You can rent directly from a local owner, which can be cheaper since you eliminate the middleman.
But there [...]
Argentina has postponed implementation of a proposed tourist fee that was set to take effect this March, according to the American Citizen Services Newsletter published by the US Embassy in Argentina.
In late 2008, Argentina announced it would charge a reciprocal entry fee from citizens of all countries that charge Argentines visa or entry fees. That fee was scheduled to [...]
How much do things cost in Buenos Aires? Is Buenos Aires cheap?
Compared to other major cities around the world, yes, it is cheap. In this article we’ll look at the costs of common items to give you an idea how much things cost in Buenos Aires.
But first, a little history.
Buenos Aires wasn’t always a cheap [...]
Most tourists don’t need a pre-arranged visa to enter Argentina but it depends on your country of citizenship. Tourists from Canada, United States, Germany, Australia and the UK — just to name a few countries — don’t need to get a visa in advance of their arrival. If you are a citizen of one of [...]
The Pistarini International Airport, EZE, is a busy airport. Departure is much less organized than arrival. I recommend arriving at least two hours before your flight. Two and a half hours would be better. Three hours may be needed if the airport is busy.
A taxi ride from central Buenos Aires (Palermo, Recoleta, Micro Centro, etc.) takes about [...]
The women of Buenos Aires, porteñas as they are called, have the reputation of being among the most beautiful women in the world. But is it true?
I’ll answer this question two ways: first with a few facts and observations, and second with opinions from people who have visited the city.
Porteñas take good care of themselves. [...]
Bahrein is one of the better clubs in Buenos Aires for techno, psychedelic, trance or other forms of electronic music. Other styles are also played, depending on the night and the DJ.
Bahrein epitomizes the type of clubbing you can only find in the biggest cities of the world. The club has two levels but the basement [...]
1810 Cocina Regional specializes in traditional, regional Argentine food. Eating here is almost like having a home-cooked Argentine meal.
Empanadas are a house specialty. If you’ve never tried an empanada, it’s a pastry stuffed with a savory filling. The most popular fillings are ground meat (carne), ham and cheese (jamón y queso) and ground corn and [...]
The two main Spanish-language newspapers in Buenos Aires are Clarín and La Nación (The Nation). I find the depth and quality of journalism of both papers to be very high. I do, however, prefer to read Clarín primarily because it is published in a smaller tabloid format.
Newspapers are sold at newspaper/magazine stands on many streets, [...]
How bad is crime in Buenos Aires? The question is more difficult to answer than you might think.
On one hand, many people who have visited Buenos Aires will say things like “I walked everywhere in Buenos Aires at all hours of the day and night and never had a problem or felt unsafe. I saw [...]
Buquebus (BOO-kay-boos) is the name of ferries that operate between Buenos Aires and Uruguay. A trip to Uruguay can be a fun day trip or weekend excursion.
Buquebus ferries run daily between Buenos Aires and two Uruguay destinations: Colonia and Montevideo. Colonia is a small historic town with cobblestone streets and restored buildings. Montevideo is the [...]
I recently rented a furnished apartment in Cabello Square, a nine-story building in Palermo Chico built in 2007. Overall, I enjoyed my month-long stay and found a lot of reasons to recommend the place. I’ll list those below, as well as a few areas where I feel the apartment came up short.
The main reasons why [...]
Breakfast in Buenos Aires is light and relaxed. There’s no rush. Take your time. Read the paper — most cafes provide them. And best of all, enjoy excellent espresso-style coffee.
Maybe it’s because they dine so late at night. Or perhaps they are watching their wallet or waistline. Whatever the reason, seldom do Porteños start the [...]
Electricity in Argentina is 220 volts, 50 Hertz, AC.
In recent years Argentina has switched to Type I plugs and outlets. These are diagonal with flat prongs. The neutral and line wires are reversed from that used in Australia and other countries.
Some buildings still use older Type C outlets which have round prongs.
Some buildings have hybrid [...]
If you need to rent a cell phone while visiting Buenos Aires here are a few of your options.
If you are renting an apartment from an agency, the agency may be able to set you up. For example, when I needed a second cellular for my girlfriend’s use the agency handling my apartment rental provided [...]
Even though the water in Buenos Aires is safe to drink, upset stomach or travelers diarrhea can still strike. Last December I discovered, much to my dismay, that two common, effective, brand-name products that help relieve the symptoms of upset stomach are not available in Argentina. These products are Pepto Bismol and Immodium. Fortunately, similar [...]
I haven’t tried every steak restaurant in Buenos Aires (though I’d like to), but I doubt I’ll find a better steak than the one I had at Cabaña Las Lilas.
And not only is the food delicious but the service is unbelievably attentive. Dine here and you’ll have swarms of wait staff at your beck and [...]
If you’re a tango dancer visiting Buenos Aires, one of the first things you’ll want to do after you arrive in the city is pick up a copy of El Tangauta.
El Tangauta is a free magazine that is loaded with valuable tango information. Inside you’ll find a detailed current schedule of practically all tango classes [...]
DNI Tango is possibly the most popular tango school in Buenos Aires for anyone interested in learning the “tango nuevo” style. The school has an outstanding reputation due largely to the superb dancing skills of the proprietors, Pablo Villarraza and Dana Frigoli.
I took a few dozen classes at DNI over the past couple of years. [...]
MALBA (el Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), is a relatively new museum that houses a number of excellent works of art by important Latin American artists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Fernando Botero. The museum opened in 2001.
MALBA’s collection focuses on art produced in Latin America during the twentieth century. It includes [...]
There are several good places to buy men’s tango shoes in Buenos Aires. Here’s what you’ll find at a few of the stores I’ve visited.
Neo Tango, located at Sarmiento 1938, has perhaps the best selection of men’s tango shoes in Buenos Aires. Styles range from conservative to ridiculously flamboyant. They also sell about a dozen [...]
Sahara Continent is a fun, three-level nightclub in Recoleta. In the evening it doubles as a restaurant. Come here if you want to party, mix with locals and other tourists, and groove to reggaeton, pop and other club vibes. Sahara attracts a diverse crowd ranging in age from 20 to 35. The interior has an [...]
What’s the best neighborhood in Buenos Aires? Well, the decision of where a person wants to live often comes down to a matter of taste, lifestyle and personal preference. That said, let’s take a look at my favorite neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, ranked in order from best to least-best.
Palermo
Palermo is probably the best neighborhood for [...]
There are a lot of trendy, popular restaurants in Palermo, especially around Plaza Cortázar, but Bar 6 is one of my favorites. It’s ultra-stylish, and the food is excellent.
The high ceilings, good sound system and cool ambience make this a good place for dinner or just drinks.
Most of the tables and seats are on the [...]
When people ask me for tips on things to do in Buenos Aires, two things always top my list: 1) Visit Recoleta Cemetery and 2) Take a tango class at La Viruta.
La Viruta is a milonga located in the basement of the Armenian Cultural Center in Palermo. If you’re new to tango, let me explain that a [...]
AAA Apartments rents out a number of furnished studio apartments in a relatively new building near the corner of Austria and Pacheco de Melo. I spent a month in one of these apartments in 2007.
The apartments aren’t large. I would guess about 350 square feet. But they are modern and reasonably comfortable with a full [...]
Abasto Shopping is the largest mall in Buenos Aires with over 230 shops, movie theaters, an enormous food court that includes a Kosher McDonalds, an arcade called Neverland and a fantastic play area for children called Museo de Los Niños. The mall is conveniently located at Carlos Gardel station on the “B” line of the [...]
Confiteria Ideal is one of the most famous milongas in Buenos Aires. And for tango dancers visiting Buenos Aires for the first time, a night at Confiteria Ideal is usually high on the list of things to do. But if you are looking for a milonga packed with local dancers, with a lot of local [...]
Taxis are everywhere in Buenos Aires and you’ll almost certainly use them during your trip.
There are two types of taxis in Buenos Aires: radio taxis and regular taxis. Radio taxis can be identified by the sign on the roof that says “radio taxi”. If you wish, you can call a radio taxi to pick you [...]
For tourists, the safest, most reliable way to get from the airport to your hotel or apartment in Buenos Aires is to use the official airport taxis.
After you have passed through immigration and picked up your luggage, you will emerge in the airport greeting area. Look for a large booth that says Taxi Ezeiza. These [...]
The subway in Buenos Aires is called the Subte (SOOB-tay). Here’s what you need to know to use it.
First thing, you’ll need a map. You can find one online at the official Subte website.
Different Subte lines are identified with different letters. Line “D” is the line most often used by tourists since it runs through [...]
Here’s a list of ten of my favorite things to do in Buenos Aires:
Visit Recoleta Cemetery. While you’re there, check out the church next door (Nuestra Señora Del Pilar) and Recoleta Village.
Eat a big, juicy steak and at a parilla restaurant. Argentine beef is delicious because the cows are grass fed.
Take a tango class at La [...]
The Caesar Park Hotel calls itself “one of the top hotels in Buenos Aires.” While this is an elegant hotel it is also one step down from the true top hotels in the city such as Park Hyatt, Four Seasons, Alvear Palace and Hotel Faena.
I spent one night at Caesar Park this December. It’s well-located [...]
When people ask me for tips on things to do while visiting Buenos Aires, Recoleta Cemetery is always my number one recommendation.
But visiting a cemetery sounds kind of boring, maybe even a little gruesome, right? Isn’t it just a bunch of dead people planted in the ground, and maybe a few pretty tombstones?
Not Recoleta Cemetery. [...]
Salon Canning is a popular traditional milonga centrally located on Scalabrini Ortiz in Palermo. I recently checked out their Monday Night milonga with a couple of tango-dancing friends from Canada.
Like many milongas, tango classes are offered before the dance begins. On Mondays, the classes run from 7 to 11, but you can check out the [...]
In Buenos Aires, you can change currency at banks or at currency exchange houses (casas de cambio). Look for the ones that post the exchange rates outside. Generally, currency exchange rates are excellent at these places and the spreads are quite tight.
You need to have your passport with you to change money. It’s a legal [...]
La Cholita is one of my favorite inexpensive restaurants in Buenos Aires and I consider it a real find. I discovered this place in 2007. An Argentine friend with a big appetite for meat and not a lot of money in his wallet recommended it to me. I’ve been going back regularly ever since.
There’s only [...]
Many stores in Buenos Aires, particularly those in the larger malls like Patio Bullrich, Alto Palermo and Galerias Pacífico, participate in the Global Refund program for tax free shopping.
When you make a qualifying purchase of over 70 pesos at one these stores you can request a Global Refund Cheque. This entitles you (a non-Argentine citizen) [...]
There are several excellent shopping malls in Buenos Aires and Patio Bullrich is probably the most upscale of all of them.
The mall is located in Recoleta on Posadas, directly across from the Caesar Park Hotel. Many of the most expensive hotels in the city are nearby, including Alvear Palace and the Park Hyatt, both of [...]
“The men who learn how to dance at TangoCool dance really well.” I’ve heard this from several women at different Buenos Aires milongas and now that I’ve taken a few tango classes at TangoCool I can understand why.
Instructor Gabriel Glagovsky has developed a fun, effective system and fostered a wonderful environment for learning tango. And it’s [...]
Sundays are quiet in Buenos Aires. This normally noisy, busy city relaxes, the traffic disappears and people spend time with their families or catch up on lost sleep.
One of my favorite Sunday activities is jogging in Parque 3 de Febrero, a beautiful greenspace in Palermo near the corner of Libertador and Sarmiento. Lots of porteños [...]
Melia Buenos Aires isn’t the most luxurious hotel in Buenos Aires but it is a comfortable, modern business-class hotel in a good location, at a reasonable rate. Expect to pay about $150 per night for a standard room, with breakfast and spa access included.
I recently spent 2 nights in the hotel. I also spent a [...]
La Catedral is certainly not your typical milonga. Located on the second floor of a big, grungy warehouse, the vibe is more alternative than traditional. An enormous red heart hangs from the rafters. The dance floor is surrounded by beat-up old sofas. Kitschy art decorates the walls. There’s even a cat that cuts through the [...]
Have a question about Buenos Aires? Have a tip you’d like to share? Post it below.
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