A Mini-Guide To Buenos Aires - A Must Visit Destination
Buenos Aires, as the capital of Argentina, is full of colourful life! History, architecture, nightlight, the food scene, parks around every corner, and SO much more if what you'll find here. We loved our time in Buenos Aires and hope you will too.
What To Know
Money
Money is a huge topic for visiting Argentina. The currency is the Argentine Peso, but when you look into this topic you'll find discussions on the blue dollar. The inflation in Argentina is one of the reasons why it's actually pretty affordable to visit Argentina right now - especially on the US dollar.
When you visit Argentina with the US dollar and can find somewhere offering the blue dollar exchange (which is basically the black market exchange rate), you will be able to get double what the official exchange rate it. When we visited, there were restaurants, cash exchange locations, and a few random spots offering this exchange rate to get their hands on the US dollar. Whilst there are some official places to do this (Western Union being one), the unofficial ones are best found through tour guides / airbnb hosts / locals who know the area. Big notes get better deals, so bringing 100$ bills versus 10$ bills could make you some money. Note that you need to check the current policy on entering Argentina and how much cash you can bring as large amounts of cash (i.e. over 10,000$) you will have to declare.
When you are pulling cash from ATMs, official banks, or the airport stands, you will receive the official rate so make sure to do your research on the blue dollar before visiting to ensure you get your bang for your buck. In addition to this, make sure to bring sufficient cash - you won't be able to pull out your home nation cash here as foreign currency is hard to access. In fact, we had no luck at all in Buenos Aires when we tried to pull out cash so we ended up using our credit cards. Come prepared with sufficient cash!
Language
The top three languages in Argentina are Spanish, English, and Portuguese. However, we visited during COVID and besides the touristy areas of Buenos Aires and restaurants, we had trouble in some areas to find people who spoke English. Brush up on some Spanish, but for the most part, English will get you by!
When To Visit
In the Southern Hemisphere, Buenos Aires experiences summer during the months of December to February timeframe. However, Buenos Aires in December can get quite busy but it's still a beautiful time to visit - especially if you love the warmth. Shoulder seasons are always a safe bet and the months of March/April - June (fall) and September - December (spring) are safe bets to visit as well.
How To Get Around
You'll likely be flying in to the Buenos Aires International Airport which is about 40 minutes away from downtown and where you're likely staying.
Consider booking a transfer in advance to avoid the negotiation process and the cash requirement as soon as you hit the ground! They'll take you right to your hotel or coordinated area downtown.
Once you're in Buenos Aires, you'll likely either get around via tour groups, public transportation (many use the subways), taxis (which are in all the major areas in the city and relatively easy to find), or by foot - we did SO much walking in Buenos Aires because you can walk pretty much anywhere and we felt relatively safe doing so.
Where To Stay
Airbnb is also a good option for Buenos Aires, that's where we found our place to stay and it was pretty affordable with some great views - especially on NYE when we could see the fireworks from high up in a skytower with floor to ceiling windows!
Where To Eat
Honestly, Argentina embodies everything I feel about the perfect types of food that I would like to live on forever - meats and wine. However, in general Buenos Aires has SUCH a great food scene - theres truly a restaurant for everyone.
If you really want to get into the local cuisine and consider yourself a foodie, why not try a food tour. Meet new people, try Argentine dishes (and drinks), and see more of the city with insight from a local.
What To Do
Honestly there is SO much to do in Buenos Aires - the city is flooding with culture. We only had a short time period in the city and it came after a very busy and jam-packed itinerary in Patagonia and Ushuaia before, so we didn't get around to doing everything we want. But if you have the time for it, explore these options of what to do:
Tour options are really endless here. We did the next tour on our last day in Argentina which I definitely regret. Not only did we leave with a huge hangover after an amazing night, but we met some amazing people who we would have liked to meet earlier to spend more time with! During this tour you'll get to make your own cocktails, food, and eat and drink it all whilst playing interactive games and meeting new people.
Visit An Estancia
Estancia's are Argentina's ranches and are beautiful spots located in the countryside that just have a different way of life! Visit on a tour and experience the horse back riding and ranch life for yourself.
Iguazu Falls
If you're looking for a really adventurous day trip, consider visiting one of the worlds most beautiful sights. Although not technically in Buenos Aires, this tour is a day trip from the city if you're looking to do a quick visit (which most people opt for).
Wine Tour
Argentina is known for it's wines... so wine not experience it for yourself (see what I did there)? Mendoza is truly the place to visit in Argentina to experience the famous Argentina Malbecs, however you can get the same great wines just outside the city on this day tour to local wineries near Buenos Aires. If you're in Argentina you really should be trying their wine!
Go To A Soccer Game
As mentioned in the location above, getting tickets to one of these games can be a struggle. You basically have to know someone selling a pass OR go through a broker. This coordination can require some planning and the experience of the Boca Juniors is a lot to handle on its own. This is something you should really try to do whilst you're in the city, especially if you're in to soccer / football as it's such a culture here! If you don't feel like planning and coordinating yourself, heres a tour that will do it for you:
The Theatre
Visit A Famous Cemetery
The City Square
Tigre Delta
We Hope You Love Buenos Aires!
Our favourite thing to do in this city was walk around as so many different parts of the city have such different vibes to them. It feels as if theres a million different cafes, restaurants, bars, and cobblestone streets to explore and around every corner is impressive architecture that makes you feel like you've stepped back in time.
We hope you love Buenos Aires as much as we did and eat all of the food and drink (especially the steak and empanadas) you possibly can. Feel free to email us with questions (twentyfivedaysayear@gmail.com) or head to our blog to find out more details on Argentina (and other countries!).
If You Loved This Guide...
If you loved this guide be sure to check out our other two guides right on our thatch page (plus the blog above). We have a guide encompassing all you could need and our experienced for two weeks through Argentina hitting hot spots like Buenos Aires, Patagonia & Glaciers (El Chalten & El Calafate), and the end of the world (Ushuaia!).
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