Argentina Travel: FAQs

1. What are the necessary documents and fees for traveling to Argentina?


2. What is the weather like in Argentina?


3. What do I need to pack for my trip to Argentina?


4. Who can I contact in case of an emergency in Argentina?


5. Is the electricity different in Argentina?


6. What about money in Argentina?


7. What are the means of communication like in Argentina?


8. Are there any health concerns I should be aware of when visiting Argentina?


9. Should I purchase Travel Insurance?


10. What is the tipping like in Argentina?


11. Do you have any reading recommendations for Argentina?


12. What is the history of Argentina?


13. What are the people like in Argentina?


14. What are some good restaurants in Buenos Aires?


15. What are some things I can see or do on my own in Buenos Aires?

1. Documents

You will need a valid passport to enter Argentina, and it must be valid 6 months beyond your dates of travel. No visas are currently required if you are from the U.S., Canada, and most western European countries. There is a “reciprocity fee” of $160 for U.S. citizens arriving into Argentina for the first time (apparently it is a “reciprocity fee” because the U.S. charges the same fee to foreign visitors) and is valid the duration of your passport. This fee must be paid before arrival. To pay this fee, please visit the following site: http://virtual.provinciapagos.com.ar/ArgentineTaxes/

If you are going to Iguazu Falls and plan to visit the Brazilian side, you will need to get a visa for Brazil prior to your trip. Also, airport departure taxes are generally included in the price of the airfare. However, some smaller Argentine airports charge a departure tax upon exit which would be payable in cash and if the price of the tax increased since when the ticket was purchased, the difference would have to be paid in the airport upon departure.

For more information, visit the Department of State´s website and choose Argentina: http://travel.state.gov/travel/

2. Weather

The climate varies from place to place in Argentina, as the geography is incredibly varied, and the seasons are not entirely predictable, so please take the following as a guide and be prepared for changes in climate.

Buenos Aires has a climate like that of a southern American city, such as Atlanta. In their summer months (Dec to March), it can be very hot, into the 80s and 90s during the day. In the winter months (June to Sept), it can be quite cold, down into the 40s. In the shoulder seasons of fall and spring the temperatures are mild and pleasant.

Many people traveling to Argentina will be heading to Patagonia or to the Lakes District at some point during their stay. Patagonia has weather like Alaska, with a mix of sun, rain and wind on almost any given day. From October to mid April the temperatures vary from the 40s to mid 60s during the day, sometimes a bit higher for stretches when the sun stays out. At night it will typically be in the 30s but can drop down into the 20s. The wind in Patagonia is highly variable, and you should be prepared for strong winds by having some type of shell over layer or other wind protecting jacket. Long underwear is another good thing to have for a trip to Patagonia, particularly if you will be doing any hiking.

The Lakes District (Bariloche region) has a climate like the Pacific Northwest of the United States, but with the seasons reversed. There is a cool mountain climate from October to April, with temperatures averaging around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Though this is the drier part of the year, rain is still common, but it generally won’t last all day. The wet season is from May/June to October, and it rains fairly predictably during these times, though there can be periods of better weather. This is another area of the country where it is essential to have the proper clothing for outdoor activities if you plan on hiking or spending time outside.

Iguazu has a sub-tropical climate, and is surrounded by rainforest, with temperatures varying from the 60s and 70s (June and July) up into the 80s and 90s (December and January). It is an area of high precipitation.

For more detailed information including up to date weather forecasts in all the major cities in Argentina, please visit the following website: http://www.accuweather.com/en/ar/argentina-weather

3. Packing Lists

Laundry Service: There is laundry service at all hotels.

Documents

• Passport
• Airline Tickets
• Full itinerary
• This pre-departure information

Luggage

• Day pack or small backpack
• Suitcase/duffel bag

Clothing

• Short sleeved cotton or lightweight synthetic material shirts
• Long sleeved cotton or lightweight synthetic material shirts
• Pants: cotton pants are generally recommended for any warm areas (khakis or jeans); and breathable polyester/synthetic hiking pants for any part of the trip where you will be in variable weather (they are warmer and dry faster than cotton).
• Sweaters/pullovers
• Shorts or skirts
• Bathing suit
• Socks & Underwear (hiking socks if will be hiking)
• Wide brimmed hat for the sun
• Fleece jacket or other insulating layer (essential in Patagonia)
• Raincoat/shell/poncho (essential in Patagonia)
• Gloves and warm hat (essential in Patagonia)
• Long underwear (can be very good to have in Patagonia)
• Walking/hiking shoes
• Hiking boots (for any trips with extended hiking days)
• Neck Scarf (highly recommended for Patagonia trips)

Other essential gear:

• Photocopy of passport (keep in a separate place from the original)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen (SPF 15 or more)
• Sun-blocking lip salve
• Insect repellent
• Spare eyeglasses (if you wear eyeglasses)

Toiletries

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
• Moisturizing lotion
• Shaving gear

Other useful gear:

• Light weight binoculars (excellent for observing wildlife and birds)
• Photography/video gear
• Spare batteries for your camera or other electric devices
• Favorite snacks that you probably won’t be able to get while traveling

Medical Kit Suggestions

• Ibuprofen or aspirin
• Imodium or other anti diarrheal
• Band Aids
• Neosporin or other antibiotic ointment
• Antiseptic towelettes

Photo and Video Equipment

• Camera: an SLR or a more compact version if you don’t want to carry the extra weight around. You might also want to purchase a disposable camera in case of camera failure.
• Lenses
• Polarizing filter
• Spare batteries
• Tripod
• Video cameras: bring at least two batteries.

4. Emergency Contact Information

You will receive local contact information, including 24 hour emergency contact numbers, with your Final Itinerary.

U.S. Embassy in Argentina Contact Information
Address: Avenida Colombia 4300, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Telephone: (54) (11) 5777-4533
Emergency after-hours telephone: (54) (11) 5777-4873
Fax: (54) (11) 5777-4293

Vaya Adventures Contact Information
Phone: (510) 548-8487
After hours: (510) 809-6261
Email: info@vayaadventures.com

5. Electricity

• In Argentina the electrical system is 220 volts, while in the US it’s 110 volts, so for your devices to work without a transformer they must be suitable for both 220 and 110 (it should say this on the device; many modern devices can handle both types of current). It can destroy the device if it is not compatible with 220 volts and you plug it into a wall socket. Argentina uses either the European two-prong or the Australian slanted plugs on most wall electrical outlets. You should bring an adaptor (available at most hardware stores or travel stores for about $2) if you want to be able to plug your electrical devices into wall sockets.

6. Money

• How much to bring: For a 10-12 day trip, about $500-$750 per person in U.S. dollars should be sufficient to cover some cash expenses (including tips) and provide you with some emergency money. You will be able to get local money while traveling from ATMs so you probably do not need to plan to bring all the money you’ll need on the trip (but it depends on your exact itinerary and where you are going; cities have ATMs, more remote areas probably won’t; it’s probably a good idea to get a few hundred dollars in local currency immediately upon arrival before departing the airport; the airports almost always have ATMs). Some people prefer to carry less or more U.S. currency with them while traveling; it really depends on what you think you will want to purchase and whether you plan to try to pay for all expenses with a credit card (some locations might not take specific credit cards, so you should always have cash as a back up, whether in dollars or local currency). If you pay with a credit card, there is generally a 2-3% additional charge for converting the currency. This is often worth it because of the convenience of just paying with a credit card and not having to carry so much cash.
• The currency in Argentina is the peso. American dollars are accepted in many places in Argentina, from grocery stores to taxis. However, often your change will be in pesos, so you should know what the exchange rate is. Also, it will be difficult to get change for larger denominations, so try to make sure if you’re carrying dollars to have some in small denominations ($1 and $5).
• Getting money while in Argentina: There are ATMs at the banks in most of the major tourist centers, and they are often the best way to change money if you need pesos, as they usually have the best exchange rates (better than banks). They work the same way they do in the U.S. Look for the Cirrus or Plus signs and use whichever machines are affiliated with your network (you should have a Cirrus or Plus sign, or both, on the back of your bank card). You may encounter a problem with one here and there; it can help to try a couple different machines. Outside of the major tourist areas, it will be very difficult to find ATMs (or ones in the Cirrus or Plus network), so you should plan to have as much money as you need in pesos if you are going to remote areas (and also plan on having smaller denominations).
• Traveler’s checks are an option, but you might run into problems with getting them accepted in some places, and they generally cost 1-2% more than the equivalent in dollars. Personal checks will probably not be accepted.
• Credit cards: All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) are generally accepted in the major tourist centers, though usage outside those areas will be limited. Some places might take one card but not others, so if you have multiple cards it’s good to have them. You should have emergency cash on hand to cover expenses rather than only counting on credit cards, because if a credit card processing machine is not working in a remote location they will require cash for payment.
• Contacting your bank: You should always inform your bank about your trip to avoid the possibility of the bank denying a charge based on suspected fraud. This goes for both your ATM card and your credit cards.

7. Communications

Bringing your smartphone
If you plan to bring a smartphone to use for making calls while traveling, you should contact your carrier prior to travel to let them know and find out if they have any traveler plans that provide discounted roaming rates in the countries you will be visiting. Without some type of discounted plan, roaming fees can be very high, and the phone settings (specifically whether you have the phone set up just for Wi-Fi or also for roaming) can make a huge difference in the costs you will incur. Your specific carrier should be able to give you detailed information about how to avoid costly roaming rates and how to adjust the settings on your particular smartphone.

Telephones
Argentina has a very good and generally inexpensive phone system if you want to make local and national calls from landlines.

Local calls
You can make local calls from your hotel or from local telephone calling centers, which can be found in the major tourist areas and larger towns. You will get considerably better rates at the calling centers. You can ask at any hotel where they are located and they will be able to tell you. Pre-paid calling cards are also available in many convenience stores and can be a convenient way to avoid needing change to make calls.

International Calls
The cost of making international calls from your hotel can be very high, often $5 a minute or more. You will get much better rates at the local telephone calling centers (“centro de llamadas” or “cabinas para llamadas internacionales”), which you will be able to find in the larger towns and tourist centers. You can make collect calls back to the U.S. from almost any phone by dialing an international operator. Again, these rates will probably be very high. If you are bringing a laptop or even just a Wi-Fi enabled smartphone, probably the easiest way to call back to the U.S. is via Skype. You should set up your account prior to traveling and be sure you have some credit on it; you can then make calls through any Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have a computer or smartphone with Wi-Fi, probably the best option is to ask at your hotel or in a store where the closest calling center is if you plan to make many international calls. If you speak some Spanish, another good option if you plan to make a lot of international calls is to buy an international pre-paid calling card (rates are generally very low). These can be purchased in many convenience stores or magazine kiosks and then used at payphones to call internationally (though instructions will usually only be in Spanish).

Fax
Fax machines are generally available at hotels and businesses. Just ask at the hotel for the closest available fax.

Internet Access
Internet access is readily available in Argentina in all the tourist areas and larger population centers and at most hotels they now provide free internet access.

8. Health

Generally, Argentina is a very safe place to travel. The most common ailment to affect travelers to any destination in South or Central America is traveler’s diarrhea, and while it is definitely a less common occurrence in Argentina than in many other South American countries, it can still occur. The best way to avoid it is to be careful about what you eat. Some basic rules:

• Eat only fruit that you can peel when buying it at markets or on the street.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and dry them thoroughly, and don’t bite your nails or otherwise put your fingers in your mouth.
• Don’t buy food (other than unpeeled fruit) from street vendors, and try to focus on eating at places that look like they take care in the preparation of their food. If a lot of foreigners eat there, it’s almost certainly safe to eat there.
• The tap water in Buenos Aires and in most other areas of the country is considered safe to drink. However, if you are in a very rural area and have any doubts, you should drink bottled water.

For additional information about health issues in specific places, including recommended vaccinations and inoculations, you can visit www.tripprep.com, a non-governmental site that contains health related information on other nations. Another option is the website of the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov. Please keep in mind that the CDC errs on the side of caution, and that there may be varying opinions on the need for specific vaccinations and inoculations. The standard immunizations for typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria, and polio are generally recommended for travel to South and Central America. You may already have received these shots or boosters and don’t need them. If you have any doubts, you should visit a travel health specialist and begin to have all of your vaccinations recorded on an International Health Certificate.

9. Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend that all of our travelers purchase travel insurance. Travel insurance can help cover many things, including baggage loss, missed connections, trip interruption, and medical emergency (including medical evacuation costs), resulting from a wide variety of circumstances, including illness or extreme weather that results in the cancellation of your trip. It can also help protect you in the event of loss of non-refundable trip deposits and payments that result from cancellation or trip interruption. Families traveling together, in particular, can benefit from traveler’s insurance, due to the high investment in the trip and the increased risk of one person’s illness resulting in the entire trip being cancelled. There are many companies that provide trip insurance. We offer insurance through Allianz, and their most popular plan is the Classic Plan. You can view details of this plan by clicking on this link: Allianz Classic Plan, or by visiting the Allianz website at www.allianztravelinsurance.com.

10. Tipping

In restaurants, a 10% tip is customary. Cabs do not generally expect tips, but rounding off fares upward is fairly typical.

Guides/drivers: If you have a private guide for a full day, an average tip would be somewhere in the range of $10-$12 per day, per person. It can be less, it can be more, but this is a typical range. If you go on a shorter trip of a half day, the tip would basically be proportional to what proportion of the day you spent with the guide. If half a day, $5-$8 per person would be a typical range. If there are additional people involved, drivers, crew of a boat, etc., you may want to give them something as well. About 1/3 of what you give the guide himself would be an appropriate benchmark for each of these individuals. For families with children, we suggest giving 50% of the normal per person amount for each child. This is completely at your discretion and you should give what you feel comfortable giving.

For drivers who do airport transfers or other short rides, you shouldn’t feel the need to tip every single time you are getting out of a vehicle. It’s not the case that drivers are expecting a tip every time they take you somewhere. If you have a driver in a city who takes you to and from the airport and you have the chance to give him or her a few dollars (maybe $2 per ride) at the end of the last ride, that’s great and will be appreciated.

If you stay at a place where all meals are included, you may also want to leave some type of tip at the end for the service staff (they often have some type of tipping jar or other way to give a tip to the waiters and other staff). Approximately $5 per person per day is a suggested amount. These types of tips are totally discretionary.

Please note that you can give tips in dollars, but they generally prefer to get tips in local currency, so you might want to plan ahead in terms of how much local currency you will bring to certain locations. For example, if you are going to El Calafate to an estancia, you won’t have any place to change money down there, so you should have cash in local currency sufficient to cover your anticipated tips for your time there. Our suggestion would be to get a few hundred dollars in local currency at the airport ATM when you arrive and then take that with you to spend during the trip in other locations, either on tips, meals, or items to bring back home with you.

11. Reading Recommendations

In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin. A highly acclaimed short travelogue by a British writer who journeyed down through Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. Contains many insightful sketches of the people and places in this region of the world.

Insight Guide: Argentina. Extraordinary photographs and highly informative essays on a wide variety of topics, written by experts in their fields. A good overview of the country.

Evita, The Real Life of Eva Peron, by Nicholas Fraser. A good, balanced biography of Evita, following her from humble origins to her place as a revered cult figure. It is also a revealing look at Peronism and Argentinian politics of the 1930s and 1940s.

Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier, by Richard Slatta. A thorough, lively study of the gaucho, including the history and culture of Argentina and Brazil’s famous cowboys.

And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina, by Paul Blustein. A readable and lively account of the financial crisis of 2001 and how international financial institutions mishandled it.

Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings, by Jorge Luis Borges. Either this or another collection entitled Fictions is a good introduction to this Argentine writer, one of the giants of 20th century literature. Both are collections of short stories and other writings.

The Uttermost Part of the Earth: A History of Tierra del Fuego and the Fuegians, by E. Lucas Bridges. A must read for anyone going to Tierra del Fuego. Written by the son of the first European settler in Tierra del Fuego, it relates the story of his family’s life with the local indigenous peoples and the history of the Estancia Harberton. A classic.

12. History of Argentina

Pre-Columbian Argentina
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, a number of different indigenous groups populated the Argentine land mass. It is generally believed that they were the descendants of the original settlers of the American continents who crossed the Bering Land Bridge connecting North America to Asia by way of what is now Alaska, from 12,000 to 20,000 years ago.

In the far south of Argentina, the Yahgans (also called Yamana) and other tribes subsisted as hunter/gatherers, collecting shellfish and bird eggs, and living in an incredibly harsh environment. In the center of the country, the Comechingones and the Guarani cultivated the land and created settlements. Some tribes never settled and continued to live a nomadic existence, hunting guanaco (a type of llama) and rhea (a bird resembling a small ostrich). In the northwest of the country, the Diaguita tribe established settlements around cultivation of corn and tube crops.

The Arrival of the Spanish
Argentina received less attention from the Spanish during the colonial period than more mineral rich areas such as Peru and Mexico. Fierce resistance by local indigenous tribes also inhibited much settlement into the area of what is now Buenos Aires, and also of the Pampas and the northwest areas of Argentina. Over time, the indigenous populations of northwest succumbed to disease, and settlement increased. From early on, the development of livestock farms for raising cattle, horses and sheep became one of the defining characteristics of the region. This is where the Gauchos developed, essentially the South American equivalent of America’s cowboys.

Buenos Aires continued to grow as a center of trade in the region. Resentment against the Spanish crown grew during the 18th century, for the same reasons it grew throughout Spanish South America: excessive taxation and inequitable treatment of the locally born population (even if of European blood) by the Spanish-born colonizers. Independence movements began in the early 19th century, and General Jose de San Martin led the local forces against the Spanish in Argentina, declaring formal independence in 1816. San Martin then crossed the Andes and assisted in the liberation of Chile and Peru, becoming one of the two greatest heroes of the independence movement in South America (the other being Simon Bolivar from Venezuela).

After Independence
There was little unity among the various liberated provinces after the Spanish were expelled, and the “caudillo” (or local strongman) culture developed as a way of filling the vacuum in authority in the country. Many of these caudillos resisted the centralization of power in Buenos Aires, but gradually Buenos Aires came to dominate the political life of the country and power was effectively consolidated there.

Immigration
During the mid 19th century, vast numbers of people from all over Europe settled in Argentina. Italians, Swiss, German, English, Welsh, Spanish, and many others entered the country in great numbers. The indigenous population had been declining for centuries due to disease and displacement, and as a result Argentina came to be populated almost in its entirety by people of European ancestry.

In the late 19th century, Argentina achieved great wealth through the production of crops, wool, and livestock, and foreign investment (particularly from Britain) contributed significantly to the development of infrastructure in and around Buenos Aires. During this period Argentina became one of the wealthiest countries in the world. However, the wealth was not very well distributed, and the economic calamities starting around World War I and leading into the Great Depression took a massive toll on Argentina. Social unrest began to grow, and the civilian governments found it difficult to manage the country’s growing problems and disorder.

General Peron and Evita
In the 1940s, Lieutenant General Juan Peron came to prominence, and became the populist voice of the country’s working class. He first gained national attention in Argentina by successfully directing the relief effort of a major earthquake in San Juan, while he was serving as head of the National Department of Labor. He came to power with the help of his wife, the actress Evita Peron, winning the Presidency in 1946 and 1952. The Perons built a huge following among the less wealthy parts of Argentine society, largely based on their charismatic and demagogic appeals to the less privileged. They instituted some wide ranging reforms, including giving the vote to women, establishing trade union rights, improving working conditions and wages, and making university education available to all.

The Peron years were tumultuous, however. In 1952, Evita died. Rising inflation and economic distress resulted in a military coup in 1955, and Peron fled the country. Peron remained a part of Argentine life, but largely only in exile, as he moved to different countries during the late 1950s and 1960s. The military junta ruling the country allowed him to return in 1973, but he was chronically ill and died in 1974. His second wife, Isabelita, took power, but was ineffective and incompetent.

The Dirty War
Growing left wing radicalism and insurgency were met with harsh reprisals by the military governments. In 1976, a period known as the Dirty War began, with the government cracking down in often violent fashion against perceived left-wing elements in society.

The Dirty War came to end as a result of the Falkland Islands War with Great Britain. In 1981, General Leopoldo Galtieri, in an attempt to preserve his hold on power, invaded the Falkland Islands and claimed them for Argentina. The Falklands sit off the southern end of Argentine Patagonia, mainly populated by sheep and penguins. They had long been a source of discontent among the Argentinians, who considered them rightly theirs and resented continuing British control over them. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher proved to be more determined than Galtieri had reckoned, and the British sent a force to the Falklands and quickly dislodged the Argentines.

The 1980s
The country returned to civilian control after Falklands war, and Raul Alfonsin was elected president in 1983. For several years, the country struggled to deal with the history of the Dirty War and have some type of accounting, and it continues to struggle with it to this day.

The Financial Crisis
In 1999, Fernando de la Rua became President, but his term was cut short due to a severe economic crisis that gained international prominence. In 2001, the government un-pegged the Argentine peso from the U.S. dollar, and the currency quickly crashed, losing more than 75% of its value. The policy of pegging the peso to the dollar was intended to create stability in the Argentine currency (and was what made Argentina so expensive in the 1990s). The country still has a long way to go to recover financially, but the Argentines are a famously resilient and proud people. The currency has recuperated to some degree, and the economy has shown remarkable improvement.

More recently, Néstor Kirchner became president on May 25, 2003 and the country had a strong economic rebound. In 2007, his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became president and remains so today.

13. People of Argentina

Argentina has a population of about 40 million people. About one third of the population resides in the greater metropolitan area in and around Buenos Aires. There are also sizeable population centers north of Buenos Aires and along the western border of the country along the Andes, in Mendoza and Cordoba. The southern part of the country, in Argentine Patagonia, is very sparsely populated.

Indigenous populations were decimated as a result of diseases introduced from Europe, while massive numbers of European settlers, including Italians, English, Germans, Bulgarians, Ukranians, Basques, and others, settled in the country. Italian surnames are more common than Spanish surnames in Argentina. Argentina is home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel, and there are also good sized communities of Middle Eastern immigrants in Argentina (Carlos Menem, whose family was from Syria, is among the most famous).

There are also sizeable populations of Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese in Argentina, about 100,000 in total. It is estimated that about 100,000 indigenous people still live in Argentina as well, many in the northwest Andean region.

14. Restaurant Recommendations in Buenos Aires

Cabana las Lilas
Section of Town: Puerto Madero
Address: Avenida Dávila 516
Phone: (11) 4313-1336 (reservations often required)
Description: considered to be among the best parrillas (steak restaurants) in a town that is famous for them. In the modern Puerto Madero district; on the expensive side, but high quality.

La Cabrera
Section of Town: Palermo
Address: Cabrera 5099, Buenos Aires
Phone: 54-11-4831-7002
Description: In the happening Palermo district, a bistro that does the classic Argentine steaks and meat dishes, but with creative side dishes.

La Biela
Section of Town: Recoleta
Address: Quintana 600
Phone: (11) 4804-0449
Description: This is a cafe, with a lot of history, a great spot for people watching and having a coffee or lunch in a nice area of the city. It’s an institution in Buenos Aires, located next to a beautiful park.

La Brigada
Section of Town: San Telmo
Address: Estados Unidos 465
Phone: (11) 4361-5557 (Reservations recommended)
Description: Considered the best parrilla in the San Telmo area, with a lot of character and outstanding service.

Café Tortoni
Section of Town: Microcentro
Address: Avenida de Mayo 825
Description: a landmark in Buenos Aires, this is the oldest café/bar in town. Popular with locals and tourists alike, it’s a lively place to have a coffee or drink.

El Obrero
Section of town: La Boca
Address: Agustin R. Caffarena 64
Description: popular with locals and very crowded after 9 pm, this is a great place to come if you are looking for something with a lot of local character and atmosphere and very good food. Serves the parilla classics but also a range of other dishes. Football memorabilia for the local club team, the famous Boca Juniors, adorns the walls. La Boca is not a place where you should wander around after dark; if you plan to go, take a cab.

Evita Museum Restaurant and Bar
Section of Town: Palermo
Address: J.M.Gutiérrez 3926
Phone: (011) 4800-1599
Description: Open all day and a great option for lunch or dinner; a beautiful patio setting next to this small but worthwhile museum located in a elegant mansion that is a National Historic Monument. The building was used by Evita and her foundation as a temporary shelter for women and children. The restaurant is a destination in its own right, serving sophisticated and varied cuisine. Open from 9 am to 12:30 am (serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks/coffee/tea).

Las Pizzaras
Section of town: Palermo
Address: Thames 2296
Phone 11/4775-0625 (Reservations recommended)
Description: Not a lot of English spoken here, but a local favorite

Cluny
Section of town: Palermo
Address: El Salvador 4618
Phone 11/4831-7176 (Reservations recommended)
Description: Modern décor, inventive cuisine with more emphasis on non-beef entries than many Buenos Aires restaurants.

Sucre
Section of town: Palermo
Address: 676 Sucre
Description: A modern restaurant serving contemporary Argentine cuisine.

15. Things to see and do in Buenos Aires on your own

Walking Around

Buenos Aires is a great city for walking around. San Telmo is a fun place to stroll around and check out the street life, stores and cafes. The Retiro and Recoleta neighborhoods and adjoining section of the Palermo neighborhood are filled with beautiful parks and is a great area to walk or go for a jog. La Boca is fun to see but is touristy and is not recommended for walking around outside the tourist areas. A nice, fairly long walk goes from the Plaza de Mayo all the way to the Congreso along the Avenida de Mayo. You can stop at Café Tortoni (closer to the Plaza de Mayo) or the Café de Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (closer to the Congreso) along the way. If you like trains, you might take a ride on the “A” Line of the Subte (subway), which runs from Plaza de Mayo up to the Congreso. It’s the oldest part of the train system and the cars from the early twentieth century are still in use. For trendy boutiques and shops, the Palermo Soho neighborhood is a good option. Puerto Madero is a more modern, less distinctly Argentine place, but it’s also a pleasant place to stroll to see another aspect of Buenos Aires.

Art Galleries

If you want to check out Argentine art galleries (both contemporary and more traditional), Arroyo Street (where the Sofitel Buenos Aires is located) is a great place to see a concentration of galleries.

Museums

MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires): The MALBA is a must see if you are interested in museums and contemporary art. A beautiful building and excellent collection of modern Latin American Art. Located in the Palermo neighborhood.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes: a very good collection of both Argentine and international art

Museo Evita: a collection that shows Eva Perón´s role in Argentine history

Futbol (Soccer)

There aren’t many better places to see a soccer match than Buenos Aires, particularly a game of either Boca Juniors or River Plate. If interested, there are tickets available for games where you will sit in a section designated for tourists. Ask us before you depart or inquire with our local operator when you arrive to see if a game is taking place during your stay in Buenos Aires.

Tango

There are many tango shows in Buenos Aires. They range from small venues in historic buildings, to larger venues with elaborately choreographed shows. Three options you have are the following:

Viejo Almacen: one of the smaller venues, in an historic building. A well-reviewed show. Like most tango shows, perhaps better only to see the show and eat dinner elsewhere.

Querandi: a small venue, in an historic building, with a show that demonstrates the history of the dance.

Rojo Tango: excellent dancers in a stylized show, in the unique and trendy Faena Hotel & Universe

Gala Tango: a larger venue, not as intimate, but with very good dancers, and an elaborate production.

Milongas (dancehalls) are another option for tango, where you can see locals dancing and dance yourself or take a lesson; venues change regularly so you should inquire locally with your guide to see what might be a good milonga during your stay.

Please see our full list of Argentina Tour Packages here.