For every destination we go to we write the following three articles, which you should check out if you are going to Buenos Aires!
__Things to Do in Buenos Aires
__Tips to Travel to Buenos Aires
__Buenos Aires 101: An Online Handbook for Tourists
If you are traveling to Buenos Aires there are a few things you should know.
Background to Buenos Aires:
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. Many call it the Paris of South America because it has European style architecture and streets. It is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. It is a very fun and romantic city with a population that tends to stay up all night, eat three hour meals and spend a ton of time in cafes.
Airport (EZE)
The Buenos Aires airport is about an hour outside of the city (depending on traffic which can be a bear!). There are two terminals, but you can easily walk between them. The airport has parking spaces available in a multi-storey covered parking garage and an open-air parking lot, next to Terminal A. There is no distinction between long- and short-term parking at the airport. Spaces are subject to availability; reservations are cannot be made. You can also rent a car from Alamo, Avis, Hertz and Localiza, located in Terminal A Arrivals. Telephone and Internet access is available in Terminal A Departures and Terminal B Arrivals. Mobile phone hire and services are available in Terminal A Arrivals and Departures.
Airlines
Delta, American, Air Italia, LAN Chile and of course, Argentinian air all come to Argentina.
Accommodation Locations
There are a few different areas you can stay in Buenos Aires:
1. Puerto Madera
This is a very business area. There are a ton of restaurants, but not much shopping. You can walk to historical landmarks, but this is a business and tourist area so there is not much nightlife or local culture.
2. Palermo Soho
Pricey, but awesome. This area is filled with shops, restaurants and parks. It is hip and young but can be a bit noisy at night and you will no see any historic landmarks or churches.
3. Avenida De Mayo
There are a good number of restaurants and sites in this area. It is an exciting street with subways connecting pretty much everywhere. Can be a bit trafficy.
4. Recolleta
This is a great area with some nice outdoor antique markets. Highly recommend it although not much to do at night.
We do not recommend staying in: La Boca, San Telmo or Palermo Hollywood.
Type of Accommodations
Hotels
There are some nice, decently priced hotels in Buenos Aires, the Hilton in Puerto Madera is beautiful, but Buenos Aires is not known for its service.
Boutique Hotels
We would not recommend highly staying in some of the smaller boutique hotels, they are not as charming as they look, often do not have a concierge or breakfast and you need a key to get in the front door at night.
Apartments
We stayed in an apartment and loved it. Make sure you are going with a company not Craigslist. You want to make sure that there is a contract and a cleaning crew before you arrive. Our apartment (in one of the best areas, kitchen, dining room, bed, fold out couch, internet and bathroom) was $400 US per week to give you an idea.
Couch Surfing
Argentinians are wonderful and we have heard some great things about couchsurfers here in Buenos Aires. Make sure that they come endorsed and certified and they are in a central area otherwise you will spend a lot of money on cabs.
Buenos Aires Location Handguide:
Local Cuisine: Meat, Pasta and Pizza abound! You also have many sweets featuring Dulce de Leche. You must try some empanadas.
Drink Specialties: Yerba Mate is all over and Argentina has a great signature red wine called Malbec. Torrontes is also a signature white wine only grown in Argentina.
Currency: The Argentinean Peso.
Useful Words and Phrases when Traveling in Argentina:
Che-informal hello
Chau- informal goodbye
Chorro- Thief
Tacho- another word for taxi
