First Timer in BA
 

Heading over to Buenos Aries and Iquazu for a few days over memorial weekend. I went through some of the threads here (must confess I didn't search every single thread). So far I have figured out the follow:
1) be careful with money - dont change it in the customs area and go to the banks to get a better exchange rates
2) Credit cards in general work and ATMs are great except you may not be able to get a lot of cash at once

A few questions for those who travel out there often:
1) Is it easy to get along in these two places with English only?
2) How careful do I need to be with my valuables (I have been told about pick pockets but I am assuming hotels are generally safe if I left things behind)?
3) What should I use to travel around the city? Cabs? Trains? buses?
4) Ride from the airport. Anything to be aware of? Should I have this booked through the hotel?
4) Football tickets? Which team and where to buy?
5) Since food is supposed to be excellent but since I dont eat all the meats (no pork)... any suggestions on making sure when I order a meal, it will be interpreted correctly?
6) Planning to spend three days in BA and three in Iguazu but could change it four in BA? Any suggestions.
7) is there a tipping policy in BA?


If all of this is already in a tread please let me know and I will read through them. And once I get back I will do a trip report for anyone else who travels out there on their first trip.
Thanks.

A few questions for those who travel out there often:
1) Is it easy to get along in these two places with English only?
If you are staying at moderate and up hotels, you should be 99% fine.
2) How careful do I need to be with my valuables (I have been told about pick pockets but I am assuming hotels are generally safe if I left things behind)?
Wallet - front pocket, no flashy jewels. I've never had hotel theft, but I wouldn't leave valuables and cash out in plain sight.
3) What should I use to travel around the city? Cabs? Trains? buses?
Cabs are fine. Trains? The Subte is ok (beware of strikes, and be on very high pickpocket alert). I'd stay off any "real" trains. Buses? w/o español, probably better you stay off. Others may disagree
4) Ride from the airport. Anything to be aware of? Should I have this booked through the hotel?
Just use any of the services that you can purchase after you leave customs but before you enter the general area. (It will be obvious.) Manuel Tienda Leon is a lot more expensive than the others and IM(nsh)O, not worth it.
4) Football tickets? Which team and where to buy?
There's a comprehensive FT thread on this
5) Since food is supposed to be excellent but since I dont eat all the meats (no pork)... any suggestions on making sure when I order a meal, it will be interpreted correctly?
"No como cerdo"
6) Planning to spend three days in BA and three in Iguazu but could change it four in BA? Any suggestions.
Eat more
7) is there a tipping policy in BA?
10% typically, in real restaurants. Spare change, up to 10% in other places.


If all of this is already in a tread please let me know and I will read through them. And once I get back I will do a trip report for anyone else who travels out there on their first trip.
Thanks.[/QUOTE]

How about cellphones? is it easy to get a SIM card? and is it relatively cheap?

I'm not a local but have been there annually for the last several years and will be visting again in a few months.

A few replies:

1) be careful with money - dont change it in the customs area and go to the banks to get a better exchange rates
**I think there's the Banco De La Nacion which has a window to the customs area (sometimes open) and just outside of it that is good for exchanging money. Make sure you hang onto small bills - that's a lifesaver for making transactions go smoothly.

1) Is it easy to get along in these two places with English only?
**I speak very little broken spanish from high school over 20 years ago. I get along fine. Most who cater to the tourist seem happy to offer up some English. You might want to download a simple offline translator to your phone which can be handy

2) How careful do I need to be with my valuables (I have been told about pick pockets but I am assuming hotels are generally safe if I left things behind)?
**Don't bring anything out with you that you don't need. I always leave my things in the safe in the hotel. I usually only bring one credit card and not all of my cash.

3) What should I use to travel around the city? Cabs? Trains? buses?
**Cabs are fine and I've found the vast majority of drivers to be very friendly and helpful. I try not look at the road too much because the driving in BA terrifies me. Subways are easly navigable. I've not been adventurous enough to take a bus

4) Ride from the airport. Anything to be aware of? Should I have this booked through the hotel?
**You can use http://www.tiendaleon.com.ar when you arrive at the airport. They are very efficient and reputable. Many on this forum have also used http://www.dantesairporttransfers.com/ and I used his service several times on past trips.

More or less what has been said till now.

I've only been in the subway once and foiled a pickpocket...I much prefer taxis but wouldn't let that one incident put me off the subway. Don't worry about your lack of Spanish....Argentines are patient people and will tolerate your bumblings....they have to do that with me every day. :D
Despite what you may have heard or read Buenos Aires is a safe city for the tourist as long as you follow the rules.....be wise and you'll be safe.

Enjoy your holiday. ^

Bring dollars, don't use an ATM. You can save 20% buying pesos in the grey market.

Learn some Spanish.

You can also get an expensive stack of non-absorbent toilet paper if you take this advice and don't know what you are doing.

I speak almost fluent Castellano with some lunfardo thrown in. I needed none of it to get 5.25 on lavalle, and in Palermo. I cambio'd about 7k usd for pesos and did not get a falso. You hand the guy your money and usually there is a rate on a calculator. No talking, no paperwork.

Try a few hundered at first.

Send me a Pm and I'll give you the address.

To top it off I rode the 59 and 10 bus with two months wages in my skivvies.

Dress code is key, no shorts, no sneakers, darker colored clothes with no obvious gringo tags. No Fannie packes either. No sunglasses. I can usually spot a tourista pelotudo two blocks away.

If you use a taxi in full gringo mode you will get clipped by a few blocks or worse.

There is nothing wrong with riding the collectivo aka bus. If you go to far get off walk across the street and go back the way you came. Make sure you have monedas aka change. The bus is usually going to be 1.20.

The subte is a big quillombo currently, I would not trust that it will be running at any given point.

If you do use an ATM you will be limited to 1000k pesos per transaction that will charge you 17.88 pesos per. Geta schwab card or others that will refund your fee.

Better yet use Xoom and pickup in retiro at Libertad 1057.

Once again learn some Spanish before you come to BA.

KG
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I am not going to learn Spanish in three days and I am not suddenly going to look Argentinian or non touristy because I do not look local (no matter the clothing).
But I appreciate your help. And thanks to the rest of the folks here for their feedback as well. I will report back on my trip in a few weeks.

If you want to "fit in," just wear a polo shirt embroidered with one of those obnoxious horses so big that it almost weighs the shirt down so you fall over. That, and pretend it is the 80s for your hair (well, almost).

Most tourists speak no castellano and do "all the wrong things" and have a perfectly lovely visit.

What does that mean, clipped by a few blocks?

My eyes are light-sensitive and I have to wear dark glasses when it's bright out http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ons/ohnoes.gif

Well, that part I can do http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ile_tongue.gif

Two more questions
 

1) How much cash should I bring? Think about 6 days
2) What is the power adopter that i would need? Or are these easily available from the top hotels free of charge?

What do people wear in Argentina. Guess I should have asked that earlier but realized shorts arent appropriate in all cultures as I started packing.

This is interesting, as on the last 2 occasions I was in BA I wandered the streets in a polo shirt (without horses) and a pair of shorts, in fact I even had a pair of Nike on my feet, and a pair of sunglasses.

There are plenty of people wearing shorts and sunglasses, I can't imagine they are all tourists.

I am keen to know more about the local take on this....

The odd person who obviously doesn't look at the weather forecast can still be seen wearing shorts and T shirt but as it's been raining over the last few days with a temperature of around 17c they certainly aren't required. Now into the season of jeans, shirt and pullover.

Yes apart from business people the locals do wear shorts, T shirt and sunglasses during hot spells. You can always spot the tourist by their slow pace of walking rather than what they wear.