First time to Buenos Aires. Advice?
 

You will pay double or close to it if you don't exchange $ in the "blue" market, and that includes your credit/debit card purchases, and don't be surprised if a number of establishments "temporarily" can't take cards.

The Subte (underground) is pretty reliable. You'll need to buy a SUBE card (available at the airport and at many places in the City). I'd avoid the buses, unless you know exactly where you are and where you want to go on the bus. It can end up quite confusing, and it will be very easy to miss your stop.

As we sit here today, I think the only things you need to do for entry is a sworn declaration form and proof of insurance that will cover COVID expenses. At the time of your potential travel, who knows.

I've not stayed at a hotel since 2009 or so, I've got no valuable input in that regard, not that any of my advice is really ever that valuable ;)

Do you speak Spanish? Have you traveled in Latin America before?

Public transportation in BA is quite comprehensive, but it's mostly bus-based. The subte (subway) system is relatively small and doesn't go directly to many of the places you're likely to want to go (for example, it goes to the very northernmost part of the Palermo neighborhood, leaving you to walk maybe 15-20 minutes to get to the heart of the Palermo Soho or Hollywood areas; the subte doesn't go to La Boca at all, so you'll need to take a bus if you want to go there...) Also, the subte shuts down weirdly early at night, although buses run far later.

If you speak Spanish and are willing to ask locals how to get around, the buses are fine. They're not luxury by any means, but they're in decent condition and most of the routes run pretty frequently. You'll need to buy a SUBE card, which you can do at a machine in EZE as well as other locations, and you can add value at the machine where you buy it as well as in subte stations and in most "kioscos" (the little convenience store-type places you'll see all over the place); most of them will have a sticker showing the SUBE logo and either will have a machine to add value or will do it manually for you at the cash register.

That being said, there is all of one bus route that goes from EZE to the city - the #8. There are two varieties - an express and a local, which takes about two hours to Plaza de Mayo and takes you on a very long journey through some not-terribly-attractive working-class towns of Provincia de Buenos Aires. If I remember correctly, the local buses come every 20-30 minutes; I'm not sure about the express ones, as I've never taken them.

If you're flying in/out of AEP, by contrast, there are a bunch of buses that pass directly in front of the terminal building and will take you downtown in maybe 15 minutes, or to the ritzy parts of Palermo in about the same amount of time. AEP is a dream for transit.

If you're arriving at EZE and don't want to deal with the hassle of the bus, Miguel Tienda León has buses that take travelers directly to their hotels at a reasonable price point that will save you some cash on a taxi.

I believe Argentina removed entry restrictions for vaccinated travelers, but it's always best to check official sources for that information.

It's possible to be mostly cashless, but you'll get a much better rate if you convert USD to pesos at the unofficial, blue rate. There are explanations of how that system works here on FT, but from what I've read on other FT threads and also heard from a friend who went down last month, you can send dollars to yourself via Western Union and then withdraw that money in Argentina in pesos at something approximating the more advantageous rate. Another reason to have some cash is that you'll need it for public transportation (I don't recall the SUBE machines or the subte stations taking cards) and for anything you might buy from a street vendor, kiosco, etc. And I don't think too many taxis take cards - at least not in my experience.

I can't speak to what's up with Hyatt, but the last time I was there I stayed at the NH 9 de Julio. It was a very nice hotel, and I'd highly recommend it. I think I paid about $80-ish a night or something, but that was in 2019.

Is there a minimum for insurance coverage to enter? Will immigration even check? I think Singapore requires S$30,000 of coverage, but I don't know if things have changed.

Thanks for inquiring, however you’ve cross posted in two different threads. I just replied to the original and stumbled upon this one. Perhaps, Moderator will consolidate

Found this from another moderator in another thread so you’ll understand. Gaucho 100 K is the moderator to this Argentina thread but however he hasn’t been that active here for some time, just Sporadically., hope all is well with him

Cross-posting is not allowed on FlyerTalk, and we are asked to create informative, specific thread titles.

Please follow your query in the other thread related to this issue.

Thank you,

JDiver

The Park Hyatt is probably the most expensive of the chain hotels in Bs As.but it's probably worth it.

The Hilton is located in Puerto Madero and is more reasonably priced but it depends on your dates.

the Marriott is fairly new and opened during the pandemic - I have still to visit it

I honestly wouldn't stay in Puerto Madero. It's a business district located nowhere near anything, and to get in/out on foot you have to walk across train tracks and cross very broad and busy roads, which is extremely unpleasant due to all the traffic and the fact that locals drive like maniacs.

For a first-timer I'd recommend staying either in Recoleta or on/by the north end of 9 de Julio, or else for a quieter, more neighborhood feel stay somewhere in Palermo.

Since the Paseo del Bajo opened, crossing to/from Pto Madero is much less unpleasant. The Hilton is not a bad option if the price is right.

Of the big brand hotels in the centre I like the Intercontinental's location, and I find its rather old-fashioned formality quite comforting. The rates can be comfortable, too.

The Hilton is one of those fur coat and no knickers hotels: impressive lobby but dowdy rooms seriously in need of a refurb. Its price is supported by the brand rather than quality.

Friends swear by apartment rentals for stays of longer than a few days.

Cash is better
 

I’m currently in BsAs, my second visit since December. Cash is king. You will get nearly 200 pesos per US dollar. Your hotel will help you find a reputable place to exchange money. Our dinner last night at a very nice restaurant was about $8,000 pesos. $40 dollars at blue rate; $80 with credit card. I have stayed at Sheraton and Sheraton Park Tower and Intercontinental. All are recommended. Not as fancy as Park Hyatt, but quite nice and much more reasonable. Using the blue rate for hotels is a bit tricky. It will cost you half as much if you pay in cash. But you will have to pay 21% extra in taxes for a cash payment. If you pay with a foreign credit card you avoid the tax. Overall much cheaper with cash. Taxis are cheap, but sometimes harder to come by. Uber is available as is Cabify. You can download the app and pay with a credit card or in cash. I never had a problem entering Argentina with my Covid insurance. I kept a copy of my travel insurance which included Covid, but I was never asked about it. Coming from the main airport I have always used taxiEZE to get into town. They have a kiosk just as you exit immigration. You pay at the kiosk and a private driver will take you to your destination. I just checked the website and the price is 3600 pesos. $18 or $36 depending upon how are you bought your pesos. I’m pretty sure you can pay with credit card but you will pay at the official rate. Feel free to direct message me, I will be in Argentina for another month.

Good to know, thanks. I still don't much like Puerto Madero - it's fine if you're going to be spending your time working in a nearby office tower, but if you want to stroll and enjoy the city, it's not really the place for that.

Totally agree, I prefer to stay in an apartment in the Palermo Viejo area which is more neighborhood like, central to most of the city, and has access to excellent transportation along with lots of small shops and restaurants, you totally live like a local

However, in Puerto Madero a walk along the Costanera Norte, stoping for a Chori makes a nice afternoon

I prefer to stay in San Telmo ;)

I go down there regularly for an asado at my friends home and Terrace on the top of his building

Is your friend from Illinois, by chance?

Stayed there in January in the Boutique Hotel owned by the guys who run the Sagardi restaurant and Tapas Bar

Excellent place, plenty to eat and upstairs to sleep!

Yes, I was pleased to see Sagardi reopened.

No he’s a Porteño

Yip but new management, I see. I knew one of them quite well but he left during the pandemic

Still one of the waiters recognized me - You are the Scottish guy from Zona Norte, Right? Still drinking Imperial IPA?

I hadn't been in for two years!

We are in BA now, and have ben here since end of February. Went to Montevideo, so our 90 day clock re-started. So far, Subway easy to master. Buses, well, we finally got brave. So far we have taken the bus from the BuqueBus terminal ( after the ferry back from Montevideo) to our apartment. We took the bus to Boca to check out La Bonbonera and took the train to Tigre. We watched the little blue dot on our phone maps as we travelled on the bus. Got off on one stop too early the 1st time, but exact the 2nd. Rome2Rio tells you which bus, and the stop. When you board, you tell the driver your stop, and he pushes a button to the # of stops it is and you zap you Subte card against the machine. And you push the orange button on the pole for the alert for the next stop. We are going to Iguazu beginning of May. We are going to bus to/fro AEP!!
We are in an apartment in Recoleta. Love it here!!!!

You'd probably get more and better information by posting your question on Trip Advisor in the forums.

Has anyone here been to Montevideo before? Is it open to fully vaccinated Americans? What do I need to know about going there from Buenos Aires? Fast or slow ferry? Possible just to go there for a day trip?

Check SeaCat cheaper than Buquebus also the Uruguayan site is cheaper than Argentina yes you could do a day trip if you’re going just to Colonia but why not spend a night or two in Montevideo. The boats stop at Colonia you could spend the day and then you have a pass for the bus to take you to MVD

I think the people on FT will take offense to that🤓

Google maps on your phone works fantastically for the bus. Will even give you walking directions to the stop, etc.

The first thing is that I'm now officially pissed for not pulling the trigger on the UA fare earlier, as it went formally up over $100 today. :(

The second thing is that I will have about three full days if I go to Buenos Aires. I'm thinking of two full days in Buenos Aires itself and one full day in Montevideo. Is that enough? How long is the ferry?

Thank you.

Three days is a short amount of time to spend in Buenos Aires. I wouldn’t even consider Uruguay for this trip. Remember the old FT adage book now, think later. You always have 24 hours to make up your mind if you want to cancel. Prices are fluctuating google flights works well. But to be quite honest you’re asking a lot of information for three days

What do you mean by too much information over three days? I can't travel for more than a week, including travel time anyways. Often I end up having to make multiple trips to the same destination in the same year. I'm not going to explain a lot of things for privacy reasons. At the end of the day, the more information I get, the better my decision will be on how I should spend my time. No better way to get the best information than to ask FTers here.

As someone who, when I started frequent travel, had little time for long trips, I am familiar with repeat trips to the same places.

That said, I'd skip Uruguay. It just creates another level of hassle and travel time in a very short trip. If you do consider a day trip to Uruguay, I'd suggest nothing more than Colonia. MVD will kill an entire day, with much of it on a boat and terminal - and lest one forget, early arrival at the terminal for international processing.

The ferry is 99 meters long ;) :D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_Francisco

LMAO!!! I was on my phone...I meant to ask how long is the ferry ride.

So far, every trip I've booked for 2022 is less than a week long. Just to emphasize that I do go to the same place over and over again, I already have six trips to Singapore booked. It's also not my first time in Singapore either.

I would still love to hear from you about Montevideo and how you would make the trip.

I'd take the boat, and spend at least one night (allowing for no less than two half-days). It is a pleasant place (I've only been once) but not worth the time and expense for just a few hours especially when you've never been to Buenos Aires.

We went to MVD
 

We are here in BA, and we went to MVD for 5 days. Stayed at the Hilton in Pocitos. BuqueBus Ferry to Colonia, then bus to MVD. We've also been to Mar del Plata for a couple days. We are going to Iguazu Falls beginning of May. Salta and Jujuy end of May. Been here since Feb 26th.

The ferry ride is 2hrs 15 mins

You have to be at the port one hour before with the Covid regulations in place

Half an hour to disembark and pass immigration .

Prior to Covid . you only did immigration at one port but there is now ( or there was last month ::) arrival immigration.

Colonia is only an hour and ten minutes and a day trip is possible.

Like the other posters I think one day is going to be wasted in Uruguay. Unless you are a scoccer fan , I cant think of anything memomrable to see.

It seems to me that you’re not doing any research by yourself, except asking in this thread (it would be more interesting) if you would try and say would you prefer SeaCat vs Buquebus going to Uruguay, or. I’m thinking about staying in this area what do you think ( likes the way you started the thread) speaking about the Hyatt versus a few other hotels. The board has been a little quiet at the late, so you’re getting some attention but a lot of the answers are in the threads that already exist (perhaps you may want to pursue those) to get a good base of education, then you can ask more informed questions. People are very accommodating here and then you could be working on inside tips rather than general information… Only a thought

Pocitos is the area that I stay in and like the vibe. Have fun in Salta and Iguazu, sounds like your enjoying your travels

Montevideo is a great city. I really like it. It has a much more relaxed feel than Buenos Aires, it's quieter, the people are lovely, and it's not expensive. I would highly recommend staying for 4 days or so to really get the vibe of the place. But don't stay in the old city - it's grungy and perhaps the only place in the entire country where crime is of concern. I've generally stayed in the Plaza Cagancha area, which is a downtown neighborhood that's walkable to the old city and port, but unless you have a need to be downtown, it's probably better staying in one of the nicer beach neighborhoods by the Ramblas - Pocitos is a great option, as is Punta Carretas (near the eponymous mall).

I've never taken the ferry - just flights from AEP.

I was actually looking at going in late June, and it does seem Uruguay is opened up to vaccinated foreigners.

You're totally right - there really is nothing memorable to see in Uruguay.

It's still one of my favorite countries, and I've been there about 5 times.