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If you provide the appropriate documentation, there are no limits... but the real paperwork starts when you deal in amounts above AR$30,000 (approx USD10,000) and you dont have an established account here..... in that case you need to start providing a few additional papers & docs. that insume time & effort, etc.

Gaucho,,, I agree with you regarding transfer of money etc. All I can tell you is that I walked into the Citibank on Callao and Quintana last week with a friend who has a citibank U.S. account and card and who just arrived. He wanted to exchange u.s. Dollars to pesos he didnt ask for money from his U.S account. I was with him when he was told that you had to have a CITIBANK Argentina card to even exchange money and also told that the banks were not the same. ( maybe I misunderstood what that actually means) but he could not change money. He could use the atm but no different than my using with a different bank card.

I just walked him over to Paribas on Guido and they quickly exchanged 500 usd to pesos.

nytango-- Ahh..... I see. Well, some banks are picky with what transactions they do with non-customers, and Citibank is known to sometimes be a little difficult... did your friend have his passport with him? Still, its strange that they would not have exchanged his dollars... but again, Citi does have its quirks. As far as I know, you need a special CitiCard to access the special CitiGold section of the branches, but I thought that as long as you line up in the regular teller and have your passport with you, you should be able to exchange a few USDs.... Question, did you get to the teller and got turned down there or did you ask somewhere else and they gave you the "customers only" reply?

I may have hit send to fast so i just deleted it.

( How is your baby and dont you think you should come out dancing soon??/

Looks good. Many thanks

thanks for posting all of this useful information

Just back from my 5th visit to BA in 19 years. From a visitor's perspective, I don't think there's a major world city that changes so fast -- it's a different city every time I visit!

First, the good news: since my last visit 3 years ago, BA has become significantly safer for tourists. Certainly not as safe as 19 years ago, but reasonably safe for a big city. It seems like the police are patrolling the tourist areas a bit more, but more importantly, the recovering economy is reducing poverty. I walked in all sorts of neighborhoods, took the subway, etc., and I felt reasonably safe. You still want to take all the standard precautions (watch for pickpockets, use radio taxis, etc.), but I think the risk of "running into trouble" is much lower than in recent years.

OK, now a little bad news. For the American tourist, Argentina has gotten more expensive. Over the past 20 years, the costs for foreigners have fluctuated wildly with the exchange rates. While the dollar has actually appreciated by more than 10% against the peso in the past 3 years, compounded Argentine inflation is probably 4 times that during the period, so prices are roughly 1/3 more. So the fantastic bargains are gone -- unless your "home currency" is the Euro! That said, BA is still MUCH cheaper than American cities. A good dinner for 2 costs about US$60, and a comparable meal at home would be at least twice that. A great steak (a la carte) is about US$12. The shopping is still great, although you'll probably want to focus on local crafts and unique leather goods: thanks to cheap Chinese labor, a basic leather jacket is going to be cheaper to buy in the U.S..

Last time I visited, I was really down on staying in Centro, given the large number of homeless or near homeless wandering around. But the area has now regained some of its lost luster. It still wouldn't be my first choice for accomodations, but (at the right price) it is now a good choice. One significant advantage is great access to the various subway lines which, if you can handle the occasional panhandler, is again a good way to get around town. Subway fares are still only 70 centavos (about 23 cents). With the significant rise in taxi fares (still cheap by int'l standards), taking the subway can sometimes save real dinero.

Because I was in BA over 2 weekends, I had a chance to visit several street markets (ferias). "Everyone" will probably come across the touristy market in Recoleta, and it's still quite fun. San Telmo is again enjoyable and safe. I even travelled out to the Feria de Mataderos, an "authentic" gaucho-themed market in a supposedly dodgy neighborhood. Well, even Mataderos is now crawling with tourists and hardly dodgy -- but it is also probably not worth the 30 minute and US$12 cab ride (although market prices are a bit lower, and the selection of provincial crafts and foods interesting).

For the first time, I visited the Murillo leather district, which is a good choice if you're looking for something stylish (and therefore a bit pricey). For basic leather and other Argentine souvenirs, you're probably better off at the small shops in the mall at Florida 844.

I even went to a tango show. Due to a last minute snafu at the hotel, I wound up at La Ventana, a show I knew nothing about. It was 100% touristy (albeit mostly for Latin tourists), and also 100% enjoyable. I listed the discount ticket outlets in this thread a couple of weeks ago. List prices for the shows are crazy.

I'll post my restaurant comments in that thread, but I'll put a plug in here for Gaucho100K's wine shop. If you're looking for high end Argentine wine (like US$25 bottle), you should definitely schedule a visit. Very unique and special.

this was at the teller and he had is Citbank cards and passport. He could have withdrawn money at the ATM, but not exchange it or withdraw it at the teller. I even went down stairs afterward, and asked why he couldnt exchange dollars and got the same "you have to be a Citibank Argentina customer answer. "

You are right however, next week the answer might be different Citi is very quirky. It was only a $500 usd exchange he was asking for, not thousands, Paribas did it with no questions

please help a solo female
 

Hello! I just arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday, and so far it seems like a great city. I will be here for almost a month. I travel solo all the time, but I am very shy, so though there is plenty for me to do in the day here, I fear I will miss out on the best aspects of BA, which according to other people is the nightlife. I don't much like going out at night alone, and it makes it a little harder here that things don't kick off til around midnight (easier for me to make excuses and just sleep). Can someone recommend places to go that are welcoming for a solo female? Ie. places I can meet other people without their being slobbery drunk and aggressive? Places I can sit alone without being hassled? I am interested in seeing a tango show but worry they won't have a spot for one person. Are there tours you would recommend? I am staying in Palermo (Soho) and am 30, if that helps. Thanks ^

Il Milion is a nice place, safe area, cool crowd. A few ex-pats here and there, but not necessarily an ex-pat hang out. pretty good on weekends, check it out!

http://www.milionargentina.com.ar/

Welcome to FT!

My girlfriend and I just returned from EZE, and had a wonderful time. We didn't do a lot of the nightlife, but sloppy drunk people seemed to be less of a problem than in the US.

I did have an idea though:

In this thread iahphx recommends (and nytango agrees) an airport driver named dante who has a website at: http://dantesairporttransfers.hazedaze.com/

I have no familiarity with Dante, but I notice that he also teaches tango and is available to escort ladies to milongas (dance halls) to experience tango. He does seem to have a photo gallery of smiling (if a bit mature) clients. He might be perfect for showing you some of the cool local tango and ensuring that you are not hassled (further since he is being paid, he would likely not have his feelings hurt if you did hit it off with someone and decided that three was a crowd. ;)).

From the photos, it does seem like Dante's clients tend to be older than 30 -- but I only know his taxi business, not his tango business. :)

That said, going to a milonga is a LOT different from seeing a tango show. Girllrig said she wanted to see a show (which might be a good place to start any tango exploration -- especially since you only have to stay awake until about midnight :)). In this regard, I am almost certain you wouldn't be "hassled" at any of the major shows. They tend to attract a mild-mannered crowed. In fact, I vividly remember seeing a single woman at one such show (El Quarandi, a few years back). I remember her because I thought she was a little brave, since the rest of the crowd was groups and couples. If you are feeling a bit brave, I posted links on how to buy tango show tickets at a discount a page or two back in this thread.

one of the sad facts of the tango scene is that there are many more women than men who travel to B.A to dance and it is hard to for them to get men do dance with them if they are not young, or great dancers and known. ( this is a simplification of the problem).
Taxi Dancers (name for men or a few women) who are available to be paid to escort and dance with women are available. Mature women tend to be the ones who use this service sometimes just to be seen dancing the first night. If they are good they will be asked to dance on subsequent nights. Hiring a taxi dancer is better than sitting around all night waiting.

Dante, who does airport pickups, is also popular as a taxi dancer and yes most of his clients are "mature" He does know the tango scene and usually is at Nino Bien, Canning and other milongas. Last night I made him aware of the posts which mention him. So mention FT if you contact him.

If you are a young woman alone, you might just want to try a free beginner lesson before a milonga. Chances are you will meet many other singles and will feel comfortable. When you enter just let the host know you are beginning and alone. pm for more info..

Exchanging dollars for pesos at banks
 

Several posters on different IBBs and blogs have noted that some BsAs banks will refuse to exchange dollars for pesos if they do not have an account there.

I've personally never had that experience. Of all the different banks I've used, I've found that the Banco de la Nación (at the airport), and BBVA Banco Francés, and Banco Galicia at various BsAs locations give the fastest service.

Note that I always speak Spanish when asking for pesos. I can understand cashiers being unwilling to conduct a transaction if they don't speak English (and why should they ....?).

You will need your passport, and the cashier will often ask where your Argentina immigration stamp is in your passport. And your US notes must be in VERY good condition. No tears or defacement.

John