Ah, I missed that RETIRO under CIUDAD DE BUENOS AIRES. I've selected that now. Thank you!

Good catch, I didn’t even see that

Living your life looking through Malbec tinted glasses ...

This is going to forever change how I hear the name of the snack food in my mind when I read it.

As you emerge landside from the immigration and bag collection there's a taxi booking desk. Further into the arrivals are there another Tienda Leon desk where you can book a car/limo (remis) or their bus. The bus is fine, comfortable, fast and relatively cheap; the car service much nicer but also much more expensive. The bus goes to the company's depot downtown.

There used to be an option to include Tienda Leon distribution by mini-bus//taxi onwards from the terminus to a final destination. That would save you messing around with taxis - but I have no idea if this still works. In terms of international brand hotels, the Hilton (pricey) and Holiday Inn Express (cheap) are within walking distance of the TL terminus.

Another option is ride-sharing. You'll be most familiar with Uber. It works well enough, except it can be difficult getting to grips with the airport pick-up: you can exchange messages with the driver, but it will likely be your introduction to the low level of penetration English has made outside some professional and tourism facing organisations. Not as low as the level of penetration Spanish has reached in England though :D

`so you should be able to get to your hotel on the strength of your credit card, rather than fiddling around with cash.

You'll have to make any car or bus payments by cash (pesos) or card. Uber the same, otherwise, yes …. cambios are a solution. A more efficent system might be sending yourself money by Western Union. Bank transfer through the WU website is traightforward, then pick-up pesos at a WU office (and, yes, the exchange rate is favourable). You should be able to pay your hotel in pesos, though you'll sacrifice the VAT saving.



finally, my visits to Argentina dried up to zero over the Covid years, and i won't be back until June. So take my advice and comments with a pinch of salt until you get confirmation. Tienda Leon website might help: but as I remember it is only, or mostly, in Spanish.

This all seems very accurate, and I'd just add that another chauffeur car option is Taxi Ezeiza (www.taxiezeizaoficial.com), which is as reliable as Tienda León but cheaper. Last January I just booked them through WhatsApp (in Spanish, but I'd assume somebody speaks English there), and I see their website also allows online bookings. If you decide to book ahead, once you walk past customs keep walking towards the road exit and you'll find the Taxi Ezeiza stand. They normally have a screen listing all the names of people who booked in advance, and they will assign you a driver and walk you to the car.

Thank you so much ! Truly appreciate it. Checking out the Taxi Ezeiza and it looks doable also. As a ball park figure, how much is a round trip taxi journey going to cost? I figured budgeting about $100US in total would more than cover it. Paying cash would be a preference to be honest and will investigate WU option also.

I'm reading that Palermo and Recoleta and San Telmo are the best places to stay, to get a taste of the place. Centro is more business but maybe a little sketchy of an evening. Obviously I'm aware of being safe and being aware of my surroundings and it is going to be non stop really, I can sleep on the plane back out, but I'm not looking to be out and about on an all nighter and sprinting for the gate with minutes to spare. Although maybe that would mean an unforgettable time right?

Any recommendations for must see sights, must do's and must eats etc on a whirlwind visit? Obviously the steak, red wine, empanadas and some ice cream have to be tried but any specific places, favourites to look out for ?

You can figure US$30-some each way at the the official rate, although things fluctuate so much - when there's a price adjustment, it can be closer to $40, before the next adjustment, it is closer to $20. This has been the typical range for years. (My March trip was about $17 at the "blue.")

Easiest bet is upon arrival, just suck it up (i.e., pay the official rate) with a credit card and get a car service from one of the services just past the customs door - they'll bring you right to your car, and then right to your lodging. For the return, you'll have "blue" $. You may enjoy using the "Cabify" app there as you can set it to pay cash, but you will also be able to set your pick up point and destination without language issues, and the prices are typically decent. Also, don't rely on the GPS - always type in your street address (street name then number) for the pickup point.

There’s a separate thread on restaurants in this forum with some pretty good recommendations. As for hotels my suggestion would be Palermo (trendier) or Recoleta (posher yet more boring). Avoid Centro – it’s always been sketchy at night, after Covid it’s become Gotham City.

One of Argentina's best travel bloggers just published this today.

To and from Ezeiza

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2022/...-desde-ezeiza/

In BA right now
 

DH and I have been here in BA since Feb 26th. We left the US and have gone full nomad, this is our first stop. We planned for only a month, but have extended our time here, will probably be here til sometime in June. We went to Montevideo, so our 90 day clock re-set.

We are in Recoleta, in an apartment about 4 blocks from the back of the cemetery. We walk 4-6 miles everyday and have become pretty familiar with the bigger neighborhoods. Palermo, Recolata, Retiro, San Telmo. ALL are great.

I got a good deal on a place around the corner from the Recoleta cemetery and their Airport shuttle is priced at $15 USD each way cash or $16.5USD by cc which was a nice surprise and they said they'd be happy to change currency at the blue dollar rate too. With more time available I would have loved to head over to Montevideo and have been in three SA countries in one day. I'll be back later to do that. Are the BA letters still at the Obelisk ?

Going to hit the ground running, drop my bag, freshen up and head out . Looks like it'll be good weather wise too. I'm guessing the Cemetery is busy on a weekend, as a football fan would have liked to take a look or a tour at La Bombonera .

Stan you must have some great experiences from all that time!

This is a long thread, but is there a subway system going to EZE?

No. Just a bus. Don't take the public bus.

Why not? I'm just starting my research on a possible trip to EZE later this year. I will need tons of advice to get the best possible experience and avoid being scammed!