Argentina is one of my top countries that I have visited. The diverse landscapes, amazing food, and its rich culture draws visitors from all over the world. This post covers 10 must know travel tips for visiting Argentina.
1. Don’t Underestimate Distances
Argentina is a massive country and distances are vast. Don’t underestimate this and don’t forget to factor travel into your itinerary. Unless you have a lot of time and enjoy driving cross country, you should fly to maximize your time. However, even if you are flying domestically, you may have to connect via Buenos Aires that will add time. Don’t book hotels or finalizing your itinerary before you figure out domestic travel.
2. Understand Money Matters
This is the most important travel tip for Argentina! Money is complicated in Argentina. There are 2 exchange rates in the country. An official rate that you get at banks and the ATM and unofficial rate which is must higher. This unofficial rate is called the Blue Dollar and you can get this rate by exchanging crisp, new, unmarked $100 USD bills (100 euros are fine too) either at Western Unions or at money exchangers. You may find that some hotels, restaurants and shops are also willing to exchange money at the Blue Dollar rate. So why the difference in the rate? Inflation is soaring in Argentina and the peso is very volatile. With this, locals are willing to pay higher amounts of pesos for crisp dollar bills that are more stable.
It maybe more difficult to find the Blue Dollar rate outside of the big cities, If you are visiting smaller cities and town (i.e., Patagonian towns), exchange money in the big cities.
You can get a rate close to the Blue Dollar rate if you pay by Visa or Mastercard. This rate is called MEP. Visa converts to MEP and it will show up in your statement almost immediately, whereas Mastercard may take a few days. However, it is highly recommended to carry a little bit of cash outside of the major cities.
3. Pay in Pesos
Whether you are paying in cash or by card, always pay in pesos to take advantage of the Blue Dollar/MEP rate. If you see a tour or a tango show offered in dollars, contact them and see if you can pay them in pesos so that you can save some money.
4. Learn Spanish
Not a lot of Spanish is spoken outside of Buenos Aires, so learn Spanish if you can. An app like Babbel or Duolingo is ideal to learn some basic phrases. A translation app like Google translate also comes in handy on the go.
5. Book on the Local Aerolineas Argentinas Site
While there are a few domestic airline operators, I would say Aerolineas is the most reliable. But, that does not mean they are good! They are just the lesser of all the evils. If you are booking on Aerolineas online, change your country (on the top right hand corner) to Argentina. You can keep the language as English or let Google translate for you. This way, the prices will show up in pesos and not dollars. Not only are the flights cheaper on the Argentina site, you can also use a Visa or Mastercard and get the MEP rate.
All three of the major airlines that Operate domestically (FlyBondi, SmatJet and Aerolineas) are notorious for changing flights. These changes can be dates, time of flight and even the airport. Sometimes they do not even notify you of this change. Check your bookings regularly. I have had the most success contacting Aerolineas on Facebook messenger. Some others have found success on Twitter and Instagram.
6. Book Early
Depending on the time of year you are visiting, you may have to book certain things early. For example, if you are visiting in the summer, make sure to book your hotels, rental cars, flights and even tours as soon as you know you are going to Argentina. Places like Patagonia fill up fast in terms of both hotels and tours. Even certain restaurants in Buenos Aires (i.e, Don Julio) need to be booked months in advance.
7. Download WhatsApp
From booking tours and rental cars to communicating with hotels, WhatsApp will be one of your best tools when visiting Argentina. I even used it to make lunch and dinner reservations at restaurants.
8. Tip for Services
Argentina very much has a tipping culture. Not many places lets you add the tip to your credit card, so you will probably need to carry cash for this purpose.
9. Credit Cards May Not Work for Online Payments
I had a few instances where my credit card did not go through when I was booking things online. Contact the service provider and see what the best way is for you to pay. You may have to pay in-person or use a payment facilitator like Pago Facil once in Argentina.
10. Be Careful of Your Belongings
Be careful of your belongings, especially in big cities. Put your phone away when you are not using it and don’t walk around with it in your hand. Keep your things close to you or in front of you at all times and exercise caution when walking around.
Planning a trip to Argentina? Check out my step by step guide HERE or below!
Wondering what to pack for Argentina? Check out my post HERE or below!
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