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MASA
South America

Argentina

7 guides across 1 destination — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.

Where to go

Destinations in Argentina

The white Obelisco rising above the wide lanes of Avenida 9 de Julio under a deep blue sky
Buenos Aires
Best march–may and september–november (southern autumn and spring)
Before you go

Practical essentials for Argentina

Money

Argentine peso (ARS)

Language

Spanish; English is more widely spoken in Buenos Aires than elsewhere in South America, but do not count on it beyond tourist settings

Power

Type C/I, 220V 50Hz

Getting around

The Subte and colectivo buses in Buenos Aires run on the rechargeable SUBE card, and since December 2024 you can also tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the turnstile.

Tipping

About 10% in cash in restaurants and cafes; the cubierto on your bill is a cover charge rather than a tip, and taxi drivers are not tipped.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Buenos Aires and the main cities, if sometimes heavily chlorinated; use bottled in the rural north.

Driving

Right-hand side; carry the 1949 International Driving Permit together with your national licence.

Emergency

911 (general), 107 (ambulance), 100 (fire)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Latest

Recent stories from Argentina

Aerial view of the white Obelisco monument standing on Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, with tree-lined lanes and traffic crossing below
Hidden Gems

The Quiet Corners of Buenos Aires Locals Love

Beyond the tango shows and the Obelisco, Buenos Aires keeps gentler pleasures — rose gardens, grand old bookshops, wild riverside reserves and weekday plazas where the city exhales.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
Close-up of a thick grilled steak with a charred crust being carved on a wooden board, its interior rosy medium rare
Food

Buenos Aires: Steak, Malbec and Where Tango Still Lives

From the embers of Don Julio to a 3am milonga in Palermo, an eater's route through the city that takes beef, wine and dancing more seriously than anywhere on earth.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
A tango couple locked in the close embrace under a single stage light, her face turned along his cheek, the musicians dark behind them in a Buenos Aires tango house.
Itineraries

One Perfect Day in Buenos Aires

Medialunas at breakfast, a marble city of the dead, the world's most beautiful bookshop and a midnight milonga — a single flawless day in the Paris of the South.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
Freshly made alfajores cooling on a wire rack, pale shortbread discs sandwiching a thick dark caramel filling under a falling dusting of icing sugar, a wooden rolling pin behind.
Food

The Sweet Side of Buenos Aires: Desserts, Cafés and Markets

Steak gets the headlines, but Buenos Aires runs on sugar — dulce de leche, flaky medialunas, heroic ice cream and a café culture protected like a national treasure.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
A red-and-white number 60 colectivo pulling past a curved Belle Epoque corner block in Buenos Aires, tiers of wrought-iron balconies above a corner pharmacy while pedestrians cross in front.
Destinations

Buenos Aires for less: the savvy budget playbook

Steak dinners, tango and grand café culture on a backpacker's budget? In Buenos Aires it's entirely possible — if you understand the money and follow the locals.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
The flying-saucer dome of the Planetario Galileo Galilei in the Palermo parks, its perforated sphere resting on three concrete legs and lit warm against a deep blue evening sky above the lawn.
Itineraries

Buenos Aires with kids: a family day that actually works

Parks with pedal boats, a planetarium, pizza by the slice and the best ice cream in South America — a realistic, tantrum-proof day in Buenos Aires for the whole family.

Buenos Aires · 2 min
Late afternoon light on the Puerto Madero dock in Buenos Aires, a historic tall ship moored along the old brick quay and the white angled sweep of the Puente de la Mujer set against the district's glass towers.
Stays

Boutique or grand: choosing where to stay in Buenos Aires

Belle Époque palaces in Recoleta, art-house glamour in Puerto Madero or the boutique charms of Palermo Soho — how to pick your porteño base, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Buenos Aires · 2 min