Buenos Aires Travel Info

A Guide To Getting Around The City

This essential guide on Buenos Aires travel info provides advice and first hand experience for exploring Buenos Aires by foot, taxi or by using the metro system. There are tips on Buenos Aires local transport systems, including how to stay safe and which taxis you should and shouldn’t use.

There are also details on Buenos Aires’ main transport hubs, including its airports and bus stations with key advice and safety tips for the first time visitor.

Getting around Buenos Aires

It was our preferred method of transport and we never once had any problems using them. We were however given some good advice by a local when we first arrived, which you too, should also bear in mind.

Essential tips when taking a taxi
- All taxis are metered and are really cheap. A typical taxi journeys right across the city will cost no more than AR$15 – 20 with the exception of a trip to the international airport. However, always have a good map handy and be aware of where you are going as some taxi drivers may choose to take you the special scenic route.

- If you hail a taxi in the street always use a radio taxi, these will display the company’s telephone number and name on the top or side of the cab. It shows they belong to a legitimate company. WARNING - All other taxis are independent and you never know who they are or if they are legitimate - taxi robberies can and do happen.

- Hotels or restaurants will happily order a ‘remise’, which are regular cars without a meter. These are around the same price as taxis and since they’re ordered by a hotel or restaurant, you know they’re going to be secure and from a registered company.

- Always pay using small notes and change (it’s a good idea to keep a stash for taxi journeys). Taxi drivers loath giving away all their change and will even scowl when you offer an AR$20 note. Never think to try and pay with an AR$100, at best this will result in a very upset driver. At worst you could end up like a couple we met, who tried to pay with a AR$100 bill. The driver initially accepted it and then claiming he could not change it, switched it and gave them back a fake AR$100 bill. Don’t be fooled by this age old trick!

Taxis are cheap, efficient and safe, but only if you travel with these safety tips in mind.

Buenos Aires travel info for exploring on foot
Negotiating your way around Buenos Aires is an easy and an enjoyable way to explore the city. Buenos Aires is packed with beautiful architecture and so much charm we never knew what would be awaiting us around the next corner.

We had so many pleasant surprises from the tiny cobbled streets in San Telmo where tango singers serenaded the tourists to the smell of roasted coffee emanating from the cafes on the Parisian boulevards of Recoleta.

Armed with a good map and some common sense you can explore almost all parts of the city safely by foot (except La Boca, see below). Download a handy pocket sized map of Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires has a reputation for being a safe city to live in. However as with all cities, tourists can be a target to petty thieves and there are a few precautions that should be taken.

- Do not wear lots of expensive jewelry or watches

- Do not openly carry cameras – you’ll make yourself a target

- Don’t display wallets or purses full of cash

- Pick pocketing is not un-common so keep an eye on your bags and valuables, especially in cafes, on public transport and in crowds. Famously Barbara Bush, George W’s daughter had her purse stolen in a restaurant while surrounded by her entourage of security

WARNING - There are also a few areas of the city where it is not advisable to go day or night and special attention should be taken in La Boca.

- When visiting never walk to or from La Boca

- Always take a radio taxi there and back

- In La Boca only walk on the tourist streets of the ‘Caminito’ and ‘Del Valle Iberlucea’ (the street to the La Boca soccer stadium)

- None of the other streets in La Boca are safe

The district of Constitution is also not safe and should be avoided. It’s the red light district and so there tends to be a few less-desirable characters around.

On the whole we always felt safe and would regularly see elderly people very late at night taking their dogs out to do their doggie business. Follow the advice above and the only thing you need fear is stepping in the little piles of doggie poop left on the sidewalks.

The metro system – the ‘Subte’
The ‘Subte’ is Buenos Aires’ metro and is one of the cheapest ways to get around the city. There’s a wealth of information just on the Subte, so it warrants its own page. Find more Buenos Aires travel info for the Subte, download a map and unearth one of the world’s oldest running metro trains.


Buenos Aires travel info for local buses
If you have a sense of adventure and plenty of time on your hands, then try traveling around Buenos Aires by local bus. This is the cheapest way to get around the city, but be prepared to explore parts you didn’t expect, as without insider knowledge you can easily end up in completely the wrong district!

A local bus in Buenos Aires

If you do fancy using one of Buenos Aires local buses, then expect to pay AR$0.80 for a single journey. Feed the small change into a machine on the bus and it’ll give you a ticket. Also, remember to jump on quickly as the buses don’t so much stop – they literally just slow down a bit.

I’d recommend picking up a ‘Guia T’ at one of the city’s kiosks as it’s essential to getting around on the local bus. There are detailed maps of the city which feature the bus routes around Buenos Aires. Using the guide takes some practice as it’s a very confusing, but it is essential for travel by buses.

Buenos Aires travel info for going further a field

A very comfortable long distance bus

With fully reclining seats and table service it can feel more like being in first class on a plane than being on a bus. For comfortable travel at a relaxed pace then make the most of Argentina’s impressive, comfortable and very efficient national bus network.

Buenos Aires travel info for Aeroparque domestic airport
‘Aeroparque Jorge Newbury’ is Buenos Aires domestic airport and the gateway to the rest of Argentina by air. The airport is conveniently close to the city center – find out how to get there and more detail about this airport.


Buenos Aires travel info for Ezeiza international airport
Ezeiza international airport is very likely to be the first place you encounter on arrival in Argentina. Find out everything you need to know - from the safest way to get to the center to how much departure tax you’ll need to pay.

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