As it happens when traveling to any distant destination, many doubts may arise before undertaking a trip to Argentina. We will try to answer the most common questions before traveling to Buenos Aires. So, here’s what you need to know!.
About money: Cash or credit card?
What you need to know is that the trend in Argentina is to pay with cash in stores and restaurants even some uber do not accept card payments, something that may shock tourists coming from other countries. In Buenos Aires it is possible to pay with card in most of the establishments, although the current exchange rate will be applied.
Always keep some cash on you
In places further away from the capital or in small stores you may be asked to pay with cash or a minimum amount may be required to pay with a card.
Where to exchange money
The best option to get Argentine pesos is to exchange euros or dollars at the exchange houses in Buenos Aires. There are numerous official exchange offices in the capital and you can also get pesos in banks.
The exchange offices offer a less profitable exchange rate, so our recommendation is to change money in the city or to change only what is necessary.
In the streets of downtown Buenos Aires you will see people offering «dólar blue», a parallel exchange rate of US dollars to pesos that is usually quite beneficial.
You will also be able to use mobile apps with this exchange rate and in this way withdraw with your credit card but at the most beneficial exchange rate. In our experience we can recommend Wester Union
Documentation
Remember that you will have to show your passport to exchange money in most banks and money exchange offices in Buenos Aires.
What you need to know about climate
Buenos Aires has a temperate oceanic climate, so it has hot summers and cold winters with little rainfall.
Buenos Aires has an average annual temperature of 18ºC, the winters are not too cold and the summers are not too hot, so any time of the year is a good time to visit the city.
You must take into account that, since Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere, when it is summer in Europe, it is winter there, and vice versa.
Winter in Buenos Aires
During the winter months temperatures in Buenos Aires are not too low during the day, although at night temperatures drop considerably. The coldest month is July, when average minimum temperatures reach 7.4ºC and maximums do not exceed 15ºC.
Summer in Buenos Aires
Summers in Buenos Aires are hot and have a high degree of humidity. During the month of January, average maximum temperatures reach 30.4ºC, while minimum temperatures do not usually fall below 20ºC.
Holidays
Before organizing a trip to Buenos Aires, it is advisable to know the local festivities, since this way you will be able to know in advance if any special celebration will take place, or if museums and places of interest will be closed.
- New Year’s Day: January 1.
- Carnival Monday and Tuesday: variable date
- National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice: March 24. Day in commemoration of the 30,000 victims who died during the bloody coup d’état of 1976.
- Good Friday: variable date.
- Day of the Veteran and the Fallen in the Malvinas War: April 2. Day in commemoration of the soldiers who fought to keep the territory of the Malvinas Islands in Argentine hands.
- Labor Day: May 1st.
- May Revolution Day: May 25. Commemoration of the revolution that took place in Buenos Aires on May 25, 1810, which would initiate the process of the emergence of the Argentine state.
- Immortality of General D. Manuel Belgrano: June 20. Commemoration of the death of one of the main promoters of Argentina’s independence and creator of the country’s flag.
- Independence Day: July 9th. Celebration of Argentina’s independence on July 9, 1816.
- Immortality of General D. José de San Martín: August 17. Commemoration of the death of the military José de San Martín, whose campaigns were decisive for the independence of Argentina, Chile and Peru.
- National Sovereignty Day: November 20. Commemoration of the defense in the Vuelta de Obligado, in which the Argentines managed to repel the attack of the Anglo-French navy.
- Immaculate Conception Day: December 8.
- Christmas: December 25.
Transportation
Buenos Aires is a very large city and, even if you are staying in the city center, sooner or later you will have to use public transportation. Since the Metro or Subte network is very limited, buses, apps like Uber or Cabify gain prominence.
