Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 57

services to La Paz (48hr); Montevideo (8-9hr); Santiago de
Chile (19hr); São Paulo (34hr); Rio de Janeiro (40hr).
By ferry Ferry services to and from Uruguay use the
Terminal Dársena Norte (often just known as the Terminal
Buquebús) at Víamonte & Costanera Sur, just a few blocks
from the microcentro . The two main companies are Colonia
Express (Pedro de Mendoza 330, Dársena Sur; T 011 4313
5100, W coloniaexpress.com) and Buquebus (Av Antartida
Argentina 821; T 011 4316 6500, W buquebus.com).
Destinations Colonia (8 daily; 1-3hr); Montevideo (4 daily;
4hr).
By train The main stations are Retiro, Constitución and Once
but are mostly used only for urban and provincial travel.
Retiro station (Av Ramos Mejía, just to the east of Plaza
San Martín) is the departure point for trains to Tigre and
the northern suburbs.

districts. Invest in a combined street and bus-route booklet,
such as the Guía “T”, widely available from street kiosks, to
work out the routes. One-way tickets (AR$2) are acquired
from a machine on the bus, which gives change for coins
(no notes). Many services run all night.
By remise These are radio cabs or minicabs, plain cars
booked through an o ce (and therefore preferred by
some wary locals). Not particularly economical for short
journeys, they're cheaper than taxis for getting to the
airport; try Remises Uno ( T 011 4638 8318). It's safest to
call a radio taxi at night. Ask your hostel for their preferred
company or try Taxi Alo ( T 011 4855 5555).
By subte The easiest part of the public transport system
to get to grips with is the underground railway or subte ,
which serves the central neighbourhoods from 5am until
10.30pm (Mon-Sat) and from 8am to 10pm (Sun & public
holidays). There are six lines - Lines A, B, D and E run from
the city centre outwards, while lines C and H (still under
construction) run between Retiro and Constitución,
connecting them all. Tickets cost AR$2.50 for a single trip
and are bought from the booths at each station. If you
are going to travel a lot, buy a card of 10 tickets - you can
share them, and it saves queuing up, or you can buy a
pre-pay swipe card.
By taxi The city's black-and-yellow taxis are spectacularly
plentiful. The meter starts at AR$9 (charges increase at
night), and you should calculate on a ride costing around
AR$30 per twenty blocks.

1

INFORMATION
Tourist information There are a number of centros de
informes around the city run by the Secretaria de Turismo,
including one at Av Alicia Moreau de Justo 200 in Puerto
Madero (daily 9am-6pm; T 011 4313 0187, W bue.gov.ar).
Probably the best is on Florida 100, at Av Diagonal Roque
Sáenz Peña (daily 9am-6pm). You can also pick up local (and
national) information from the well-organized National
Tourist O ce at Santa Fe 883 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; T 011
4312 2232, W turismo.gov.ar), which has details of the
provincial tourist o ces within the capital.

GETTING AROUND
By bus Buses ( W loscolectivos.com.ar) are one of the most
useful (and cheap) ways of getting around the city - and
indeed the only way of reaching many of the outlying

ACCOMMODATION
Finding accommodation in Buenos Aires shouldn't be a
problem but advance planning is advised, especially for
high season. Discounts can sometimes be negotiated,

BUENOS AIRES TOURS
Walking tours are offered by the city government (free; in English and Spanish) around
a given barrio , or with themes such as “Evita” or “Carlos Gardel”. Ask at a tourism kiosk for the
schedule. Buenos Aires Bus (daily 9am-5.30pm, every 20min; W buenosairesbus.com) are city
hop-on hop-off bus tours stopping at various points of interest, including Boca, the Reserva
Ecológica and the Rosedal in Palermo. $120 per day or $160 for two days represents good
value compared to taxis - if you're planning to cover a lot of ground.

offering some of the cheapest flight deals in the city
as well as international packages; student discounts
available.
Buenos Aires Tur Lavalle 1444, O ce 16 T 011 4371
2304, W buenosairestur.com. Offers city tours of Buenos
Aires, including tango shows, and visits to Tigre and
nearby estancias .
Say Hueque Viamonte 749, 6th Floor T 011 5199
2517, W sayhueque.com. A professional tour operator
covering all of Argentina (and parts of Chile).

TOUR OPERATORS
Agreste Viamonte 1636 T 011 4373 4442. Offers
adventurous trips across the country to destinations such
as the Saltos de Moconá, Jujuy and the Valle de la Luna.
ANDA tours T 011 3221 0833, W andatravel.com.ar.
Organizes responsible tourist visits with a difference,
such as their “Beyond the Caminito” walking tour of
Boca, which includes stop-offs at local art collectives
and community organizations.
ASATEJ Florida 835, 3rd Floor T 011 4114 7528,
W asatej.com. A young and dynamic travel agency,