Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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region's history; water balloons are also tossed from balconies with great aplomb. Ringed
by green hills and blessed with a cooler, more temperate climate, Salta City should be top
of your list when y ou're visiting the ar ea. (That is not to say it does not get hot. H igh
season here is actually the winter months of A pr-Oct.)
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
I don't recommend making the long-distance driv e to Argentina 's Northwest; it's safer
and much easier to fly or take the bus, and hir e a car when you get there.
BY PLANE
Flights land at
Martín Miguel De Güemes International Airport,
RN 51
(
&
387/424-2904), 8km (5
1
/
4
miles) fr om the city center .
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(
&
0810/222-86527 or 387/431-0862; www .aerolineas.com.ar) flies three times a day,
at 7am, 2:40pm, and 6:30pm.
Andes Líneas Aéreas
(
&
0810/122-26337 or 387/424-
9214; www.andesonline.com) flies fr om B uenos Air es at 8am ev ery day (some flights
make a stop in Cór doba) and
LAN
(
&
387/424-8881; www.lan.com) flies twice a day,
at midday and in the afternoon. Nonstop flights from Buenos Aires take 2 hours and cost
between $200 and $210 (£136-£142) each way, depending on the season and av ailabil-
ity. A shuttle bus travels between the airport and town for about $3 (£2) one-way; a taxi
into town will run about $6 (£4.05).
BY BUS
The
Terminal de Omnibus,
or central bus station, is at Avenida H. Yrigoyen
and A braham Cornejo (
&
387/401-1143
). B uses arriv e fr om B uenos Air es (18 hr .;
$85/£57) and travel to San Salvador de Jujuy (2
1
/
2
hr.; $6/£4.05) and other cities in the
region.
Chevalier
(
&
387/431-2819
) and
La Veloz del Norte
(
&
387/401-2164
) are
the main bus companies.
Visitor Information
The tourism office,
Secretaría de Turismo de Salta,
Buenos Aires 93 (
&
387/431-0950
or 387/431-0640; www.turismosalta.gov.ar), will pr ovide you with maps and informa-
tion on dining, lodging, and sightseeing in the r egion. I t can also help y ou arrange
individual or group tours. It's open every day from 9am to 9pm. In Buenos Aires, obtain
information about Salta from the
Casa de Salta
in Buenos Aires, Sáenz Pena 933 (
&
11/
4326-1314
). It's open weekdays 10am to 6pm. A decent Internet source for the latest in
Salta's wining-and-dining places is
www.infovipsalta.com
.
8
Fast Facts
S alta
Currency Exchange
Exchange money at the airpor t, at
Dinar Exchange,
M itre
and España (
&
387/432-2600;
Mon-Fri 9am-1:30pm and 5-8pm; Sat 10am-
3pm), or at
Banco de La Nación,
Mitre and Belgrano (
&
387/431-1909;
Mon-Fri
9am-2pm). Traveler's checks can be changed at
Masventas,
España 666 (
&
387/
431-0298;
www.masventasnet.com.ar; Mon-Fri 9am-1:30pm and 5-8pm).
Emergency
Dial
&
911
for police,
&
100
for fire, and
&
107
for an ambulance.
The tourism police are located on Calle Mitre 23 (
&
387/437-3199;
poltursalta@
gobiernosalta.gov.ar).
Hospital
Saint Bernard Hospital is at Dr . M. Boedo 69 (
&
387/431-8320
).