Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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goods, the buck stops her e: The gr eatest
variety and quality in the world ar e avail-
able all over town.
Importantly, the most P orteño thing of
all, the tango, has witnessed an explosiv e
growth as w ell. Until r ecent y ears, Argen-
tines had worried that the dance would die
out as y oung people bopped instead to
only the older , traditional tango dancers
but also young Argentines, who have redis-
covered their grandpar ents' favorite dance,
as w ell as y oung expats fr om all o ver the
world who ar e making B uenos Air es the
world's new hot city, the way Prague was at
the end of the Cold War.
All of this means ther e is no time like
now to visit B uenos Air es, a city rich in
culture still av ailable at a price that won 't
hurt y our wallet. With prices on the
upswing and the worldwide r ecession
heading deeper thr oughout the globe,
however, the situation is changing rapidly,
so get there soon!
American hip-hop and E uropean techno .
But now, new varieties of shows for tourists
mean you can see a different form of tango
every night of your stay. And, more impor-
tant to r esidents, traditional, 1930s-style
tango salons, called
milongas,
have opened
in spaces all over town. They're drawing not
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ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
BY PLANE
International flights arrive at
Ezeiza International Airport
(
&
11/5480-
6111
), located 34km (20 miles) west of downtown Buenos Aires. You can reach the city
by shuttle or
remise
(private unmetered taxi); you will see official stands with set far es in
the airport once y ou clear C ustoms. Taxis from the airpor t to the center of to wn cost
about $30 to $40 (£20-£27). The number for tourism information at the airpor
t is
&
11/4480-0224.
See “Safe Rides,” below.
Domestic airlines and flights to U ruguay use
Jorge Newbery Airport
(
&
11/4514-
1515
), located only 15 minutes to the north, along the river from downtown. Taxis and
remises
cost $16 to $25 (£11-£17) to the city cente.
Manuel Tienda León
(
&
11/4314-
3636
) is the most reliable transportation company, offering buses and
remises
to and from
the airports, starting at about $18 (£12) for bus rides to the city center .
BY BUS
The
Estación Terminal de Omnibus,
Av. Ramos Mejía 1680 (
&
11/4310-
0700;
www.tebasa.com.ar), located near R etiro S tation, ser ves all long-distance buses
connecting Buenos Aires with the suburbs, the coasts and interior of Argentina, and even
international destinations. Rates are very affordable. The station is enormous and confus-
ing, ho wever, so y ou should giv e y ourself plenty of time for sear
5
ching for y our bus
company, buying tickets, and finding y our bus.
BY CAR
In Buenos Aires, it's easier and safer to travel by
subte
(subway),
remise,
or radio-
taxi (radio-dispatched taxis, as opposed to str eet taxis) than b y driving y ourself. Rush-
hour traffic is chaotic, and par king is difficult. If you do rent a car, park it at your hotel
or a nearby garage and leave it there.
CITY LAYOUT
Although Buenos Aires is an expansive city, the main tourist neighborhoods are concen-
trated in a small, comparativ ely wealthy part of town that hugs the Río de la P lata. The
city's MicroCentro extends from Plaza de Mayo to the south and Plaza San Martín to the
north, and fr om P laza del Congr eso to the w est and P uerto Madero to the east. The
