Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Communications and Media
Public telephones are the cheapest way to make calls in
Argentina although cellular phones are now affordable and
coverage is excellent. Booths in Internet cafés (
locutorios
) are
far more efficient than pay phones on the street. Most major
cities and even remote villages have at least one Internet café.
The mail service may not be very reliable but it is still cheap
and efficient by Latin American standards. Mailboxes are
usually the British-style red letterboxes found around street
corners. For entertainment, Argentina has five free television
channels transmitting numerous programs ranging from
documentaries and talk shows to soap operas. The radio is
quite popular with Argentinians, featuring breakfast shows
and pop music programs.
Dialing Codes
• For operator services,
dial 000.
• To make a collect call inside
Argentina, dial
0800-222-1919.
• For a long-distance call
to the capital from within
Argentina, dial 011 followed
by the 8-digit number.
• For a long-distance call
from the capital to other
places in Argentina, add
the code of the region
before the number.
Telephone Numbers
The country code for calling
Argentina is 54, followed by
an area code, which can be
one, two, three, or four
digits; for example Buenos
Aires's area code is 11
followed by the telephone
number. All landline num-
bers in Buenos Aires have
eight digits. Public
telephones are found
everywhere, but more rarely
in remote areas. Public call
centers are assigned a cabin
with a meter which displays
the charged amount. It is
better to check at the
counter for discounts on
inter national or domes tic
calls. Prepaid phonecards
can be bought at these
call centers to call abroad.
are followed by eight digits. To
call cell phones in Buenos Aires
from overseas, dial +54
9 11 and the number,
leaving out the 15.
Some hotels offer a cell
phone renting service,
but this can be expen-
sive. SIM cards for
unblocked phones are
available for AR$15.
Western letters. Printing pages is
also quite cheap at less than
US$1 per page. Fax machines are
available in most hotels with
basic facilities and all
locutorios
.
Faxes are normally charged at
AR$3 to AR$6 per sheet.
Mail Services
Sending and receiving parcels
through the regular mail service
in Argentina is not recom-
mended. Registering both
letters and parcels improves the
odds against pilfering. However,
the safest way to send anything
other than a letter or postcard
abroad is through one of the
international courier companies
such as
FedEx
,
DHL
, and
UPS
.
The main
oficinas de correos
(post offices) in large towns and
cities are open from 8am to
6pm on weekdays and from
8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
Correo Central
(see p71)
is
inexpensive for domestic mail.
A
poste restante
(mail holding
service) is available at main post
offices in the major cities; letters
should be addressed to the
recipient's name, followed by
the words “
Lista de Correos
,” and
then by the name and address
of the post office. Collecting
the mail will cost the recipient
around AR$6, and they will
need to show ID.
Internet and Fax
Most Argentinian
hotels, hostels, and
guesthouses have
Internet facilities. Even
small villages in the
interior have an
Internet café since
many homes do not
have personal
computers. The
hourly rate for broad band access
rarely exceeds AR$5. The only
disadvantage is that the speed
of the connection is slower in
small towns than in the cities.
Also, the letters on the keyboard
may not be the standard
Telephone sign at
El Cuyo
Cell Phones
Visitors should ask their phone
provider at home about
international roaming before
going abroad. All Argentinian
cell numbers begin with 15 and
Argentinian Addresses
Argentinian addresses list the
house number after the name
of the street. Other useful
A
locutorio
in the town of El Bolsón, Patagonia
