Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Around Buenos Aires
A delightful city for tourists to navigate, Buenos Aires has
a good public transport system, one of the cheapest in
Latin America, that features an expanding subway and
extensive bus routes; taxis and minicabs are also numerous.
The city is laid out in the rectangular grid pattern common
to most big cities in Latin America, and most areas of
interest are concentrated between La Boca in the south
and Belgrano in the north, bounded to the east by the river.
Porteños are usually very friendly and enjoy helping lost
tourists to get back on track.
provided the journey begins
inside the federal capital, costs a
flat AR$2.50. Note that the ticket
machines accept only coins.
Open-top tourist buses, run
by Buenos Aires Bus, are a
good way to see the sights of
the city. Buses depart every 20
minutes from 9am to 5:30pm
from the corner of Florida and
Avenida Roque Sáenz Peña.
Visit www.buenosairesbus.com
for more information.
Driving
The legal age to drive a car
in Buenos Aires is 17. It is
compulsory to wear front
seatbelts and children under
10 must sit at the back.
The speed limit is
25 mph (40 kmph) and
overtaking is done on
the left, while right of
way is given to cars
crossing intersections
from the right. Most of the
laws are routinely flouted
but the legal age is strictly
fol lowed. The blood
alcohol content limit
is 0.05 percent and
penalties for drunken
driving include the risk of trial
and imprisonment if an
accident takes place.
Colectivos
Colectivos
(city buses) cover the
entire city of Buenos Aires. There
are around 180 lines with some
subdivided into additional
numbers according to
the route they take. Lines
1 and 2 of the No. 39, for
example, travel from La
Boca along Avenida Santa
Fe to their terminus in
Chacarita; Line 3 has the
same starting and finishing
point but passes through
Palermo Viejo. The
colored plate at the
bottom of the bus
windscreen shows its
sub-route, if any, and number.
Other useful lines include the
No. 60, which connects
Constitución station with the
delta town of Tigre; the No. 93,
which travels along one of the
city's major thoroughfares,
Avenida del Libertador; and the
No. 152, which connects La Boca
in the south via Recoleta with
Belgrano in the north.
The Guia “T” booklet, available
at every kiosk, is a useful guide
to the city's bus services. The
main bus station is in
Retiro
.
A single
colectivo
journey to
anywhere in the federal capital,
or to anywhere in the suburbs
Passengers on the Subte, South America's
oldest subway
The Subte and
Overland Trains
The quickest and simplest
way to get around the capital
is by using the subway, known as
the Subte. There are six subway
lines (A to E, and H). A one-way
ticket to any destination costs
AR$4.50. A good tip is to buy
a magnetic SUBE card, which is
valid on buses and Subtes; they
can be purchased and charged in
shops where you see the SUBE
logo. The downside of the Subte
is that coverage is quite limited
when compared with the area
covered by the city's extensive
bus network.
The overland train network
is not the most useful form of
public transport for tourists
and is thus the least used.
Commuter trains going to
the mainly affluent northern
suburbs are tolerably com-
fortable, while the ones going
to the more impoverished
southern suburbs are usually
overcrowded and poorly
maintained, and not suitable
for visitors. Some of the major
stations in Buenos Aires include
Retiro Mitre
,
Retiro San Martín
,
and
Constitución
.
Stop sign
in Buenos Aires
Walking
Buenos Aires is a huge city,
but the main areas of tourist
interest are fairly compact
and easy to get around on
foot. The condition of the
pavements in most barrios
is tolerable, although drivers
rarely pay much attention
to pedestrians. Also, it is
advisable not to wander
alone into uncharted
territory after dark.
A brightly colored
colectivo
, Buenos Aires
