What to know before traveling to Argentina – Top 9 Tips 

Hola bitchachos and welcome to the top 9 tips to know before traveling to Argentina! I’ve visited Argentina mid-March, and I must say, it was one of the prettiest places I’ve seen. The weather was absolutely perfect – not that cold nor that hot, the city of Buenos Aires was not packed at all and lastly, the people were the friendliest and most hospitable than ever! The historical settings were utterly stunning, and well, I obviously can’t stress it enough, Argentina is literally a must-see destination!

One: Visa

Here’s a bonus! If you’re a member of the EU, Australia and US, you don’t need a visa to enter if your stay is less than 90 days. However, you do need a valid passport that won’t expire anytime soon. You’ll simply get a stamp on your passport and go about your vacay.

Two: Language

Like most Spanish speaking country, most of the habitants simply speak their mother language. That’s mainly because Spanish is amongst the most spoken languages in the world, making them relaxed in the sense that they don’t really have to know another language. However, that doesn’t apply to all, but it does applies to Argentina. Most of the locals we have encountered didn’t really know how to speak English, making it a bit hard to communicate. For this matter, I’d suggest learning a few words and phrases that will help you get by here.

Three: Money

The thing with money in Argentina is a bit… confusing. In some matters, they did accept any currency you’d give them, in our case; Euros. However, we were told that most places in Argentina only accepted either their local currency, Pesos, or US Dollars. I’d suggest you use their local currency since it’ll be easier for you to get what you pay for – especially when considering Argentina’s inflation rates.

Have some Euros or USD before you arrive there, and avoid exchanging that money at the airport. You can exchange that money at any exchange bureau (a.k.a. Casas de Cambio) and always take your passport with you. Oh, and one more thing, be aware of exchange fees! It is illegal to be charged with a fee for exchanging money according to Argentinian law.

Four: Connection

So here’s the dealio. If you’re coming from anywhere outside South America, then your network’s providers rates will most definitely be a bitch in Argentina – trust me. If you’re spending more than just a few days/a week there and can bare the withdrawal symptoms of being off the grid then kudos to you! Or hey – if your wallet can handle it then again, good for you! Otherwise, you can opt in to purchase a local SIM card by one of the three main providers; Claro, Movistar and Personal. However, according to the locals, Movistar has the best connection for Internet, and you can buy it at any kiosk or store. The good thing is that it works all across Argentina, so if you’re visiting any other place, it’s best if you purchase one.

Five: Crowds

This has got to be the best piece of information I can offer. Apparently, the best time to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina is during the weekend! Hooray for literally all visitors! This is because most of the locals either leave Buenos Aires for the weekend, or take long “down-times” thus empty-ing up the town! Although this might seem sad to some, as one would love to experience the authenticity of BA with all the locals, it definitely makes up for it with little traffic and a lot of sightseeing. We managed to see the “must-see’s” in BA in literally a day.

However, given the fact that the weather

Six: Taxis

There’s plenty of taxis available to your disposal to take you from point A to point B. Thankfully, it won’t be that hard to catch one at most hours of the day. Although not expensive at all, it is best to keep an eye out for that meter – some of the taxi drivers seem to not use it when they can tell you’re from abroad.

This, however, doesn’t really apply to the rest of the cities in Argentina like El Calafate and Ushuaia.

Seven: Buenos Aires

I was pleasantly surprise to figure that Buenos Aires isn’t as big as one would think. I mean, it is big, but not that big to get lost in it. In addition, the main attractions aren’t really far from each other, so if you’re in a hurry and have literally just one day to spend/devote to see the “must-sees” then it is feasible to squeeze all in just a day. To read about “What to do in Buenos Aires in 48 hours”, click here!

Eight: Markets

One thing I truly loved about Buenos Aires is their authentic markets. Whether it’s art you’re after, or food, or even local entertainment, you’d be sure to find them on various locations around BA. However, have in mind that these markets are only up and running during the weekends, so plan ahead. My personal favourite is hands down the most popular; Feria de San Telmo. For the best BA markets, click here!

Nine: Food

Last but most definitely not least, the food in Argentina. Although I was not head over heels in love with the local food, I did enjoy their traditional empanadas and their famous dulce de leche sweets. Empanadas are most commonly meat-filled pastries, but have a vegetarian option of cheese and onion. I truly suggest you try them, they’re literally everywhere. Also, don’t forget to snack on their dulce de leche sweets, they come in all shapes and sizes, and they have many variations of it such as ice creams and alfajores.

Furthermore, as we all may know, Argentina is also famously known for their steak. The traditional steak is rump, and for those of you who know about steaks, it’s a harder meat. As a former steak lover myself, I was eager to try an authentic Argentinian steak. To my surprise, I didn’t really like it, and I’d suggest you go with your typical steak type like fillet, rib-eye or what have you to be on the safe side. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe I had no luck in finding a proper good restaurant that serves a proper good steak. If that’s what you’re after, then perhaps ask some locals for their favourite places to steak dine. #SorryFolks.

That’s all folks! Thank you for reading this what to know blog post! I hope it has helped you with planning your trip to Argentina!