Buenos Aires tips and questions
June 19, 2024 2:15 PM Subscribe
Wow. B.A. hasn't had a tourist-related question in a while, and same for Argentina as a whole. So here we go. I have questions about paying for things, and then general advice seeking for things that aren't the standard fair as I am going to get all of that anyway.
I'll be in B.A. from June 26th through July 11th. It's a PD thing for teachers with a focus on culture and technology. We have tons of things planned through the program, like all the big museums and general big tourist things. But what else should I do in my free time and how do I pay for things?
The group keeps reading that cash is the way to go, and cuevas are the place to go. That's fine, I don't mind doing that, and one of our contacts there is actually willing to give us the blue rate in his home. But does that mean that I should travel with a ton of USD to exchange through the trip? All of our experiences will be paid for, so I just have to pay for groceries, restaurants, bars, and anything else I want for souvenirs, etc. It seems like cash is sometimes cheaper, too? I've read about Mercado Pago maybe being an app to use. I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around not using NFC payments all the time.
Other recommendations? I'm an English teacher, and I know that there is a very strong literary culture. I'm going to bookstores, and maybe a children's book festival? The prison museum, as morbid and messed up as it sounds, is also on my list. I'll take a day trip to Uruguay at some point. The group will do a Gaucho experience, a tango thing, a bike tour, and as noted visit the major and popular museums.
Finally, anything else I should know? I'm pescetarian so I know that limits some things, but I can deal with food. I'm ready to walk everywhere. We will be given subte cards. We will be staying in some kind of aparthotel with a fridge and cooktop and microwave and coffee maker.
Thank you!
I'll be in B.A. from June 26th through July 11th. It's a PD thing for teachers with a focus on culture and technology. We have tons of things planned through the program, like all the big museums and general big tourist things. But what else should I do in my free time and how do I pay for things?
The group keeps reading that cash is the way to go, and cuevas are the place to go. That's fine, I don't mind doing that, and one of our contacts there is actually willing to give us the blue rate in his home. But does that mean that I should travel with a ton of USD to exchange through the trip? All of our experiences will be paid for, so I just have to pay for groceries, restaurants, bars, and anything else I want for souvenirs, etc. It seems like cash is sometimes cheaper, too? I've read about Mercado Pago maybe being an app to use. I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around not using NFC payments all the time.
Other recommendations? I'm an English teacher, and I know that there is a very strong literary culture. I'm going to bookstores, and maybe a children's book festival? The prison museum, as morbid and messed up as it sounds, is also on my list. I'll take a day trip to Uruguay at some point. The group will do a Gaucho experience, a tango thing, a bike tour, and as noted visit the major and popular museums.
Finally, anything else I should know? I'm pescetarian so I know that limits some things, but I can deal with food. I'm ready to walk everywhere. We will be given subte cards. We will be staying in some kind of aparthotel with a fridge and cooktop and microwave and coffee maker.
Thank you!
I was in Buenos Aires for a conference about 10 years ago and stayed afterwards to explore a bit further on my own time and it's an amazing city. While I was in the city I discovered that I had the chance to catch a performance of an opera I hadn't seen at the Teatro Colón - the city has several opera houses but Teatro Colón is the most famous, indeed one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
Just be a little more careful than I was when booking tickets - I don't speak Spanish and can read only a little, so while the ticket I bought through the venue's website was surprisingly affordable and I expected it to be in a nosebleed section in an upper balcony I didn't realize until I got there that what I had bought entitled me to stand (i.e. no seat) behind the rail in the topmost balcony. It's still an amazing building and it was a world-class performance but if I ever see Don Giovanni again I'm paying for a seat - 3 1/2 hours is a long time to stand.. :-O
Apart from that little misunderstanding, though, I had great musical experiences throughout my visit - even the street performers I ran across were generally exceptional.
You say you're interested in going to bookstores. I would imagine this is already on your list but by all means do not miss El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Recoleta.
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:16 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
Just be a little more careful than I was when booking tickets - I don't speak Spanish and can read only a little, so while the ticket I bought through the venue's website was surprisingly affordable and I expected it to be in a nosebleed section in an upper balcony I didn't realize until I got there that what I had bought entitled me to stand (i.e. no seat) behind the rail in the topmost balcony. It's still an amazing building and it was a world-class performance but if I ever see Don Giovanni again I'm paying for a seat - 3 1/2 hours is a long time to stand.. :-O
Apart from that little misunderstanding, though, I had great musical experiences throughout my visit - even the street performers I ran across were generally exceptional.
You say you're interested in going to bookstores. I would imagine this is already on your list but by all means do not miss El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Recoleta.
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:16 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
I was in Bs As from January to April this year. At the time, the credit card rate had gotten close enough to the blue rate that it was negligible, and the Western Union rate was even a bit better than the blue rate. Most places took cards without a second thought, except some grocery stores insisted on debit or had a markup. If the situation hasn't changed much, I wouldn't bother bringing USD cash -- just stop by a Western Union to receive the money you send yourself through the WU app. If you plan on buying a 300$ artwork or something, they will prefer USD but will accept pesos. You won't be able to use Mercado Pago -- that is for residents with identification numbers.
The financial situation does change quickly, so I recommend scrolling through the latest posts on this fairly active English-speaking Facebook group -- somebody posts asking about the best way to get pesos at least once a week.
I recommend the app Moovit for navigating the buses. When you get on, you have to tell the bus driver the stop you will be getting off at, then tap the subte card. Check the instagram or Facebook posts of smaller restaurants to get up to date opening hours.
posted by Pwoink at 4:11 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
The financial situation does change quickly, so I recommend scrolling through the latest posts on this fairly active English-speaking Facebook group -- somebody posts asking about the best way to get pesos at least once a week.
I recommend the app Moovit for navigating the buses. When you get on, you have to tell the bus driver the stop you will be getting off at, then tap the subte card. Check the instagram or Facebook posts of smaller restaurants to get up to date opening hours.
posted by Pwoink at 4:11 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
Be aware that if you choose to use your credit card, many places (especially big chains like supermarkets) will require you to show an ID. I live in Argentina and I still get caught with that from time to time.
If you plan to go the cueva route (or exchange money anywhere), you will get a slightly worse rate if your $100s are not "big head" hundreds. That is, the older $100s have Franklin with a smaller head than the new ones, and you'll get a worse rate.
posted by conifer at 4:38 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
If you plan to go the cueva route (or exchange money anywhere), you will get a slightly worse rate if your $100s are not "big head" hundreds. That is, the older $100s have Franklin with a smaller head than the new ones, and you'll get a worse rate.
posted by conifer at 4:38 PM on June 19 [1 favorite]
Please put Recoleta Cemetery on your itinerary!
posted by Rora at 5:43 PM on June 19 [2 favorites]
posted by Rora at 5:43 PM on June 19 [2 favorites]
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I think your two options to get pesos currently are USD cash (ideally clean, crisp $100s) or Western Union. Sending money to yourself via Western Union from you bank account gets you a slightly worse rate than you might get exchanging cash, but the difference is not huge and if you feel more comfortable carrying less cash and relying more on Western Union, that's pretty reasonable. There are Western Unions everywhere in Buenos Aires.
Either way, you don't want to exchange it all at once, because inflation is still very high and your pesos will become less valuable rapidly. Personally, I wouldn't be worried about bringing enough cash for that time period.
I could be wrong, but I think you need a Argentinian ID (DNI) to get a Mercado Pago account.
posted by ssg at 3:04 PM on June 19 [2 favorites]