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TOURIST INFO

When to go
Buenos Aires can be visited all year round and during any period of time. If you have more than one week, combine your stay in Buenos Aires with some visits around other regions in the country. Check for options on the National Secretarist of Tourism: www.turismo.gov.ar
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CLIMATE
Buenos Aires City has mild weather. Only in rare occasions do the Winter lows stand below O°C. Some Summer days, the high temperatures and the humidity can make tours on foot a bit tedious during the afternoon.
If you plan to continue the trip around other places in the country, bear in mind the diversity of the different climates.
Check the different weather characteristics of the cities where the corresponding weather forecast stations are, on: http://www.meteofa.mil.ar
Click on: Ingreso libre y gratuito/ sección turismo.
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CONVERSIONS
From C° to F°: multiply by 1,8 and add 32.
From F° to C°: subtract 32 y multiply by 5/9.
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TIME ZONES
Buenos Aires is 3 hours behind in connection with GMT. All the country territory keeps the same time zones.
To indicate or ask for the time, the formal 24- hour system is used. The AM/PM system is used colloquially, followed by the expressions “in the morning”, “in the afternoon”, or “in the evening”.
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COMMERCIAL HOURS
Banks: Monday through Friday, from10 am to 4 PM.
Exchange Offices: Monday through Friday, from 11 AM to 4 PM.
Shops: Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 7/8 PM; Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Shops located in tourist areas are usually open on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday.
Shopping centers: Monday through Sunday, from 10 AM to 9 PM.
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LANGUAGE
A wide variety of Spanish is spoken in Buenos Aires, presenting differences in verb conjugations (only in the 2nd person- formal instead of informal-, in plural and singular forms), in vocabulary and pronunciation.
The city people usually understand Italian and Portuguese speakers without major difficulties. Basic English is gaining more and more popularity and it is spoken by most people involved in the tourist business.
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CURRENCY
The Argentine currency is the peso ($). There are $100, $50, $20, $10, $5 and $2 and $1, $0,50, $0,25, $0,10 and $0,5 coins.
The United Stated dollar is the most widely accepted international currency. You can change currency in banks or exchange offices where you will have to show your passport.
The dollar bill is widely accepted in all shops, but at a rather unfavorable exchange.
Bear in mind that the exchange can vary significantly from one day to the other.
Visa, Master Card and American Express are the most popular ones.
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PRICES
Since the beginning of the year 2002, and due to very strong devaluation in the peso, Buenos Aires went from being one of the most expensive cities in the world to one of the cheapest.
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MOVING AROUND THE CITY
The best option to move around tourist areas in Buenos Aires is on foot. Longer trips can be made by taxi, bus (known as “colectivo”) or by underground.
Taxis supplied with radio systems (“radiotaxis”) are regarded as being safer than the rest. They can be requested by phone or alternatively stopped directly in the street. As there is a vast quantity of taxis, you will not have trouble getting one at any time. The wait will not generally take longer than a few minutes.
The frequency of bus services is reduced after midnight.
The subway runs Monday through Saturday from 5 AM to 10:30 PM and on Sundays and holidays from 8 am to 10 PM.
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HEALTH
Buenos Aires is safe City from the sanitary point of view. Running water is reliable.
Public hospitals assist for emergencies 24 hours a day, for free. (If you wish to cooperate with the hospital, you can do so by buying a “bono contribución”). The professionals are recognized around the world as having excellent level.
The ambulance emergency service (“SAME”) is free. Request it by phone dialing 107 (free).
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TELEPHONES
Areas of tourist interest are provided with a good number of public phone booths. In order to use them, you will need coins or telephone cards that can be bought in any drugstore.
Besides public phone booths, there are numerous communication centers (called “locutorios” or “telecentros”) which offer telephone, fax and internet solutions.
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EMERGENCIES
Fire station: 100.
Police: 101.
Medical emergencies (SAME): 107.
Tourist police station: 4346-5770, extensions1801 and 2039 (turista@policiafederal.gov.ar).
They can answer inquiries in English, Italian, French, Portuguese and Ucranian.
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OTHER USEFUL TELEPHONES NUMBERS
Jorge Newbery Airport and Ezeiza International Airport: 5480 6111.
Retiro bus terminal: 4310 0700
Official time: 113.
Telephone information Service (telephone numbers): 110.
Access to National Direct Dialing: 0.
Access to International Direct Dialing: 00.
International Service by Operator: 000.
Credit cards: Visa: 0800 666 0171 / American Express: 0810 555 2639 / MasterCard: 0800 555 0507.
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ELECTRICITY
The electrical network operates with 220v and 50c.
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MEASURES
In Buenos Aires, like in the whole of Argentina, the metrical decimal system is used.