5 Tips for Newcomers

[kavanap]

Here’s 5 tips that may make life a little easier for newcomers:

1) Almost all banks here have a daily withdrawal limit of 1000 pesos, ca. 220 USD, which is pretty low, especially if you need cash for rent and deposits as soon as you arrive. However at Citibank you can withdraw 2500 pesos! Here link to locations: https://www.argentina.citibank.com/laar/sucursales/mapa.htm

2) Get a Sube card as soon as you arrive. It costs 10 pesos and you can use it on trains, buses etc. I got mine at Sube office at Corrientes y 9 de Julio after 2 minutes of queuing (a rarity in BsAs). All you need is your passport.

3) Most people I know use Craigslist to find accommodation. Here’s a better site: http://www.compartodepto.com/. Try to find a place close to the main avenues, it makes life a lot easier, especially if you don’t have a car.

4) Football - Don’t limit yourself to only seeing Boca games. From my experience it’s really difficult to get tickets (unless you’re willing to pay a lot), the atmosphere is pretty unfriendly and there not even that good. I recommend going to see Racing Club, all round better experience.

5) You may notice that McDonalds never advertise Big mac meals on the menu. Why? Because the Argentina government want to hide inflation, currently running at about 25 % (http://en.mercopress.com/2012/02/08/why-you-can-t-find-a-big-mac-on-argentina-s-mc-donald-s-menu) But it is available, only 26 pesos!

Also, links to websites that I found useful:
Buenos Aires map (much better than google maps): http://mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/
BaAs bus routes:http://www.omnilineas.com/argentina/buenos-aires/city-bus/
Booking flights: http://www.despegar.com.ar/homes/viajes.html

 

[Kasper Thomas]

I think I tried to withdraw more than 1000 pesos in a city bank, but maybe you have to do it over to times...!?

 

[French jurist]

For Citibank, it's even possible to withdraw up to 4.000 pesos at once (at least with my card). There's only one such ATM per Citibank : two or three have a BANELCO or LINK logo and one has no logo (that's this one that can be used to withdraw more).

For people who have a high withdrawal limit & an USD account abroad, better go to Colonia and withdraw USD from any ATM (300 USD limit per withdrawal).

 

[BienTeVeo]

And when you get out of a taxi, be careful not to slam the door. They hate that.

 

[cuore]

And when you get out of a taxi, be careful not to slam the door. They hate that.

Amen!!!!!!

 

[buddha]

The omnilineas site has been a great find for sure. Very easy to use and reliable as far as I can tell.

 

[gsi16386]

And when you get out of a taxi, be careful not to slam the door. They hate that.

Better yet, when you get out of a taxi, make it a point to slam the door. They hate that...

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

1) Always try to get on the good side of your portero (doorman) if you have one in your building.

2) Never say "gracias" when a waiter/waitress takes your cash if you're expecting change - they often assume your word of thanks means they get to keep anything left over and won't come back to your table until you've left. Wait until you've got your change if you want to leave a tip.

3) Unless you're going to the airport or right across town, avoid paying taxi drivers with 100 peso notes, especially if you're journey time is less than 5 minutes!

4) Worse thing you can ever tell an Argentine woman is that she's dirty (hair, fingernails, clothes, whatever). They pride themselves on cleanliness.

5) Get used to queuing. It's a national pastime.

 

[pompeygazza]

4) Worse thing you can ever tell an Argentine woman is that she's dirty (hair, fingernails, clothes, whatever). They pride themselves on cleanliness.

Worst thing you can say to ANY woman surely?

 

[jimdepalermo]

The omnilineas site has been a great find for sure. Very easy to use and reliable as far as I can tell.

Try the city mapa page that kavanap also mentions, http://mapa.buenosaires.gob.ar. Enter the address or intersection where you want to go, then the address or intersection where you are, and it will show you all the bus and train options with approximate time, walking distance, etc.