Travel to Buenos Aires

Flying to Buenos Aires

National carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com) operates routes between Buenos Aires and Lima, Madrid, Miami, New York, Barcelona, Rome and Bogotá, among others .British Airways offers direct flights to Buenos Aires from the UK. Indirect flights include Iberia and Air Europa (both via Madrid), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt), Air France (via Paris) and KLM (via Amsterdam). There are direct flights from the USA with US carrier American Airlines. The most expensive time to visit is during the southern hemisphere summer months of January and February, but cheap flights to Buenos Aires can generally be found the rest of the year.

Flight times

From London - 13 hours 45 minutes; New York - 11 hours; Los Angeles - 15 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 14 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 16 hours 20 minutes (including stopover).

Travel by road

Driving in Argentina usually involves long distances and, apart from the main highways, roads are generally in poor condition. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for unsupervised driving is 18 years, although the minimum age for car hire is 21 and you must have held your license for one year. Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways, up to 100kph (62mph) on other non-urban roads and 20 to 60kph (12 to 37mph) in built-up areas.

Regulations, signs and conduct are similar to those in the USA or Europe, although drivers can be impatient and have little regard for lanes or the wearing of seat belts. Checkpoints exist to prevent meat, vegetables and other food products entering into Mendoza, San Juan, Patagonia, Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán.

Insurance that covers third-party liability is required by law. An international driving licence is rarely requested by car hire companies or police; your licence from home will suffice, although it is a good idea to get it officially translated.

The main motoring organisation is Automóvil Club Argentino (tel: +54 800 888 3777; www.aca.org.ar).

Emergency breakdown services

ACA (tel: 0800 777 2894; 0800 888 9888; in Argentina only).

Routes

From Buenos Aires, Route 3 goes southwest to Bahia Blanca and then along the east coast of Argentina all the way to Rio Gallegos. It then travels to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, via Chile and a ferry ride across the Magellan Straits. Route 7 goes west to Mendoza and onwards to Santiago in Chile. Route 9 goes northwest to Rosario and Córdoba and connects with roads northwards to Salta or Puerto Iguazú.

All roads coming into Buenos Aires connect with the A001 or Avenida General Paz, a semi-circular autopista that acts as the city's ring-road. Several main roads run all the way into the heart of Buenos Aires, such as Autopistas Leopoldo Lugones and 25 Mayo, which both connect with Avenida 9 de Julio in the city centre.

Coaches

Numerous bus companies operate long-distance services from Retiro Terminal de Omnibus, Avenida Antártida Argentina, next to the Retiro railway station. You should keep a good grip on your belongings, as bag snatching and pickpocketing are quite common. International bus services operate between Buenos Aires and Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Time to city

From Córdoba - 7 hours; Mendoza - 12 hours; Puerto Iguazú - 14 hours; Ushuaia - 32 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

While trains are no longer really a viable option for getting to or around Argentina, as the mainstay of passenger rail services have ceased, there are a number of urban rail services within and around Buenos Aires. The government is also aiming to bring back some of the country's long-distance services. 

There are three main railway stations in Buenos Aires. In the south of the city, Estación Constitucion, Calle General Hornos 11, receives trains from Mar del Plata and Tandil. To the west of the city, Estación Once, next to Plaza Miserere on Avenida Pueyrredon and Calle Bartolomé Mitre, handles both long-distance and suburban trains. Estación Retiro, Avenida Ramos Mejia, serves trains from north of the city, including the suburbs of San Isidro (journey time - 20 minutes) and Tigre (journey time - 50 minutes).

Operators

Out-of-town services are run by various companies including Ferrobaires (tel: +54 11 4304 0028; www.ferrobaires.gba.gov.ar), Trenes Argentinas (tel: +54 800 222 8736; www.trenesargentinos.gob.ar) and Ferrovias (tel: +54 800 777 3377; www.ferrovias.com.ar). 

Journey times

From Mar del Plata - 7 hours; Tandil - 7 hours.

Travel by boat

The Port of Buenos Aires (tel: +54 11 4342 9657; www.puertobuenosaires.gov.ar) is Argentina's busiest port and receives a mixture of cargo ships, cruise ships, and ferries from Uruguay.

Ferry operators

Buquebus (tel: +54 11 4316 6500; www.buquebus.com) ferries connect Buenos Aires with Montevideo, Uruguay and depart from Puerto Madero's Terminal Fluvial on Avenida Antartida Argentina (journey time - 2 hours 15 minutes).

Colonia Express (tel: +54 11 4317 4100; www.coloniaexpress.com) runs ferries from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay (journey time - 1 hour 10 minutes).

Seacat (tel: +54 11 4314 5100; www.seacatcolonia.com) also operates ferries on the Buenos Aires-Colonia route (journey time - 1 hour).