3 months in Buenos Aires

Old Apr 20th, 2022, 12:41 AM
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3 months in Buenos Aires

I am thinking of spending 3 months in Buenos Aires next year and exploring Argentina from there. I would need to rent an apartment or Air B & B. Any tips on good suburbs to stay, close to centre and public transport, safe, easy reach of shops/restaurants., general information would be greatly appreciated. I speak reasonable Spanish. I am Australian, 76 years old but fit.
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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 01:11 AM
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I would look at one of the Palermo’s , probably Palermo Soho. We last stayed at a v. nice apt close to Scalabrini Ortiz - Lots of restaurants and shops and a generally nice area. Another time we stayed in another part of Palermo close to Avenida Santa Fe. arguably more convenient as it was closer to the Subte for getting around. Another, more upmarket area would be Recoleta. Avoid places like San Telmo or La Bocca as they are more party type places and not especially safe (though great to visit during the day.

We have stayed in BA for as long as a month and I can see the attraction of using it as a base to explore the country as most routes to other regions will often involve transiting through BA. However, three months is a long time and depending upon where else you want to visit, and for how long and at what time of the year, I may be inclined to split your stay.

We have travelled fairly extensively in Argentina over the years and places worth looking at would include Salta and the North West, San Martin de los Andes, Bariloche, Iguazu falls. Day or overnight trips from BA I would look at are a ferry across either to Montevideo or Colonia de Sacremento or both and a day in the Tigre delta makes a nice change from the city.

I am sure you are aware of this but in terms of financing your trip , Argentina has a weird situation where there is an official and unofficial exchange rate. The unofficial rate known as the”Blue Dollar Rate” is nearly twice as high as the unofficial rate. If you take cash, preferably in the form of new US$ you can virtually halve your costs. Lots of ways you can do this which I can expand upon if you would like.
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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 04:59 AM
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You may get more help if you move this to the South America forum. This one is Mexico and Central America.
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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 07:19 AM
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Good point! I never even noticed!

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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 09:18 AM
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South America used to be here, but they split it up a few years ago. Enjoy your trip!
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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 12:47 PM
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Moved to South America Forum and tagged for Argentina.

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Old Apr 20th, 2022, 02:13 PM
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Thank you so much for your fast and very informative reply. I shall have a look at apartments in Palermo just to get an idea of price. I am hoping that renting out my home here in Australia will pay for my rent. Am especially interested in your advice on the dual economy. And will now consider maybe part of my time in BA and then moving to another, interesting, part of the country. At my age I prefer to have a “home base” and explore outwards from there. I have always wanted to go to Argentina and need to do this before I get too old! I may even stay longer if things work out but have to check visa situation. Thanks again.
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Old Apr 21st, 2022, 04:59 AM
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Hi Julie!

A neighborhood with good access to transportation is Palermo. It's not the closest to downtown, but you get there quickly. Staying directly in the city center is possible, but palermo has more life at night, if that's what you are looking for.

You will need a SUBE. It's the card that pays for the bus and subway. You get it at the subway stations or at some kiosks.

You can get good restaurant recommendations on Trip Advisor and Google reviews while you are here.

If you are looking for adventure, I always recommend Argentina Polo Day just 50 minutes from the city: horses, polo, lots of Argentine food and people from all over the world

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Old Apr 27th, 2022, 11:51 PM
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Hi again Julie,

As far as financial matters are concerned , Argentina can be a bit of a pain to visit in terms of paying for stuff. Because of a succession of inept governments and poor management of the economy, inflation is rampant. Some estimates put it at 50-60% pa but in reality it is unmeasurable. Hence the reason many restaurants don’t bother printing menus! This has led to a widespread unofficial foreign exchange system known as the "blue dollar" . This unofficial rate of exchange is nearly double the official rate meaning if you get your pesos through the unofficial channels. You will halve your costs.

The blues dollar rate is mostly exchanged with the many cambistas , Street money changers, in most cities. A few fx offices around will offer similar rate. These are normal guys who won’t cheat you BUT the security risks of carrying large wads of cash around are self evident so you do need to exercise extreme care.

Banks and ATMs in Argentina are pretty inefficient and only use the official rate so are the most expensive way to go. Add to that the fact that the ATMs charge exhorbitant fees, have very low withdawal limited and often do not work anyway, I just tend to not even consider using them!

Recently, Western Union have started offering something very close to the blue$ rate. I haven’t used them myself but basically you set up an account facility with them at home, transfer funds to it and withdraw in pesos at one of their offices in Argentina.

Most places in Argentina will accept credit cards but you will only get the official rate.

Aussie dollars won’t be easy to change, so take USD with you or, at a pinch, we have also exchanged € and Łs .

In essence, don’t put all your eggs in the one basket and plan on using different methods.

My wife and I have done what you plan on doing in many different countries and, whilst we loved Buenos Aires and all of Argentina, it was undoubtedly the most problematic in terms of finances. Ever considered Lima?
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Old Apr 28th, 2022, 12:07 AM
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Thank you so much for Al, that detailed information, I think there us a similar street currency exchange system in Mexico, I find it intimidating! Especially as I am not good with maths and don’t have a lot of money. No wonder my grandson’s Argentinian girlfriend wants to stay in Australia!
inhad considered Chile but not Peru but assume from what you say that it is an easier bet for foreigners making long stays. The Lima altitude might be a bit high for me.
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Old Apr 28th, 2022, 01:07 AM
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No problem. Lima is a fantastic city and a lot more user friendly than. It is on the pacific coast at sea level so no problems with the altitude! Though it does suffer from the sea mist blanketing the coast for part of the year - see https://www.limaeasy.com/lima-guide/...e-in-lima-peru

We have does a couple of long stays there renting an apartment in Barranco, Lima. We also spent a lot of time in Cusco and the Sacred Valley whilst doing some voluntary work there. Miraflores is another popular area of Lima. Some detail and photos on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/05...barranco-lima/ . It is arguably easier to get around in Peru as it has a well trodden gringo trail. It is true that much of the country is at altitude and can take a few days to acclimatise but there are ways to deal with that and for many , it is not too much of a problem.

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Old May 4th, 2022, 09:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Julie6363
Thank you so much for Al, that detailed information, I think there us a similar street currency exchange system in Mexico, I find it intimidating! Especially as I am not good with maths and don’t have a lot of money. No wonder my grandson’s Argentinian girlfriend wants to stay in Australia!
inhad considered Chile but not Peru but assume from what you say that it is an easier bet for foreigners making long stays. The Lima altitude might be a bit high for me.
Yeah Argentina has had a very chaotic situation for a while now, I was fortunate to stay there before things got out of control... right now I don't think I'd venture there again because I am super bad with maths and money conversions, I'm one of those people that for conversions I'd need to take a great deal of time thinking what I want to do and how to do 1 transaction, so imagine me trying to do transactions for a whole month . I think I'm very old school, my capacity only allows me to do maybe 2-3 conversions for my whole trip and at a stable rate.

Anyways yeah, I'd recommend Lima. The altitude could be an issue but that depends if you have been already in high altitude cities and if that translated into an issue with you. What's the highest altitude you've been?
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Old May 4th, 2022, 01:05 PM
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Originally Posted by AlexTTT

Anyways yeah, I'd recommend Lima. The altitude could be an issue but that depends if you have been already in high altitude cities and if that translated into an issue with you. What's the highest altitude you've been?
Lima is at sea level, ergo no altitude issues.
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Old May 6th, 2022, 01:32 PM
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crellston and I (somewhat famously?) disagree on only a few things, one of them being Buenos Aires. In fact I stayed in Palermo Soho fairly close to Scalabrini Ortiz (1555 Malabia House) and did not especially like the neighborhood. It was around Easter weekend so when the security gates are rolled down, and one sees all of the graffiti markings, broken and dirty sidewalks it is a less than attractive area, and feels a bit deserted/unsafe-ish (not that I succumbed to any of the personal assault scams known around Buenos Aires, such as the mustard on the shirt trick). Really just some taxi driver and waiter demanding a tip minor ripoffs, about normal. If you are traveling alone, I would suggest instead Recoleta.

I do prefer virtually all of the other major South American cities which I have visited to Buenos Aires. Lima and the neighborhood of Barranco is my favorite but I also liked Medellin quite a lot. It has as much to do with the optimistic personalities of Peruvians and Colombians (and my food and drink preferences) as anything else. I also liked Montevideo for the short day I spent there. Some attractive Art Deco architecture and better steak (if you like grass fed).

Lest anyone think I am a bit of a Princess, I live in a pretty "gritty" place myself.

Last edited by mlgb; May 6th, 2022 at 01:35 PM.
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Old May 7th, 2022, 07:44 AM
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"crellston and I (somewhat famously?) disagree on only a few things” true, and BA is one of them! Recoleta is a little too gentrified for me. Safer? I’m not sure. it does attract a wealthier class of tourist and I would imagine that pickpockets etc view the picking as river there. One thing I would agree on is the state of the sidewalks in BA. The city consists mostly of apartment blocks and most of the residents seem to own dogs. The result is that the sidewalks are covered in more dog crap than just about any other city in the world - literally, watch your step!

One area where mlgb and I are very much in agreement is Peru and especially Lima. I didn’t like the city the first time I visited but mlgb persuaded me to give it a second chance and stay in Barranco and I have loved it ever since often renting an apartment there for several weeks at a time. The people are so friendly and helpful the food is the best in South America and managing money for a longer stay is much easier there than in Argentina. There is also a huge amount of variety of places that can be visited from Lima much more easily than can be done from BA. OK there have been strike and riots in Lima and throughout Peru this year but you cant have everything!

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Old Jun 29th, 2022, 02:07 PM
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BB.AA is an awesome home base. Buses in Argentina are awesome and will allow you to visit many amazing places after an overnight drive.
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Old Jun 30th, 2022, 07:51 AM
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Awesome
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Old Sep 9th, 2022, 05:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Julie6363
I am thinking of spending 3 months in Buenos Aires next year and exploring Argentina from there. I would need to rent an apartment or Air B & B. Any tips on good suburbs to stay, close to centre and public transport, safe, easy reach of shops/restaurants., general information would be greatly appreciated. I speak reasonable Spanish. I am Australian, 76 years old but fit.
Hey there!

I would recommend getting an airbnb in Palermo, Recoleta or even Caballito (this one will probably be the less expensive one). The fastest way to get around is with the subway, it doesn't go everywhere in the city but it'll get you around to the best places. If the subway won't do it, opt for a bus or even a bike (Ecobici) that are distributed all around the city and are free. Uber is also an option.

For eating out definitely search for restaurants of the type "bodegón". They have reasonable prices and huge portions. Don't miss out on a traditional parrilla argentina, empanadas, milanesas and even pastas! Argentina has in my opinion one of the most delicious foods anywhere.

During your stay, if you're up for a fit challenge, check out polo day trips only an hour away from Buenos Aires. I've found that the ones offered in Argentina Polo Day are a great way to get to know the argentine culture and food (Polo is big deal there and a really exclusive sport).

If the total duration of your trip is 3 months, I would recommend using some of that time to travel other places in Argentina. A 3 day trip to Iguazu Falls, maybe a 4 day trip to Puerto Madryn, a week long trip to Bariloche and surrounding areas of the Patagonia, and a 5 day trip to Salta and Jujuy. The country has a climate and activities for any taste really.

See what you like most and good luck with your trip!
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