Buenos Aires is a magical city with amazing options for experiencing culture, dining and nightlife. It’s known as the “Paris of America” for a reason! Here are a few things to know before you head over that will help you prepare for your trip:
1. Credit cards are not a recommended form of payment in Buenos Aires and many places don’t even accept them. You’ll be hit with extra fees if you do use a credit card and you won’t get a good exchange rate so try to avoid this if you can!
2. Before your trip, make sure to get hundred dollar US bills from the bank. They need to be fresh and crisp bills to guarantee they’ll be accepted for exchange. At some places you can also exchange smaller US bills but it’s not as common. Ideally you would bring enough for your stay in Buenos Aires as it’s more complicated to get USD once you’re there if you run out.
3. Find exchange centres that offer the Blue dollar rate – this is the best exchange rate available. If you exchange money at the airport or at touristy locations the rate isn’t great. Trust me when I say it makes a huge difference on how far your dollar goes here. We went to House Exchange Palermo (which accepts $100 USD bills) and Cambio Baires Plaza Italia (which accepts smaller bills)
4. Claro is one of the most popular phone services companies in Buenos Aires. They offer a tourist eSim plan for around $6 USD for 24 GB of data and up to 30 days, and you get an Argentinian phone number. It’s also super easy to install on your phone and they walk you through the process.
5. Cabify is the local version of Uber in Argentina and allows you to request rides and see how much the journey will cost but also to pay in cash in the car (which they much prefer). It does require an Argentinian phone number to sign up, which you can easily get (see #4). They do have Uber here as well but it’s not technically legal and it also tends to be more expensive than Cabify.
Want more ideas for your trip to Buenos Aires? Check out: Top 12 Things to do In Buenos Aires
Top 12 Things To Do In Buenos Aires - Beccs Voyage
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