Getting Around Buenos Aires

Walking

When you are in Buenos Aires you will definetly be doing a lot of walking. Walking is a great way to experience the city and to burn off a few pounds while on vacation. I myself lost about 15 pounds between the walking and the dancing. It is quite easy to get lost in Buenos Aires because streets are poorly marked. Many intersections don't have street signs or if they do have street signs they are small and hard to see and are not consistently put in the same place. Whenever, I left my apartment I always planned my route on Google Maps. Google Maps has a pedestrian mode which will plot your route and tell you how long it will take to get to your destination. It is always good to count blocks to make sure you don't get lost (i.e. go 4 blocks on Palestina then turn left on Cordoba for 7 blocks). The sidewalks in Buenos Aires are uneven and there is also a lot of dog poop on the sidewalks from people walking their dogs. When walking be sure to look down so that you don't trip or step in dog dudo. Also, be careful crossing the street. The Argentines drive pretty crazy and often don't look for pedestrians. While taking unfamiliar routes I carried a map from a company called StreetWise. The maps are made out of a durable plastic, fold up accordian style, and can easily fit in your pocket. The map clearly marks all the tourist attractions, shows the names and locations of the Barrios, and also shows the subway lines. Google Maps doesn't show the subway lines in their map so I usually referred to this map instead of Google. To buy a map, go to their website: www.streetwisemaps.com.

By Subway (Subte)

The subway is a great way to get around Buneos Aires. There are subway stations around most of the major tourist attractions and the subway is quite cheap. A round trip ticket costs $5 Argentine Pesos (about $1 US). The subway can get quite crowed especially during rush hour. Seats on the train are reserved for the elderly and mother's with kids so you will most likely have to stand on the train. Also be sure that you stand on the right platform, it will be different than what you expect. Before taking the subway be familiar with the stops at the end of the lines as this will tell you what platform to stand on. In Spanish "a" means "to" in English, so look for the words like "a los Incas" to tell you what stop the train is traveling toward. There are 7 color coded subway lines: A (light blue), B (red), C (dark blue), D (green), E (purple), H (light yellow), and P (dark yellow). There are transfer stations that allow you to transfer from one station to another without having to use another ticket. You can see download a Subte Map at http://www.metrovias.com.ar/. The downside of the subway is that service ends around 11:00 PM so it is not an option for those late night Milongas but it is a cheap and safe way to get around Buenos Aires during the day.

By Bus (Colectivos)

I was not brave enough to use the colectivos while I was in Buenos Aires but they are a good way to get around and can often get you closer to your destination than a subway. Also, unlike the subways, the buses operate 24 hours a day. The buses use a complex numbering system to let you know what bus to take and what stop to get off at. Each bus route has a unique number. Bus stops have a stop number but also list the numbers of routes that stop at that stop. Most bus stops have multiple buses stopping at that stop so don't blindly walk onto a bus unless you verify the number. You can go to this website to enter your route and the site will tell you what routes to take to get to your destination. You may have to transfer routes to get to your final destination. The colectivos are quite crowed and are the most popular method of transportation with the locals.

Taxis

Taxis in Buenos Aires are remarkably cheap. Taxis are also qute plentiful and can be easily hailed on any major street. A 10 minute taxi ride is about $26 Argentine Pesos which is about $5 US dollars. Taxis do not take credit cards and sometimes will refuse to change a $100 Peso bill or they will give you counterfit change so try not to pay with a $100 Peso bill. Bring small change when taking a taxi. Most locals do no tip taxi drivers. When hailing taxis, try to hail one that says "Radio Taxi" and has a red "Libre" (unoccupied) light in the front window. The red "Libre" light is actually the taxi meter so you know that the taxi has a meter so you know what you are being charged. A "Radio Taxi" is a taxi that uses a radio so that a taxi service can dispatch them to people who order taxi's by phone. They say to use a "Radio Taxi" because they are backed by reputable companies but I've seen taxis without a radio say "Radio Taxi" on them so I think it is more important to look for the red libre light. There are some taxi drivers without meters who pray on tourists and then charge exhorborant fares so be careful when selecting a taxi. Taxis are the preferred form of transportation for late night milongas and are plentiful even in the wee hours of the morning. Taxis do charge more at night than during the day so don't be surprised by the fare when traveling at night.