Argentina: Practical information

Categories of Restaurant

 

• Parilla

Traditional Argentine Restaurant. Beef is their specialty.

• Foreign cuisine restaurants

Many Peruvian restaurants, also Mexican, Italian, French, etc.

• Traditional restaurants

Specialties are pizzas, milanesas, empanadas,etc.

• Cantinas

Popular fast food

Rules For Eating Out

In general, the prices displayed do not include the cover charge. In addition, it is customary to leave a tip of 10% of the bill.

Price Indications

Food Specialties

Beef is a staple in the Argentine diet. Bife de lomo, a thick and tender fillet, and bife de chorizo, a sirloin cooked in its own fat, are two popular examples. Beef is also eaten Gaucho style, with parilladas or asados (BBQs) where fillets, rib steaks, blood sausage, chorizo, sweetbreads, etc. are cooked over coals, and. Food portions in Argentina are enormous. The ideal accompaniment is chimichuri, an Argentine condiment made with 22 different herbs.

Other specialities include:
- Charcoal grilled lamb
- Ewe's milk cheeses
- Dulce de leche: a caramelised milk that can be spread onto bread, stuffed into chocolates or piled onto pancakes.
- Carbonada en Zapallo: squash stuffed with vegetables and beef (or fish, if in certain coastal regions).
- Alfajores de Cordoba: sandwich biscuits filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate or vanilla.
- Matambre: a traditional dish of rolled up beef with hard boiled egg. Served hot or cold, its name means 'kills hunger'.
- Rogel de Dulce de leche: millefeuille made with dulce de leche.

Drinks

There is a wide variety of Argentine wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Syrha.

Dietary Restrictions

Raw meat and horse flesh are banned from almost all traditional restaurants.

Table Manners

Meals in restaurants are always convivial and lively. Table manners observe the same codes of propriety as in Europe or the US, but in a lighter way. Empanadas, a local specialty, are now the only dish which is eaten with the fingers. At some dinners men may be on one side of the table and women on the other!

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

Traffic is very heavy in Buenos Aires, especially in the centre. Traffic lights are obeyed but the use of indicators is practically unknown. Be very careful of buses that force their way through and taxis that either drive very slowly (when empty) and at breakneck speed (when taken).

Parking in Buenos Aires is practically impossible. It is recommended to use public transport (bus, train, metro) or a taxi.

Using taxis is recommended; there are plenty of them in Buenos Aires and they are cheap (the average fare is 15 pesos). Illegal taxis are a problem, especially at the airport. Be sure to flag down radio taxis or a private car service called 'remise'.

Maps of Urban Networks

Buenos Aires Subway Map

Urban Transport Agencies

All types of transport in Argentina

Find an Itinerary

Interactive map of the city of Buenos Aires

Taxi Companies

Taxi company (Taxi premium)
Taxi company (Radio taxi)
Taxi company (Deplata radio taxi)

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Buenos Aires - Jorge Newbery (AEP)	3 km / 2 miles	USD 2-3 / 10-20 min	PES 0.70 / 10-20 min	-	Available
Buenos Aires - Ezeiza Intl (EZE)	35 km / 21 miles	USD 15 / 30-45 min	USD 2 / 90-120 min	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation

There is practically no long distance train network, though Greater Buenos Aires is served by a good network of suburban trains. Outside of this area, buses are the preferred means of public transport.

Seven airline companies share the market, the two main ones being Aerolineas Argentina - Austral and LAN. Links between the capital and the main provincial towns are frequent, although flights linking the various provincial towns with each other are less available.

Rail Companies

Buenos Aires Subway

Airlines

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Recommendation

Roads are generally asphalted and in good condition on main roads. It is advised to fill up your car as soon as possible, especially in Patagonia, as the country regularly has petrol shortages. Take care when driving on Argentine roads; many have only two lanes.

Driver's License

A foreign driver's license is recognized for car rental if you have a tourist visa. .

Conditions For Renting a Vehicle

You must be at least 21 and have had your driver's license for more than 2 years.

Rental Agencies

Hertz Argentine
Avis Argentine
Alamo Argentine

Tolls or Taxes

Tolls on national roads

Road Maps

Argentine Road Network

Find an Itinerary

Google Maps: Argentina

Traffic Conditions Online

Traffic in Buenos Aires

Parking Facilities

Many parking lots in the city center. There are plenty of places and you pay by the hour or by the day.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age

17

Side of the Road For Driving

Right

Speed Limits

110 on roads, 60 on main thoroughfares (avenues in the big cities), 40 in town

Safety Belts

Compulsory. You are also required to drive with your headlights on low beam.

Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood

0.5 g/l

Quality of Communications

The means of communication in Argentina are extensive and cover the whole country.

Telephone Codes

To Make a Call From Argentina, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Argentina, Dial +54

Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers

11

0 + number of the region + other figures

Mobile Telephone Standards

GSM, GPRS, 3G

National Mobile Phone Operators

Personal, Movistar, Telmex (in Spanish), Claro (CTI)

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix

.com.ar

National Internet Access Providers

Telecom, Speedy

Access in Public Places

Cyber cafes (locutorios) are everywhere in town. Some places have a Wi-Fi connection.

Access in Hotels

Allowing for exceptions, only hotels in big cities are connected to Internet.