Six travel tips for your Argentinian trip
In this article, we share six travel tips from our 2 weeks trip to Argentina. These will help you prepare and plan your trip.
When is the best period to visit Argentina?
Argentina is a big country with many different climates. Consider where you’re going in the country. Travelling between May and June was perfect for Buenos Aires, not too hot (between 17ºC to 23ºC) and few tourists. It was also a good period to visit the Iguazu falls, as there weren’t many people and the temperature was not too warm (25ºC to 27ºC). For Patagonia, it was not a good period for trekking (El Chalten) and it was a tricky period to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. We went on the last 2 days before the Park was closing for the Winter season.
To know before you go
They speak mostly Spanish, although in Buenos Aires and in the hotels, you are fine only with English. Nonetheless, it’s good to have some knowledge of the language so you can better communicate with the locals. They are very friendly and like to talk a lot, specially about politics and football.
Opening Hours – Restaurants are generally open daily from noon to 3.30pm for lunch and 7.30pm to midnight or 1am for dinner.
Type of plugs
The following plugs are used: 
Visa
For Europeans no visa is required.
Transportation in Argentina
The best way to travel in Argentina is via plane. It is expensive for the average European that is used to low cost flights inside Europe. However, if you don’t have enough time and you want to save yourself very tiring and long multi-day bus trips, it is worth the investment.
Expect the unexpected
In Argentina, they are known for their strikes and protests. We were unlucky in that aspect. When we got there, our inner flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate was postponed by a day. This affected our schedule and we almost didn’t make it to the tour of the glacier, which we already had paid for. So, just make sure you give yourself enough flexibility in your planning.
Money and Prices
When planning your itinerary and checking what places to visit in the country, don’t underestimate the time it takes in between airports and your destination. Make sure to leave some flexibility, so you can rest and enjoy the place you will be in.
Carry cash with you and make sure you use all the pesos before leaving, as they are worth nothing outside the country. As the Argentinian Peso is highly volatile because of inflation, you can check before you come how the inflation rate is. When we went, the currency was devalued when compared to the €, so things were cheaper than they normally are. Also, the US dollar is highly valued there, so you can use that as well.
Scams
Beware of a possible scam counterfeit currency in Argentina. This can happen in taxis, shops, etc. Just make sure to check the change you get back, never lose sight of your money, e.g. you hand a big note over, the vendor/driver pretends to go through his wallet, quickly swaps it with a fake and then passes it back claiming that he has no change. Also, don’t exchange money in the street, e.g. we saw people in the streets of Buenos Aires selling Pesos at cheap exchange rates, don’t fall for that.
We hope these six travel trips we’ve shared from our travel experience in Argentina will make your trip easier to plan.
