Location

Buenos Aires is the Capital of the Argentine Republic. It is located on the River Plate coast.

The Río de la Plata and the Riachuelo are the natural borders of the city on the east and south, respectively. The rest of the metropolitan perimeter is surrounded by the General Paz Avenue from north to west. This avenue provides a fast connection between the city and the Greater Buenos Aires, a densely populated area with important business and industrial activity.

Weather

The climate of Buenos Aires is mild all year round. The mean annual temperature is 18º C (64.4º F), making extremely hot and cold days very infrequent. Thus, visitors can enjoy walking around the city in any season.
July is the coldest month. Although frosts are rare, a woolen coat, a jacket or an overcoat. In summer, the weather is hot and humid. Rains are more frequent in autumn and spring (from March to June and from September to December, respectively).

Seasons

Summer (December 21 to March 20)
Autumn (March 21 to June 20)
Winter (June 21 to September 20)
Spring (September 21 to December 20)

Conversions

From ºC to ºF: multiply by 1.8 and add 32.
From ºF to ºC: subtract 32 and multiply by 0.59.

Month	+	/	-
January	35	28	20
February	30	25	19
March	25	21	17
April	22	17	13
May	19	14	10
June	15	11	7
July	14	10	5
August	16	11	6
September	18	14	9
October	22	17	13
November	25	20	15
December	29	25	18

Porteños

Buenos Aires has always been an open-door city. Its inhabitants are called "porteños", which makes reference to the fact that the city is a port. The inhabitant of the province of Buenos Aires is called bonaerense.

Language

The official language is Spanish. Something to note is the use of "vos" (you) instead of the Spanish "tú" for informal treatment, and the use of "che" to address a person. Most people involved in tourist activities speak English.

The "che" is an informal expression used to call the attention of the interlocutor. It allows to call somebody without saying his/ her name: "che, can you tell me what's the time?"

Religion

Argentina recognizes the freedom of worship. The official religion is that of the Roman Catholic Church.
There are also other places of public worship, such as the Jewish central synagogue, and the Mosque of Palermo neighborhood.

Sanitary Level

Vaccination is neither obligatory nor necessary to visit Buenos Aires since the city is safe from the sanitary viewpoint. The public water supply is reliable. Public hospitals - available for tourists offer a 24-hour emergency service, without charge. Argentine physicians are considered excellent professionals worldwide.
SAME, the ambulance emergency service is also for free. Call number 107.

Safety

Buenos Aires is a safe city, but as in any other big city in the world, the tourist should take some precautions. For example, avoid leaving your purse or bag hanging from chairs in public places, as well as walking at night along poorly lit areas.

Tourist Season

You may visit the city all the year round. January (summer) is the quietest month since many residents are on vacation, but the cultural offer is still abundant and varied.
If you stay for several days, you may combine city tours with visits to places around the city such as the Delta (of the Paraná river), estancias (ranch houses), or Martín García island.

Holidays

Banks, businesses and some shops close on holidays, but most cinemas and theaters are open.
Generally, companies offering city tours and excursions do not suspend their services.
If a holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday or between Tuesday and Friday, it is generally transferred to the next or previous Monday.

Hours

The time zone corresponds to GMT-3 and currently no change is made in the summer months.
Activity in Buenos Aires starts in the first hours of the day and extends until late at night.

Shops

Shops are open Monday through Fridays, from 9 am to 8 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm; however, shops located in important avenues are open on Saturday afternoon. In shopping centers, hours usually extend until 10 pm, including Saturdays and Sundays.

Banks

Banks open at 10 am and close at 3 pm (some banks extend their closing time to 4 pm). Cash extractions and other transactions may be made in ATMs, 24 hours a day.

Telephones Calling from Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires has many public telephone booths. Public phones operate with:

- 5, 10, 25, 50-cent and 1-peso coins.
- Phone cards that may be bought at any quiosco (sweet and tobacco stalls).

These phones support urban, national and international calls.
In addition to public phones, there are many communications centers (locutorios and telecentros) offering telephone, fax and internet services.
For international calls, dial: 00 + country code + area code + local number.

Telephones Calling to Buenos Aires

The country code for Argentina is 54, and the area code for Buenos Aires is 11. For example, to call to 4555-5555 from outside the country, you should dial: 0054-11-4555-5555.

Currency

The Argentine currency is the peso ($).

There are notes of $ 100, $ 50, $ 20, $ 10, $ 5 and $ 2, and coins of $ 1, 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, and 1 cent.


The U.S. dollar is the most common foreign currency. Banks and currency exchange offices, where you must present your passport, exchange foreign currency. Shops accept credit cards and dollars.

Rate of Exchange

The exchange rate in Argentina is convenient for the foreign tourist.
The main banking area is located in the so-called "city". This area comprises the first five blocks (numbered 100 to 500) of San Martín, Reconquista, 25 de Mayo, Sarmiento, Presidente Juan Domingo Perón and Mitre streets.
The U.S. dollar is accepted in most shops, but it is convenient to exchange them for pesos in currency exchange offices or banks.

VAT

VAT in Argentina amounts to 21%.

Tax Free

At the airport, and on departure day, you may request to be refunded the Value Added Tax (VAT) paid for articles purchased in shops having a sign reading: Tax Free. To that purpose, you should keep all invoices or tickets and fill out a form you may request at the Airport.

Electric Power

In Argentina is 220 volt, 50-cycle alternating current. Power outlets have 2 cylindrical holes or 2 flat holes with ground connection. It is convenient to bring an adaptor for these outlets to use your electric devices without problems.