Getting in and visas for Argentina

By plane

Aerolíneas Argentinas [1] and LAN Argentina [2] Offer connections between Buenos Aires' international airport Ezeiza and many cities throughout South America, as well as North America and Europe. If you plan on visiting Buenos Aires you will fly into the Ezeiza International Airport (EZE); if you're traveling to another location in Argentina you may have to travel from Ezeiza to the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP). One problem is that these airports are located on opposite sides of the city, making transportation from one to the other with some time to consider. There are cheap shuttlebusses which take you there in about an hour, but travel time varies greatly depending on traffic. Keep in mind while flying out of Aeroparque that recently there have been many workers strikes at the airport and service has been notably unreliable. (updated 17/6/07) You should be able to ride a motorcoach or hire a service taxi from one of the booths after you clear customs. The fixed rate for a taxi from Ezeiza international airport to Buenos Aires is 74 pesos, the rate from the Jorge Newbery domestic airport to town is 23 pesos. (prices 04/05/07)

• Ezeiza International Airport (EZE): (011) 5480-6111

If visiting another city there are a number of airports located throught the country. Many find it far easier to travel to a neighboring country and then take a short distance hop to the smaller airport. All major cities in Argentina and major tourist destinations like Perito Moreno and Iguazu Falls have airports nearby. There are several national airlines, with different levels of service. In general flying gets you everywhere fast and relatively cheap. Passengers leaving Ezeiza Airport must pay a "Departure tax" of US$ 18 (US$ 8 to Uruguay and domestic flights) after check-in, on top of any boarding taxes already paid. Argentine pesos or US dollars are accepted.

By train

There are currently no international services to Argentina. A connection between Chile and Argentina is under construction.

By car

You can enter Argentina from borders shared with Bolivia, Brazil (north), Chile, (west), Paraguay and Uruguay.

By bus

International coaches run from all the neighbouring countries.

• Retiro Bus Terminal: (011) 4310-0700

Retiro is enormous, more like an airport than the typical bus terminal. For long distance buses it is advisable to buy a ticket several days in advance of your trip. Be sure to arrive about 45 minutes before your departure and always ask at an information counter if your gate number is the same as printed on your ticket. You will be given a range of possible gate numbers (for example 17-27). Watch your belongings carefully at Retiro as it is always very crowded.

By boat

Regular hydrofoils routes link Buenos Aires with Montevideo and Colonia in Uruguay. The company Buquebus has both a slow (3 hours) and rapid (1 hour) ferry service that departs several times a day to Colonia. Ferries depart from the downtown Buenos Aires neighborhood Puerto Madero. There are two companies (Cacciola and Líneas Delta) that link the city of Tigre with Carmelo and Nueva Palmira in Uruguay, respectively. Trains to Tigre depart from Retiro (one of Buenos Aires' main train stations) every ten minutes. The trip costs 1.1 pesos and takes 50 minutes.