Buenos Aires has six subte lines, a huge bus network and app-based taxis that are safer than street ones. Outside the capital the bus is king and distances are continental.
- The subte has six lines and runs roughly 05:30 to 22:30 on weekdays, less at weekends. Colectivos go everywhere and run all night, and cash is not accepted on them - SUBE or nothing.
- Tell the colectivo driver where you are going as you board, because the fare varies with distance, and then tap the SUBE.
- Use Uber or Cabify rather than hailing on the street. That is standard local advice, not tourist caution; radio taxis are legitimate when ordered through an app.
- Watch your change in street taxis. A counterfeit ARS 1,000 or 2,000 note feels slicker or thicker and lacks the watermark and metallic thread - hold it up to the light.
- Long-distance buses are superb: cama seats recline nearly flat and are worth paying for on anything over eight hours. Patagonia is enormous - Bariloche to El Calafate is 1,400 km, so fly it.
Buenos Aires
- The subte has six lines, A to E plus H, running roughly 05:30 to 22:30 on weekdays and less at weekends. It is fast, hot in summer and closes earlier than you want.
- Colectivos go everywhere and run all night. There are hundreds of routes; use the app rather than trying to read the network.
- Tell the driver where you are going as you board a colectivo, because the fare varies with distance. Then tap the SUBE.
- Cash is not accepted on buses. SUBE or nothing.
- Download Cual Bondi or use Google Maps, both of which have accurate Buenos Aires transit data.
Taxis and ride hailing
- Use Uber or Cabify rather than hailing on the street. The trip is recorded, the fare is fixed, and this is standard local advice rather than tourist caution.
- Black-and-yellow radio taxis are legitimate if ordered by phone or through an app such as BA Taxi.
- If you do take a street taxi, watch the change. Passing a counterfeit note back to a tourist is a known trick; pay as close to exact as you can and look at what you are handed.
- A counterfeit ARS 1,000 or 2,000 note feels slicker or thicker than a real one and lacks the watermark and metallic thread. Hold it up to the light before you put it away.
Long distance
- The bus network is superb. Retiro in Buenos Aires is the main terminal, a small city in itself.
- Cama, semi-cama and ejecutivo describe how far the seat reclines. On anything over eight hours, pay for cama.
- Trains exist but are slow and limited, mainly Buenos Aires to Rosario, Cordoba and Mar del Plata. They are very cheap and take twice as long as the bus.
- Patagonia is enormous. Bariloche to El Calafate is 1,400 km. Fly it unless the journey is the point.
- Renting a car makes sense for Ruta 40, the Lake District and the wine roads around Mendoza, and almost nowhere else. Fuel is cheap, distances are long, and service stations can be 200 km apart.
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