Out of the airport
Most arrivals land at Ezeiza (EZE); some at Aeroparque (AEP). Both are covered by the major ride apps. Install at least two before you clear customs.
- Cabify has the clearest Buenos Aires menu for visitors — standard cars, executive, extra-luggage, taxi, pet rides, promo, and reservations — and accepts card, PayPal, or cash. Reserve rides need at least 45 minutes lead time. Cabify warns that foreign card rejections can block the account, and one January 2026 traveler couldn't finish activation until they had an Argentine SIM. Add a card before you fly and validate it on a small trip first.
- Uber runs 24/7, supports airport pickup at EZE and AEP, and lets you Reserve up to 90 days ahead. Two caveats from recent riders: airport "UberX" requests sometimes arrive as a regular radio taxi, and some drivers push cash even when the app is set to card. Confirm the plate before you get in.
- DiDi markets Express, Taxi, Poné Tu Precio, and Moto in Buenos Aires, with card payments in pesos and 24/7 chat support. CABA coverage is less transparent than the other two and recent users complain about fake profiles and card refusals. Useful as backup; not your default.
Do not count on Uber Moto inside CABA — the current Moto promo fine print excludes Buenos Aires. None of the three apps reliably surface in-app bikes or scooters here. Treat that as unavailable.
Out of Retiro and the other terminals
If you're arriving by long-distance bus, you'll likely land at Retiro. The U.S. State Department explicitly flags Retiro bus station for frequent luggage and handbag robberies. The terminal itself has security; the bus and rail approaches, the bridges, and the surrounding streets are the dangerous part, and they're sketchy at all hours — not only late at night.
Move from platform to ride app to your accommodation in one motion. Don't set bags down outside. Don't walk to a nearby hotel "just a few blocks" with luggage.
Current English-language official advisories single out three hubs:
- Retiro — the only one with an explicit luggage-robbery warning. Treat as an any-time bag-theft hotspot.
- Constitución — crowded station passages bring phone-snatch and backpack-opening risk in normal busy hours. The plaza and side streets get meaningfully worse late at night.
- Once / Plaza Miserere — flagged as a pickpocketing and snatch-theft zone. Infobae reported in February 2026 on an organized phone-theft laundering ring tied to Once. Bags closed and in front; don't linger after dark.
Where to sleep the first night
The city is not a blanket avoid-at-night destination — Buenos Aires says total crime fell almost 30% in 2025 and runs Tourist Police plus a Tourist Ombudsman. First-night choice is about which neighborhood, and which block.
- Palermo — the easiest late-night base. Soho and Hollywood stay active. The park landmarks are not nightlife spaces; El Rosedal closes at 18:00, so keep evening movement on the busy commercial streets.
- San Telmo — strong for character, hostels, and the Sunday fair around Plaza Dorrego. Crowd-driven theft: visible phones and back-pocket wallets are how you lose them. Evening comfort drops once you leave the busiest blocks.
- Retiro (Plaza San Martín side) — fine by day around the hotel/commercial zone, but the terminal edge is uncomfortable at night with luggage. Pick this only if you're staying on the Plaza San Martín side and arrive in daylight.
Skip La Boca as a base. Recent visitors consistently report being told to stay inside the small Caminito tourist circuit during daylight and not wander or come back at night. Visit during the day; sleep elsewhere.
Best hostels in Buenos Aires
Primavera Hostel
La Casa Naranja
Viajero Buenos Aires Hostel
Parla Hostel
Che Juan BA
Getting around
The subte, colectivos (city buses), and commuter rail run on the SUBE stored-value card, sold at kiosks and station booths — bring your passport. For point-to-point, the ride apps above do the work.
Visitor-usable micromobility means BA Ecobici: 360 stations, 3,700 bikes, 300 km of lanes. Register in the app with passport, international credit card, a Buenos Aires address, and an SMS-capable phone. Tourist products are a single ride up to 45 minutes or a 24-hour pass with unlimited 90-minute rides.
It's docked. Return to a station with a free slot, wait for the green light, expect overage charges after a 5-minute grace period and a 15-minute cooldown before your next rental. Recent users describe buggy signup, payment failures, rides that don't close, and charges continuing after app glitches. Screenshot every rental close.
Lime's public locations page lists no Argentine city, and Bird's map shows Mexico City and Santiago but not Buenos Aires. Don't plan around spontaneous shared scooters.
Connectivity
Every Argentine prepaid line must be registered to an identity, and foreigners must declare how long they'll stay. There is no friction-free local SIM.
For a short stay or an eSIM-only phone, a travel eSIM bought before you fly is the lowest-hassle first day. If you want a local line:
- Personal — best network performance and the best local eSIM, but the normal self-activation web and *234# flow only works for DNI holders. With a passport, buy at an official Personal point or take a kiosk SIM to a Personal branch; handle eSIM through a commercial office or WhatsApp.
- Claro — the simplest official tourist physical SIM (Chip Turista Prepago), sold at service centers and activated with a passport. Claro's prepaid eSIM flow requires Argentine residence and a DNI, so don't plan on eSIM as a visitor. Expect selfie-plus-passport verification.
- Movistar — workable, but the most activation-dependent. Buy a SIM in a kiosk or store and finish activation through the tourist WhatsApp flow with "#NOMI". Foreign eSIM activations from abroad still hang for some users.
Money
Currency is the Argentine peso (ARS). Inflation and parallel exchange rates make ATM withdrawals expensive and limit-bound, so most travelers mix card payments where accepted with cash from a casa de cambio or Western Union for better rates. If a card reader offers to charge you in your home currency, decline — pay in pesos. Dynamic currency conversion usually gives you a worse embedded exchange rate.
Tap water
Buenos Aires tap water is drinkable.
First-day defaults
- Install Cabify and Uber before you land; add DiDi as backup.
- Pre-load a travel eSIM. Sort a local SIM later if your stay justifies it.
- Move from Retiro platform to ride app to accommodation without putting bags down.
- Pay in pesos at every card reader. Refuse DCC.
- Sleep in Palermo (Soho/Hollywood) or San Telmo for night one.
- Visit La Boca during daylight only; stay inside the Caminito circuit.