Argentina Travel Tips
It looks like a lot of money, but in February 2023, 1000 pesos (ARS) was worth $2.66 USD.
With four weeks in 2022 and another five weeks in 2023, I’ve learned a lot about travel in Argentina. Here are just a few of my top travel tips.
Read my Top 25 Things to do in Argentina published with Fodor’s Travel.
Bring cash USD. There are two different exchange rates. In 2022, if I withdrew cash from an ATM or used my credit card, I got about $100 pesos per $1 USD. However, in touristy areas some places accept USD cash, and gave $200 pesos per dollar. I exchanged $100 USD bills (bring the new ones with the blue stripe) in Buenos Aires for $210 pesos. In 2023 inflation brought the Argentine peso even lower and I got $370 pesos per $1 dollar. If I used my credit card, I got half as many pesos per dollar. You can look it as either everything is 50% off if you use cash or everything is twice as expensive if you pay with a card.
On Calle Florida in Buenos Aires, there are lots of money changers, which are technically illegal but obviously tolerated. If you walk along the street you will hear dozens of people offering “cambio.” Most of these money changers work out of jewelry or antique shops. I went to an antique shop that had amazing antique cameras displayed in the windows. Though this sounds quite sketchy to people who haven’t traveled much in South America, it’s quite common and even safe. Most money changers pay a lower rate for bills less than $100. In touristy areas many businesses accept cash USD but usually at a lower rate than money changers.
Don’t order the salmon. In an environmental victory, the people of Ushuaia led the campaign to outlaw salmon farms. Many Ushuaia residents depend on the fishing industry, especially of king crabs. Salmon farms cause enormous environmental degradation of ocean habitat for native fish and king crabs. Salmon were introduced from Canada in the 1970s and have had a very negative impact on local fish species. There are no native salmon in South America, so if you order farmed salmon, you’re eating either salmon imported from elsewhere, or encouraging an industry that damages native fish species. On the other hand, if you eat wild caught salmon you are helping to get rid of an invasive species.
Winning against the salmon farming industry
Lino Adillon was one of Ushuaia’s leaders in the David & Goliath fight against the salmon farming industry. Volver and many other restaurants in town depend on a healthy marine ecosystem for king crab and native fish species. He told me he could make more money selling salmon but that the ocean is more important than money.
3. Get used to “vos” rather than the Spanish “tú.” It’s used only in Argentina and it’s equivalent to the informal you, not the formal “usted.” It has its whole own conjugation, so if you speak Spanish you’ll need to understand a whole different verb tense. However, Argentines understand Spanish from other countries perfectly well, so don’t feel like you have to use vos when you’re speaking. If you speak Portuguese, think of it as “você.”
4. Try mate, pronounced mah-tay. You'll see lots of people walking around with a thermos tucked under their arm, carrying a round cup that looks like a small bowl. There is a metal straw called “bombilla,” pronounced bomb-eeya sticking out of the bowl. The bowl itself is full of chopped up bits of the mate plant, which looks like grass clippings. If you’re invited to somebody’s home, you’ll be offered mate from the same bombilla as everybody else. Even with the Covid pandemic still going around, it’s a bit rude to not accept mate.
5. Consider hostels and homestays. My favorite way to get to know a place and the people who live there is with a homestay. Both AirBnb and Booking have options where you can rent a room in somebody’s home. Many Argentines stay in hostels when they travel around the country. They’re not just for college students and are a great way to meet fellow travelers, especially Argentines traveling around their home country.
6. Try the local wine. Argentina has a fabulous wine culture and produces excellent wines. Drink imported wines when you go back home but stick with Argentine wines while you’re traveling here.
