Arrival

Buenos Aires is served by two airports: Ezeiza for international flights and Jorge Newbery, usually referred to as Aeroparque, for domestic flights. EZE is a sleek, modern  airport facility located about 35 kilometers of 45 minutes from downtown. After deplaning, you will need to make several stops before heading to town.

First, proceed to immigration. Lines here are not terrible.  You do not need a Visa to enter Argentina (if you come from the United States). Your passport will be stamped for a 90 day tourist visa. You will also be given the bottom part of the immigration form. You will need this card when you leave the country (losing it is not a major problem because replacements are available without cost when you arrive for your return flight).

Next stop, baggage claim. Pick up your bags. If you pack several big suitcases, there are carts available for free. Avoid chaging money at the booths located at baggage claim area. They are a rip off. As of Jan 29, 2008 you should get around $3,16 (pesos) for 1 USD. Check the rate before you exchange. Last week they were giving $2,70 for 1 USD. Nuts.

Now, on to customs. Foreigners bags are searched through a scanner. If you get the red light, scanner. If you get the green light, off you go. Customs officers are more concerned about Argentinos trying to avoid hefty import duties on goods purchased abroad. More often than not, you will simply be waived on through customs, but you may be required to place some of your bags on an xray screening conveyor.

Last stop. After you collect your bags and before you exit through the doors into the real world of Argentina...look to your far right. There you will find a branch of the Banco de la Nacion, where you can exchange your dollars for pesos at the right rate. If there is a long line at the window, not to worry. Head through the exit doors where you will enter into an area surrounded by booths offering a variety of transportation and hotel services....Some of these booths offer services at inflated prices, some do not. Money exchange in this area must be avoided once again. However, if you do need ot change money, change as little as you can. Taxis and limos take debit and credit cards. Ifyou need to take a car choose Manuel Tienda León or Ecuador cars, they are safe and the price is right..

Once you clear the booths you will see people waiting for arriving passengers...Once you are in this area,  make a U turn, on the outside of the area cordoned off with the booths...Another window for the Banco de la Nacion is ahead of you, and an ATM is located at the Bank's entry. The exchange rate you will receive here is as good as you will recieve anywhere, so go ahead and exchange with confidence. Just make certain you use the Banco de la Nacion and not Global, which offers a pathetic exchange rate. Another ATM for HBSC is just adjacent to the LAN airlines baggage office as well.

If you have not arranged your transportation yet, go to the blue and white taxi booth standing by itself in the middle of the lobby. Pay the fee for your in-town destination. A worker will escort you out the door to a waiting taxi. Total cost should be about 50-60 pesos, plus a small tip for the person who helps you with your bags and for the driver. One peso should suffice for the former, and a dollar bill or 3-5 pesos for the driver.

There are other services to town, such as "remis', which is spanish for Limo, or a bus service offered by Manuel Tienda Leon. The bus will cost half of the taxi fare, but the bus fare is per peson and the taxi is per taxi...so if there are two of you the fee is about the same. The bus will drop you off in the downtown area near the Buenos Aires Sheraton Hotel ...from there you can catch a cab on to your final destination.

Hotel...Try to arrange for an early check in at your hotel. Most flights arrive from the United States early in the morning, so even after jumping through the various hoops described above you are still going to arrive at your hotel before noon. Most hotels will either let you check in or leave your luggage while you have a late breakfast or early lunch while waiting on your room.... 

Departure 

 Try to arrange for a late check out from your hotel, since most return flights to the USA are in the late evening. Some hotels will charge a half-day rental if they are full...Many will simply grant you a late check out without an extra charge.

Plan to leave for the airport four hours before departure. Since most flights leave within one to two hours of each other, the airport can be crowded....Have the hotel phone for a cab. Most cab companies have a flat fare to EZE, so you should know in advance what the fare will be, and it should be less than the amount you paid to get into town from the airport. 

Check in to your flight and then stop at one of the booths to pay your exit tax (USD18, payable in dollars, euros or pesos and also major credit cards). There are two booths on the main floor and one upstairs just to the side of the immigration area. So if there is a long line at one booth, go to another.

If you have purchased items at shops participating in the tax-free program, get your blue-and-white forms stamped at the booth that is 180 degrees from the customs booths just before security. After they stamp your form, take it to the booth (at gate 9 as of Nov.3, 2006) where you can get your tax refund in pesos cash or to your credit card.

Once you have cleared immigration, you might want to buy some wine or Alfajores (dulce de leche filled cookies) to take home with you. Luigi Bosca Reserva wine sells for USD $10 a bottle at the airport, not really much of a savings over what you can buy it for in town...but it is more convenient to buy it in the Duty Free shop.  (Note that in the U.S. you cannot carry liquid in your carry-on, so you're gonna have to stash any wine or other liquor in your checked baggage.  Assuming your first stop in the U.S. is not your final destination, you'll have the opportunity to do this when clearing customs in the U.S. when you're briefly re-united with your luggage before re-checking it.)

Beyond a small cafe with very limited seating, the international terminal has no food or bar once you clear security and stroll through the duty-free carnival. Eat beforehand, bring snacks or resign yourself to whatever your airline is serving, since you probably have to leave downtown around 6 pm to make the flights back to the USA that start leaving post 9 pm.

One great buy duty free: top quality Argentine beef packed in mini cool boxes and with full health certification so you can safely import into Europe. Meats stays chilled for 30 hours !

Important notice about traveling to Argentina:

As of January 8, 2007, passports will be required for all U.S. citizens traveling to or from the United States via air or sea, to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

(While the passport requirement may be a change in some countires, a passport has been required to enter Argentina for some time....so there is no change here.)

To view the entry requirements for Argentina online, click here, and scroll down.