Argentina
Argentine
The eighth-largest country in the world: from subtropical waterfalls in the north to the glaciers at the end of the earth, by way of the Pampas and the Andes.
Updated on
- Capital
- Buenos Aires
- Population
- 46 millones
- Currency
- ARS · Argentine peso
- Languages
- Guarani, Spanish
- Plugs
- Types C and I · 220 V · 50 Hz
- Time zone
- America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires
Before you go to Argentina
When to go to Argentina
Spring (October and November) and autumn (March and April). For Patagonia, the southern summer from December to February.
Seasons run opposite to the northern hemisphere: subtropical in the north, temperate in the middle, cold and windy in Patagonia.
What it costs to travel to Argentina ●●○○○
Swings with inflation, but usually cheap in dollars. A full steakhouse dinner runs 15–25 USD.
Is it safe to travel to Argentina? ●●●○○
Middling. Buenos Aires is safe by day; keep an eye on your phone on the subway and in crowds.
Visa for Argentina
Visa-free for 90 days for Europeans and all of Latin America. Mercosur nationals enter with just an ID card.
The Spanish spoken here is Rioplatense, which uses vos instead of tú.
What to see in Argentina
- 01Iguazú FallsMisiones
275 cascades in deep jungle. The Devil's Throat drops 80 metres and can be heard from kilometres away.
- 02Perito Moreno GlacierSanta Cruz
One of the few glaciers on Earth still advancing; you can walk on the ice in crampons.
- 03Buenos AiresFederal Capital
San Telmo, La Boca and the Recoleta cemetery — the city with more bookshops per head than any other.
- 04Bariloche and the Seven LakesRío Negro and Neuquén
Glacial lakes among forests and mountains, with handmade chocolate on every corner.
- 05Mendoza wineriesMendoza
Malbec at the foot of Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside Asia at 6,961 metres.
- 06Quebrada de HumahuacaJujuy
The Hill of Seven Colours and Andean villages above 3,000 metres, a UNESCO site.
Culture and food of Argentina
What to eat
- Asado, a Sunday ritual more than a dish
- Empanadas, different in every province
- Milanesa a la napolitana
- Dulce de leche and alfajores
- Mate, shared from the same straw
- Malbec from Mendoza
Customs
- Mate is offered and drunk in a circle
- Dinner is late, between 9 and 11 pm
- People greet with a kiss, men included
- Football is lived with an intensity that is hard to explain
Festivals
- National Grape Harvest Festival in Mendoza (March)
- Gualeguaychú Carnival (January and February)
- Day of Tradition in San Antonio de Areco (November)
- Tango Buenos Aires Festival (August)
Mostly Catholic (≈ 62 %), in a markedly secular society.
Curious facts about Argentina
- Ushuaia is the southernmost city on the planet: cruises to Antarctica leave from its port.
- Tango, born in the tenements of Buenos Aires, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
- An Argentine invented the ballpoint pen as we use it: László Bíró patented it in Buenos Aires.
- It holds every climate there is, from the Patagonian ice field to the high desert of the Puna.
- Avenida 9 de Julio, at 140 metres across, is one of the widest avenues in the world.
Cities in Argentina
- Buenos Airescapital · 19 m
- Mendoza764 m
- Bariloche838 m
- Córdoba391 m
- Salta1,178 m
- Ushuaiasea level
- El Calafate204 m
- Rosario35 m
- Mar del Plata17 m
- Puerto Iguazú168 m
- San Miguel de Tucumán451 m
- Santa Fe23 m
- Avellanedasea level
- Corrientes62 m
- Posadas119 m
- Bahía Blanca25 m
- Resistencia52 m
- Merlo16 m
- Quilmes27 m
- San Salvador de Jujuy1,248 m
- Santiago del Estero185 m
- Gregorio de Laferrère14 m
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). The editorial content is our own.