Travel Argentina November cost

roadrunnermick

Hi

I have a good few hoildays to take yet this year from work. I will take 3 or 4 weeks hoildays

I was thinking either Austrilia or Argentina South Amercia.

Cost is a factor, I have good few friends in Auz so accommodation costs for the most should be ok but I know everything over there is expensive with that


South Amercia really also appealed to me. I was wondering since Argentina defaulted on there loans few weeks back, has costs for travelling around Argentina come down at least anyways

Any advice would be great

Thanks

Challo

I think Argentina is a great travel destination, go for it! A month is a good amount of time to be there too.

I was there early 2010 and a euro was about 5.5 pesos, just checked there and it's ten peso for a euro so it is definitely a lot cheaper.

The only expense in Argentina really are the buses as they are often 15-18 hours but you don't end up spending any money on accommodation or trivial things. Anyway, buses were about 50 euro back then so prob much less now.

sarkozy

First of all (a little correction): Argentina didn't default on their loans, the Griesafaulted. They've been paying back their loans to private lenders who loaned on fair terms. A court ruling in the US has prevented Argentina from paying these loans until Argentina pays back another loan which a vulture fund nefariously obtained and which may cost Argentina US$13bn. The reaction to this within Argentina was business-as-usual as it didn't affect people's lives any more than the 2001 default and the rampant price inflation they've been experiencing since.

I was there in 2011 and things were still relatively cheap by Irish standards. I would suspect things haven't gone up too much for tourists, but quite a bit (20%) for locals. If the value of the peso has collapsed as Challo says, your money may go further. This depends on how much inflation will be borne by tourists, who, let's face it, can afford it more.

Generally, we were paying around €20 per night for private hostal/pension accomodation and, as Challo says, overnight SuperCama buses were around €50, but this included a meal and a bed so excellent value. Food-wise, you can buy food in markets, supermarkets, shops and spend little. Dinners out might be around €6-8 for a large main course, or you can eat in cheaper local places recommended to you along the way. Breakfast is easy - it's mostly just coffee and a pastry. Argentinians don't seem to go in for breakfast.

hibsman

Hi all,
My wife and I are soon heading off for 5 weeks in South America.
As part of this we have two full weeks in Argentina.
I was wondering if you would have advice on what to do or where to go whilst there?
We are going to spend most of the time in and around Buenos Aires but would like to travel a bit also, perhaps to Mendoza or Bariloche for a couple of days?
Any suggestions?
Cheers.

Spudmonkey

I came back from Argentina in March. The blue dollar will save you a lot of money over there. If you bring 100 dollar bills you can exchange them for pesos on the street and get a significantly better deal than the banks.

sarkozy

hibsman wrote: »

Hi all,
My wife and I are soon heading off for 5 weeks in South America.
As part of this we have two full weeks in Argentina.
I was wondering if you would have advice on what to do or where to go whilst there?
We are going to spend most of the time in and around Buenos Aires but would like to travel a bit also, perhaps to Mendoza or Bariloche for a couple of days?
Any suggestions?
Cheers.

There are scores of threads in this forum discussing Argentina itineraries. Try those first. I would also highly recommend the Footprints guides to South America, whether for the region or for individual countries. We've tried Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, but Footprints is the best for SA. Pick that up and get reading.

Buenos Aires is a fantastic city with much to to. Since it will be summer, the south and west of the country will be open to you. Alternatively, head north to Iguazú falls, but that's at least a two-night trip. A relaxing day trip is to Colonia del Sacramento across the Plate estuary in Uruguay. A delightful town and definitely worth a night.

Others may have recommendations for the Buenos Aires region and the Pampas. We never got to go south. Next time, we hope, whenever that will be.

hibsman

Thanks for the advice Sarkozy.
I think we will spend time in Buenos Aires, Colonia and also head west to Mendoza for a few days. Due to the intensive nature of the rest of the trip, we will probably not head too far south.
Back to the money question, is a dollar debit card the best way to go or is cash a better bet?
The post office are offering dollar debit cards (MasterCard) which you put money on, and on returning you can withdraw and exchange remaining funds from the card. Strikes me as a good idea.
Don't want to have to carry cash for the whole trip, I presume I could access my Irish accounts from a bank in Buenos Aires though?
Cheers

sarkozy

Withdrawing cash on a Maestro card is usually fine. Also have a credit card; we were fine with Mastercard, and I think Visa is also widely accepted, as are, IIRC, Visa debit cards. Bring at least two cards and split them between wallets/pockets/bags.

You will certainly need to be carrying cash around with you, however, because not everywhere takes cards and cash machines are severely limited in what you can withdraw per day (perhaps €60, but I can't remember) due to a government law to limit capital flight (a good move for Argentina). Due to this, we began our trip with a wad of dollars and withdrew the max pesos/dollars over a few days to build up a good workable reserve. While Argentina is perfectly safe in the grand scheme of things, you'll need to exercise common sense. Having a wad means you can split it up between yourselves and between, say, your wallet, bag and money belt at different times. The same should go with your credit cards and passport. Keep your passport in a concealed wallet or in a safe if in a hotel when not on your person.

I'm not saying you're likely to be the victim of petty theft, but it can just be more likely in certain kinds of places and, as a rich tourist, you're going to be some kind of potential target sometimes. And sometimes that could be in the poshest café, so do keep your belongings close.

I don't mean to be alarmist or exaggerate security issues in Argentina, because you'll be fine, but I feel it's important to mention these things so that you have the most enjoyable time possible.

hibsman

All good advice Sarkozy, thanks. Yes we are going to bring a wad of dollars as you suggest and probably some euros, will then try to exchange for the blue rate to get best value. will bring cards too as a back up but from what I read elsewhere, cash is by far the best idea in terms of getting a good rate.

Browney7

hibsman wrote: »

All good advice Sarkozy, thanks. Yes we are going to bring a wad of dollars as you suggest and probably some euros, will then try to exchange for the blue rate to get best value. will bring cards too as a back up but from what I read elsewhere, cash is by far the best idea in terms of getting a good rate.

Bring US 100 dollar bills. Make sure the notes have no rips or marks or ink as they are reluctant to take these. Blue rate is hovering around 15 on Florida street in Buenos Aires at the moment so nearly 80% better than official. You can book internal flights in Aerolineas Argentinas offices and so you will save a fair bit.

If going down south change plenty in BA. Hard to get the full blue rate in Calafate etc where you go see glaciers. Andesmar busses are very good for long distance busses. Cama class is good and Primera class is better again (lie flat beds). Avoid semi cams.

Advice bring dollars and if you run low in BA head to Uruguay and get more from ATMs there. Pay for everything in cash and you'll save a fortune.

sarkozy

I think Primera class is also Supercama. +1 for Andesmar. I think we got these guys Supercama to Iguazú. Cruz del Sur is a good bet in Perú, but I don't think you've going there.