How do I really use the blue dollar?

Bring US$200 to US$400 per person in crisp, unfolded US$100 bills. Either change them at a cueva (informal exchange shop, your hotel recommends one) or transfer to yourself via Western Union and collect at a WU office in Buenos Aires. Both give the blue rate (currently 50 to 80 percent better than card payments). Never change at the airport or on the street.

What is the deal with Argentine steak?

Pampas grass-fed beef, mostly Angus and Hereford, butchered into cuts you do not see in Europe (ojo de bife, bife de chorizo, vacio, entrana). Order one bife de chorizo (sirloin) for the table to share, then a small entrana (skirt) for the variety. Always jugoso (medium-rare) or a punto (medium). Sides are simple, papas fritas and provoleta. Argentine Malbec or a Cabernet Franc; the house wine is fine.

Is Buenos Aires expensive?

With the blue dollar, no. Mid-tier €60 to €100 per person per day for everything except flights. A bife de chorizo dinner with wine for two at a serious parrilla is €40. A boutique apartment for 4 in Palermo is €120 a night. Even Don Julio (the famous one) is €60 per person all in. The catch is paying by card at the official rate, which doubles all of those numbers.

Should we add Mendoza or Iguazu?

Add one if 6 days feels short. Mendoza for wine country (3 to 4 nights, 1.5-hour flight, the Malbec heartland, rent a car). Iguazu for the bucket-list waterfall (2 nights, 1.5-hour flight, do both Argentinian and Brazilian sides). Both work as extensions; do BA first, side-trip after.

Buenos Aires planning, 6 min read

6 days in Buenos Aires, what to know before you book

Published 5 June 2026

Quick answer

-Bring crisp US$100 bills, the blue-dollar rate is 50 to 80 percent better than the card rate.
-Argentines eat dinner at 10pm at the earliest, restaurants seating at 8pm are empty for a reason.
-Don Julio books out 3 months ahead, Anchoita 4, La Cabrera walks in at off-hours.
-Tap water is fine, tipping is 10 percent at restaurants.
-Base in Palermo Soho or Hollywood, never near Constitucion or Retiro at night.

The blue dollar (and how foreigners actually pay)

Argentina has two exchange rates, the official rate (oficial, bad) and the blue dollar (real). The gap moves but currently the blue rate is 50 to 80 percent better than the official. Foreign cards charge near the official rate, so paying everything by card means halving your spending power.

The legal workaround: Western Union. Transfer US dollars to yourself, pick up Argentine pesos at any WU office in Buenos Aires, and you get the blue rate without paperwork. Bring US$200 to US$400 per person and top up as needed. The other option is to change crisp US$100 bills at a cueva (informal exchange shop) recommended by your hotel; never on the street, never at the airport (the worst rate in the country).

Visa and Mastercard now offer a "tarjeta MEP" rate that is close to the blue rate at point of sale, check before you fly; it changes monthly.

The dinner clock and the merienda

Argentines eat dinner at 10pm at the earliest. Restaurants open at 8 and serve a few foreigners and tourists; the room fills at 9:30. If a parrilla looks empty at 8:30pm, that is correct, do not panic.

Lunch is 1:30pm to 3pm. The merienda (afternoon snack with mate and medialunas, around 5pm) is sacred and the gap between lunch and dinner is built around it. Treat it as a planned stop, not a snack.

A parrilla dinner is a 2.5 to 3 hour event, choripán and provoleta as starters, an ojo de bife or bife de chorizo as the main, a bottle of Malbec, flan or panqueque as dessert. Espresso, then a digestive amaro. Pace it.

What foreigners get wrong in BA

A few common tells:

Tipping in US dollars, useless, the server takes them at the official rate. Tip in pesos.

Going to Don Julio without a reservation, the famous one books 3 months ahead. La Cabrera is the famous-and-touristy one (good but a tier below). Walk into La Carniceria, El Pobre Luis, or Hugo at off-hours instead.

Ordering steak well-done, the cooks comply, but the quality of the cut deserves medium-rare (jugoso) or medium (a punto).

Booking a tango show at a tourist palace (El Querandi, Esquina Carlos Gardel) thinking it is the real thing. It is theatre. La Catedral, Salon Canning, or La Viruta on Wednesday night are where the city dances.

Buying a SUBE card and then losing it; the metro and bus system needs one, the kiosks sell them with no deposit.

Walking around La Boca at night, the Caminito is fine at 10am but dodgy by 6pm; the rest of the neighbourhood is not tourist-safe.

Where to base the crew

Palermo Soho is the best base for 4 to 6 people. Tree-lined streets, the highest restaurant density in the city, walkable to Palermo Hollywood, mid-priced boutique hotels and apartments. Trip mood lives here.

Palermo Hollywood is the slightly calmer cousin, more residential, denser with the design and tech crowd. Both blend into each other.

Recoleta for old-money vibes and the cemetery, more formal, the food scene drops off. Good for couples and short stays.

San Telmo for atmosphere on a Sunday (the antique market) but residential streets feel rough at night.

Avoid the area around Constitucion, Once, and Retiro stations at night entirely; the safety drops sharply.

Hidden corners worth knowing the names of

Not the headlines. The names locals reach for after Recoleta Cemetery and the obvious parrilla.

San Telmo market on a Sunday, antique fair the locals also browse, eat empanadas at El Hipopotamo.

Mataderos fair on Sunday afternoon, gaucho festival, folk music, no tourists, an hour from the centre by bus.

A milonga at La Catedral or Salon Canning, locals dancing tango at 2am, the show ones are for cruises.

Cafe Tortoni for the room, not the food, the 1858 cafe interior is museum-grade.

Tigre Delta on a weekday, wooden boats through subtropical canals, an hour by train from Retiro.

Hugo (the wine bar in Villa Crespo) or El Preferido for the parrilla locals actually love.

The booking timeline

Four months out, Don Julio (the famous parrilla, the bottleneck). Anchoita 4 to 6 weeks.

Eight weeks out, hotel for the group in Palermo (the boutiques have 6 to 8 rooms total).

Three weeks out, Mendoza or Iguazu side-trip flights if extending.

A week out, the milonga choice (La Catedral, Salon Canning, La Viruta), Tigre Delta day trip, and i Latina or Sarkis dinner.

On the day, choripan at the river-walk vendors, an ice cream at Rapanui or Chungo, the cafe stop at Las Violetas.

Getting around (and the safety reality)

Uber and Cabify both work, Cabify is the slightly more reliable for groups. A 20-minute cross-city ride is €3 to €5 (paying via card at the official rate) or roughly €1.50 to €2.50 if you pay cash at the blue rate.

The metro (Subte) is cheap (€0.20 a ride with SUBE), six colour-coded lines, clean enough in daylight, less so after 9pm. Buses (colectivos) are reliable but require a SUBE card and patience.

From EZE airport, an official Tienda Leon shuttle to Retiro is €12 and 50 minutes. Uber and Cabify both work at EZE but the queue can be 20 minutes; the official radio taxi rank is the easier option for groups with luggage.

Frequently asked

How do I really use the blue dollar?
Bring US$200 to US$400 per person in crisp, unfolded US$100 bills. Either change them at a cueva (informal exchange shop, your hotel recommends one) or transfer to yourself via Western Union and collect at a WU office in Buenos Aires. Both give the blue rate (currently 50 to 80 percent better than card payments). Never change at the airport or on the street.
What is the deal with Argentine steak?
Pampas grass-fed beef, mostly Angus and Hereford, butchered into cuts you do not see in Europe (ojo de bife, bife de chorizo, vacio, entrana). Order one bife de chorizo (sirloin) for the table to share, then a small entrana (skirt) for the variety. Always jugoso (medium-rare) or a punto (medium). Sides are simple, papas fritas and provoleta. Argentine Malbec or a Cabernet Franc; the house wine is fine.
Is Buenos Aires expensive?
With the blue dollar, no. Mid-tier €60 to €100 per person per day for everything except flights. A bife de chorizo dinner with wine for two at a serious parrilla is €40. A boutique apartment for 4 in Palermo is €120 a night. Even Don Julio (the famous one) is €60 per person all in. The catch is paying by card at the official rate, which doubles all of those numbers.
Should we add Mendoza or Iguazu?
Add one if 6 days feels short. Mendoza for wine country (3 to 4 nights, 1.5-hour flight, the Malbec heartland, rent a car). Iguazu for the bucket-list waterfall (2 nights, 1.5-hour flight, do both Argentinian and Brazilian sides). Both work as extensions; do BA first, side-trip after.