How to Get Around Argentina

Distance is the governing fact

Argentina runs some 3,700 kilometres north to south, and the two things most visitors come for sit at opposite ends of it: subtropical waterfalls in the northeast and Patagonian ice in the south. Domestic flights are the only realistic way to join them -- Aerolíneas Argentinas and the budget carriers put Patagonia or Iguazú a few hours from Buenos Aires against several days by road. The network is radial, so a leg between two provincial cities frequently routes through the capital.

Buses

The long-distance bus network is extensive, comfortable and the thing Argentina genuinely does better than most countries. Cama and semi-cama seats recline far enough to make an overnight journey restful rather than endured, and the price is a fraction of the flight. For anything under about twelve hours this is usually the better choice; beyond that, fly.

Cities

Buenos Aires has a subway, a dense bus network and a rechargeable card that covers both, and the city is flat and walkable in the central barrios. Elsewhere, provincial cities are compact enough to walk and taxis are cheap. A car earns its keep only in Patagonia, the Andean northwest and the wine country around Mendoza, where the distances between anything are long and the buses infrequent.

Money, practically

Carry cash, keep it out of sight -- the advisory suggests a money belt under clothing -- and be ready to produce a passport when paying by credit card, which is a routine request here rather than a suspicion. Keep a copy of the passport somewhere separate.

Emergencies

For an ambulance the numbers are 107 or 911. Medical facilities are good but can be expensive, so travel insurance covering local treatment and medical evacuation matters more here than the quality of care would suggest.

Fly the ends, bus the middle

The rule that makes Argentine itineraries work is a time threshold rather than a distance one. Under roughly twelve hours, take the bus: cama and semi-cama seats are comfortable, the network is dense, and the saving against a flight is large. Over it, fly, because the alternative is two days of road for one destination. Buenos Aires to Patagonia or Iguazú is firmly in flying territory.

The network assumes the capital

Argentina's transport radiates from Buenos Aires because the capital's primacy dates from 1816 and nothing has displaced it. A route between two provincial cities may therefore be quicker and cheaper via the capital than directly, and checking that before assuming a lateral leg exists saves a wasted day.

Card, cash and passport

You may need to produce your passport when paying with a credit card, so keep a copy somewhere safe and separate. Carry cash out of sight or close to you -- the advisory recommends a money belt under clothing. Neither is unusual advice for the region; what is unusual is how routinely the passport request actually comes up.

Where a car is worth it

Three regions justify one: Patagonia, where the distances between towns are long and buses infrequent; the Andean northwest, where the good drives are the point; and the Mendoza wine country, where the wineries are spread out. Everywhere else the buses and flights do it better, and a car in Buenos Aires is a liability.