Tips for my 2 weeks trip to BA - Apartment recommendations

[Pink Panther]

I am seeing a tour offered for $200 for boca jrs game. Is it worth it? That's a lot of argentinian pesos there.

Let us know how your trip goes and what you think of BA. Nothing like an Argentine soccer match. That sounds a bit on the pricey side. But when I went to a game I spent about $150 USD. They aren't cheap. Which match you going to?

 

[1031Brah]

Let us know how your trip goes and what you think of BA. Nothing like an Argentine soccer match. That sounds a bit on the pricey side. But when I went to a game I spent about $150 USD. They aren't cheap. Which match you going to?

Thanks i arrived today. This place reminds me a bit of NYC.

I am in the north part of Palermo near Plaza Italia and the subte. I am surprised because I haven't seen too many bars here, but I looked on google and it looks like they are mostly deeper into the Palermo area near Plaza Sorana.

I ended up transferring $100 via Western Union since I had a discount code. It was really difficult to get the money. I went to three different Western Unions in my area. Eventually I found a big Western Union store on Armenia and they gave me the pesos effectivo. They didn't have an envelope so I had to place the big wad of cash in the pocket of my jacket.

Similar to other Latin America countries it seems like a lot of people here don't speak English. I had many people from LatAm and MX that studied at my university whom I met and befriended. They speak perfect english, so I am curious why 95% of the population in the countries don't speak English like they do. Maybe they were the rich kids or something who I met in college.

What grocery stores would you recommend? I went to some chinese stores near me but since I used my credit card they charged me 10%. Is Carrefore the best supermarket near me, that would be equivalent to a big grocery store in the US like Frys, Safeway, Ralphs, and Kroger? Or do people use one of the delivery services here for their grocery shopping?

 

[1031Brah]

You will send US dollars but you will pick it up and they will give it to you in Argentine pesos. You can see the exchange rate on their App when you are sending it. Today it is 1,033 pesos to $1 US dollar. The rate changes each day.



The soccer matches are very expensive here. Is it just a tour or an actual match?

yes its next week against Godoy Cruz. The reviews are pretty bad though on tripadvisor. I am not sure if I will go.

Is it bad to just go solo to a game? Is it really that dangerous to buy a ticket and watch the game? Maybe not Boca but Riverplate instead or another team?

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Lo

yes its next week against Godoy Cruz. The reviews are pretty bad though on tripadvisor. I am not sure if I will go.

Is it bad to just go solo to a game? Is it really that dangerous to buy a ticket and watch the game? Maybe not Boca but Riverplate instead or another team?

Look at this page for soccer games /

All experiences - Pibe de Barrio

pibedebarrio.com

I have used them and they are serious people. They offer guided tours which are absolutely necessary if you don't speak Spanish

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Thanks i arrived today. This place reminds me a bit of NYC.

I am in the north part of Palermo near Plaza Italia and the subte. I am surprised because I haven't seen too many bars here, but I looked on google and it looks like they are mostly deeper into the Palermo area near Plaza Sorana.

I ended up transferring $100 via Western Union since I had a discount code. It was really difficult to get the money. I went to three different Western Unions in my area. Eventually I found a big Western Union store on Armenia and they gave me the pesos effectivo. They didn't have an envelope so I had to place the big wad of cash in the pocket of my jacket.

Similar to other Latin America countries it seems like a lot of people here don't speak English. I had many people from LatAm and MX that studied at my university whom I met and befriended. They speak perfect english, so I am curious why 95% of the population in the countries don't speak English like they do. Maybe they were the rich kids or something who I met in college.

What grocery stores would you recommend? I went to some chinese stores near me but since I used my credit card they charged me 10%. Is Carrefore the best supermarket near me, that would be equivalent to a big grocery store in the US like Frys, Safeway, Ralphs, and Kroger? Or do people use one of the delivery services here for their grocery shopping?

Carrefour , Jumbo and Coto are the three biggest chains.

Almost all chinos will charge you a supplement for using a credit card - in my local store its 13% , so he has lost our business.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Lo

Look at this page for soccer games /

All experiences - Pibe de Barrio

pibedebarrio.com

I have used them and they are serious people. They offer guided tours which are absolutely necessary if you don't speak Spanish

You should note that pricing on the Pibedebarrio website is in Euros

100 Euros is around 106 dollars

 

[MikeAnton]

Thanks i arrived today. This place reminds me a bit of NYC.

I am in the north part of Palermo near Plaza Italia and the subte. I am surprised because I haven't seen too many bars here, but I looked on google and it looks like they are mostly deeper into the Palermo area near Plaza Sorana.

I ended up transferring $100 via Western Union since I had a discount code. It was really difficult to get the money. I went to three different Western Unions in my area. Eventually I found a big Western Union store on Armenia and they gave me the pesos effectivo. They didn't have an envelope so I had to place the big wad of cash in the pocket of my jacket.

Similar to other Latin America countries it seems like a lot of people here don't speak English. I had many people from LatAm and MX that studied at my university whom I met and befriended. They speak perfect english, so I am curious why 95% of the population in the countries don't speak English like they do. Maybe they were the rich kids or something who I met in college.

What grocery stores would you recommend? I went to some chinese stores near me but since I used my credit card they charged me 10%. Is Carrefore the best supermarket near me, that would be equivalent to a big grocery store in the US like Frys, Safeway, Ralphs, and Kroger? Or do people use one of the delivery services here for their grocery shopping?

Yep. BA is a blend of NYC and some European cities too. Just go around Plaza Serrano and you will see plenty of bars. But they are all over Soho and Hollywood. On Western Union it is easier just to go to a larger office. The one you went on Armenia is a larger store and always have many employees working and always have money.

The educated here from well off families speak English. The others not so much. Or older people as well seem to speak more English as they might have learned when the economy was better. The ones you went to school were probably wealthier and they do learn in School.

Coto, Carrefour and there is a huge Jumbo store in Palermo that is very big. Chinese markets are small and they have basics but have to pay in cash or pay surcharge.

The outfit @GlasgowJohn mentions is very good. A friend used them and liked it. Many people in the group so you won't end up being alone.

 

[1031Brah]

Carrefour , Jumbo and Coto are the three biggest chains.

Almost all chinos will charge you a supplement for using a credit card - in my local store its 13% , so he has lost our business.

Thank you. Yes I will try to avoid the chinese stores or just use pesos there. There is a Coto near me about 8 minutes away. i will try to visit today or tomorrow. Lately I have just been eating the food I bought from the Chinese store or from the empanada restaurants nearby.

Do you have any thoughts on using the bus, subway, uber, or cabify here? I normally just uber everywhere I go. But is it better to use these other options or cabify at least? I will have to download this app on my phone soon.

 

[earlyretirement]

Thank you. Yes I will try to avoid the chinese stores or just use pesos there. There is a Coto near me about 8 minutes away. i will try to visit today or tomorrow. Lately I have just been eating the food I bought from the Chinese store or from the empanada restaurants nearby.

Do you have any thoughts on using the bus, subway, uber, or cabify here? I normally just uber everywhere I go. But is it better to use these other options or cabify at least? I will have to download this app on my phone soon.

Chinos are very convenient as many neighborhoods have them in many locations. It's not always easy to go to big supermarket which may be far away. Also many people use Rappi and get things delivered. You should see if you can download Rappi as it's really super convenient to get things delivered (drinks, food, ice, etc). You can sign up for Rappi Prime if you will be here a month or more and get free deliveries. I use it all the time.

Uber works extremely well in BA. Cabify is sometimes cheaper but you have to have cash on you for it. I like Uber for the ability to not have to carry cash around and I can tip what I want from the App. I sometimes use Cabify if Uber is taking too long but Uber usually has short wait times. I will use a taxi if there happens to be one right at the corner I am at. You can cancel Ubers before they arrive typically for no penalty so I sometimes do that if I'm in a hurry I will take a taxi if I can snag one before the Uber arrives.

I don't use the bus or subways as they are usually really congested. It's super cheap but time is usually a factor for me.

 

[1031Brah]

Do you have recommendations for tours around BA? I am seeing several companies offering this on tripadvisor. One friend told me to just do the hop on hop off bus, but I am not sure. The prices for the private tours are $50 on tripadvisor.

 

[1031Brah]

You should note that pricing on the Pibedebarrio website is in Euros

100 Euros is around 106 dollars

Thanks I will check out this website. I notice a lot of matches are during the week. Is this normal here? I am use to matches being on Saturday or Sunday.

 

[earlyretirement]

Do you have recommendations for tours around BA? I am seeing several companies offering this on tripadvisor. One friend told me to just do the hop on hop off bus, but I am not sure. The prices for the private tours are $50 on tripadvisor.

Many of my clients have used Sandra for the past 20 years and raved about her. She is a very nice woman that knows BA well.

My Buenos Aires Travel Guide

Get the best information about Buenos Aires and book exclusive city tours and experiences through a personalized travel planning and concierge service

www.batravelguide.com

 

[1031Brah]

Many of my clients have used Sandra for the past 20 years and raved about her. She is a very nice woman that knows BA well.

My Buenos Aires Travel Guide

Get the best information about Buenos Aires and book exclusive city tours and experiences through a personalized travel planning and concierge service

www.batravelguide.com

Thank you I will contact her and inquire about her services for the tour.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Thanks I will check out this website. I notice a lot of matches are during the week. Is this normal here? I am use to matches being on Saturday or Sunday.

Games are normally Saturday and Sunday but sometimes they paly during the week as well -. there are also sone cup games as well at the moment and these are mid week.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

@1031Brah , look at the web sites for Coto , Carrefour and Jumbo / there are lots of specials at the weekend.

 

[Vero]

Thank you I will contact her and inquire about her services for the tour.

Sandra is fabulous. She has assisted several of my friends when they are in town. She gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

[1031Brah]

I talked to some locals tonight. They said tickets to argentinian soccer games usually cost 10k or 15k pesos. He showed me how to buy them online from the clubs.

So given this info is it still worth it to pay $200 or $100 (100k pesos) from the websites aimed at tourists?

 

[Betsy Ross]

I talked to some locals tonight. They said tickets to argentinian soccer games usually cost 10k or 15k pesos. He showed me how to buy them online from the clubs.

So given this info is it still worth it to pay $200 or $100 (100k pesos) from the websites aimed at tourists?

If you can get tickets for only 10,000 to 15,000 pesos jump at it!! I'm not sure which games but that seems like great value!

 

[GlasgowJohn]

It costs 10k pesos to see Villa Dalmine in Campana who play in the Liga Metropolitana , which is like the Third Division.

You might get into a second-division game for between 25 and 25k

But first division will be a minimum of 50k

If you go with a socio it might be less but you need someone to buy the ticket for you.

 

[Vince]

I talked to some locals tonight. They said tickets to argentinian soccer games usually cost 10k or 15k pesos. He showed me how to buy them online from the clubs.

So given this info is it still worth it to pay $200 or $100 (100k pesos) from the websites aimed at tourists?

It costs 10k pesos to see Villa Dalmine in Campana who play in the Liga Metropolitana , which is like the Third Division.

You might get into a second-division game for between 25 and 25k

But first division will be a minimum of 50k

If you go with a socio it might be less but you need someone to buy the ticket for you.

It all depends. As @GlasgowJohn mentioned, there are all sort of lower division leagues. You have to do an apples to apples comparison with what the higher price website is going to and the other. Maybe ask your local friend to explain the difference. If you have never been to a game you might want to go with a group. For some it can be intimidating alone.