Argentina

SAFETY: good
On the whole the country has no particular trouble spots or high-risk areas. Petty crime is on the rise, however, especially in the Buenos Aires urban area but also on the outskirts of other cities, so caution and common sense are advised.

TRANSPORT SYSTEM: good
Buenos Aires is well connected with the whole world, Italy included. The country is fairly easy to get around, both by air thanks to numerous domestic airports and by bus, less so by train. Road surfaces are often in poor condition, local drivers are reckless and petrol stations are scarce in the centre-south; in addition, part of the country is not particularly accessible in winter. You can arrive from all the neighbouring countries, and it is also possible to reach Argentine Antarctica and the southern islands.

Main airports: Buenos Aires (Ezeiza).
Main ports: Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Rosario, Santa Fe, San Nicolas, La Plata, Quequén.

ACCOMMODATION: fair
A good choice and quality of accommodation of all kinds and price ranges, especially in the big cities and along the classic tourist circuit,  whereas options thin out in the less-visited areas.

COUNTRY FACTS: Full name: Argentine Republic – Location: South America (south-east). Borders: Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Chile to the east, the Atlantic Ocean, Uruguay and Brazil to the west– Time zone: UTC -3, 4 hours behind Italy – Area: 2,766,000 sq km – Capital: Buenos Aires – Population: 40,300,000 – Religion: 90% Catholic, 2% Protestant, 8% other – Languages: Spanish (official language), English understood – Measures: metric system.

CURRENCY: Argentine peso (ARS). There are no limits on importing or exporting currency, except for a limit of US$10,000 on the way out– Credit cards: the most common credit cards are accepted in the big cities and larger businesses; elsewhere, local currency –Exchange: bring euros, easy to exchange.

ELECTRICITY: 220 V and 50 Hz (as in Italy) – Sockets: two- and three-pin types, bring an adaptor.

DOCUMENTS: valid passport; no visa is required for tourist stays of up to 90 days. For stays longer than 90 days a residence permit must be requested from the consulate – Driving: international driving permit– Car: local third-party motor insurance.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TELEPHONES: International dialling code: 0054 – GSM: partial coverage, concentrated mainly in and around Buenos Aires and the main cities of the centre, almost none in Patagonia and the south. Standard: GSM 1900/850. Local operators: CTI Movil, Movistar, Telecom Personal – Internet: widely available in the big cities and in top-category hotels – Web domain: .ar – Emergency numbers: police 101; ambulance 107.

RULES, LAWS AND CONDUCT: legislation on the use or trafficking of narcotics, on prostitution and on offences against minors provides for severe criminal penalties including imprisonment (possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use is not punished). Homosexuality is legal and in recent years laws against sexual discrimination have been introduced; in Buenos Aires alone, civil unions between same-sex couples are also possible. The rest of the country, however, with its predominantly Catholic and traditionalist culture, does not tolerate open displays.

HEALTH: no preventive vaccinations are required. The health situation is fairly good, but public facilities are not comparable with European standards; the big cities have good private facilities, but they are expensive. For the Andes, good health and a gradual ascent are recommended. 

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: 1 January, New Year’s Day; Good Friday and Easter (March/April); 1 May, Labour Day; 25 May, 1810 Revolution Day; 10 June, Malvinas Day; 20 June, Flag Day; 9 July, Independence Day; 17 August, anniversary of the death of San Martín; 12 October, Columbus Day; 25 December, Christmas Day.

OPENING HOURS: Post offices: Mon-Fri 8.00-17.00 – Banks: Mon-Fri 10.00-15.00 – Shops: Mon-Sat 9.00-19.30 (variable) – Closing day: Sunday.

CLIMATE: mainly temperate, but in the Litoral region north of Buenos Aires it is at times tropical, and along the long strip of the high Andes and in the southern part of Tierra del Fuego it is arid or polar.
Rainfall is not high across much of Argentina, with arid areas in the far north-west and in southern Patagonia. The wettest areas are in the north-east, in the Pampas, the eastern Chaco and Mesopotamia. Patagonia is arid or steppe-like and exposed to very strong winds; the Pampas are milder and wetter.

Monthly min/max temperatures (in °C)

Rainy days (at least 1 mm of rain)/rainfall in mm

USEFUL ADDRESSES IN ITALY

Embassy of the Argentine Republic
Via Vittorio Veneto 7 – 00187 Rome – Tel. 06 48904740/42016021 – Consular section tel. 06 42870023  

Consulates
Piazzale delle Belle Arti 8 – 00196 Rome – Tel. 06 483586
Via Agnello 2 – 20121 Milan – Tel. 02 77729401

USEFUL ADDRESSES IN ARGENTINA

Italian Embassy
Calle Billinghurst 2577 – 1425 Buenos Aires – Tel. 00541140112100 – Fax 40112109 – Web: ambbuenosaires.esteri.it – E-mail: segreteria.buenosaires@esteri.it

Consulates General

Avenida Colón 446 – 8000 Bahía Blanca – Tel. 0054 2914544731 – Tel. 0054 2914545140 – Fax 4551633 – Web: consbahiablanca.esteri.it – E-mail: consolato.bahiablanca@esteri.it

Reconquista 572 – (C1003ABL) Buenos Aires – Tel. 0054 1141144800 – Fax 41144799 – Web: consbuenosaires.esteri.it – E-mail: segreteriacg.buenosaires@esteri.it

Av. Velez Sarsfield 360 – 5000 Córdoba – Tel. 0054 3515261000 – Fax 5261010 – Web: conscordoba.esteri.it – E-mail: segreteria.cordoba@esteri.it

Calle 48 no. 869 – 1900 La Plata – Tel. 0054 2215218800 – Fax 5218828 – Web: conslaplata.esteri.it – E-mail: segreteria.laplata@esteri.it

Montevideo 2182 – Rosario – Tel. 0054 3414407020 / 4407021 – Fax 0054 3414258189 – Web: consrosario.esteri.it – E-mail: titolare.rosario@esteri.it

First-class Consulate
Calle Necochea 712 – 5500 Mendoza – Tel. 00542615201400 – Fax 5201401 – Web: consmendoza.esteri.it – E-mail: consolato.mendoza@esteri.it

Consulate
Falucho 1416 – 7600 Mar del Plata – Tel. 0054 2234517703 – Tel. 0054 2234864214 – Fax 4518623 – Web: consmardelplata.esteri.it – E-mail: segreteria.mardelplata@esteri.it

Secretaria de Turismo de la Nacion
Calle Suipacha 1111, 20° – 1368 Buenos Aires – Tel. 0054 11 43125621/15 – Fax 0054 11 43136834 – Web: www.turismo.gov.ar – E-mail: info@turismo.gov.ar

Oficina Central de Información Turistica
Av. Santa Fe 883 – 1059 Buenos Aires – Tel. 0054 11 43122232/5550 or 0800 555 0016 – E-mail: turismo@buenosaires.gov.ar