LOCAL INFORMATION

GEOGRAPHY & GOVERNMENT:

Official Name: The Republic of Argentina
Population: 35.000.000
Capital: Buenos Aires
Language: Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic
Government: Federal Republic with the Senate and Chamber of Deputies and the President as Head of State. Current President: Nestor Kirchner (Peronist Party)
Boundering Countries: Chile (West), Bolivia and Paraguay (North), Brazil and Uruguay (East).

WEATHER:

Most of Argentina lies within the temperate zone of the Southern Hemisphere. The northeastern part is very humid and subtropical (Iguazu Falls). The Northwest is tropical but has a mild winter (Salta). The Pampas are temperate. The southern part of the country has colder temperatures (Patagonia)
Temperature should be warm to hot in BA in December – January, it is summer, so expect nice sunny days in the eighties, every now and then there can be a trong summer shower. Buenos Aires has no rainy season, it rains periodically throughout the year, once every 8-9 days. Right now we are having the best of weathers, bright blue cloudless days. Buenos Aires has a wonderful weather throughout the year, it is seldom too hot or too cold, or too wet or too dry.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR:

The warmest months are January and February (24C/75F average temperature). The coldest months are June and July (10C/51F average temperature). No snow falls in Buenos Aires.
In the rest of the country: the north is warmer. Northeast humid, warm day and night. Northwest: dry, hot during the day, and chilly at night. Central area is very much like Buenos Aires, and the south (Patagonia) is colder and windy, mountain weather in the west, and ocean weather in the east. It is always cold at night. During the summer months it can be nice and sunny (shirtsleeves) but also rainy, windy and cold.

DRESS CODE:

Buenos Aires is a very European, cosmopolitan city. Daytime attire is quite elegant. Ladies wear suits, dresses, skirts and pants as well, what we call city clothes. However, you will fell comfortable dressing more casual as well. During the summer season, people tend to dress less formally. However, people do not wear shorts in the streets, but yes tennis shoes. At night, it depends where you go: sophisticated restaurants and tango nights are quite dressy, for ladies a cocktail dress or a pant suit will both do. Any kind of evening wrap like shawl or blazer would be ideal, in case of a cooler night, or air-conditioning. For men, although the more elegant restaurants would require a coat and tie, or coat at least, in summer, people are a lot more casual, and just wear a nice sport shirt.

JEWELRY:

Buenos Aires has always been a very safe city, however lately there have been incidents, specially with tourists as in all big cities, in taxis, in the street, etc. We always suggest travelling with as little jewelry as possible. You will have a safety deposit box at the hotel. Costume jewelry is recommended just to feel safe.

CURRENCY:

The Argentine currency is the Peso ($), and the exchange is 1 to 3,80 USD . Also US dollars are widely accepted, so you do not have to change much Argentine money. Bringing a pack of small dollar bills is useful.

SUGGESTED TIPS: Buenos Aires City.

•    Restaurants:  Service charge is not included in the bill. Expected tip is 10% of bills. Meals will vary from USD 30 to USD 50 per person at the restaurants. In some restaurants you cannot include it in the credit card, and must be left in cash.
•    Porters at Airports and Bellboys at Hotels: Tips are usually U$S 1 per bag.
•    Concierge: Depending how much you use him, a $ 20 tip for your stay should be fine.
•    Drivers:  They don’t expect any and highly appreciate it if they do (depending on how much you’ve had them, from U$S  20 to U$S $50).
•    Taxis: Do not expect a tip. However, we usually round up the figure, i.e if it is $4.80 we tend to leave a $5, but it is not absolutely necessary. You pay what is marked on the meter.
•    Guides in Buenos Aires: They highly appreciate to receive as deserved,

WATER:

It is perfectly safe to drink the tap water in Buenos Aires, not so in the country. However, it is advisable to order mineral water at restaurants, as every organism is different, and tap water could cause stomach digestion problems.

FOOD:

Fruits and vegetables are safe to eat. Milk and butter are pasteurized. Argentina beefs and wines are two musts when visiting Argentina.

ELECTRICITY:

220 Volts – 50 Cycles – AC

TAXIS:

Taxis are black and yellow. You can hail them anywhere in the street, or go to a taxi stop (mostly downtown). The taxi driver should charge exactly the amount of money in pesos that the meter shows for the trip. Taxis are quite reasonable in Argentina, normally a trip inside the city should cost between
$ 7 - $ 15, a very long trip, maximum $ 70. They do not expect a tip, but you can always round up the amount. Usually, taxi drivers are very friendly and educated. Every now and then, you could run into one who might want to outwit a tourist. One of the most common tricks, is to accept your bill, change it for an old one out of print, and tell you that the bill is no.
At hotels, you can ask for a car and driver that normally charge around U$S  30 the hour, or call us and we’ll provide one for that price, fully reliable and competent.

CREDIT CARDS:

Credit cards are widely accepted in stores, restaurants, etc. Sometimes you may be offered, or you can request a 10% discount for cash. The most accepted cards are Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Diners.

TAX:

VAT is 21% and it is included in all products in the final rate, except at hotels, where it is specified separately. There a few tax-free stores, where you can get the VAT reimbursed at the airport. You should ask before paying.

BANKING HOURS AND SHOPS:

Banks are regularly open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Stores are open from Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 a.m. (some 9:30 or 10:00) to 8:00 p.m. Shopping malls open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

WEIGHTS & MEASURES:

The metric system is used in Argentina
Length: 1 Inch = 2.45 Centimeters
Weight: 1 Pound = 0.45 Kilograms
Volume:  1 Gallon = 3078 Liters

Share This With Your Friends!

Google

Facebook

Twitter

Myspace

Linkedin

Digg

del.icio.us

Reddit

Technorati

Rain Concert