Buenos Dias Rich,
Fair warning! Be careful what you ask for. Long read ahead.
As Dan Hammer wrote, international flights arrive and depart from Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE). Once in Argentina, your flights will most likely originate from and return to Jorge Newbery Airfield (AEP). Depending on traffic, those airports are over an hour apart so I wouldn’t plan on arriving EZE and immediately taking a taxi or car service to AEP. There are taxi/car service booths in the terminals at EZE and AEP where you can arrange your ride. You will prepay at that time.
When we go to Argentina, we go to our Airbnb/Hotel from the airport. We use BA as the hub of our travels often times renting an Airbnb for the entire time because they are very inexpensive compared to hotels. We leave what we don’t need to carry in the apartment when we take our side trips. At a minimum we recommend a minimum stay 1 - 2 nights in Buenos Aires at the beginning, 1 – 2 nights in the middle, and 1 – 2 nights at the end of each trip. We have always stayed longer. Buenos Aires is a large city, population about 3 million with some fascinating neighborhoods that reflect the ethnicity of the Europeans that settled in Argentina. You should explore BA and the best way to explore it is on foot with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. My wife and I highly recommend Marcelo Mansilla. He knows BA and its history exceptionally well. If you want to see and understand BA, Marcelo is the man to hire assuming he is available. He is often booked. He speaks English fluently. His rates are reasonable. You will do a lot of walking and take public transportation (bus/taxi) when necessary or you feel the need. You will pay for that. It isn’t in his fee. https://www.ciceroneba.com.ar/.
We recommend at least two full days of walking tours in BA. The neighborhoods of Palermo (where we typically stay), Recoleta (where the famous Recoleta Cemetery is located), Puerto Madero, San Telmo, and La Boca are a short list of neighborhoods to visit. There are others depending on available time. La Boca is a short, daytime visit only. It is a working-class neighborhood and not considered safe for a nighttime visit. It is kitschy but fine in the daytime. We typically split our walking tours among our arrival, mid-point, and departure stays. Adam Frisch mentioned an antique market. He is no doubt talking about the Feria de San Telmo which does take place between 10am – 4pm on Sundays weather permitting. Weather is mild and accommodating in April. The market is not limited to antiques. San Telmo is one of the oldest neighborhoods in BA and it is the center of the antique and silver trade.
Mendoza is on every wine lovers list. It is a vast wine area. The primary regions are Maipu Valley, Lujan de Cuyo, and Uco Valley. It takes a minimum of two days to visit all three regions but you really should allow three full days to tour. Logistical planning and finding the wineries in this vast area is a challenge. We hire an experienced guide and driver for our tours. No driving drunk or getting lost for us. I recommend Peter Cubillos, https://peterwinetours.com/. Peter knows wine. He has worked in wineries doing everything from scrubbing out concrete tanks, working in the laboratory, and making wine. He is fluent in English. I prefer to visit smaller producers. Before each trip, I send Peter a list of wineries that I think I want to visit. Sometimes he suggests changes based on his experience, availability, and other factors. We visit three wineries per day. The last visit is at a winery where we have a multi-course lunch paired with the wines of that winery. We typically stay 3 nights in an Airbnb in the city of Mendoza. On the last tour day, we take our luggage with us and Peter’s driver drops us at the airport to catch our flight back to BA.
Dan Hammer recommended that you try to get to Iguazú Falls or Iguaçu Falls Iguazu Falls - Wikipedia. He is absolutely correct. Do not go all the way to Argentina and miss them. It is easier and a shorter flight to fly to the Argentine side of the falls (IGR). There are tour operators but we have never used them. I would plan on two nights because you really should see both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls. The views are very different. The Brazilian side is better organized. If you are familiar with the Belmond brand, they have a hotel in the park on the Brazilian side. Take a look at their homepage if for no other reason than to see what the Brazilian side of the falls looks like. Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel | Hotel Beside Iguazu Falls. If you fly to IGR on the Argentinian side, there are cars for hire than can take you to the Brazilian side and the park entrance. From there it is easy. Just remember you will need your passport to cross back and forth over the border. You can pay the park entrance with a credit card.
If you have more time available, I recommend you visit Uruguay while in BA. It is just across the very wide Rio Plata. It is a 2 ½ hour ferry ride from the ferry port to Montevideo where an overnight stay is warranted. You could visit a winery or two while there. Bodegas Carrau and Bodega Bouza are close by. You will find some great Tannat and Tannat blends available. For a day trip, you could take the 1 ¼ hour ferry ride from BA to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It has a picturesque historic quarter that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a fun to explore the quarter. Don’t forget your passports.
Money: Our last trip to Argentina was in 2017 but from what I hear, things have not changed much. ATMs in Argentina have a very low maximum that can be withdrawn and it varies between ATMs. Typically, you might be able to get the Peso equivalent of $100 USD maybe a little more but it will cost you $10 - $15 in service charges to get it. Not all ATMs in Argentina are connected to the international system so finding one that will work is a matter of luck.
Miscellaneous:
- Use a credit card whenever possible.
a. When leaving a tip at a restaurant or anywhere else, leave it in cash (Pesos or USD equivalent) on the table. Many POS systems in Argentina do not accommodate tips. Large international hotels are an exception.
The underground economy is hard at work in Argentina.
- Take new, clean, crisp, unmarked $100 USD bills that have not been torn or dog-eared. Many supermarkets and mid-sized to large restaurants will accept USD and return Pesos in change. Just know the exchange
rate they are offering. We usually went to a local Supermercados Coto supermarket, bought a bottle of water or some other small item, gave them a $100 bill and got our change in Pesos. We found the exchange
rate to be fair and the process convenient. At other times, we paid for restaurant meals with USD and received Pesos in change. However, we used our credit cards whenever we could.
- In all large cities and wherever tourists are gathering anywhere in the world there is petty theft and mugging. Never ever wear any fancy jewelry or watches. Don’t carry high dollar designer goods (Louis Vuitton)
etc. Never let anyone see a wad of money. Discreetly remove the amount you might need in advance. Keep your phone close. Extending your arm to take a selfie could cost you your telephone or worse. iPhones
and other phones are very expensive in Argentina and they are the number one thing stolen.
- Dan Hammer mentioned scammers. While not as sophisticated as the ones in Paris, they are present. Being aware of your surroundings, scanning the area, and remaining alert are necessary in any large city or
tourist area.
- Taxis, Uber, and car services are plentiful in BA. If you decide to use Marcelo Mansilla, he can also arrange car services for you. He does not receive a fee for doing so. He arranged all of our trips to and from the
airports.
- Just for fun, if you are a coffee drinker, you need to understand what to order in Argentina. It is different.
Decoding the Argentine coffee menu - G Adventures
¡Ten un viaje maravilloso!
Michael