By Bus
The Estación Terminal de Omnibus, Avenida Ramos Mejía 1680 (tel. 11/4310-0700), located near Retiro Station, serves all long-distance buses. You would use this station when connecting to other parts of Argentina, or by long-distance coach from other countries. Due to the high cost of air transport for most South Americans, the continent is served by numerous companies offering comfortable, and at times luxurious, bus services to other capitals, often overnight. This is ideal for student and budget travelers.
Among the major bus companies that operate out of Buenos Aires are La Veloz del Norte (tel. 11/4315-2482), serving destinations in the Northwest, including Salta and Jujuy; Singer (tel. 11/4315-2653), serving Puerto Iguazú as well as Brazilian destinations; and T.A. Chevallier (tel. 11/4313-3297), serving points throughout the country.
The Estación Terminal de Omnibus, sometimes referred to as the Retiro Bus Station, is sprawling, enormous, and confusing. Just walking from one end to another takes about 15 minutes, given the ramps, crowds, and stairs you have to maneuver through. Routes and platform locations rarely make it to the overhead boards, so they should never be relied on as the main source of information when trying to find your bus. In spite of the chaos readily observable here, there is an overarching order to the confusion. A color-coded system used at the ticket-counters explains, in general, which destinations of the country are served by which bus lines. Red, for instance, indicates the center of the country, including the province of Buenos Aires, dark blue the south, orange the north, green the northeast, light blue the central Atlantic coast, and gray the international destinations. However, at their sales counters, many bus companies indicate names of cities on their destination lists that they no longer serve, so you may have to stand in a line to ask. Many companies also have more than one name, adding to the visual clutter at the ticket-counters. To help you make sense of it all, use www.tebasa.com.ar, the terminal's website, while planning your trip. Click on the province where you are traveling and a list of bus companies and phone numbers will come up. Bus tickets can also be purchased at most travel agents. This can cost slightly more, but can save a lot of confusion.
By Car
In Buenos Aires travel by subte (subway), remise, or radio-taxi (radio-dispatched taxis, as opposed to street taxis) is easier and safer than driving yourself. Rush-hour traffic is chaotic, and parking is difficult. If you have rented a car, park it at your hotel or a nearby garage, and leave it there. Most daily parking charges do not exceed US$4 or US$5 (£2.10-£2.65). Many recently built hotels have parking on the premises; others use nearby garages.
Many international car-rental companies operate in Argentina with offices at airports and in city centers. Here are the main offices in Buenos Aires for the major agencies: Hertz, Paraguay 1122 (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S., or 11/4816-8001 in Buenos Aires); Avis, Cerrito 1527 (tel. 800/230-4898 in the U.S., or 11/4300-8201 in Buenos Aires); Dollar, Marcelo T. de Alvear 523 (tel. 800/800-6000 in the U.S., or 11/4315-8800 in Buenos Aires); and Thrifty, Avenida Leandro N. Alem 699 (tel. 800/847-4389 in the U.S., or 11/4315-0777 in Buenos Aires). Car rental is expensive in Argentina, with standard rates beginning at about US$50 to US$60 (£27-£32) per day for a subcompact with unlimited mileage (ask for any special promotions, especially on weekly rates). Check if your existing automobile insurance policy (or a credit card) covers insurance for car rentals.
