Argentina has forged its identity out of the lack of identity. Although this may seem a play on words, it is in fact the consequence of a country that developed through the imitation of others.
But, as one jumps into the heart of the country, certain cultural, social and historical characteristics show the forging of the Argentinean essence.
These historical, political and cultural features are a phenomenon that charms native people as well as tourists.
But, as Argentina is a country that is only understood by us, the ones who were born and live here, we have included some useful information to take into account at the moment you decide to travel to Argentina. This information will help you to arrange some details previous to your trip.

The first thing you need to have in mind is that, in the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are opposite to the ones in the North.

As a general rule, summer is the most recommended season to visit Patagonia and Mid-Andes, due to the mild temperatures and long days.

In winter, it is recommended to go to the North and Northeast because rains are not so frequent and tropical temperatures decrease some degrees.

To visit the city of Buenos Aires, Cuyo and provinces like La Rioja and Catamarca, fall and spring are the ideal seasons.

Duration of domestic flights from Buenos Aires:

Córdoba: 1 hour 15 minutes
El Calafate: 3 hours 15 minutes
Mar del Plata: 1 hour 10 minutes
Mendoza: 1 hour 50 minutes
Posadas: 1 hour 30 minutes
Puerto Iguazú: 1 hour 45 minutes
Río Gallegos: 2 hours 55 minutes
Salta: 2 hours
San Carlos de Bariloche: 2 hours 20 minutes
San Miguel de Tucumán: 1 hour 50 minutes
San Salvador de Jujuy: 2 hour 10 minutes
Trelew: 2 hours
Ushuaia: 3 hours 20 minutes

For long distances, the plane is the best way to travel within the country. You can combine it with terrestrial means of transport.

For domestic flight, these are the airlines: Aerolíneas Argentinas, American Falcon, LADE and Southern Winds.

Domestic flights and the ones to Uruguay depart from Jorge Newbery Airport, located at the North of the city, near the coast of River Plate.

The tax in domestic flights is $ 7, 05 and to Uruguay is from U$S 16,50 to U$S 20,50.

By bus

Buenos Aires bus station is located at 1680 Ramos Mejía Avenue, in the neighbourhood of, some blocks away from the Retiro Train Station (Phone Number 4310-0700).

The services provided by long distance buses are air-conditioning, bar and movies.

By train

The train lines are: Ferrobaires (Constitución Train Station, Phone number 4304 0028/31/38); TBA (Retiro Station, Phone Number 4317 4407/45); NOA Ferrocarriles S.A. (Retiro Station, Phone Number 4893 2244); Ferro Expreso Pampeano (Once Station, tel. 4331 2702); Urquiza Railway (Federico Lacroze Station, tel. 4553 0044).

Car Rental

In Buenos Aires City you can find : International Rent a Car (965 Maipú Street , Phone Number 4311 1000), Avis Rent a Car ( 1527 Cerrito Street, Phone Number 4307 5944), Budget Rent a Car (755 Córdoba Avenue, 2° floor, Phone Number 4311 9237), Dollar Rent a Car (449 M.T. de Alvear Street, Phone Number 4315 8800), Hertz - Annie Millet Rent a Car (Paraguay 1138, tel. 4816 8001), Localiza Rent a Car (1120 Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo , Of. 104 "A", Phone Number 4331 5444), Thrifty Car Rental (699 Leandro N. Alem Avenue Phone Number 4315-0777).

How to get

All the airlines that fly to Argentina arrive at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Ezeiza), located 35 km away from downtown Buenos Aires. It is linked through Teniente General Ricchieri Turnpike (Information Number: 4480 9538).

When you leave the country, you must pay a tax.

The companies Manuel Tienda León (790 Santa Fe Avenue, Phone Number 4314 3636) and Transfer Express (1045 Florida Street, Phone Number 4312 8883) provide a bus service from 05:00 a.m. to 08:30 p.m. The rates are $ 15.- and $ 11.- respectively and the journey takes 40 minutes. There are also taxis and remises (cars rented with driver) which charge from $ 35.- to $ 38- for the transportation.

V.A.T. is returned

At the airport, they will pay you back the money charged as Value Added Tax if you have bought national products for more than $ 70.- (with check) in shops which are members of "Global Refund" system.

Payment

Although you can pay with dollars, you can change money in Banks and Authorized Exchange Offices. The generally accepted credit cards are American Express, VISA, Diners and Master Card. Out of the big cities, you may have some problems to exchange checks.

To report lost or stolen credit cards:
American Express: 4312 0900
Master Card: 4345 1322
Visa: 4379 3400
Diners Club: 4708 2484

Traveler Assistance:
Travel Ace: 711 Paraná Street, Capital Federal. Telephone Number: 4374 1134
Assist Card: 1109 Suipacha Street, Capital Federal. Telephone Number: 4312 6801
Universal Assistance: 967Córdoba Avenue. Capital Federal. Telephone Number: 4323 6000

Commercial timetable

Banks and Exchange Offices: from Monday to Friday, from10:00 a.m. to 03:00 p.m.

Commercial Offices: generally open from 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 and from 02:00 p.m. to 07:00 p.m.

Shops: in big cities, from 09:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m., but in the provinces shops are closed from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (or 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). On Saturdays, the timetable goes from 09:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m.

Cafés, cafeterias and pizza-shops are open almost all day, except from 2.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m.

Restaurants: lunch is served from 12:30 and dinner from 08:30 p.m. Many places offer fast food at any time.

Tips

It is a custom to leave 10% of the check in cafeterias and restaurants and give a tip to doormen, porters and show ushers.

Name of the country

It derives from Latin "argentum", which means silver. The origin goes back to the first Spanish Conquerors that arrived to River Plate. Shipwrecked persons of Juan Díaz de Solís expedition encountered in the region with natives who gave them gifts made of silver. In 1524, returning to Spain, they talked about the existence of Sierra del Plata (Silver Mountain), a mountain rich in that precious metal. Since that moment, Portuguese people called Solís River, River Plate. The National Constitution, which was passed in 1853, included the name "Argentinean Republic".

Situation, extent and limits

Argentina is situated in South America, it has extension of almost 3,8 millions of km²: 2,8 belong to the continent, with approximately 54% of plains (prairies and sabanas), a 23% of plateau and a 23% of mountains; the rest the Antarctic Area.

Its 3,800 kilometres of length go from 22º to 55º of Southern Latitude. Argentina borders on Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile.

The riverside faces the Atlantic Ocean and is 4,725 km long.

Geography

One of the mains characteristics of Argentinean geography is the contrast between the extensive plains in the east and the magnificent Andes Range to the west, where, in Mendoza province, is located the highest mountain of the occidental hemisphere, the Aconcagua (6,959 meters high).

The Andes ranges, which extends from Jujuy to Tierra del Fuego, displays a wide variety of impressive landscapes, ranging from Northeast plateau, composed of deserts with valleys, multicolored hills, to the lakes, forests and imposing glaciers of Patagonia.

In the North, Chaco, which is a woods area, is linked to Bermejo, Salado and Pilcomayo Rivers.

The Argentinean Mesopotamia (Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones Provinces), an area between Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, is made up of low hills, lagoons and estuaries. In this area you find the impressive Iguazú falls.

The Pampa region is located in the center of Argentina and it is the most extensive area of the country. At the south, the landscape is interrupted by the small mountains of Tandil and Sierra de la Ventana and by Córdoba mountains to the west.

To the South, from the Andes to the sea, the patagonic plateau is situated. The Atlantic litoral, with high cliffs, shows wavy shapes such as Valdés Peninsula with spectacular settlements of marine animals.

Climate

Argentina is a country with almost all the climates: mild and humid in the Pampa, cold and humid in the west extreme of Patagonia, subtropical in the North of Mesopotamia and hot in the Northeast. From November to March, the average temperature is of 23° C and, from June to September is of 12° C.

Population

The population of Argentina is over 36 millions of inhabitants, but almost half of them live in Capital Federal and Buenos Aires Province.

95% of Argentinean people are white, the majority of them descendants of Italian and Spanish. Native population, among them mapuches, collas, tobas, matacos and chiriguanos, represent 0.5% of the inhabitants.

Language

Castellano (or Spanish) is the official language of the country. Among the province of Buenos Aires and the capital city, there are expressions of "lunfardo", that is the jargon from River Plate area.

Religion

The official religion of Argentina is Roman Catholic, even though there is cult freedom. Among other religions, there are Protestant, Jew, Islam, Orthodox Greeks, Orthodox Russians and more.

Currency

The peso is the official currency of the country. There are notes of 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100 pesos and coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 cents and one peso.

Constitution and government

The country is made up of 23 provinces and the Capital city, Ciudad de Buenos Aires. The government adopts the representative, republican and federal form according to the Constitution.

The Executive Power is hold by a President and a Vice-president for a period of four years. They can be re-elected for only one more consecutive period. The Legislative Power is made up of two chambers: Senators Chamber, made up of three members per province and three members from Buenos Aires City, and County Councilors Chamber, made up of representatives elected directly to the number of inhabitants per district. The president and Vice-President, the Chief of Government of the City of Buenos Aires, the governors of the provinces and the members of the legislative bodies are elected via secret and compulsory universal suffrage of men and women above 18. The Judicial Power is hold by the Supreme Court of Justice and Lower Courts.

Most important historical Dates:
May 25th, 1810: The First National Government Council was constituted.
July 9th, 1816: Independence was declared in the United provinces of River Plate.

Symbols

The flag is made up of three horizontal layers: the central is white with a rising sun and the upper and lower are light blue. The National Flower is "ceibo" and the National stone is "rodocrocita" or "Inca Rose".

Holidays

National Holidays are the following:

January 1st.: New Years' Day
March/ April: Easter - Holy Friday
April 2nd: Day of Veterans and Fallen in Malvinas War
May 1st: Labor Day
May 25th: Anniversary of the 1st. National Government
June 20th: Day of the National flag
July 9th: Independence Day
August 17th: Anniversary of General José de San Martín's Death
October 12th: Race Day
December 8th: Day of the Immaculate Conception
December 25th: Christmas

Formalities

To enter the country you need the passport in force, with or without permit, depending on the case. You should ask in your Embassy or nearest Consulate. Tourists that come from non neighbor countries do not pay taxes for baggage or new products up to US$ 300 and additional US$ 300 if the products were bought in free shops authorized in national territory.

There is no need to present a certificate of vaccines when entering the country.

Telephone numbers

Public telephones work with cards, which can be bought in kiosks, newsstands or offices belonging to telephone companies (Telefónica and Telecom), or with coins in force. There are also telephone booths offices and stores, called “Locutorio” which are open 24 hours a day.

To call from abroad, you must dial national prefix 54 and then the area code of the city you want to connect (for example Buenos Aires city is 11). Inside the country, you must dial 0 before the respective code if you want to call from one city to another. And, when you call to another country, you must dial 00, then the country code and the city code.

Rates are reduced from 10.00 p.m. to 08.00 a.m.

Maps of routes

Maps can be bought in offices belonging to Automóvil Club Argentino, 1850 del Libertador Avenue, telephone number 4802-6061/7071.

Tourist information

Secretaría de Turismo de la Nación (Nacional Tourism Secretary),
Tourist Information Center: 883 Santa Fe Avenue, Zip code: C1059ABC, Buenos Aires. Tel: 4312-2232 ó 0800-555-0016; Ezeiza Internacional Airport and Jorge Newbery Airport.

Tourist Information Center of Buenos Aires City, in:
- Pte. Quintana Avenue and J.M. Ortiz
- Florida and Diagonal Norte,
- 217 Carlos Pellegrini
- Dock 4 of Puerto Madero
- De la Ribera Theatre (La Boca)
- Retiro Bus Station
- Abasto Shopping.

The Province Houses in Buenos Aires City are:

Health

Medical assistance
If you have medical assistance, check that it covers emergencies in the whole country.

Vaccines
You should ask your doctor about immunization and compulsory and suggested vaccines, depending on your destination. It is recommended to do this with time since some of the vaccines must be administered from 6 to 8 weeks before departing.

Caution
There are some places where it is not advised to drink water. You should drink just mineral water; avoid eating fresh vegetables, fruits with peel and ice.

Medical prescription
In case you are taking prescribed medicines, ask your doctor to write a letter describing the medication you are taking and the diagnosis. Remember to carry prescribed medicines inside the original packaging. You should renew prescriptions to have them ready for your trip.

Luggage

Travelling documents
You should have three photocopies of the plane tickets, first two pages of the passport plus those having visas, driving license, front and back of credit cards and you should have the reservation numbers and information about lodging and car rental.
It is advised to send a mail to your relatives with the relevant info of the itinerary. Do not have money, documents, traveller's checks and credit cards in the same place. In case of emergency, make sure that you have some of them at hand.

Luggage
Put fragile elements such as shampoo, shaving cream, perfumes in plastic bags. So, if they break, they will not stain your clothes.

Luggage Identification
Make sure you use tags to identify your luggage. Take out tags belonging to previous destinations, so as to avoid confusion.

Security

Prevention at home
If, while you are away, your house is empty, you should prevent from making it evident. Don’t leave messages in your answering machine saying that you are out of town.

Car rental
Before taking the rented car, check the vehicle to see if there is no previous damage, the spare wheel is in good conditions and if the car has elements to change tires.
Check that all lights work properly (inner and outer lights). Make sure that the fuel tank is full (because you have already paid for this).
If you see that something is wrong, you have to report it to an agent of the company before leaving with the car.
Before paying for the insurance, be sure that your company, credit card or personal insurance do not cover it already.
Always make a copy of the rental contract.
Do not leave maps, guides or bags at sight. Put your belongings in the trunk and lock the car.

Some other piece of advice

Declarations
You have to declare at customs all electronic articles which are new (less than one year old) such as: photo cameras, recording cameras, mobile phones, etc.

Portable Computers and electronic articles
Pack all the accessories you need during your trip: extra batteries, diskettes, transformer or voltage converter, phone adaptors, etc. Never dispatch your laptop computer.
For mobile phones, take an extra battery for long trips. In case you rent a car, it should have an adapting battery to connect to the lighter.

Travelling with children
Children younger than two can travel without paying a ticket provided that they travel on the lap of one of their companions.
Check if the airline allows taking prams inside the plane or they must be dispatched.