Buenos Aires

Carrefour / Día — the discount pair

Coto — the big Argentine chain

Chino (corner store) — everywhere, handy

Mercado / verdulería — produce

Best: Sep – Nov & Mar – May · Wet: Oct – Mar

Fees: AVOID ATMs here: they charge brutal fees ($10+), cap withdrawals painfully low, and give the poor official rate.

Limits: Often just 15,000–40,000 ARS per pull — dreadful value with the fee.

Best machines: (Bring USD cash — see tip)

Vaccines: Routine; Hepatitis A for wider eating. Low health risk overall.

Health: Buenos Aires tap water is safe to drink. Excellent private healthcare. The main 'health' event is eating steak and drinking Malbec at 10pm like a local — pace yourself.

Tap water: ✅ Safe to drink in Buenos Aires and major cities.

Safety: Buenos Aires is a big, late-night European-feeling city — generally safe in the tourist barrios (Palermo, Recoleta, San Telmo, Puerto Madero) but with real petty theft and phone-snatching. Keep your phone off the table on the street, use Uber/Cabify, and change money smartly (see the cash tab — the 'blue' rate matters here). La Boca only by day, main streets only.

For most short tourist trips, citizens of the US, UK, EU/Schengen, Canada, Australia and New Zealand either enter visa-free or get a simple online authorisation (an eVisa or eTA) before flying. Typical visa-free stays run 30–90 days. Some countries want a visa arranged in advance, and a growing number ask you to fill an online arrival or eVisa form even when 'visa-free' — so always check the official portal for your exact nationality before you book.