What to Know Before Visiting Argentina

Argentina’s culture and customs are some of the most distinctive in the Americas. But there are plenty of idiosyncrasies to getting by in this Southern Cone South American nation. From the caprices of the currency to very late-night dining, cowboy culture to trip planning, here are 10 things to know before traveling to Argentina.

To continue planning your trip, check out the Lonely Planet app or our Argentina guidebook.

1. Seriously Long Distances Mean That Planning Takes Time

For most people, the epic proportions of the planet’s eighth-largest nation are a shock. A journey between two popular travel destinations, Puerto Iguazú in the northeast and Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, clocks in at 4340km, equivalent to a cross-country USA road trip. While a liberal smattering of internal flights makes things easier, the cost and carbon footprint of relying on air travel means that journeying overland is a big part of any in-depth exploration.

A bus ride of 6–12-hours from one destination to the next is nothing exceptional here. And a trip encompassing northern Argentina’s three key highlights alone – Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Puerto Iguazú – would take a week traveling overland, even if you spend only one night in each destination. When it comes to train travel, the options are limited. The once extensive network has eroded over the years, and now any long-distance train destinations are marred with inconsistency.

If you are pressed for time, plan carefully where you want to visit and the distances in between. Take overnight buses to save time, but traveling this way takes its toll: spoil yourself with some non-wheeled accommodation the night after to recuperate.

2. First Impressions Are Important

When meeting Argentines for the first time, wear something fashionable. In bigger cities like Buenos Aires and Córdoba, dress to impress or risk looking shabby beside chicly turned-out locals.

Argentina is a nation of socially affectionate people and a kiss on the cheek – man to woman, woman to woman, and man to man – is standard (a warm handshake is OK, too, if you feel uncomfortable with the kiss).

And don’t – ever – be punctual for a rendezvous: no one here is. Showing up 15 minutes after the arranged time is about right.

3. Great Food and Drink Are the Heart of the Culture

With beef and wine at the center of Argentine gastronomy, discussing the country’s culinary traits gets mouthwatering fast.

Meat is often consumed as part of an asado (a barbecue cooked on a grill over open flames) and includes cuts of beef, chicken, pork, chorizo and morcilla (black pudding). Getting invited to an asado at an Argentine’s house is a privilege and offers a peek into the many traditions involving what meat is served and when.

But if you can’t snag an asado invitation, there are plenty of restaurants to sample the goods. Steak lovers can order ojo de bife (rib eye), lomo (sirloin) or matambre (flank) when eating out. A few standouts include Gran Parrilla del Plata and Parrilla Don Julio – generally considered the very best and long-standing. A full-bodied red wine washes down the meat. The nation’s signature glass is malbec, a deep-hued, plum-flavored vintage grown in western Argentina’s Mendoza region.

Argentine teatime – merienda – is a lavish affair too. With dinner eaten late, this early-evening banquet of tostados (toasted cheese-and-ham sandwiches), medialunas (croissants) and alfajores (cookies sandwiched with caramel-like dulce de leche) keeps bellies fueled in between times.

4. Money Is Complicated

Argentina has a complicated financial history, including the 2001 financial crisis. While reforms after President Javier Milei took office in December 2023 curbed inflation, they drove much of the population into poverty. Since these reforms, Argentina went from being one of the least-expensive countries in which to travel in Latin America to one of the most expensive. Parallel exchange rates exist (called the dólar blue, precisely translating as “blue dollar”), but the difference between them is minimal compared with years past. Paying with a foreign credit card is advised when possible, as it charges at the favorable MEP (Mercado Electrónico de Pagos) rate.

Instead of getting cash from an ATM, you might use a money wire service like Western Union or MoneyGram to send yourself pesos to pick up at an agent location within Argentina. The limits are far higher, and sometimes the fees are lower than ATMs. Also, these services tend to provide an exchange rate comparable to the MEP rate, while some ATMs use the official exchange rate.

5. Drinking Mate Is a Cherished Ritual

One of Argentina’s most cherished rituals is partaking of the infusion known as yerba mate (pronounced “mah-tay”). Mate originated with the Guarani people of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. However, this bittersweet brew, concocted with mate leaves and hot water, has become synonymous with rural life in Argentina and the gaucho culture that is intrinsically linked to it, although the significance runs far deeper.

Passing the gourd (the vessel in which mate is traditionally served) between friends, colleagues or even strangers symbolizes togetherness and mutual respect or camaraderie among those who partake. If anyone in Argentina offers you the opportunity to participate in this cornerstone of the country’s etiquette, consider accepting for an ideal ice-breaking experience.

6. Argentines Stay Up Late … Really Late

Consider yourself a night owl? Argentina rewrites the rule book on staying up. Stop by a restaurant for dinner at 6pm and you’ll likely find it closed or dead – or full of other tourists. Many places don’t serve evening meals until 8:30pm, and locals normally dine around 10pm or 11pm.

As for bars, few get lively before midnight. These will stay open until 2am or 3am, and only then – should you have the energy – does the clubbing commence in earnest.

7. Practice Your Dance Moves

A well-dressed couple performing some elegant tango moves on the streets, at a stage show or at a milonga (dance hall) is a fixture in Argentina and, in particular, Buenos Aires. Tango was born in the capital in the 19th century and was popularized by figures like Carlos Gardel in the early 20th century. It’s now Argentina’s defining dance, and knowing a few moves will certainly help win some respect when you’re out in the evenings.

To truly appreciate the nightlife here, being able to swing your hips freely to the nation’s rhythms of choice is a prerequisite. Cumbia (a two-step dance) is popular and easy enough to pick up as you sway to catchy numbers from bands like La Nueva Luna.

8. Cowboy Culture Is Alive and Kicking

Gauchos – Argentine cowboys – can be traced back to the 18th century as nomadic horsemen roaming the pampas (fertile grasslands) surrounding Buenos Aires. Their role in spurring Argentina to victory during the 19th-century War of Independence earned them immense respect nationwide. They then settled in the grassy plains in Buenos Aires, La Pampa and Córdoba provinces, plus several other rural areas, based on huge estancias (ranches), where they kept alive their knowledge of horsemanship and other rustic skills that would likely otherwise have become obsolete.

Today, getting out to an estancia to embrace gaucho lifestyle is Argentina’s most iconic countryside experience: staying amid a beautiful bucolic landscape, feasting on hearty rustic fare like puchero (meat stew) and exploring the vicinity by foot or on horseback.

9. Get a Guide for Multiday Hikes

With the Andes mountains rimming its western frontier, the surreal desert landscape of the northwest, the northeast’s tropical jungle and the legendary wilderness of Patagonia to the south, Argentina is a hiking haven. There’s the almighty clamber up 6962m Aconcagua, the loftiest peak in the western and southern hemispheres, for starters, and the mesmeric Huemul Circuit through the southern Patagonian ice field.

Such epic multiday tramps are best done with a guide. But many shorter, equally enchanting routes await for independent walkers. Tackle the climb to view the multihued Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors) above Purmamarca in Jujuy Province, or embark on rainforest rambles around thunderous Iguazú Falls, the world’s biggest waterfall system.

10. Argentina Is One of Latin America’s Safest Countries

Argentina’s relatively hazard-free status for travelers (by Latin America’s standards) is a big attraction. Women and LGBTQ+ travelers will feel safer in Argentina than in most other Central American and South American destinations. Argentine attitudes and rights regarding gender and sexuality are similar to those in North America and Europe. Pickpocketing is generally the worst fate befalling any traveler, and even this is the exception, not the norm.

Nevertheless, it’s sensible to take the same common-sense precautions you would in your home country. Armed robberies can occur, especially in larger cities: refrain from walking alone late at night or displaying valuables.