Argentina is a relatively safe country compared to some South American neighbors. In every big city like Buenos Aires there is crime, so to visit this beautiful city worth visiting, you should keep in mind some safety tips during your visit.
Crime does not happen to everyone, but better to be aware. This applies to Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires, the interior is safer, but could happen in major cities like Rosario, Córdoba, Mendoza or Salta.
We deliver a preferential and exclusive service, and we can help with money exchange so it’s less time-wasters for you and in addition you avoid going out with a lot of money in search of an exchange office, instead we deliver it to your hotel and you can immediately place it in your room’s safe.
Robbery and theft
Travel safety tips to visit Buenos Aires
There have been armed robbery during the day in the city center of Buenos Aires and on busy highways. However, as in all major cities, it is more likely to be exposed to post-sunset crimes. Withdrawing money at an ATM, therefore, should take place during the day, but also cautiously. Special care should be taken with pickpockets at the bus terminals in Buenos Aires and Mendoza. Never leave bags unattended.
Group assaults are common where a person distracts the victim from controlling their belongings while another carries out the robbery. A common variant is the Stain deceit. An individual throws some substance on the victim’s clothing and at that time an accomplice approaches and kindly offers to clean it.
In places where there are a lot of people, pedestrian walkways, shopping malls, metro, buses, stations, make sure to put the valuables to shelter because there are pickpockets.
A common modality is the Motochorros. They are two criminals on a motorcycle, one gets off to commit the crime and the accomplice waits for him to leave the place at full speed. This mode of traveling two people on a motorcycle exposes them so currently there may be only one criminal per motorcycle. Some of these safety tips for traveling to Buenos Aires that we recommend:
- Don’t play hero, do not oppose resistance and hand over all material objects they want to steal from you because the criminal can react violently. Objects can be bought back, health sometimes cannot.
- Not counting money on the street.
- If you want to wander, do it IN A GROUP, especially at night.
- Don’t stay waiting outside at the hotel doors for a long time.
- Don’t wear flashy watches (less than less Rolex), no wedding rings, no shiny.
Credit card scams
Travel safety tips to visit Buenos Aires
If you have to pay with a credit card, for example, at a restaurant, go to the checkout personally, and do not hand over your credit card and leave it out of sight, it is not common but it can happen that a dishonest employee or owner does a photo of the card to then scam you. Italy, the cradle of Culture and Science that gave names like Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo Da Vinci, also gave birth to great swindlers like Carlo Ponzi, and the great waves of immigration were no exception, not only did great eminences, engineers and architects come, but also rabble of less praiseworthy customs.
Beware the black widow
Travel safety tips to visit Buenos Aires
A woman or group of women approaches you on the street or in a nightclub in a friendly manner and offers you a drink, or you offer her a drink at the club, or you invite her to your hotel. At some point they put a sleeping pill in your drink and when you wake up you no longer have your wallet, or you have your wallet but no bills, or you no longer have your Rolex or your gold necklace.
Transit
Travel safety tips to visit Buenos Aires
Attention when crossing the street, people do not drive very peacefully. While the pedestrian should have priority, especially in the pedestrian paths, many idiots with a driver’s license do not respect them.
From the airport it is worth booking a taxi or a connecting bus.
In Buenos Aires it is safer to travel with Radiotaxi, which belongs to the official taxi companies.
Demonstrations often occur in Argentina and especially in Buenos Aires. These are organized without authorization and in short notice so you should pay attention to the crowds that suddenly emerge. Generally speaking, the police take a passive stance, but there may be violence. This also applies during and after the big football games that usually take place on Saturdays and Sundays. For demonstrations and important events, visitors are invited to learn about these through the media.
Services
Travel safety tips to visit Buenos Aires
Fire safety is sometimes poor and all travelers are asked to find out where the emergency exits are at events with a lot of people.
Prolonged power cuts are sometimes produced, especially during the warmer months of December and January. Nevertheless hotels are usually equipped with generator sets.
In Argentina, natural gas is usually used for cooking and heating. If you are renting an apartment, be sure to turn off the burners and stoves before going to sleep. Carbon monoxide emissions can be deadly.
Villa miseria
The crisis of the year 30 led to the creation of the so-called “slums” equivalent to “favelas” in Brazil, where people occupied vacant land that was originally located in the port area of Retiro. They built shacks that lacked infrastructure and basic urban services. The majority of the population is made up of immigrants from the poorest neighboring countries, such as Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, and to a lesser extent by Argentines who left the rural area and moved to the big cities in search of work.
If you pay attention, you will notice that the type of construction used is the same that can be found in Paraguay, Bolivia or Peru, that is to say that the immigrants recreated a typical neighborhood of those countries. Currently the best known is Villa 31 where the land belonging to the railway company was occupied, there were many attempts to urbanize the villas and today the villas that could not be eradicated, today mostly have basic services. Although its visit is not recommended, it can eventually be observed up close when traveling along the Dr. Umberto Illia highway.
Thank you for reading the safety tips. In this way, the risk is reduced. It’s a great metropolis, so there’s everything. I repeat, it does not happen to everyone, but better to be aware.
Tourist Police. Address: Av. Corrientes 436 Phone: 0800 999 5000 / 4346-5748 Mail: turista@policiafederal.gov.ar
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