Getting Around
The street structure, organised in a grid pattern,
makes Buenos Aires easy to navigate, and the best way to explore
the city and take in its character is on foot. However, the city is
serviced by an efficient, widespread and cheap public transport
system that consists of buses and an excellent underground rail
service (the Subte). Although it services most of the city centre,
the Subte is not very extensive beyond the central core. The Subte
costs $0.70 per journey. Pre-paid Subte cards or passes can be
purchased from the ticket booths (boleterias) at each station in
denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 or 30 journeys. It gets very hot and
crowded in summer especially during peak hours, and closes between
10pm and 5am. The bus (colectivo) network is huge and covers the
city, and although very useful for getting around, the overwhelming
amount of routes makes it confusing for tourists. Bus fares are
paid in coins into an automatic ticket vending machine when
boarding the bus and cost a minimum of $0.80. Many services run all
night but with less frequency. There are also urban train services
that can be useful for reaching the outlying suburbs. Taxis are
everywhere and relatively inexpensive, but although generally safe,
visitors should be aware that there are fake taxis that pick up
tourists and rob them. It is safer to phone for a radio taxi or
remise, a fixed-price radio cab booked in advance that acts like a
chauffer-driven car and can be cheaper than taxis over longer
distances. They are more useful than renting a car for excursions
from the city and even for a day's tour of the
suburbs.
