Each year Argentina receives tens of thousands of foreign students into their universities and study programs.  Given this large influx of foreign students, the official procedure and documentation necessary to study abroad rarely presents major problems or difficulties.  However, a common question of potential or future study abroad students is whether they will need a student visa to live and study in Argentina.  The answer to this question depends on a few factors: the student’s country of origin, the planned duration of their stay, and sometimes, the particular type of program the student enrolls in.  The last two factors are often interrelated.

The first thing to find out is whether citizens of a student’s country of origin are required to have a visa to enter Argentina.  Note for most countries a visa is not required prior to entry into Argentina, rather a 90 day tourist visa is issued at customs upon arrival.  Furthermore, for students coming from these countries a student visa may not be necessary if their course of study will last less than 90 days.  If duration or program requirements dictate that a the student obtain a student visa, the student will need to visit the Dirección National de Migraciones.  At the DNM they will need to present the inscription certificate of the participating university, passport, and a certificate attesting that the student does not have a criminal record over the past 3 years for students from MERCOSUR countries (Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Venezuela).  Students from outside MERCOSUR countries must provide these same documents as well as proof of the absence of a criminal record for the past 5 years and a legalized birth certificate.

For students wishing to study in Argentina from countries that are required to have a visa to enter the country, the process is slightly more complex.  First, the Argentine institution at which these students wish to study must request a form from the DNM that will authorize these students to come into the country.  Once this has been obtained, the student will then need to visit the Argentine consulate in their country and present proof of their identity, absence of a criminal record over the past 5 years, a legalized birth certificate, as well as additional evidence of their ability to support themselves in Argentina.

In general, this process proceeds smoothly and many university programs will provide detailed instructions to students if a student visa is necessary for their course of study.  For more information we suggest you check out the DNM’s website or the Argentine consulate in your country.  Additional information about Argentina and studying her can be found here.

Buenos Aires offers a wealth of memorable experiences for visitors.  However, with so much to see and do, it can be a challenge to figure out just how to spend your time here.  Of course there is no one “best” way to experience Buenos Aires, and different people will enjoy different aspects of this immense city.  With this in mind, we’d like to present a series of guides offering practical information that will help ensure your stay in Buenos Aires goes smoothly, no matter your reason for visiting.  Combined with the great sites we’ve highlighted in this blog, we hope this information we’ll help you get the most out of your stay.  So enjoy!  And for any accomadations needs you may have, please check out our main website.

Buenos Aires is huge.  Stretching from the banks of the Rio de la Plata to Pampas of Argentina’s interior, the federal capital officially takes up 78.5 square miles but includes a metropolitan area of near 4800 square miles.  To explore this entire territory would be an arduous task and an unnecessary one.  The most famous barrios found nearest the Rio de la Plata, from La Boca in the south to Belgrano in the north, contain all of the most popular tourist destinations.  However, even when you limit Buenos Aires to these barrios, you still need to know how to get around.  Therefore, we offer this guide for transportation around the city.

Walking

While not the most glamourous or speediest form of travel, walking is often the most enjoyable way to discover the city.  Buenos Aires is a wonderful walking city and most of its streets are on a grid system, making navigation simple.  Walking is also the best way to get a true feel for the city and a great way to stumble upon stores and restaurants you may not have noticed otherwise.  Furthermore, you get an up close view of Buenos Aires’s mix of architectural styles that adorn many of the buildings lining the larger avenues.  Due to Buenos Aires size, however, walking may not always be convenient; luckily, numerous other transportation options exist if your destination is outside of walking range.

Subte

Buenos Aires boasts South America’s oldest subway system, and today it remains one of the quickest and simplest ways to move through the city.  Thousands of porteños depend on the subte to bring them to and from work everyday.  Trains are generally punctual and run from 5Am to 10PM Monday through Saturday and 8AM to 10PM Sundays.  Currently a oneway ticket costs $2.50 Ar., which can be purchased at a boleteria next to the subway’s turnstiles.  Not surprisingly, trains tend to fill up during rush hours in the morning and evening.  If you desire to avoid cramped travel it may be best to avoid taking the subte during these hours.

The subte has 6 lines: A, B, C, D, E , and H.  Lines A, E, B, and D start in Downtown, next to Plaza de Mayo, and spread apart as they move west into the metropolitan area.  Lines C and H run perpendicular (north-south) and allow passengers to connect to the other lines without traveling all the way to Downtown.

Colectivos

Step foot on any street in Buenos Aires and you will notice dozens of numbered buses carrying passengers all over the city.  Since buses cover the entire city they are the most popular form of transportation for porteños and are incredibly inexpensive.  However, colectivos require some knowledge of the city’s layout and at least a general understanding of a few bus routes.  Travelers may experience some initial difficulty if they are unsure of where they are going or the particular bus route to use.  If you plan on using Buenos Aires’s bus system it’s worth picking up a “Guia T”.  This pocket-sized booklet contains maps of the city broken down into grids and lists of the corresponding bus routes between each numbered grid.  At certain bus stops you can find a list of the route’s stops.  They are often written underneath the sign that displays the bus’s number.

Perhaps the most inconvient aspect of colectivos is that, unless you have a sube card, each bus requires that you pay for your fair in coins.  Once you enter a bus, you indicate your destination to the driver (or the corresponding price to this destination) and then insert coins into a machine behind the driver.  While the fair is extremely cheap (the average fair at this moment is around $1.25 Ar.) it may take a traveler a few purchases in Argentina before they have enough change to use for the bus.  However, once you have change and a general knowledge of the layout of the city, colectivos are a great way to travel.  Not only are they efficient and reliable but you get superb views of the city’s many barrios as you travel to your destination.

Taxis

Taxis are almost as ubiquitous as colectivos on the streets of Buenos Aires.  Today all cabs are black and yellow and are required to have a meter.  They are simple to wave down and you can also order one from your phone.  While fares are relatively inexpensive, compared to the low rates of the subte and colectivos they are the most expensive form of travel in Buenos Aires.  However, with taxis you never have to contend with the tight squeezes of rush hour that can occur in both colectivos and the subte.  When hailing a taxi, look for an illuminated “LIBRE” sign located on the front windshield that indicates the cab is empty and available for pick up.

Some more help

If you are unsure how to arrive at any destination in Buenos Aires a great resource to use is the city’s website mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar.  By clicking on the “Como Llegar” tab, you are able to enter your current location and the address or location you want to travel to.  The map will then provide a number of travel options including subte lines (if any subte stops are near) and bus numbers, listing them in order of fastest to slowest with an estimated time of how long each will take.

Just south of Plaza de Mayo and la Casa Rosada you’ll find the cobblestone streets of San Telmo.  Life moves a little slower in this section of Buenos Aires, especially when compared to the bustling avenues of Palermo or Recoleta.  Fewer cars traverse up and down the small streets and the crowds of tourists or business people that can populate the sidewalks and cafes around central Buenos Aires thin out as you enter this barrio.  As the oldest neighborhood of the city, San Telmo has witnessed countless transitions as Buenos Aires has grown over the years.  The worn grandeur and eclectic architecture of San Telmo’s buildings reflects its long history, a history that has endowed this barrio with a character distinct from any other section of Buenos Aires.

Once the original industrial section of Buenos Aires, the area came to support the city’s growing middle class as well as its aristocratic elites in the 1800s.  These wealthy porteños lived in lavish mansions built alongside structures dating back to the city’s colonial era.  However, the landscape of San Telmo was forever changed when a yellow fever epidemic struck Buenos Aires near the end of the 19th century.  Desperate to escape the disease, the majority of San Telmo’s residents fled their homes and resettled in the northern part of Buenos Aires in what would become Recoleta or Barrio Norte.

In their exodus, the former inhabitants of San Telmo abandoned hundreds of residences and mansions.  A number of these structures were torn down to make parks while others became tenant homes, known as conventillos, that housed the multitude of immigrants flooding into Buenos Aires from Europe during this period.  Within a few years San Telmo had transformed from the well-to-do residential center of Buenos Aires to a crowded multinational immigrant community.  This community would have a major impact on the city as well as porteño culture, building such structures as the Russian Orthodox church, with its iconic onion dome spires, and giving birth to Tango.  Even today most porteños cite the southern barrios of San Telmo and La Boca as the birthplace of their culture.

San Telmo fell into a state of decline as the upper classes of Buenos Aires continued to settle elsewhere in the city.  However, as early as the 1960s a number of local artist began to take an interest in the historic barrio.  The formation of artist guilds during this period paved the way for the recent rejuvenation of San Telmo as the center of Buenos Aires’s arts scene.  Numerous galleries now fill what were once defiled mansions built centuries ago, helping to bring international attention to San Telmo’s thriving contemporary arts.

In addition to the museums, art spaces, and historic churches found within its domain, San Telmo is also know for its weekly fair.  La Feria de San Telmo takes place every Sunday from morning till mid afternoon bringing thousands to wander up and down avenida Defensa, where they admire the wide variety of items for sell.  Known in particular for the rich selection of antiques, the San Telmo fair also features street performers, food vendors, and tango displays ensuring a great time whether you decide to buy anything or not.

Past the end of the fair, near the termination of avenida Defensa, sits Lezama park, one of the open spaces created by the demolitions that took place after the yellow fever epidemic.  Its design was the work of legendary urban planner Carlos Thays–the same designer behind the Botanical Gardens and many of Palermo’s parks. However, like most of San Telmo, Lezama park’s history goes back much further. Most historians agree that it was on one of Lezama’s hills that the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza first landed in 1536 and founded Buenos Aires.

The rich history of San Telmo can be felt at every turn in this enchanting barrio.

Here at Baires Apartments, we have a number of apartment rentals in the San Telmo area. Please visit the San Telmo link on the side of this page to view our San Telmo apartment listings.

The barrio of Palermo is popular for more than just restaurants, chic living, and nightlife.  It also contains the most green space of any barrio in Buenos Aires.  Acres of parks complete with lakes, gardens and even a zoo allow the residents of Palermo to escape the noise and bustle of the big city without leaving their neighborhood.

Sunny afternoons and weekends bring people in droves to the parks, known as Los Bosques de Palermo.  Here they relax in the sun sipping mate, rollerblade or bike along the park’s paved streets, or rent a paddleboat andcruise one of the small lakes.  Palermo’s park system extends from Avenida Santa Fe northeast following Avenida Sarmiento towards Jorge Newbery Airport and the Rio de la Plata river.  The section of parks nearest the airport features a concentration of sport facilities including the Hipodromo, where throughout the year horses race in front of a grandstand built in the late 1800s.  Polo is another passion of Buenos Aires, and Palermo is its proud home in Argentina.  Near the Hipodromo are numerous Polo fields along with a rugby stadium, golf course, and tennis courts.

Parque 3 de Febrero is the largest of the parks.  Completed in 1875 by architect Carlos Thays, its 25 hectors consist of a number of distinct parts including a few lakes, a rose garden (el rosedal) with a beautiful white bridge, Japanese gardens (jardin japones), and a planetarium.  It’s worth taking an afternoon or more to explore this peaceful space.  In fact it may become one of your favorite places to spend a few relaxing hours.

Avenida Sarmiento splits 3 de Febrero in two, and if you follow it South you’ll arrive at Plaza Italia.  Here the intersection of Sarmiento, Avenida Santa Fe and Avenida Las Heras surrounds a large monument of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian general.  At the top of this intersection sits the city zoo, where for only a few pesos you can view Bueno’s Aires collection of animals from around the world.

Jardin Botánico

The botanical gardens lie in between Avenida Santa Fe and Las Heras.  Also designed by Carlos Thays, Jardin Botánico reflects the strong European sentiment that influenced the upper classes of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century.  This love for European styles, particularly the urban design and architecture of 1800s France, can be found throughout Buenos Aires, especially in Jardin Botánico.  Among the park’s ornate greenhouses and meandering garden paths stand 33 works of art placed beside arrays of meticulously maintained flora.  Not surprisingly these sculptors, monuments, and busts mimic important works of European art.  The garden even features separate sections dedicated to the particular gardening styles of Italy and France.

A little quieter than 3 de Febrero, the botanical gardens is the perfect place to read a book or contemplate René Magritte’s theories of art. All of Palermo’s parks are free except for the Jardin Japones, which costs 16 pesos to enter.

If you wish for the thrills of a big city with the peacefulness of nature near by, than Palermo is the place for you.

Visit our website for the latest info on apartment rentals throughout Palermo.

An example of one of the Botanical Garden's sculptures

Without question, Argentina is a meat loving country and for good reason.  Any meat-eating traveler would be amiss if they didn’t try Argentina’s famous grass-fed beef or experience an Asado–the traditional barbeque featuring numerous cuts of meats and entrails.  Most streets have a Parrilla every few blocks where hungry wanderers can satisfy their carnivore cravings.  Yet beef is not the only Argentine specialty.  There exist many other regional dishes and a few unexpected treats worth sampling. Be warned though, some are thoroughly addicting!

Empanadas

These meat, cheese, or vegetable filled pastries are the perfect snack when on the go or an ideal alternative for a full meal when in need of something fast and simple.  Compact and delicious, empanadas come in a variety of forms and with a variety of fillings.  Some favorites include carne (with either ground beef or whole cuts of steak inside), pollo (chicken), jamon y queso (ham and cheese), queso y cebolla (cheese and onion), or vegetales (vegetables).   Better yet, empanadas are cheap!  At around four pesos apiece, you can snack on empanadas all day without breaking the bank.

Pizza

If you were to discuss the great pizza capitals of the world, you may not think to mention Buenos Aires.  However, pizza is as widely consumed here as anywhere, and like New York or Napoli, its preparation is considered an art form.  Thanks to a large population of Italian immigrants (Italian is the second most spoken language in BA behind Spanish) pizza has not only found a new home in Buenos Aires but a new style as well.  Unlike sauce-based pizzas, it’s all about the cheese in Buenos Aires.  Here, pizzas come with fresh slices of tomato and green olives placed upon mounds of mozzarella cheese.

Helado

The ice cream of Buenos Aires is simply superb.  From quality to presentation to the vast variety of flavors available, Buenos Aires makes gelato of unrivaled delight… dare we say it may even be better than Italy’s?  Heladerias (ice cream shops) are everywhere, and they provide the best place to cool down on hot summer afternoons.

Medialunas

Medialunas (literally half moons in Spanish) are sweet croissants.  Eaten for breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon snack to quell hunger while waiting for dinner, they are as delicious as they are useful.  Sample these and other facturas (sweet pastries) at any café or panderia.

Alfajores

Argentines really can’t get enough sweets.  Case and point Alfajores.   These ubiquitous packaged treats are sold in every street side kiosco, and will cure the most severe of sweet cravings.  An example is Conitos, a cone shaped piece of cholcolate filled with dulche de leche, a sugary caramel-like spread, and more chocolate.

Dulche de leche

This rich confection is perhaps Argentina’s signature treat.  Like Nutella, dulche de leche can be used as a spread to sweeten up most anything.  Additionally, it is also the main ingredient in most Argentine deserts and is even a popular ice cream flavor.

If you’ve read a few of our previous posts, you’ll know that Buenos Aires is a hotbed of live music.  And this summer has proven to be no exception.  Two giants of British rock have graced BA with performances within a week of each other.

Just last Sunday, the enigmatic Morrissey (internationally loved signer and former front man of The Smiths) performed for a packed audience at Palermo’s Club GEBA rugby arena.  Four days later Roger Waters (former front man for the genre-defining Pink Floyd) took the stage at River Plate Stadium for the first of 9 shows that will continue this week.  Those who attended Waters’ initial show were wowed by the combination of pyrotechnics, enormous props and theatrics that made up the live rendition of his rock opera “The Wall”.  Waters will perform throughout this month, giving his last performance on March 20th.

However, it doesn’t stop there.

The music continues April 3rd when River Plate stadium hosts a rock extravaganza made up of some of today’s most popular groups.  Qulimes Rock Festival will feature two headliners, The Foo Fighters and The Artic Monkeys, and an all-star line of opening bands, including MGMT, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and many others.  The festival will last for four nights.

Don’t let the rock emphasis fool you, however.  Buenos Aires enjoys a vast mix of music, from rock to reggaeton to electronica to more traditional styles such as Tango and Salsa.  In fact, it is not uncommon to meet porteños who passionately listen to all of these styles.  Often bars or clubs dedicate multiple nights throughout the week to playing different genres of music.  Whatever your musical preferences are, you can find your taste of music in Buenos Aires, and not to mention, discover new styles to love.

Apartments and Tourism in Buenos Aires

The summer heat has returned to Buenos Aires!  And with it the streets, bars, parks, and nightlife have sprung back to life with renewed fervor.  The city is packed with tourists and porteños enjoying the summer sun and Buenos Aires’s beautiful sites.  Simply put, this is one of the best times to visit Buenos Aires!

It has already been a busy year with numerous concerts, international events, and festivals.  With the coming summer months, Buenos Aires will reach a peak of activity.

Not surprisingly, the availability of vacation rentals decreases from November to February due to the increase of tourists in the city.  In fact, during the holiday season at the end of December the city reaches close to 100% occupancy, making it extremely difficult to secure a temporary apartment in Buenos Aires.

However, don’t panic.  If you are looking to rent in Buenos Aires during the summertime, you still have time!  Currently we have over 1,500 available apartments from budget to luxury accommodations in the city.

To find your ideal apartment, start by making a search in our site to find the apartment rental in buenos aires .  You can also contact us directly and we’ll do it for you!

Looking to invest in a nice apartment in Buenos Aires?  You may have already contacted a few agents and viewed numerous properties online, but you still need to know the proper procedure for purchasing real estate.  This means understanding how the process works, obtaining the proper documents to purchase an apartment, and knowing the costs you should expect in the process.

These issues take on a greater importance if you are a foreigner looking to buy real estate in BA.

Currently, the real estate market is very solid and has been for some time.

1) Find the property you want

Before searching for an apartment, it is important to have a specific price you are willing to invest.  Often foreign buyers are not aware of market prices.  Searching through listings provides a simple introduction to average prices.  In Buenos Aires the most common way to compare apartment price is by the cost per square meter.  For popular neighborhoods such as Belgrano, Palermo, Las Cañitas, or Recoleta price per square meter usually ranges from 2,200 to 3,000 USD.

Other factors to consider include the size and number of bedrooms you’d desire.  But don’t forget that age-old adage: when buying real estate the three most important things to consider are Location, Location, Location!

2) Put down a reservation or down payment

In order to make an offer on a property or reserve it at its original price, a good faith deposit is required.  This may range anywhere from 2,000 USD to 1 or 2% of the property’s value.  After making an offer, you’ll have to wait for the seller’s return offer.  If an offer is accepted, the initial good faith deposit will be held as a down payment; however, if an agreement is not reached, then this deposit is returned.

3) Getting your Tax Identification Number (CDI)

Argentine tax law requires the obtainment of a tax identification number in order to own property.  This is called your CDI.

In order to receive a CDI you must first possess an address certificate.  To obtain an address certificate, use the address of the hotel you are staying at, the apartment you are renting, or a friend’s address.  Then, visit the police station that corresponds with the address you are using and bring your passport.  At the police station, request the address certificate.  It will cost 10 pesos and be sent in the mail within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Once you have received your address certificate, make two copies of your passport and visit the AFIP (Tax Agency) that corresponds with the address you used for the address certificate.  If you are unsure about where to find the corresponding AFIP ask a policeman or visit www.afip.gov.ar.

In case you are unable to come to Argentina to complete this, your other option is to grant power of attorney to a lawyer, and he or she will take care of everything for you.

4) Signing a Boleto de Compraventa and/or Escritura (Deed)

At this point in the process, you will need to hire an escribano (notary) or lawyer to assist you on your purchase.

Signing a Boleto differs from signing the final deed, as it will not be registered in the real estate national registry.  The Boleto represents an initial stage of commitment between the buying and selling parties and necessitates that the seller give the title deed to the buyer and that the buyer pay the owed money to the seller.

The Boleto grants the buyer many rights, including the ability for the buyer to use, rent or sell the property.  However, the title deed must be signed before a notary to give full rights and ownership to the buyer.

5) Agent’s Commission

In Buenos Aires the buyer pays 4% commission to the real estate agent.  Yes, the BUYER pays commission.  Often, when interested buyers learn this they decide to go without an agent in order to avoid this fee.  This is INCORRECT!  Regardless of whether you use an agent or not, you be required to pay a 4% commission.  Either this money will be split between the buying and selling agents, or if you go it alone, you will be paying the selling agent the full 4% and hoping he or she will do everything properly.

If you do not use an agent, you will have to locate your own escribano, lawyer and accountant to aid in the buying process.  In other words, if you don’t hire an agent you will be putting your investment at risk for no reason!

While the buying process works smoothly with the aid of a professional, it is still best to be well informed about the necessary steps towards ownership.  Please consult this guide to help you, but of course in the end you are the one who makes the final call.

Please let us know if you desire more information.  We’d be more than happy to become your real estate agent should you choose to invest in a Buenos Aires property!  Check out our listings of brand new apartments and off plan developments!

Throughout history, Argentina has produced a number of notable exports, from international soccer stars to fine wines. However, its most enduring contribution may be the intimate dance and passion known as Tango. Born out the immigrant communities of Buenos Aires in the 1800s, Tango drew from a mix of European and African influences and quickly grew in popularity. By the early 1900s it reached Paris and flourished, sparking a worldwide dancing craze. Today, both the dance and the culture surrounding Tango continue to be an emblem of Argentina.

Below, we have listed recommendations of where to experience the passion of Tango while in Buenos Aires. This includes Tango shows (often restaurants with dinner shows), Tango lessons, and Milongas.

COMPLEJO TANGO SHOW This magnificent display of Tango tells the history of the dance in five memorable scenes. A renowned orchestra accompanies the professional Tango dancers and signers.

The first thing we learned as a rental company was the particular preferences travelers had when it came to where to stay.  Of course this makes perfect sense!  Perhaps the most important factor of a vacation is where you want to stay.  And location in turn is critically linked to what you want to do–the best locations bring you closest to the activities you want to do.

An explosion in restaurants, bars, theatres, and clubs, in addition to the beautiful parks and green spaces, has made the barrio of Palermo the top choice among tourists.  And it’s easy to understand why.  It’s near impossible to walk a street of Palermo without finding an exciting new restaurant, bar, or club.

Another reason for Palermo’s popularity is the University of Palermo, which supports a student exchange program that brings thousands of international students into the city every year.  The Palermo nightlife is some of the liveliest in Buenos Aires.

However, look at a map and you’ll notice that the area known as Palermo isn’t simply called Palermo.  In fact Palermo constitutes a number of neighborhoods in the same area:  Palermo, Palermo Alto, Palermo Soho, and Palermo Hollywood.

So exactly what are all these Palermos and where are they?

Palermo, as a whole, is the largest barrio in Buenos Aires.  Belgrano borders it to the north, to the south Recoleta, to east the Rio de la Plata, and to the west are Colegiales and Villa Crespo.  Over 250,000 porteños call Palermo home.

Avenida Santa Fe is the main artery that runs through Palermo, and what is commonly referred to as simply Palermo constitutes the area between Avenida Santa Fe and Avenida del Libertador and between Ave. Bullrich and Ave. Coronel Diaz.  Alto Palermo shopping mall occupies the edge of Santa Fe and Coronel Diaz, near the Palermo’s border with Recoleta and Barrio Norte.  This area is also called Alto Palermo.

The trendy area of Palermo Soho can be found between Santa Fe and Cordoba to the north and south and Scalabrini Ortiz and Juan B. Justo to the east and west.  At the heart of this area lies Plaza Serrano, where a smattering of restaurants and bars surround a small plaza, which on summer nights stirs with diners well into the night.

Continuing northwest, Juan B. Justo marks the change from Palermo Soho to Palermo Hollywood.  In the 1990s a large number of TV and radio producers begin to move into this fashionable area and the name Hollywood arose.

Of course these boundaries are not exact, and many of Palermo’s areas overlap one another.  Our intention is to provide tourists and clients with a better understanding of the city.  Of course this is in addition to offering the best possible accommodations in Buenos Aires.

Check out our selection of apartments for rent in Palermo, Buenos Aires.  We have even grouped apartments in Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood together to make life easier for those new to the areas of the city.

Check our selection of apartments for rent in Palermo Buenos Aires.  We have even provided groupings of apartments in Palermo Soho or apartments in Palermo Hollywood in order to make searching for an apartment in these locations easier.