Travel to Argentina
Flying to Argentina
Argentina’s national airline is Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR) (www.aerolineas.com.ar). The cheapest times to fly to Argentina tend to be September, and April-June, although travel to South America from Europe tends to always be quite pricey. Most international flights come into Ministro Pistarini airport just outside Buenos Aires. Direct flights to Argentina are served by British Airways (www.ba.com), KLM (www.klm.com) and others.
British Airways runs a daily direct flight to Buenos Aires from London Heathrow that takes around 13 hours 45 minutes. The most common route, however, is to fly from London to Buenos Aires via Madrid; this takes between 15 and 18 hours. Direct flights from New York to Buenos Aires take around 10 hours 50 minutes; there are around two per day.
Mercosul Airpass (www.allairpass.com) is valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR), Aerolíneas Del Sur (AS), Pluna (PU) and VARIG Airlines (RG). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and must be booked in conjunction with an international ticket. It is valid for seven to 45 days.
The South American Pass is valid on Aerolíneas Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com.ar) and Austral (its domestic subsidiary) flights only. The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and whose international flights are booked with Aerolíneas Argentinas. Up to 10 flight coupons are allowed and it is valid for seven to 45 days.
Oneworld Visit South America Pass (www.oneworld.com) is valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to over 30 destinations. You can take as many flights as you like, but a minimum of three flights must be booked.
Since March 2009, departure tax is paid straight to the airline at the time of purchasing tickets.
A number of cruise operators stop off at Buenos Aires, including Princess Cruises (www.princess.com) and Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.co.uk).
Ferry services run between Uruguay and Buenos Aires. Travellers can reach the Argentine capital from Montevideo, Colonia and Punta del Este. See www.buquebus.com.