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Visa / Entry Requirements
Canadian and US citizens traveling to Argentina for tourism do not require a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay. For additional information consult with the Argentine Embassy nearest you.
Foreign Exchange Rates
Money
Bank Machines are an excellent way to obtain local funds. ATMs are widely available in the more populated parts of the country and even in some of the more remote areas. This allows you to travel with small amounts of cash without having to pay more for travelers checks or worry about having large amounts of money to exchange. Make sure before you go that your card is compatible with foreign machines and also that you will not be charged an astronomical withdrawal fee for a foreign ATM. Citibank and other multinational chains do not charge fees for international withdrawals, but smaller banks typically do.
Check the following sites for ATM locations:
Mastercard ATMs
Visa ATMs
Generally, VISA is the most accepted credit card-- that includes atm machines. Many businesses that take credit cards do not accept Mastercard, only Visa and American Express. Make sure you have a backup. Also, after going to the ATM, spread your money around so that it isn't all in one place-- just in case!
Taxes are 21% but are generally included in the final sales price. If they are not, you will see the following sign '+IVA'.
Staying in Touch
Phone
We highly recommend buying a SIM card for your cell phone in Argentina. This will enable you to make inexpensive local calls and receive international calls for free. You will need a GSM phone that is unlocked. Most carriers will lock your phone for the duration of your contract so that you cannot use another carrier. If you are unsure whether your phone has been unblocked, it is likely still blocked. One way to check is by putting a friend's SIM card in to see if it functions. If you do not have a GSM phone or are unable to unlock yours you can buy one at Telestial. They will tell you exactly what you need for the countries you are planning to visit. It’s easy to find a SIM card for your cell phone in Argentina, just make sure that your phone is compatible for accepting foreign cards. Movistar is a good pay-as-you-go option in Argentina. You can find a Movistar store in most neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and other large cities throughout the country. It costs A$30 for a SIM card, plus top-up cards which can be bought in denominations of $10, $20, $50 from any kiosk. Don't get a card from Personal… the service is unhelpful if things go wrong. For those of you who aren't too excited about the idea of trying to communicate all of these requirements in Spanish, you can buy pre-paid SIM cards for Argentina before you go from Telestial.
Keep in mind that Argentina is 3 hours behind GMT and does not observe daylight savings time. Therefore during the Argentine summer, when the country is on standard time, it is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time whereas the rest of the year it is two hours ahead.
Emergency Phone Numbers
Police: 101
Fire: 100
Ambulance: 107
Internet
Internet cafes are easy to find in most cities and towns throughout the country. 'Locutorios' or call centers are everywhere and typically have internet access as well.
Skype  is an excellent way of keeping in touch while you are on the road. Skype's internet telephony solutions allow you to talk to your friends and family for free. With 33 million active users, you will be able to find new people to keep in touch with too! More and more internet cafes in Argentina are starting to download Skype's software to their computers so that all you have to do is log into your account and you can immediatey get in touch with all of your contacts. Skype also allows you to make outgoing calls to landlines and cell phones (a service you pay for, but at much lower rates than the alternatives) as well as use its instant messaging feature. Skype lets you make free calls over the Internet. It's free to download  and you can add on voicemail for a small fee.
News
The Buenos Aires Herald is the countries english-language newspaper providing news and editorials on local and international issues.
Copies of USA Today can be purchased at Zival s bookstore (Corner of Callao and Corrientes) in Buenos Aires
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