Nine things to know before you go on vacation to Argentina

Argentina is a beautiful and fascinating South American country, rich in natural wonders, culture, and heritage. Along the Brazilian border, the epic Iguazu waterfall tumbles spectacularly down from layers of basaltic rock. Hundreds of miles to the southwest (but still in the northeastern province of Corrientes), the Iberá Wetlands shelter capybaras and giant otters. In the country’s many mountainous regions, from the Misiones and Andes, the summits are blanketed with snow each winter, making them favorite haunts of dedicated skiers and snowboarders. All the while, the marvels of Patagonia call out to hikers and other adventure travel enthusiasts from all walks of life.

For some travelers, spending most or all of their time at Argentina’s natural attractions will be their ideal vacation. But most are likely to split the difference between the wilderness, big cities, and important cultural sites wherever they may be. After all, there are so many things to see in Buenos Aires alone that you could make them the sole focus of a week-long trip and not be bored. The same, however, could be said of cities like Salta, Ushuaia, and Bariloche, as well as the quaint towns in Cordoba province (and the city itself). We’d be here for ages if we continued making a list of Argentina’s most fascinating areas.

What we’d instead like to do is provide some overall Argentina travel advice that can help your brainstorming process. The topics we cover below are based on discussions with the local experts who craft every TravelLocal getaway, from our pre-planned offerings to considerably more customized vacations. Naturally, you’ll be best served by getting in touch with our experts directly on these and other topics — but first, we can whet your appetite with some carefully distilled summary.

Key pointers and tips for your vacation to Argentina

Though we’d never say the factors covered below are all the Argentina travel advice you need, they’re a good place from which you start before you travel (or, ideally, before you even finalize your itinerary).

Expect to run on a distinctly different schedule

Argentine life runs to the tick of a different clock than some travelers may be used to at home. While you may be expecting this to an extent — after all, sleeping late is one of any vacation’s great treasures — it’s not quite that simple.

Some Argentinians do not start their day until around 10am. Others begin it as early as 7am, or somewhere in between. That’s the thing — there aren’t hard-and-fast rules about routine.

But in broad strokes, it’s fairly common for native Argentinians (and many businesses, wherever you go) to:

• Start the day early
• Have a lengthy period anywhere between noon and 6pm when they’re having lunch and then napping
• Enjoy a small early-evening snack sometime after they wake from said nap
• Eat dinner between 9.30-11pm
• Go out for dessert, drinks, dancing, or some combination thereof (especially on the weekend)
• Go to bed somewhere in the wee small hours (often 1am or later)

Specific habits differ from person to person, of course. But mealtimes are generally tied to these four periods of the day. If you want to consume the best breakfasts (medialuna; usually involving great pastries), and wish to truly experience Argentina’s cuisine and nightlife, then prepare for late nights and (possibly) late mornings.

(Those who’ve visited Spain will adjust to the Argentine clock more easily, as it’s a cultural vestige of the nation’s former colonizer.)

Tango and more: learn the history behind Argentine culture

Tango, the sensual dance, largely considered one of the most famous aspects of Argentine culture, was once thought to be far from glamorous. In fact, while being able to dance the tango is viewed as a classy and sophisticated skill today, it was first seen in Argentina in port cities during the 1890s, often around brothels and seedy bars.

There’s undoubtedly an undercurrent of sexuality in the dance as we know it now, so one can imagine how it went over almost 150 years ago. But starting when French-born, Argentina-raised singer Carlos Gardel achieved first regional and then international fame in the 1920s and 30s by singing tango music (prompting many to follow in his footsteps), the country slowly but surely adopted it as a staple of national culture.

Why the tango digression? It’s a reminder to always learn the background behind cultural practices you only know on the surface instead of making assumptions. This is critical in Argentina, where locals take heritage (from history to folk music/dance) very seriously.

Revel in the diversity

Argentina is incredibly diverse. As a result, each region offers numerous highlights worth your attention:

• If you’re a history aficionado, make sure you stop off in Salta, a little town with colonial roots very much still in evidence today, particularly in architectural marvels like the Church of San Francisco.
• Nature lovers should head to the Iberá Wetlands: Argentina’s answer to the Pantanal or Okavango Delta.
• Buenos Aires provides all that those seeking a buzzing nightlife could find, along with plenty of historical landmarks.
• Mendoza provides an excellent introduction to Argentina’s robust winemaking industry.
• Patagonia delivers vast open spaces, ample skiing and hiking opportunities, and the chance to see some of the world’s most stunning glaciers.

Read more: Planning your Argentina adventure vacation: where to go and what to see

Learn (at least some) of the language

It’ll help you a great deal to learn a few basic Spanish phrases before you arrive. Most Argentinians are bilingual in the cities and regions that are key tourist destinations. However, even making the effort to learn greetings for different parts of the day (buenos días, buenas tardes, and buenas noches) or polite phrases (por favor, gracias, de nada; please, thank you, and you’re welcome) will be appreciated by many locals. If you want to go further than that, you could always start a conversational language app like Duolingo before your trip.

Understand historical basics

Before you make your way to Argentina, try to brush up on some of its history. The country and its people have survived colonialism, dictatorship, wars, economic disasters, earthquakes, and more. You can see evidence of this tumultuous history nearly everywhere in the country. To truly understand the culture and feel it come alive, a few moments spent reading up on major past events will really enrich your visit.

Wine lovers: prepare to rejoice

Argentina is the fifth-largest wine-producing region in the world, and many now regard it as one of the best. So prepare to indulge yourself in some of the finest and most robust vintages the world has to offer. As we briefly noted earlier, you’ll want to visit Mendoza to encounter the best wineries, especially when it comes to Malbec. (And don’t forget Cereza, which, unlike Malbec, isn’t always easy to find internationally.)

Read more: Winelands and wine tasting in Argentina

Greeting etiquette

Greeting people in Argentina may be a little different to what you are used to. Most Argentinians say hello and goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. But all you really need to do is touch your cheek to that of your friends’ and you’re good to go.

Protocols for dining out

Most likely, you’ll be dining at restaurants for at least some of your time in Argentina. Unlike in certain countries where the waitstaff drops off the check by default when they see empty or mostly empty plates, you have to specifically ask for the bill (la cuenta) when you’re ready to leave. It’s customary to leave a tip of around 10% on the table, and regardless of how you paid, the gratuity should be in cash.

Bonus: a fun Buenos Aires activity

Argentina is home to one of the biggest, widest avenues in the world: Avenida 9 de Julio. It features 16 traffic lanes and stretches almost 361ft (111m) across. Make sure to visit this massive street and see how many lights it takes you to cross from one side to the other. (Most people need at least two green-light periods to cross it safely.)

Read more: Get to know Buenos Aires

Make it happen

To start planning your Argentina vacation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our local experts. They can provide much more detail about any of the subjects covered above and build a trip itinerary that shows you the parts of Argentina you’ll love most.