Getting around Buenos Aires: public transport, passes and taxis

Buenos Aires is a big, flat city with a cheap and extensive transit network, plus taxis and ride-hailing that cost a fraction of US or European prices. The trade-off is not money, it is time and friction: the Subte is fast but covers only part of the city, colectivos reach everywhere but need a card and some nerve, and apps are easy but sit in the same traffic as everyone else.

SUBE is the stored-value card for the Subte, colectivos and city trains. You buy the card once, then top it up; the card itself is cheap and the balance is what you spend. Kiosks at Subte stations, some pharmacies and lottery shops sell and top up cards, and stations have machines — availability varies, so ask at a kiosk if a machine is out of order (check).

One card can be shared by tapping it once per person, but each traveller needs their own tap, so two people on one card means two taps in sequence. Many Subte turnstiles and some buses now accept a contactless bank card or phone wallet directly, which saves the queue on arrival, but coverage is not universal — carry a SUBE as backup (check).

Fares rose sharply in 2024–26 and are set in pesos, so the number you read in a guide is stale within months. Treat any figure as a 2026 estimate and check the machine or the official fare page before you rely on it.

The Subte is the fastest way to cross the centre. Lines run under the main avenues and connect Microcentro, Retiro, Once, Congreso and the edges of Palermo and San Telmo. It does not reach Recoleta's museum strip or the far side of Palermo well, so plan a bus or a short taxi for those legs. Trains run roughly 05:00–23:00 on weekdays with a shorter Sunday service; check the last train if you are out late (check).

Colectivos are the real network: hundreds of lines, running all night, reaching places the Subte never will. You need the card, and you need to know your line number and direction — a maps app handles that. Board at the front, tap, and watch for your stop; drivers move fast and stops are close together. At rush hour the buses are packed and phones are a target.

City trains from Retiro, Constitución and Once are useful for the suburbs and for a cheap ride out to Tigre or the southern barrios, but they are commuter services, not sightseeing lines. Keep your bag in front of you and avoid empty carriages at night.

Black-and-yellow taxis use meters and are plentiful; apps such as Uber and Cabify show the price before you accept, which removes the argument about the route. In practice most city trips land in the US$5–15 band, and the airport run to EZE is about US$30–45 depending on traffic and the hour. Round up rather than tipping a percentage.

At EZE, ignore anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering a ride. Use the official taxi or remis desks, or order through an app once you have data. At AEP you are already in the city, so a normal taxi or app works. If you pay by card in a taxi, confirm the driver accepts it before you get in; cash in pesos is the safe default.

Transit is cheap by US or European standards, but Argentine fares are repriced often, so the peso figures move. The table below gives the shape of the cost rather than a fixed number; check the current fare when you arrive.

Carry small peso notes for kiosks, buses and tips, and keep a card for apps and larger bills. Your phone is the single most useful tool here: a maps app with live transit, plus a ride-hailing app, covers almost every trip. Download an offline map before you land in case data is slow to activate.