Subte 101: How to Take the Buenos Aires Subway

The six lines of the Buenos Aires subway are a breeze to negotiate compared to the complex bus system. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to speed to your destination underneath the city:

Figure out your route

To decide which line you can check a subway map on the internet (includes an app), or go old school and purchase the Buenos Aires transport guide the GuiaT, to look more like a local and not have to risk pulling your phone out in public.

Subway stations also have a map at street level, though they are usually above eye line and difficult to read. For a clearer map, go down into the station, where there is one on the wall at most stops.

Entering the station

While some station entrances lead to a station hall and both platforms, others lead to just one andén (platform) and trains going in just one direction. If you accidentally go through the turnstile to the wrong platform, you won’t be able to retrieve your fare — unless you convince a subway worker to take pity on you.

To figure out which entrance you want, find out the name of the station at the end of the line in the direction you’re traveling in, and look for signs that say ‘trenes a + that station name’.

For example, if you are entering the D line at Bulnes stop and want to go to Olleros you need to go in the direction of Congreso de Tucumán. Look for the entrance that says ‘trenes a Congreso de Tucumán’. If you want to go in the other direction, you need to cross the street to the entrance that says ‘trenes a Catedral’.

Entrances that say salida unicamente, are exits, walk across the street to find an entrance.

Buying your ticket

A ticket to anywhere in the network costs AR$16.50 with the price going down after a certain number of trips. There are no longer paper tickets available, so visitors will have to purchase a Sube smart card in one of the city’s tourist centers or a kiosk (street-side convenience stores).

The sube card is a re-chargeable electronic card which can be used on the subway, buses and trains in and around the capital.

Read this post for how to obtain an electronic SUBE card or click here to see a map where you can purchase a Sube card in any part of Buenos Aires.

SUBE — Electronic card

To charge your Sube card, go to the boletería (ticket office), put your card against the card reader, and tell the vendor the amount you would like to put on the card. ‘¿Me recargás cien por favor?’ would be, ‘Can you put 100 pesos on my card please?

If Argentine Spanish is not yet your forte, handing over the money and holding up the card to the reader will likely have the desired effect.

Going through the turnstile and onto the platform

The sube card is simply swiped on the turnstile’s card reader to gain entrance to the station.

Once you’ve heard the beep that states your card has been charged, head through the turnstile, onto the platform and wait.

As the subway is warm all year round and sauna-like during summer, it’s advisable to take off any unnecessary layers of clothes before getting on the train. If you’re riding the subte in November-February, seek out the nearest fan while you wait, a window while you ride, and be prepared to sweat for the duration of your journey.

Getting on the subte

Depending on the line, time of day and the mood of those around you, you may have to push to get on the subte. This is common at rush hour, where hoards of commuters squeeze themselves into packed carriages.

The etiquette of getting on the train also varies depending on the subway line. On ‘polite’ lines, such as the línea D, passengers wait for others to disembark, before getting on themselves. If you’re traveling on less-civilized lines, like the C or E, you may have to adopt the local technique of barging as forcefully as possible to get on or off the subway train.

Try to head into the carriage rather than standing by the door. Those lingering near an exit will be perturbed by a constant stream of people asking ‘¿bajas?’ – are you getting off? This is the porteño way of inquiring whether it is necessary to push past you to get off the train.

Subway Seating

Priority seats should be given to the elderly, pregnant women and also children, who often sit down while their parents stand. If you don’t get a seat, be sure to cling onto one of the handholds or rails, unless of course you’re looking for an excuse to ‘accidentally’ fall into that sexy Argentine standing next to you.

Making Connections & Changing Lines

To switch lines, once at the connecting station look for signs that say ‘Combinación con la linea…’ plus the line you want to change to. Make sure that you’re following the signs for trains in the direction you want to go, this can be particularly confusing when changing at the main intersection in the city center.

If you’re coming off the C line at Diagonal Norte and want to change to the D line in direction of Congreso de Tucumán you will first reach the platform for ‘trenes a Catedral’. Keep following the signs for ‘trenes a Congreso de Tucumán‘ until you reach the correct platform.

Vendors and subte musicians

Don’t be shocked if a vendor comes onto the carriage and drops their wares into your lap. Articles range from exactly the sort of thing you might want to buy on the subte, such as tissues, chewing gum, and transport guides, to prayer cards and bizarre gadgets. If you want to buy the item, pay the seller as they come round to collect their goods. If you don’t, simply hand it back.

Small children may also come up and offer their hand or cheek to you by way of greeting. They will then give you a slip of paper outlining their miserable life circumstances, or a small card or object. These items mean they want money, although food is often welcome.

Other people will simply walk the carriage, telling their tale of woe and holding out a money pot.

Subte performers range from small children juggling or warbling out tunes to professional-looking musicians with portable amps and three-piece bands. Performers usually expect a round of applause, and then pass round their hat for ‘quien desea colaborar’ (anyone who wants to donate).

Safety on the Buenos Aires Subte

Passengers should always keep a close eye on their belongings to keep safe in Buenos Aires. Adopt the local habit of pulling backpacks towards the front, carrying purses across the shoulder and placing wallets in the front pocket.

Do not carry objects of value in easily reached pockets or easily opened bags. Flashy phones or cameras should be kept hidden and used discreetly.

Be aware of those around you, a coat strategically placed over the arm of a shady looking passenger may well be cover for the work of light fingers. Take particular care on the C line, where robberies are more common.

Getting off the subte

Note that only the subte stops with connections to other lines are announced on the train’s speaker system. An electronic screen on the C line announces the next station, but on other lines passengers have to watch out for their stop.

On busy carriages, it’s advisable to head towards the exit before the train stops. Along the way, be sure to say ‘permiso’ (excuse me) as you work your way toward the door. If someone is blocking the exit, say ‘¿bajas?’ (are you getting off?) They will let you pass if they are staying on, if they reply ‘si’, (yes) wait behind them.

Leaving the subte

You don’t need to show or swipe your ticket to leave the station. Look for the – salida (exit) sign and note that the each exit is labeled according to the streets above it.

— Rosie Hilder

Subte Tips

• Be conscientious of your belongings and don’t stand near the door if you can help it

• If you do stand near the door or an open window, be careful using your cellphone — sometimes they are snatched

• Don’t diddle doddle on busy platforms too much, just move with the people on the platforms

• Wear good deodorant in the summer when you’ll be smashed up against people in sweltering temperatures. Hopefully fellow passengers will have the same courtesy!

→Want to tour Buenos Aires’ most important plaza, downtown buildings and also get an overview on using public transportation? Try out our affordable Buenos Aires walking tour.

→ Read about using an Uber in Argentina or about driving and renting a car.

Subte: The Buenos Aires Subway

Part of the daily grind for residents, visitors will find the Buenos Aires subte provides fluorescent-hued flickerings of insight into the lives of porteños of all incomes.

In among tired workers, embracing couples and entire families on day trips, panhandlers make their pleas and vendors plug anything from chewing gum to mini-sewing machines and musicians belt out tunes of varying quality.

Buenos Aires was the 13^th city in the world to get a subway system and the oldest subway coaches in service worldwide still ran on the historic línea A until the city decided to replace them in early 2013 for safety reasons.

The network consists of six lines, líneas A – E and H and covers over 52.4km of the capital. Tourists will find the subte is relatively clean, goes to the majority of attractions and is faster and easier to navigate than the more complex bus system.

Subte Fares and Operating Hours

Unlike some other cities where fare is determined by distance, in Buenos Aires a single fare covers the whole subte network. Passengers can travel for two stops, change twice or ride to the end of the line — it’s still the same low price.

While still very affordable, the subte’s fare have been steadily increasing year after year to keep up with inflation. With the price rises, and the addition of bike lanes and a bike lending program, passenger numbers have dropped by an average of 200,000 per working day.

Waiting times for trains are generally between 3-6 minutes, though this depends on the line, time and day of the week. Television screens at the stations display train frequencies, as opposed to specific arrival times, along with news, short general interest programs and adverts. Wi-Fi is also available at most stations.

History and Controversy of the Buenos Aires Metro

Before the inauguration of the A line in 1913, the first subway line in South America, the capital’s transport network consisted of an intricate web of tramway and train lines, which congested its narrow streets.

The first proposals to build a subway system were submitted in 1886. After various plan rejections, delays and hiccups, the then-thriving Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company began the build in 1911.

The subway system has changed hands various times in accordance with the political whims of the government.

Two companies, Corporación de Transportes de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires and Administración General de Transportes de Buenos Aires were in charge of the subway and then liquidized, before the state-owned company Subterráneos de Buenos Aires took over in 1963.

Today, Subterráneos de Buenos Aires, or SBSAE, owns the stations, and through SBASE, the city government is in charge of the expansion of the network.

When the subte was privatized under President Carlos Menem’s rule in 1994, the company Metrovías S.A began to operate the system. In 1999 this contract was extended until 2017.

As of 2012, the national and city government have been wrangling over ownership of the subway system. No one wants the hemorrhaging network on their hands.

Per prior agreement, the city government took over the subte in 2012 and consequently increased the fares, before later trying to return it to the national government, who didn’t want it.

As the national and city government continue to squabble, citizens take the hit with a dearth of police officers in stations and frequent strikes by workers.

Connections and Expansion of the Network

As three out of six subway lines fan out from main square Plaza de Mayo and run parallel to each other, passengers often have to travel to the center to switch lines. Connections between the busiest lines B, C and D happen at the crowded downtown intersection below the Obelisk of stops Carlos Pelligrini, Diagonal Norte and 9 de Julio.

After a 60-year lull in construction, the modern H line was created in 2007 and is still being expanded. This line allows passengers to connect across the E, A and B lines without first traveling to the city center. An SBASE representative describes the H as being “fundamental to improving the operation of the whole system” and this explains why the H was constructed, before the F and G lines, which were planned at the same time. When finished, línea H will connect with the D line, and join main tourist destination Plaza Francia, home to Recoleta cemetery, to the rest of the city.

There are also plans to extend the A, B and E lines and build new lines F, G, which will run between 56 new stations. The extensions will add 39.3km to the network and subte riders are expected to increase by the thousands once they are completed. — Rosie Hilder

→ How to Take the Buenos Aires Subte

Metrovías
Subte Fare — AR$

Operating Hours:
Mon-Sat: 5 a.m.—11 p.m.
Sundays: 8 a.m. —10 p.m.

Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina

WA-hitchhiking-truckdriver — An Argentine trucker. photo: Ryan Rambo

Hitchhiking is legal throughout Argentina and is making a comeback among young backpackers. In more remote areas some locals hitchhike everyday, as it is the only mode of ‘public’ transport available.

Be ready for anything as hitchhiking can be testing and occasionally fun and exciting.

Here are ten quick tips to make your hitchhiking adventure more enjoyable and safe

1. Camping Equipment: A camp stove, tent and sleeping bag allow you to move and sleep anywhere. Always carry matches, a flashlight, a pen and other emergency supplies such as a first-aid kit.

2. Food, Water and other necessities: Argentina is vast. Be sure to carry enough food and water on you for a couple days, just in case you get stranded somewhere without amenities.

3. Nutrition: It can be difficult to stay healthy on the road. Noodles or rice mixed with tuna make for good dinners—as long as you have a stove. Bread, cheese and salami, fruits and nuts make for good lunches. All can be purchased at any supermarket.

4. Service stations and truckers: Gas stations are the backbone of the hitchhiking world in Argentina. Truckers tend to stop at these stations, usually located on the outskirts of cities. Don’t be afraid to ask them where they are going and if you can join them. This is the best way to get rides.

5. A dedo: Using your thumb can be effective but having a sign makes you more noticeable. Don’t be afraid to be creative and humorous. Try to appear clean and friendly. White or bright clothing is ideal. Keep in mind that you are quickly judged based on your looks. The more you look like a serial killer, the lower your chance of getting a ride.

6. Patience: Have lots and lots of patience. It is the only skill required to hitchhike. It could take all day or it could take thirty seconds — you never know.

7. Safety: Realize that hitchhiking can be dangerous. Use common sense and be safe. Don’t stand close to the road’s shoulder and make sure there is a safe place for the car to pull over. Hitchhiking can be dangerous for women traveling alone.

8. Travel light: The more baggage you have the less likely you are to get a ride.

9. Speak Spanish: Communication is important. Many people who pick up hitchhikers like to talk. Sometimes it is the reason they pick you up. You can hitchhike without Spanish, but it can be a bit more difficult and awkward. Forget your ego and make the effort.

Take a Spanish Course Online

10. Have fun: There are hard moments on the road, but don’t forget why you are traveling in the first place.

→ Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience, Safety

Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience and Safety

Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Argentina as seen from the highway — Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten

Hitchhiking in Argentina is smelly, exhausting, wet, sweaty, cold, hot, windy, dry, uncomfortably awkward and highly rewarding.

Thumbing rides in this huge, sparsely populated country can mean days in a variety of miserable conditions, from icy Patagonian wind to a tropical Andean heat.

Still nothing compares to a ride well earned, that sudden thrill of a vehicle slowing down and the fumbling moment when one gathers their belongings and sprints towards an open door.

In a country with steadily increasing bus prices, hitchhiking has become a popular form of travel for the modern day backpacker in Argentina. But don’t be fooled by the trend — it is difficult.

The trick is to be prepared for anything.

Hitchhiking Gear Basics

A hitchhiker can end up in some uncomfortable places. A camp stove, tent and a sleeping bag make the back of a YFP service station a lot more accommodating.

The camp stove provides a way to sustain simple, but much needed nourishment. The fuel for the stove can be purchased at outdoor stores or at the Carrefour supermarket chain.

Make sure to carry enough water for cooking and drinking, since you never know where you will find yourself.

Unlike other South American nations, Argentina has potable water throughout most of the country.

A tent and sleeping bag enables you to camp wherever you want. You don’t have to make it somewhere with amenities; you can go anywhere. It’s nice to know you can get some sleep wherever you are, even though your dreams will probably be interrupted by the groan of a diesel engine.

It is completely possible to endure hitchhiking in Argentina without a tent, but it’s not optimal.

No tent means staying up all night in a service station sipping coffee, or resting on a bench in a bus terminal, waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon until the moment you can throw a thumb in the air.

Outdoor gear is expensive in Argentina (as are most durable goods) so hitchhikers will save money if they come to the country with their own gear.

Hitchhiking Gear Essentials Checklist

⇒ Lightweight, Easy Set-up Tent

⇒ Waterproof sleeping Bag

⇒ Self Inflating Backpacking Pad

⇒ Portable Camp Stove

Hang out at Gas Stations

Service stations are the backbone of the world of hitchhiking in Argentina. They are where rides originate and end, where truckers sleep, where you will find yourself filling water bottles and buying chips.

The prime location to get rides are the gas stations on the outskirts of cities and towns, where the cars thin out and head in one direction. Inflated food prices make the grocery store a better option for sustenance, but these make ideal pit stops for everything else.

Patience on the Road

The ease at which someone can catch a ride depends more on serendipity than on any set of natural or developed skills. There are a few things you can do to improve the likeliness to get a lift though.

Truckers sleep in their trucks in service stations. They wake up early to their Gauchito Gil decals staring back at them under the red tassels that line their tinted windows.

You can watch from afar as they emerge from their rigs to fill their hot water thermos for their morning mate, out of machines designed just for that purpose. This is the magic moment when you can hit them up for rides directly.

Many truckers will claim that their employers prohibit drivers to pick up hitchhikers, so expect a lot of “no’s” but remember all that you need is that one “yes.”

If begging face-to-face makes you feel like a bum, use the age-old method of a thumb in the air and a cardboard sign. A sign creates attention, and as a hitchhiker you want people to notice you, so be creative.

Give a smile and a wave, even if they pass by. Keep in mind that truckers talk to each other on the CB radio. If they are aware you have been in the same spot for hours, they may take pity on you and pick you up.

Whatever you do, do not be discouraged if you are having bad luck. Eventually someone will give you a lift; patience is the only skill a hitchhiker needs.

The length of any one ride depends on the destination of the driver.

Sometimes a ride with a family can be 20 kilometers and sometimes a trucker will haul you 1,000 kilometers — you never know.

Argentines are very proud of their country and like to teach you about their culture. Hitchhiking is a great way to get to know the society on a more personal level than merely staying in hostels, riding on buses, and going on tours.

Speaking Spanish can make a car ride much more interesting, especially in Patagonia where drivers dazzle with Malvina (Falkland) war stories, spin tales about their numerous romantic conquests and instruct you on how to make the perfect asado.

Argentina Hitchhiking Safety Measure

Hitchhikers at Cerro Fitz Roy, El Chalten, Argentina Hitchhiking in Argentina is uncomfortably awkward and highly rewarding. Thumbing rides in this huge, sparsely populated country can mean days in a variety of miserable conditions, from icy Patagonian wind to a tropical Andean heat. But nothing compares to a ride well earned, that sudden thrill of a vehicle slowing down and the fumbling moment when one gathers their belongings and sprints towards an open door. Get Argentina Hitchhiking Tips on Wander Argentina — photos: Benjamin Peter Jones

There is always an element of uncertainty with hitchhiking, which makes it initially attractive for the adventurous, but unfortunately dangerous.

Sleeping in the back of service stations or in a field on the side of the road can be frightening, loud and miserable, but it is not your only option. You can always hitchhike to cities and stay in hostels.

Overall Argentina is a safe country in which to hitchhike, but bring a friend. It makes it safer and the bad times better. Women shouldn’t attempt extended trips alone — in 2004 Swiss traveler, Annagreth Würgler (link in Spanish) disappeared after accepting a ride in La Rioja. The fact that the case received so much media attention in Argentina demonstrates that it was a very unusual case.

Use common sense. If you decide to hitchhike, realize you are taking a risk. Don’t hitchhike in sparse areas of Patagonia in winter or the tropical north in summer.

Argentine drivers are notoriously reckless and often exceed high speeds due to the lack of radar enforced roads outside of Buenos Aires, so do not stand too close to the shoulder.

Most Argentines who pick up hitchhikers tend to be eccentric, lovely people, offering rides altruistically. Aside from rural routes where one’s car serves as a ‘community vehicle,’ most drivers will not even ask for money.

So when you are looking down the gray asphalt and the cold rain makes you pine for a warm hostel bed and a nice sized bife de chorizo, remember the next person who picks you up will probably be friendly, they will have a nice warm car and maybe will even give you cookies.

Just be prepared to serve a lot of mate.

— Zach W. Watson

→ Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina

→ Not up for hitching? Read About Driving and Renting a Car in Argentina

→ Do you need travel insurance for Argentina?

The Buses of Buenos Aires

The buses of Buenos Aires are like old men in a bar – loud, smoky, rough around the edges, but dependably, they always show up – usually sooner rather than later.

The buses, called colectivos, or bondis in the local lingo, lunfardo are quite reliable, inexpensive and comprehensive, moving six and half million passengers a day. According to the Urban Public Transport page, Los Colectivos, the buses of Buenos Aires travel the equivalent to 3000 trips around the world each month.

The entire Buenos Aires’ system contains 110 bus lines, most functioning 24 hours a day. Although considered a public system, the buses in Buenos Aires are privately owned by dozens of companies, so while the service is generally good, each company can vary. Thanks to high ridership, Buenos Aires’ buses are economical even though the companies that run them receive virtually no government subsidies.

Popular Bus Lines, Fares & Sube Card

Obviously which bus you need depends on your location, but some lines, such as the 60, are particularly useful. The 60 is sometimes referred to as, ‘The International’ because its ten different routes pass by many top landmarks from La Boca Juniors stadium, Constitución train station, Plaza Italia, the U.S. embassy in Palermo all the way to the tourist office in the leafy northern suburb of Tigre.

Another bus line that hits a lot of the tourist hotspots is the 152, which passes through La Boca, San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta and Palermo.

Those who stay in Buenos Aires for a while begin to figure out what bus lines are reliable and which ones aren’t.

Some lines, such as the 10, 17 and 29 are dependable and come by very frequently, as often as every seven minutes in the central parts of the city. Others such as the 75 and 86 tend to be notoriously undependable and yet others, such as the 24, can be dependable during the day and seem to leave you waiting a while at night and on Sundays and holidays.

It’s worth noting that after midnight buses are suppose to stop for any passenger who flags them down, even if the passenger is not at a bus stop. It doesn’t always work, but they will often stop if flagged, particularly for women who are alone.

Fare Prices

A basic Buenos Aires bus fare for those with a Sube Card starts at AR$13.50 for less than three kilometers and goes up depending on the distance traveled. The price has increased several time in the last few years, but leveled with inflation the basic fare has hovered around 0.35 cents in US dollars.

The buses of Buenos Aires are without a doubt more comprehensive than the subway, reaching every corner of the city. In short – though generally slower than taxis, uber and the Buenos Aires subway, the buses will get you to every nitty gritty corner of Buenos Aires.

→ For help figuring out which bus you need go analogue using the Guía T or check out online directories such as the city’s website search engine, Como Llego.

→ For instructions on how to take a bus in Buenos Aires, click here.

→ For instructions on how to get a Sube card, click here.

→ Also check out an affordable downtown walking tour that gives a primer on using the bus and Buenos Aires subway.

* Updated 2018

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