Buenos Aires?

[RMS Olympic]

Is this city safe to walk through? I will be in the Palermo area and would like to tour the surrounding area adjacent to my hotel....is it like Rio for mugging?

[Jane110]

Is this city safe to walk through? I will be in the Palermo area and would like to tour the surrounding area adjacent to my hotel....is it like Rio for mugging?

 

Buenos Aires is not even close to Rio when it comes to mugging. It's a much safer city.

 

However, with the fall of their economy a few years ago, it's not AS safe as it was when I was first there 14 years ago and incidents can happen.

 

That said, you still need to be careful of your surroundings, especially at night....but again, since Argentines don't eat dinner until after 10:00PM, there are lots of people in the streets in commercial areas. You can wander in the Recoleta area at night, it'll be busy. Of course, avoid dark & empty streets. However, I've been told to only go to the LA Boca area during the day (it was great, don't miss it) and never at night.

I'm sorry, but I forgot which area Palermo is so I can't comment on how it is at night.

 

Jane

[ACJV]

We were there this past January. We were walking along the main boulevard and there were four of us, two men and two women. In the middle of the day, a group of three people sprayed the back of our clothes with some type of grey mud. They pretended to try to help us wipe it off, and we knew about the scam and rushed away and got them to leave us alone, fortunately. We had left all of our valuables, jewelry, watches, etc. on the ship. We still were unnerved by the whole experience. My husband is 6' 3" and we are mid 50's. I can imagine what would have happened to older people that are less able to get away from a situation like this. It gave us a terrible impression of Buenos Aires, and has never happened to us anywhere else in the world, and we have traveled extensively. Be careful.

Vicki

[earljr]

Hi all -

 

Wow - that is a little more concerning that I like!!! I am not 6'3" and a few years beyond 50! Could you tell me what main boulevard you were walking on and the time of day. (or night) We will be sailing out of BA on 3/9/06 and plan to spend a couple of days ahead of the cruise doing some sightseeing.

 

Thanks - Earl

[franu]

I was in BA in Feb. 2005 and did not feel afraid. I am in my mid 60s and have some difficulty walking but living in cities all of my life, I am aware that there is no place on earth that is totally safe.

 

I take responsibility for taking some precautions. I never wear jewellery when travelling, ( I have fakes to wear onboard only.) I try not to have my cash or credit cards in my purse but I do keep about $20. to appease any thief. I keep my money in the safe in the hotel or onboard. If this is not possible, I keep it well hidden in my money pouch making certain that I leave no strings are bands visible. If I am not familiar with where I am going, I take a cab from the hotel . I also do not go alone. I try to read up on which ploy the thieves are using, always being aware of my surroundings. With all of this said, I do my best but will not spend the rest of my life in fear. Life is too precious not to enjoy it.

Fran

[ACJV]

Earl,

We were on the huge main boulevard that runs thru the city. I don't reacall the name of it. We were there in the middle of the day, maybe around 12 or 1 P.M. Anyway, it was in the busiest part of town. We had crossed over all of the lanes of traffic to take pictures of some things and there weren't many people on the far side where we ended up, but it was still right in the middle of town and the middle of the day. Just beware.

Vicki

[Leslieswiger]

We got back from BA in May and had know problems of anykind. I will go along with what FRANU said in his thread. I felt better in BA than I do in NYC. Happy Sailings...Leslie Swiger:)

[Jane110]

We were there this past January. We were walking along the main boulevard and there were four of us, two men and two women. In the middle of the day, a group of three people sprayed the back of our clothes with some type of grey mud. They pretended to try to help us wipe it off, and we knew about the scam and rushed away and got them to leave us alone...........

Vicki

 

This same scam has happened to my 6'1" father twice - once in Miami and once in Los Angeles.

 

Jane

[Keith1010]

We were in Buenos Aires earlier this year and we had no problems. With that said, you should be street smart in this city. You should not wear any fancy jewelry and you should carry limited amounts of money/credit cards with you. I would not walk around during the evening hours and only take a taxi cab that has been called for you at a hotel or restaurant. Do not flag down a cab on the street.

 

We took organized tours of the city rather than doing it on our own.

 

We have friends who were born in Buenos Aires and who go back once a year. They gave us this advice and it worked out well.

 

Keith

[Traveling Fools]

Earl, I think the main shopping street is Florida Street.

 

Capt Tom, Keith hit the head on the nail. Exercise the same precautions you would if in NYC, Boston, LA, Seattle, Miami, etc. One observation my wife and I made is that all the women maintained firm control over their handbags. They didn't walk around with them just hanging on their shoulders. Don't wear a lot of flashy and/or expensive jewelry. Be aware of your environment and you should be just fine.

[RMS Olympic]

Well I have my air reservations, my cruise paid for, my hotel reservation made. Any suggestions on car service from the airport to the Palermo area.....I read somewhere that the taxi system there can be problematic.

[Jane110]

Well I have my air reservations, my cruise paid for, my hotel reservation made. Any suggestions on car service from the airport to the Palermo area.....I read somewhere that the taxi system there can be problematic.

 

Use a radio taxi in BA. Any hotel or restaurant will call one for you. If you're out shopping, any store will make the call. However, if you take a street taxi, your worst case scenerio is that you get a dishonest taxi driver who's illegally adjusted his meter so that you spend a few dollars more on the fare.

 

I don't recall what we did from the airport to our hotel. Sorry. I know we took a taxi but don't remember if we asked someone to call or just got on a taxi line.

 

BA is a great city. Enjoy and hit a few tango shows.

[earljr]

HI all -- I have been a little lax in posting of late but I have been involved in

the threads for our upcoming cruises.

 

First - Thankx to all for advice, info and etc.

 

Second - DW has contacted Cintia and she has arranged for our airport transportation to hotel, the hotel, and a tour. Very professional and very prompt (so far!)

 

Third - safety advice well received -

 

Have a good day - Earl