Getting From The Airport To The City In Buenos Aires Argentina

There are five (5) main transport options to get from Ezeiza (EZE) airport in Buenos Aires to your accommodation.

Personally, I was routinely using Uber until I discovered private airport transfer services. But let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of all five (5) transport options from the Ezeiza and their costs.

Transport options from Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires Argentina

How Far Is Buenos Aires International Airport From City Center?

Ezeiza airport is about 36 km from the suburbs of Buenos Aires like Palermo, in which a tourist would be staying. And the trip can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic and the transport method selected. The average for me when traveling by car to Palermo is about 50 minutes.

Transport Options From Ezeiza (EZE) In Buenos Aires

There a five (5) main methods you can use to get to the city from the Ezeiza (EZE) airport in Buenos Aires. I’ve outlined their advantages and disadvantages below, along with their costs.

I was using Uber to get to Palermo from Ezeiza (EZE) airport. But I have since switched to private airport transfers. For around $40 USD you can have an English speaking driver with a clean modern vehicle waiting for you when you land.

Your five (5) transport options to the city from Ezeiza (EZE) airport in Buenos Aires ranked in order of difficulty and safety are:

Private Airport Transfer from Ezeiza (EZE) airport

By far the easiest option to get to Buenos Aires from the Ezeiza (EZE) airport is by private airport transfer. Private transfer services are incredibly cheap and convenient in BA. It’s also what I use in Bogotá and Havana.

For less than $40USD (up to 3 people) you can be taken in a modern private vehicle directly from the airport to your hotel or other accommodation. And for larger groups you can even hire a modern 19 seat mini bus for less than $120USD.

The driver will be waiting for you when you land at the time you have set when booking. Your driver will speak English and will load and unload your luggage for you. You will then be chauffeured directly to your accommodation in complete comfort.

Uber From Ezeiza (EZE)

On my last inbound flight I took Uber from Ezeiza to my accommodation in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. And I took Uber to see if their service at Ezeiza (EZE) airport had improved. I didn’t want to change currency at the airport and I was too jet lagged to be bothered negotiating USD payments at dolar blue rates with the cab drivers.

If you call for an Uber at the airport you need to be aware that they still will not pick you up from the taxi rank or from the terminal. And Uber will bill your card at the official exchange rate, so you must avoid surge pricing. Surge pricing on Uber in Argentina can be crazy and the use of the offical exchange rate makes it worse.

I’ve seen prices go 10x from EZE to the city. Normally an Uber from Ezeiza (EZE) to the city will cost around $25 but with surge pricing, I’ve seen it go north of $250. So be sure to check the price in Argentine pesos and work out what it will cost you in your home currency (use xe.com) before accepting an Uber.

Uber won’t pick you up directly in front of your terminal. And their geo-tracking does not work well at the airport. I suggest walking across to carpark E near the Tienda León bus service (see map below). And messaging your driver to tell them where you are.

Disadvantages To Using Uber From The Airport

Just to be clear, the negatives to using Uber from Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) are many. And I do not recommend using Uber from Ezeiza (EZE) unless you’re stuck.

The negatives to using Uber from the Ezeiza (EZE) International Airport are:

Often ridiculously expensive
Won’t pick you up in a convenient location
Junk vehicles
Drivers will often accept rides and then cancel to try and trigger surge pricing
Operates in a legal grey area and is hated by the taxi drivers

Taxi From Airport (EZE)

Taking a taxi from EZE is the easiest option if you have pesos. And it’s the cheapest private service if you’ve converted your money to pesos at the dolar blue rate. If you have converted at the dolar blue rate and you’re using a standard metered cab running on the meter, a taxi from EZE to Palermo costs about $15.

You can walk straight outside and get a cab from the front door of the EZE terminal. But beware of cabs quoting ‘fixed’ prices. When the metered cabs all start telling you it’s a fixed price to a particular place and they’re quoting in $USD, its a scam.

When a metered cab tries to tell me its a ‘fixed fee’ to go somewhere, I go to a different cab and tell them I want to pay in pesos by the meter. If the next cab is doing the same thing, or there are no other cabs, then I let all the taxi drivers watch me as I call an Uber.

If your Spanish language skills are decent and you can negotiate, then you can discuss paying the metered price in pesos with $USD at the dolar blue rate. For example the current dolar blue rate today is 720:1 and the offical exchange rate is 349:1.

As an example, instead of giving the taxi driver $2.85 per 1000 pesos in pesos cash, you could negotiate to pay $1.38 per 1000 pesos paid in $USD cash. Make no mistake, they all want USD and are limited in the amount of USD they can buy each month. So all the taxi drivers are open to being paid in USD at the blue rate.

Advantages And Disadvantages To Taking A Taxi From The Airport

The positives and negatives to taking a taxi from the Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) are roughly equal. And your experience will depend entirely on the taxi driver you get from Ezeiza (EZE).

Advantages to using Taxis:

Convenient
Will pick you up from the terminal and taxi ranks
Cheap if they use the meter and accept USD at the blue rate
Often better vehicles than Uber

Disadvantages to using Taxis:

Will often try to scam unsuspecting tourists
Can be ridiculously expensive when they band together to scam tourists
If the taxi won’t accept USD and you don’t have pesos, you’ll be ripped off by the airport money exchange (official rates)

Tienda León From Airport (EZE)

Tienda León have shuttle busses and what are called ‘remis’. Shuttle busses are pretty self explanatory and will take to you from EZE to their station near Puerto Madero. From there you will need to make your way onward to your accommodation. Personally, I won’t bother with a shuttle bus because I then need to get a cab, Uber or remis the rest of the way.

Remis are private cars. It’s kind of like Argentine Uber. You tell them where and when to pick you up and where to drop you off and they give you a price in pesos. If you’re using the app its an electronic payment. You can however pay cash in the terminal for a remis.

A Tienda León remis will cost about 50% more than a cab. You can see the prices by going to their website and typing in your trip details. They’re nicer vehicles and often better drivers than the Ubers or taxis.

Bus From Airport (EZE)

This is the super budget option. It takes longer and it’s less convenient. But if you’re desperate to save a few dollars, you can give it a try (during the day – not at night).

Personally, I haven’t taken the bus since 2008, because it takes at least 90 minutes to reach the city center. And then you need to get from the bus terminal to your accommodation. If you’re staying in Palermo for example, it will be another 30 minutes in a cab (or longer on public transport) to reach your accommodation.

If you look foreign, don’t speak Spanish and are wheeling around a suitcase or carrying a big backpack, you’ll be running the gauntlet of thieves once the bus drops you off. All to save what will likely end up being $2-$10US, you’ll be risking pickpockets, bag snatchers and general miscreants. Good luck.

Buenos Aires Airport Hotels

If you’re looking for a hotel near Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport because of a layover or if you’ve had a delayed or cancelled flight, I recommend both the Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport and the Rozas Apart in Ezeiza.

The Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport is a traditional large scale airport hotel like any other you’ve seen elsewhere in the world. Whereas the Rozas Apart in Ezeiza is an apartment hotel with a uniquely Argentine charm.

Both hotels are less than 5 minutes from the airport. But the Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport is cheaper and includes a free return shuttle bus from the EZE airport.

You should also get onto AirHelp and claim compensation if your airline has delayed or cancelled your flight. AirHelp is the worlds largest air passenger rights organization. AirHelp is free to use and they can get you up to $700 in compensation if the airline has delayed or cancelled your flight.

With that said, if you’re not on a layover, consider staying closer to the action in one of the better suburbs for tourists. I’d recommend staying in Centro, San Telmo, Recoleta or Palermo depending on your budget and how long you plan on staying in Buenos Aires.

Final Thoughts – Getting From The Airport To The City In Buenos Aires Argentina

Honestly, it’s just much easier to book an airport transfer. But if you don’t want to make arrangements in advance, then unless the cabbies are all running scams or insisting on fixed fees in $USD, I’d just take a cab.

Particularly if I have pesos I’ve acquired at the dolar blue rate. Or if I can knock the taxi prices down by paying the taxi driver in $USD at the blue rate.

If all the cabs are over charging or trying to run scams, which will happen when there’s an influx of flights or if they see a walking dollar sign (gringo with expensive stuff), then I’ll go and get an Uber.

At times I’ve used Tienda León. Because I’ve had a lot of bags and I didn’t know what sort of little sh*tbox car Uber was likely to send. But never have I bothered with the bus since my first trip to Buenos Aires in 2008.

Running the gauntlet of thieves, pickpockets and scammers that hang around public transport stations is not something I’d recommend. Particularly if you’re foreign, speak no Spanish and you are carrying expensive looking stuff. It’s not worth the risk, to only save a few dollars.

Using the bus you’ll be dodging bag snatchers, bag slashers, pickpockets and you might even get sprayed with disgusting old mayonnaise that they make out is bird poo in order to wipe you down while liberating you of your belongings. The bus just isn’t worth it for tourists.

If you’re looking for how get from Ezeiza (EZE) airport to Buenos Aires city, book an airport transfer in advance. And if you’re already at the airport and have forgotten to arrange a transfer, take a cab or an Uber.

Safe travels!

Where Can I Get More Information About Buenos Aires?

I’ve made my Buenos Aires City Guide available on this website. And I recommend you read it before traveling to Argentina. It will help you navigate Buenos Aires and Argentine society.

My Buenos Aires City Guide will save you a lot of time and a significant amount of money on your trip to Argentina. And it will make your trip just a little more fun!

Read the most complete Buenos Aires City Guide.