Port of Buenos Aires

Cruise ships in Buenos Aires arrive at the Quinquela Martín terminal, at Av. Pres. Ramón San Castillo 13, which the city tourism board calls the best in South America. The board puts it minutes from the city's best-known sights and a short distance from the centre. A taxi to the Obelisco takes about 15 minutes.

Ezeiza or Aeroparque to the pier

Ezeiza is the international airport, 32 km from the city by the tourism board's count and about 50 minutes from the centre. The national tourism board says the car trip into the centre takes 45 minutes to an hour, and up to 90 minutes in heavy traffic or rain. Aeroparque sits inside the city, about 25 minutes from the main hotels, and handles mostly domestic and some regional flights.

Outside Ezeiza arrivals, official taxis are hired at the Taxi Ezeiza Oficial office. A remis is a private car with a fixed fare set by destination, so ask whether tolls are included. Uber or Cabify are booked in the app and collected at the signed meeting points outside arrivals, with the fare shown in the app and paid by the card on your account. The Line 8 bus is the cheapest option and reaches Plaza de Mayo in a little over an hour, taking debit and credit cards as well as SUBE.

Tienda León shuttles run from both airports to its Puerto Madero terminal. Public bus lines also connect both airports with the centre.

Luggage storage

The city lists Guarda Equipajes Retiro in the hall of the Retiro bus terminal, at Av. Dr. José M Ramos Mejía 1680, ground floor, in front of the main door and the information office. The Retiro tourist information centre is open Monday to Friday from 8 to 15 h, and on weekends and holidays from 8 to 17 h.

From the terminal to town by taxi

The city's terminal page gives taxi times from the terminal. The Obelisco is about 15 minutes, Plaza de Mayo about 20, Plaza Cortázar in Palermo about 25 and Caminito in La Boca about 30.

A taxi fare is a starting charge plus an add-on for distance and time. The city's BA Taxi app shows an approximate price before the trip, names the driver and takes every payment method. A remis price is agreed with the agency before you leave.

Colectivo, subte and the tourist buses

A colectivo needs a SUBE card. The subte takes contactless credit and debit cards and phone wallets with NFC, as well as SUBE.

To reach Plaza de Mayo you can also take the E-Bus, the Yellow Bus or the Red Bus. The electric buses link Plaza San Martín in Retiro with Parque Lezama. The yellow hop-on hop-off bus runs daily from 9 to 20 h from Av. Quintana 596 in Recoleta. The red one runs daily from 9 to 19 h from Roque Sáenz Peña 728. Passes last 24 or 48 hours. The buses are accessible for people with motor disability and carry audioguides and sign-language commentary on screens.

Pesos, arbolitos and the urban-use fee

ATMs run 24 hours and accept the main international cards. The city calls casas de cambio and banks the safe place to change money, and says the street changers in the Microcentro, the arbolitos, operate illegally.

Foreign tourists over 12 pay a city urban-use fee of 1.50 USD per person per night under Ley 6278, in force since 1 March 2020. The city says it applies to cruises. Foreign tourists also get the 21% VAT back on accommodation when paying by international card or foreign bank transfer. Domestically produced goods of 70 pesos or more bought at shops in the Global Blue Tax Free scheme qualify for a refund, with the forms stamped at any Argentine Customs office on the way out.

If something goes wrong

Call 911 in an emergency. The Tourist Police work the main tourist corridors, and their 24-hour duty service handles lost passports and documents. The city's tourist police station phone is (+54 11) 5050 9260. A QR code posted at cruise terminals opens a safety microsite with tips and the 911 call. The Tourist Ombudsman is free and open 365 days a year.

When ships arrive at Quinquela Martín

The port authority expected 127 calls in the 2023-24 season. The national government's news page says Buenos Aires city estimated 125 calls and over 479,000 cruise passengers from November 2024 to April 2025. From the terminal a taxi to the Obelisco takes about 15 minutes, and to Plaza de Mayo about 20.

How this page is made

Ship calls come from WakeRadar's AIS tracking. The tourism pages listed below were read on 2026-10-26. The text is reviewed by the WakeRadar editor.

Sources

• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/terminal-de-cruceros/espanol
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/%C2%BFc%C3%B3mo-llegar-buenos-aires
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/moverse-por-la-ciudad
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/bus-turistico
• https://www.argentina.travel/novedades/como-llegar-desde-el-aeropuerto-de-ezeiza-al-centro-de-buenos-aires
• https://www.argentina.gob.ar/node/409706
• https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/record-en-la-temporada-de-cruceros
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/guarderias-de-equipaje
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/tips-para-cambiar-dinero
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/seguridad-y-salud
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/nuestros-turistas-extranjeros-no-abonan-el-iva
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/atencion-al-turista
• https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/article/derecho-de-uso-urbano