Buenos Aires Basics: What to Pack

Buenos Aires is a large, metropolitan city and has been compared to other world destinations including Paris, New York and Chicago. When packing your luggage for your trip to Buenos Aires, be sensible and be sure to leave room for those goodies you’ll want to bring back with you!

Daywear: The daywear you bring with you to Buenos Aires will largely depend on the season in which you will be traveling. During the summer, you’ll appreciate garments that breathe. Tank tops, t-shirts and skirts or shorts are perfectly acceptable options. The winter here is generally mild, but still chilly. Jeans and a sweater or long-sleeve shirt will be plenty, but also be sure to bring a jacket and umbrella, just in case.

Nightwear: Truth is, wearing jeans and a t-shirt to most bars and clubs is perfectly fine. But if you’re going somewhere a bit more fancy (or if you just want to dress up), almost anything goes. So gents bring your sharp button down or ladies bring your favorite little black dress and those fun red pumps and enjoy!

Footwear: Buenos Aires is a big city, and you will do a lot of walking on your trip. As a result, you will be most happy wearing comfortable, flat shoes. In the winter, the favored footwear amongst the local women is a pair of knee-high boots with little or no heel. Outside of those coolest of months, sandals or flats are the way to go. Likewise, flip flops are perfectly acceptable, but you will find that it is mostly visitors who wear them, and not locals.

Cosmetics and Toiletries: Although bargains abound in Buenos Aires, cosmetics somehow remain extremely expensive and difficult to find. So if you have a favorite face cream or eye shadow, be sure to bring it with you. But if you need to buy shampoo, toothpaste or soap, never fear, you will find most of the same products as you can at home and at a reasonable price.

Hairdryers and other Appliances: Don’t leave your hairdryer at home, assuming that you can buy a cheap replacement at the corner pharmacy upon your arrival in Buenos Aires. Like other appliances and electronics, hairdryers, curling irons and flattening irons are extremely expensive here. Instead, be sure to pack a voltage converter (Buenos Aires uses 220 volt electricity, while the US uses 110), or bring appliances with a converter built-in along with a plug adapter.

Electricity Converters and Adapters: In general, it is a good idea to pack both a voltage converter, which converts the voltage stream from 220 to 110 volts, and a plug-in adapter, which converts the shape of the plug. Don’t worry about using a voltage adapter with your laptop, as the cord already has one installed. You will, however, need a plug-in adapter to change the shape of the plug.