Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina is famed for its European influences which can be seen in everthing from its people to its architecture.
As with many South American capital cities, whether you’re backpacking on a budget or enjoying a short city break, prioritizing your safety while navigating the city is crucial, especially if you intend to explore frequently.
We all deserve the opportunity to travel and enjoy new experiences. But, if you’re unfamiliar with a country, city, or even just a specific area, it can be daunting and even challenging to feel secure, even at the best of times.
This is likely why you’re concerned about safety in Buenos Aires. Or, maybe you heard a horror story that has made you want to tread with caution.
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Is Buenos Aires Safe?
Having spent several months exploring the city’s diverse neighbourhoods, I’d like to share my insights to help you navigate your visit with confidence.
This guide zooms further in than I did when looking at things to do in Buenos Aires by pointing out some safety issues you may be faced with.
Providing you take the time to do your own research. As well as take note of the tips I’ve noted below, you should not have any safety issues here as a backpacker or even a less experienced first time traveler to this huge city.
Things to Know about Buenos Aires
There are more than 3 million people living in Buenos Aires, and there’s also a lot going on in this area, including several big tourist destinations.
That makes it a pretty popular place for both locals and tourists alike.
Will you Travel to Buenos Aires soon
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Safety in Buenos Aires: What to Avoid
As a tourist visiting South America, whether it for the first time or not, knowing where to go and where not to go is imperative. When visiting Buenos Aires, there are different levels of risk + safety to be aware of.
- Pickpocketing (High risk)
- Scams (High risk)
- Mugging (High risk)
- Unlicensed Taxis (Medium risk)
- Female Travelers (Medium risk)
- Natural Disaster (Low risk)
- Terrorism (Low risk)
If you’re planning a trip soon and looking for things to do in Buenos Aires, I would say, it’s somewhat essential to address safety first.
Let’s break down the different types of risks you may encounter and what to keep in mind so you can arrive to the city with confidence.
1. High-Risk Events
Pickpocketing, scams, and muggings are a rampant problem throughout the city, and they’re things you’re going to want to take precautions against, whilst getting to know the tourist attractions in Buenos Aires.
Watching where you go and how you carry things like money and valuables such as your mobile device is going to be extremely important here.
In other words, you want to make sure your money is secure.
For safety in Buenos Aires, wear clothes that have pockets with buttons and zips rather than carrying a wallet in an open pocket or even carrying a fancy purse. I often carry a pouch like this one to keep my case extra safe.
2. Medium Risk Events
Unlicensed taxis pop up anywhere that there is a lot of traffic.
You are going to do the best by calling the service directly and ordering a taxi, rather than just getting into a taxi you see on the street.
You never know who they work for. And while some unlicensed taxis are just looking to make money, some can be dangerous.
Women traveling alone can end up running way more risk while in this area, though most often this is going to happen at night.
As a result, women should be vigilant and take precautions to avoid less populated areas on their own for better safety in Buenos Aires.
3. Low-Risk Events
If you’ve kept up with the world and current events over recent years, you know natural disasters and terrorism can happen anywhere.
However, there is a very low risk of these things happening here, even though storms and floodings are expected to increase in the future.
Floods can happen, yes, but not frequently, and terrorist events haven’t happened yet, so you probably don’t need to be as concerned about this.
If you plan to travel over the river to Montevideo from Buenos Aires you’ll want to keep your eye on the weather conditions during that day/week.
When it comes to safety in Buenos Aires, the most useful thing that I can tell you is just to be aware. Constantly watch your surroundings.
Whilst in Buenos Aires, take some basic precautions that include:
- Pockets with buttons or zips for valuables
- Not showing off valuables
- Not flashing money
- Watching the surrounding activity
- Not traveling alone
By working with these few basic steps, you’re going to be setting yourself up for a safer and more enjoyable trip.
Safety in Buenos Aires isn’t hard to come by, you just need to know what you’re doing, and even in gentrified areas such as Palermo Soho.
Safety Tips for Buenos Aires
After living in the city of Buenos Aires for a few months, I became more and more familiar with some the following neighbourhoods:
- Recoleta
- Palermo
- Las Cañitas
- Puerto Madero
- Plaza San Martín
- San Telmo
- Belgrano
- La Boca
- Microcenter
As a visitor to the city, whether you are passing through for the day or spending more time here, it is likely that you’ll spend time in one of these neighborhoods. I suggest you look at the hotels in Recoleta while here.
Now you’re aware of some of the events that could quite easily (or not so easily) happen, I invite you to look at my Buenos Aires safety tips below.
I have written these tips to help you avoid the likelihood of being a victim of petty or low-level crime in the city – which can (and does) happen.
⤵️ Dan’s tips for staying safe in Buenos Aires:
- Trust your gut! If somewhere gives you a bad feeling – turn back.
- When deciding where to stay in Buenos Aires, I suggest that you use accredited hotels that have reviews that inspire confidence.
- Avoid large crowds as much as you can – you never who awaits.
- Don’t hang around the same place for too long.
- Spanish (or castellano, as it is known as throughout most of the country) is spoken in almost all establishments here, so be sure to brush up on your basic Spanish conversation before you arrive.
- Consider where you are located at all times – poverty is rife here, so.
- You can simply ignore catcalls in the street. The best way to deal with unwanted attention os to simply keep walking/moving.
- Don’t flaunt your wealth or your fashion – it only draws attention to you. If anything, aim to blend in with what the locals are wearing.
- If you’re visiting on a backpacker’s budget, then I suggest that you look at these cool hostels in Buenos Aires for cheap rooms.
- Avoid getting drunk or in ‘party mode’, especially around large crowds.
- Keep a low profile when passing backstreets and off-key zones
- Avoid getting into conversations in the street at night.
Although some of this advice may seem like basic common sense to some, to others it’s not. Especially for those visiting Buenos Aires for the first time.
Many people who I talk to just don’t realize how one simple thing like taking a wrong turn on a street or stopping for a stranger can lead to a disaster.
Buenos Aires: How safe is it for you?
The main purpose of this guide is to help you to be more intelligent and feel confident about planning your trip to Buenos Aires.
Following some of these tips will help you to avoid the usual upset or worries that might make your trip to South America seem dangerous.
I have also written about safety in South America after repeated travel and backpacking trips in and around the continent over the years.
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