Navigating Retiro Bus Terminal in Buenos Aires: Safety Tips and Travel Guide

All ready, friends. Audrey over here, and today we are talking all about Retiro Bus Terminal in Buenos Aires. So, if you're traveling through Argentina and you're planning to take a long-distance overnight bus, there's a very good chance that you are going to pass through Retiro Bus Terminal in Buenos Aires. This is the city's main bus terminal. It can take you anywhere in the country, and it also crosses a few international borders into neighboring countries. So, it's a really good hub. And today I'm going to be sharing tips for navigating this bus terminal because a lot of people think it's a very scary place, and it's really not. So, last time I was in Buenos Aires, I was about to catch an Uber to the bus terminal, and the girl

at the hotel was warning me like, "Be so careful there on your way in, on your way out. Keep your eyes on your luggage. It's a very dangerous place." And I remember looking at her and asking, "Has something changed in the last year?" And she said, "No." And internally I was thinking like, "What is she talking about then? Like, this is not the scary place you think it is." Just to give you an idea, I travel through Retiro Bus Terminal at a minimum four times per year, sometimes more, up to 10 times if we're doing a lot of domestic travel in the country. And that's why today I wanted to sit down and film this video because maybe you're planning a trip to Argentina, maybe you're feeling a bit

worried, a bit scared, a bit hesitant, and you really shouldn't. So, in this video I'm going to cover things like how the terminal is organized, which bus categories to book, how to deal with taxis, remises, and Uber, what the bathrooms and cafes actually look like, and the little mistakes that you want to avoid while you're there. So, think of this as your survival guide to Retiro Bus Terminal. If you're planning to travel by bus in Argentina, you're going to find this video very helpful. Okay, so let's talk about safety first. Again, I have traveled through this bus terminal numerous times. I have never been hassled. I have never felt in danger. I have never had anything stolen, no funny business. That being

said, Retiro bus terminal is not the most beautiful. It is a bit run-down. It could use a bit of TLC. So, I think that doesn't really help its perception. And also, the bus terminal is located next to a little bit of a rough neighborhood. It's an informal settlement. It's called Villa 31, and it's not a place where you want to be wandering around, you know, with all of your luggage, phone in hand, looking like a target. Now, the thing is, when you go to Retiro bus terminal, you are going to be taking a taxi in and a taxi out. Nobody's walking up to the bus terminal with all of their possessions. So, I think that's one thing that you really don't need to worry about. And then, yes, I've seen

the odd person, you know, walking around asking for money in the cafes, but again, it is very rare. It does not happen a lot. I'll also mention there is security at the bus terminal. You are going to see police officers patrolling the entrance to the bus terminal, the inside of the terminal, and they are armed. And I really think that keeps anything fishy from happening, anything from unfolding, because you do have that security there, that police presence taking care of the passengers, and you know, all these tourists as well. Okay, now let's talk about the layout of the bus terminal. It can feel a bit overwhelming. This is a very big bus terminal with hundreds of bus companies

all underneath one roof, but there is a method to the madness. So, the bus companies are arranged by region. Where are they going? You know, they're leaving Buenos Aires, in what direction are they heading in? So, you're going to notice that it's arranged by wine region, Patagonia, the Atlantic coast, northern Argentina, international destinations. So, I would say look for the lists, like you have these info boards that list every single bus company inside the terminal. It'll tell you the number of their ticketing booth and what part of the bus terminal you need to go to buy your tickets essentially. So, that's going to help you navigate the bus terminal. Also, this bus station has three levels.

You've got the ground level, the first level, and the second level. There's not a whole lot going on the ground level. Then, the main entrance is on the first level. That's where you have your arrivals, departures, waiting areas, cafes. And then, you have the second level where you have all the ticketing booths for, you know, hundreds of bus companies. So, that is the layout just to help you navigate a little bit. Okay, next up, bus categories. What type of bus should you book? And, you know, it gets more comfortable if you're willing to spend more money. I would suggest that you go for cama or suite. And, these are the seats that become perfectly flat, like 180°.

You can stretch out, you put your seat all the way down. There's a footrest that comes up, and you're basically sleeping on a bed. It is super comfy. If they don't have that available, then I would go for ejecutivo. These are the seats that go down 160°. So, they lean really far back, they're super comfy. And again, they have a footrest. It's not completely flat, but it does raise your feet a little bit, and it's really comfy. I have traveled on both of these levels or categories, and the seats are also quite spacious. So, if you're traveling with a baby or a toddler on top of you or next to you, that works really well. And then, you have the regular seats. I pick them if it's like a 2-hour bus ride, 3-hour bus

ride, and I'm not going very far, then they are okay. But, typically, I think it's worth spending a little bit more money um for a more comfortable journey. International bus routes, those are available at Retiro bus terminal. It's mostly for neighboring countries. So, that means you can travel to Uruguay, Paraguay. You can go to Bolivia. There are buses to Brazil. There are buses to Peru. There are buses to Chile. Now, these are going to be epic journeys. We are talking about 20-plus hours on a bus, which I think is not for the faint of heart. But, if you are very young, you are a backpacker, you want to save

money, and you are up for an adventure, then you can book international bus travel out of Retiro. So, just be prepared for the long journey, you know, bring your entertainment, bring snacks, and be ready to sleep and just entertain yourself. Now, buying tickets at Retiro bus terminal. You can do so in person. You can arrive at the station and go to the booth and buy your ticket. However, if you are going to a popular destination, these tickets can sell out, like, the bus can be completely sold out. And this can also happen in the summertime, you know, if you're going to a beach destination or there's a holiday or something like that. So, I would actually recommend that you pre-buy your

ticket. You can do so online on a booking platform like Plataforma 10 or Busbud. I use those two a lot. So, I wouldn't take my chances unless you're going somewhere like maybe really remote, you know, the tickets aren't going to sell out, or maybe you're going somewhere where there's a lot of frequency, like multiple departures every hour or every 2 hours, then you would be okay. But, I would say it's better to book online. And as I mentioned earlier, all the ticketing booths are up on the top floor of the bus terminal. So, you need to go up there and yes, just navigate using that map, that info board, and you'll be able to find what you need. I'll also mention that the staff that work at the bus terminal are really good about guiding

you to the right direction. So, you can approach a booth even if you know it's the wrong company, maybe they're going to Patagonia and you want to go to the Atlantic coast, just tell them where you need to go and they'll tell you what part of the bus terminal you should be in. Okay, now, platforms and departing buses. It is organized chaos at best. It can feel a bit overwhelming if you are traveling by bus for the first time out of Retiro, but again, there is a method to the madness, so let me explain. There are going to be these big TV screens that announce arrivals and departures. The only thing is that departures are usually announced like very last minute, right as the bus is pulling into the

platform. So, I don't love this because sometimes it can make me a bit nervous, like what if I miss my bus? What if I'm standing in one part of the bus terminal and my bus is departing from the end? Am I going to make it there on time? So, what you can do, you can walk up to the ticketing booth of the company you're traveling with, just be like, "Hey, what platform is this bus departing from?" And they're typically going to give you a range, maybe like platforms 20 to 26, and then you can go and you wait in the right area. Then you're going to see that the buses pull in and the bus will have like a little sign that lights up that says, you know, "We're going to Mendoza, we're going to Cordoba." Now, the thing is

they announce their final stop. So, if you're getting off at a destination before, um you're not going to know if it's the right bus. So, just approach the bus driver and ask like, "Hey, is this the bus going to such and such a place?" And they will confirm with you. Also, boarding the bus is also a bit chaotic because you're going to notice there are two lines. There is one line for people who are traveling without luggage and they're just, you know, getting ready to board, and then there's the line for people who need to drop off all of their luggage. So, we always have a whole bunch of suitcases with us. So, we line up with the luggage.

This is where you're going to get your bag tagged. It's going to get loaded on the bus, and then you are going to tip the guy who is loading the bag for you. If you don't tip, they're going to ask you, "Hey, a contribution? Una contribución? Una ayuda?" Um I typically do a dollar per bag because our bags are so heavy and I'm kind of embarrassed by it. Um so, whatever the equivalent is in pesos. Okay, more information about boarding the bus. So, you are going to need your ticket and ID. Maybe you have an e-ticket on your phone with a QR code, they're going to want to scan that. And if you have the paper ticket, you also need to show that. And then for ID, if you have a DNI, DNIe, or a

passport, um you'll need to show that as well. So, just have your things ready so you're not fumbling in your purse. "Where's my passport? Where's my ticket?" You know? Now, if you're traveling with a minor, you are going to need something called seguro de menores. Typically, kids who are under five do not need to buy a bus ticket. However, they need this seguro, which is insurance. So, the kid is going to be traveling on your lap if they're not paying for a bus ticket. And this insurance, it's it's a minimal cost. It's only a couple of bucks. You need to buy that at the ticketing booth, and you also need to show that. Um without it, you cannot board and you cannot travel with your child, so have that ready.

Now, where do you wait for your bus at Retiro bus terminal? The thing about this bus terminal is that there aren't a lot of nice places to wait. Like, there is not a big waiting area with hundreds of seats where you can, you know, like sprawl your things. There are some chairs, but they're kind of like far in between. Like, sometimes there's five seats here, 10 seats over there, then like a small area with 20 seats. So, for such a big bus terminal that sees thousands of people passing through every day, it's not a lot. So, Retiro can be absolutely bananas at times. It can be extremely busy. Not all the time, but it kind of comes in waves. And if you're finding yourself just like, "Oh, I can't stand this chaos."

And you've got like hours to kill, just come up to the top level. It's really quiet up here. This is just where they sell tickets, where they print tickets. And you will hardly find anybody. There's plenty of seats. And if you're just looking for a little slice of tranquility before you board your bus to wherever you're going, come up to the top floor. So, I would say go to a cafe. There are several cafes inside the bus terminal. We typically go to the ones near the end. So, like near ramp one, ramp two. Um, there are really big cafes with lots of seating, lots of tables, lots of chairs. And, you know, if you're feeling nervous about traveling through Retiro,

um, you might feel safer inside a cafe with more people, waiters, that sort of thing. Now, I have learned a lesson when ordering food at these cafes. You want to keep it super simple, nothing overly complicated. So, I would say order cafe con leche, coffee and milk, medialunas, they're like croissants, or atostado de jamon y queso, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. One time, Sam and I had like an hour. We thought, "Let's have a big breakfast. Let's enjoy." We ordered a big American breakfast that came with like eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, granola, cereal. And we nearly missed our bus because it took them an hour to prepare this breakfast. I don't know what the problem was. They didn't have the

ingredients, the staff. I don't know. But, do not order anything overly complicated. Keep it simple, keep it quick, um, unless you've got like hours to spare. But, if you've just got like an hour, 30 minutes, um, just make sure it's something fast. So, if you arrive at 6:45 in the morning like we did here at Retiro, one of the best things you can do is make a beeline for one of just a few cafes that they have here. This is one of our favorites because there's a washroom that you can also use. And what you should order for breakfast, if you're going for the special, if you're going for the classic, is dos medialunas and a cafe con leche. It is the breakfast special and it's basically what everyone is having. We had it, we devoured it. You

can see that it's all gone. The evidence. What is that? It's a nice way to pass time and it's also really tasty. So, it's what we always do. Tell us the meaning of this. This is the most Argentine thing you will see in all of Argentina, in my opinion. Here is the agua caliente station. And what you do is you come here with your mate thermos. Yes. It looks It's about this big and you can see it's perfectly sized. in there. You pop in some coins and you press the red button and you get hot water for your mate.

Yes, you do. So that you can travel on the bus. That's right. And you have your hot water. You won't see this pretty much anywhere else. I'm not Maybe in Uruguay, I'm not sure. But definitely here in Argentina. And it is a staple. Okay, bathrooms at Retiro bus terminal. I do not love them. They are rough. Um, what can I tell you? There is no toilet seat. There is no toilet paper. Some of the doors don't lock properly. Like the bathrooms could use a makeover. So, toilet paper, bring your own. Carry your own toilet paper. Have it in your purse. Have it in your backpack. Have it handy.

Also, toilet paper goes in the bin. You're going to see a like a garbage bin next to the toilet. That is where it goes so that you are not clogging the toilet. So, yeah. I do not love using the bathrooms there. But, I mean, they They keep them clean. There's always staff in there cleaning the bathrooms, but yes, nothing fancy, so lower your expectations. Kiosks or quioscos, there are lots of these inside the bus terminal. So again, if you didn't bring toilet paper and you need to buy some or maybe like a little pack of Kleenex serviettes, you can do that at the quiosco. Also, snacks for the bus ride.

You know you're taking an 8, 10, 12-hour bus, buy some cookies, some chips, some beverages because bus travel has changed a lot in Argentina. Um a decade ago, when you used to travel in cama, you would get a duvet, a pillow, they would serve you dinner, wine, whiskey at the end and knock you out, put you to sleep. Those were the days of bus travel in Argentina. That no longer exists. It changed during the pandemic. Um so yes, you get nothing on the bus. So bring your supplies, bring your food, and um bring layers, bring a sweater because it gets cold with the AC. So now you know, this is not luxury travel

anymore. Also, toilets on the bus. The longer the journey, the worse it gets. So have your TP, have some wipes, have some hand sanitizer, and I would say try to go to the bathroom before you board the bus. And if you have to go, it's better if you go early on. If you've been traveling overnight and you're reaching your destination after 12 hours, it's going to be rough. It's going to be messy, but I suppose that can happen anywhere in the world. Okay, now let's talk about transportation. You have arrived by bus at Retiro bus terminal. Now you need to make your way into the city. What do you do? You have three options: remis, taxi, and Uber or Cabify, any app you want to use. So I always go for the remis. A

remis is uh a private driver, a private driver with a private vehicle. And typically they have little booths where you can pre-pay for the trip. This is why I booked them, so that there's no funny business later on. So, you go to the booth of the remise, you give the address of where you want to go, they're going to tell you how much it costs, you pay, you get a slip of paper, there's going to be a driver waiting for you, you hand it to him, and you walk over to their vehicle, load the luggage, they're going to take you to the destination, and you do not have to pay anything to the driver afterwards, cuz remember, you paid at the booth, the debt is settled.

Taxis. Taxis I have had all sorts of experiences with them in Buenos Aires. So, I typically avoid them at least at the bus terminal. So, I've had taxi drivers tell me, "Oh, because I am picking you up at the terminal, it is an extra $10 because I have to load your bags and I have to pay a fee to enter the bus terminal." That is not the case. Or, they will try funny things like changing the tariff. So, you know how they have the daytime tariff and then the nighttime tariff, holiday tariff. They'll try to change it to the higher one if you look like a foreigner who doesn't know what's going on. So, that is why I have learned to avoid taxis. If you're willing to stand your ground and

be firm and you know how things should work, then by all means take a taxi. But, oftentimes I would rather avoid an uncomfortable situation and just pay for the remise. As for the apps, I have used Uber to go to the bus terminal. I've never used an app to leave the bus terminal, but you can also do that. Um you would just have to wait, you know, near the entrance so that you can see your vehicle coming, your vehicle approaching, and you know, just be mindful of your possessions. So, those are my tips for traveling through Retiro bus terminal in Buenos Aires. Now you know what to expect. I know it can be a little bit overwhelming. It is a very big bus terminal, but honestly, I feel like there's nothing to fear. So, with

these tips, now you know what to expect, how things work, and hopefully it is a smoother journey for you. If you have any questions about traveling by bus in Argentina or any questions about Retiro that I didn't answer in this video, feel free to write to me in the comments and I will get back to you. I hope you enjoyed this video and I'll see you soon. Ta-ta. We got ourselves a flat.

Is it being fixed? Does it look like anybody's working on it? No. We're waiting. Waiting on the side of a highway. Oh, wow. Oh, it's 8:00 p.m. We're stranded at a bus station and we have Aurelia. No, we're not at a bus station. We're at a gas Sorry, gas station, I meant. We are 26 hours into our travel day. We left home at 6:00 p.m. yesterday. So, it's been quite an adventure and we are just winging it. Our tire blew up like half an hour away from the estancia that we're supposed to be staying at.

Yep. So, 2 hours waiting for the person to come and change the tire. getting rescued. We're finally being rescued because it's been a long wait. Um but I would say advice for Argentina, you got to let go of expectations. You're going to get there when you get there. Enjoy the journey. Do not get flustered. Yes. Are you Are we Actually, we've handled it well. And you know who's handled it best? This little trooper. He's handled so well. You've been such a good little traveler. Yes, you have. Like to be fair, this could happen anywhere in the world. But well, it happened in Argentina. And honestly, we're still going to have a great time at our destination.

Yeah. So yeah, we're just talking on this moment to our bus terminal in here. adventure. I think the part that was funniest for me was just the lack of a sense of urgency to get it fixed. We should have just been sitting here at a bus station for 2 hours. Yeah, like people just came to the coffee shop. They sat down, got some pastries, food. but I'm Bus driver's chilling on the phone. People are drinking mate by the side of the highway. a lot of these people are doing an overnight journey anyway, so like adding in a couple extra hours isn't that big of a deal. But it's just kind of funny that we were so close to actually being

at our destination. Yeah, I'm just looking at the bus. Everybody's gathered there watching the dude work. It's black out. But you know what? This is part of the adventure and we're up for this. This is what travel's all about. It's not about the It's not about everything going to plan. It's about these moments where you're standing outside. I think it's Socu shop express. No, no Socu. I just can't read. Oh, we're standing outside a shop express, outside of Puma gas station, in the middle of Buenos Aires province.

Outside Las Flores, the town. So, hey, it happened and we're here witnessing it.