Buenos Aires runs on two backbones — the Subte (subway) and a dense web of colectivos (city buses) — and both now take the same easy answer to “how do I pay”: tap a SUBE card, or just tap the contactless bank card already in your wallet. There’s no ticket to buy, no zone to figure out, and one bus line even threads together both of the city’s airports.
The basics
The Subte is the oldest underground railway in Latin America (Line A opened in 1913) and is usually the fastest way across the city center. Six lines converge downtown:
- Line A — from Plaza de Mayo out to San Pedrito, the original line.
- Line B — L.N. Alem to J.M. de Rosas, with a late-night extension on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Line C — the short north–south connector between Retiro and Constitución, linking the two mainline train terminals.
- Line D — Catedral to Congreso de Tucumán, through Recoleta and Palermo.
- Line E — Retiro to Plaza de los Virreyes, through the south side.
- Line H — Facultad de Derecho to Hospitales, the newest line, running north–south.
A short Premetro tram feeds Line E’s southern end. Above ground, colectivos — Buenos Aires’s iconic buses, also called bondis — cover practically every street in the city and run around the clock. Trenes Argentinos runs commuter rail out to the suburbs (the Mitre Line to Tigre is the one visitors use most), and the city’s free bikeshare, Ecobici, is open to tourists as well as residents.
How to pay
You’ve got two options, and neither requires standing in a line before your first ride:
- Tap a contactless bank card or your phone/watch. Every Subte turnstile and every colectivo in the city now takes a normal contactless Visa or Mastercard — debit, credit, or prepaid, foreign-issued cards included — the same way you’d tap to pay at a shop. No sign-up, no app, no deposit — and you’re charged the same low “registered” fare a registered SUBE card gets (see Fares below), with the same frequent-rider discount for repeat rides on the same card. The only thing it can’t do is unlock a reduced fare (student, retiree, disability, and the like) — those require an actual SUBE card registered to you.
- Get a SUBE card. SUBE is Argentina’s rechargeable transit card, sold at kiosks and Subte stations for a flat $1,500, then loaded with credit separately (cash, a bank transfer, or the SUBE app). It’s worth it if you’d rather pay cash, don’t have a foreign contactless card, or qualify for a reduced fare — but register it in your name first: an unregistered physical SUBE card is the one option that pays a real premium (see Fares below).
On the Subte, tap at the turnstile like any subway. On a colectivo, tap your card or phone on the reader by the driver and tell the driver where you’re getting off — the machine calculates your fare by distance, so the number it charges depends on the stop you name. Cash isn’t accepted anywhere, on buses or at Subte stations.
Fares
Fares are set by Buenos Aires’s public-service regulator and adjust every month or two with inflation — the numbers below were current as of August 2026.
| Registered SUBE or contactless card | Unregistered SUBE | |
|---|---|---|
| Subte, any ride (first 20/month) | $1,684 | $2,541 |
| Colectivo, shortest hop (0–3km) | $853 | $1,357 |
| Colectivo, longest in-city hop (12–27km) | $1,094 | $1,739 |
Subte fares step down the more you ride in a calendar month on the same card — $1,297 for trips 21–30, $1,179 for 31–40, and $1,010 past that. Reduced fares exist for registered social, student, teacher, and retiree/disability SUBE cards, but those require local registration and aren’t practical for a short visit.
Rides that cross into Greater Buenos Aires province — including the airport bus below — use a separate, higher interjurisdictional fare table, topping out around $1,596 (registered SUBE or contactless card) or $3,192 (unregistered SUBE) for the longest band.
Getting from the airport
Buenos Aires has three airports. Most international flights land at Ezeiza (EZE), about 32km (20 miles) south of downtown; domestic and regional flights mostly use Aeroparque (AEP), right in the city in the Palermo neighborhood — official tourism guidance puts it within about 25 minutes of most hotels; and budget domestic carriers sometimes use El Palomar (EPA), reachable by a Trenes Argentinos commuter line.
The public-transit option connecting both main airports is colectivo Línea 8. Its main route runs directly between Aeroparque and Ezeiza, passing through the Retiro terminal area and the dedicated Metrobús del Bajo bus lanes downtown — so it also works as a way into the city center from either airport. Tap SUBE or a contactless card like any colectivo; expect a fare near the top of the interjurisdictional distance scale (see Fares above — a contactless card pays the same rate as a registered SUBE), and budget a long ride, since it crosses most of the city — check a map app for current travel time before you go.
If you’d rather not deal with a bus and luggage, taxis are available at all three airports, and Tienda León runs a private shuttle bus between Ezeiza and its terminal in Puerto Madero, in the city center.
Apps to download
- SUBE — the official app for loading credit onto a physical card and checking your balance or trip history.
- BA Cómo Llego — the city government’s own trip planner, covering bus, Subte, and train routes by address.
- Google Maps — solid for planning a route with live Subte and colectivo data built in.
When it runs
The Subte starts around 5:30am on weekdays, 6:00am on Saturdays, and 8:00am on Sundays and holidays, with trains every 3–9 minutes on weekdays depending on the line (a bit less frequent on weekends). Last trains leave the end-of-line stations around 11pm on weekdays, a little later on Saturdays, and closer to 10pm on Sundays — the exact minute varies station by station. Line B runs a special late-night service on Friday and Saturday nights until 1:30am, serving a handful of central stations.
Colectivos run 24 hours a day, every day of the year — there’s no citywide overnight shutdown, though buses thin out late at night like anywhere else.
Accessibility
Subte accessibility is uneven: elevator and escalator coverage is tracked station by station on Emova’s interactive map, and several stations — including Pasco, Alberti, Río de Janeiro, Scalabrini Ortiz, and Plaza de los Virreyes–Eva Perón — have no elevator at all. Check your specific stations before you rely on step-free access. Riders with an official Certificado Único de Discapacidad (CUD) can link it to a SUBE card for free or reduced travel, including a companion fare where needed.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Tell the driver your stop when you tap on a colectivo — the fare is calculated by distance, not a flat rate, so the machine needs to know where you’re headed.
- Bikes ride the Subte on Lines A, B, D, E, and H, but only outside the morning and evening rush windows on weekdays (unrestricted on weekends) — and never during the Friday/Saturday overnight service.
- Walk on the right on stairs, platforms, and escalators, and let riders off before you board.
- Give up the priority seats near the doors for elderly, pregnant, or disabled riders — it’s the norm, not a suggestion.
- Keep an eye on your belongings, especially in crowded stations and on busy bus routes — it’s standard advice from the transit operator itself, not just guidebook caution.
Good to know
- No cash, anywhere. Not on the bus, not at a Subte turnstile. Load a SUBE card in advance or bring a contactless bank card.
- Fares change often. Argentina’s inflation means transit prices are revised every month or two — treat the numbers above as a snapshot, not a fixed rate.
- Three Subte stations are closed for renovation through roughly November 2026 — see the alert at the top of this page before planning a route through Entre Ríos, General Urquiza, or Tribunales.