Go, but pay attention.
Argentina’s sketch score climbed to 79 today, though the US, UK, and Canada all maintain their lowest level 1 travel advisories. Watch for the global measles notice while you navigate the rising local tension.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Argentina
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go, but pay attention.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Unsolicited card handouts
People in streets and subways hand out cards featuring horoscopes or drawings and demand payment if you accept them. Return the card with a polite no, gracias or remain silent.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Because it is well known that tourists bring hard currency to Argentina to avoid the official exchange rate, tourists can be targets of crime.
- •Argentina has a relatively high traffic mortality rate, with about 20 road deaths per day, and with more than 120,000 injured people each year, including tourists.
- •There is plenty of activity and foot traffic throughout the night.
- •As in any large city, certain particular neighborhoods in Buenos Aires and other cities are very dangerous.
- •Many people in the street and in the subway hand out small cards with horoscopes, lottery numbers, pictures of saints, or cute drawings on them.
- •Most crimes involve petty theft (pickpockets) in the subway and on crowded city streets, and especially inhabitant from Buenos Aires have a story to tell, which is also why many people carry…
Staying healthy
- •Visiting Argentina doesn't raise any major health worries.
- •Dengue, a mosquito borne illness, is a serious and potentially fatal illness.
- •Different climate conditions might take your body by surprise, so be aware of the weather before you arrive.
- •It's also best to ease yourself gently into the local diet – sudden quantities of red meat, red wine, strong coffee and sweet pastries can be very unsettling for a stomach used to gentler re…
- •Although oral contraceptives are sold over the counter, without a prescription, a woman considering taking them is well advised first to consult a wise and licensed physician about their pro…
- •Hospitals are free, and won't charge you for treatment.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers hold conflicting views on safety in Argentina, particularly regarding Buenos Aires. Some visitors report feeling unsafe in the capital, citing locals who remain hyper-vigilant with their phones and belongings, while others describe the city as manageable if you stay aware in crowded areas. Patagonia and regions like Jujuy are widely considered secure, with solo travelers reporting no issues walking at night. Crime concerns often center on urban environments, while rural areas are viewed as peaceful. Practical advice includes using credit cards to avoid carrying large bricks of cash, utilizing ride-sharing apps, and staying alert in tourist-heavy zones to avoid opportunistic theft.
“I never left premium areas (Puerto Madero, Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, Microcentro, etc.) and you could see people (locals!) looking around while using their phones. Or whenever I walked down the street, if I overtook another person on a walkway, he or she will look back to check that I was not a safety threat.
— r/travel
“I walked around Purmamarca at night alone as a woman and felt safer than I do in any U.S. city. People are out strolling, families are in the plazas, kids are running around, and there is basically zero sketchiness.
— r/travel
“We felt very safe throughout the trip. In Buenos Aires, be cautious in crowded areas and stay aware of your surroundings (similar to any big city). Patagonia felt incredibly secure, with many solo travelers, including women.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / I · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Zoom in
2 Argentina cities on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12