Getting There

By Plane -- Córdoba is most easily reached by air, and there are numerous daily flights from Buenos Aires, including one morning departure from Ezeiza International Airport. Aeropuerto Internacional Ing. Ambrosio Taravella (also called Pajas Blancas; tel. 351/434-8390) sits 11km (6 3/4 miles) outside town. Aerolíneas Argentinas (tel. 0810/222-86527), Southern Winds (tel. 0810/777-7979), and LanChile (tel. 351/475-9555), operate here, with flights to Buenos Aires, Iguazú, Mendoza, Salta, and Santiago de Chile. Varig (tel. 351/426-3315) also flies once daily from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil. LAB Lloyd Aero Boliviano (tel. 351/421-6458) has two weekly flights from Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Taxis from the airport to downtown cost between $3 and $4.

By Bus -- The Terminal de Omnibus, or central bus station, is located at Bulevar Perón 380 (tel. 351/433-1980). Numerous companies serve destinations throughout Argentina. Travel times are approximately 10 hours to Buenos Aires, 12 hours to Mendoza, 30 minutes to Villa Carlos Paz, and 2 hours to La Falda. A one-way ticket from Buenos Aires should cost no more than $19; promotions are constantly being offered and companies change their prices frequently. I recommend you check with the tourism office or directly with the bus station before booking your ticket.

By Car -- The drive from Buenos Aires takes approximately 10 hours on RN 9, which is a good road.

Visitor Information

Córdoba's Centro de Información Turística, in the Cabildo (tel. 351/428-5856), offers limited hotel and restaurant information and has small city maps. It's open daily from 8am to 9pm in summer, with shorter hours in winter. There are also branches at the airport and bus station. The provincial tourist board (provides information and maps on the entire region, such as La Falda, not just on Córdoba), located on Carcano, facing the stadium (tel. 351/434-1545), is open daily from 8am to 2pm.

Getting Around

The old city of Córdoba is easily explored by foot, with 24 blocks of pedestrian walking streets located near the Cabildo. The heart of the old city spreads out around Plaza San Martín, situated in the southeast quadrant of Córdoba. Most of the historical sights lie in this area. Avenida Colón, which becomes Avenida Olmos, is the city's main street. As a general rule, you should not walk alone in big cities at night. In Córdoba, this is especially true anywhere along the river.

Driving is difficult in the city, and parking almost impossible downtown. If you do rent a car, try Hertz, at Pajas Blancas airport (tel. 351/4475-0581). Cheaper, but less known, is AI Rent a Car, Entre Ríos 70 (tel. 351/422-4867). City buses are cheap and abundant, but only cospeles -- 80¢ tokens available at kiosks around town -- are accepted. In Córdoba, taxis are colored bright yellow, while the safer and similarly priced remises (private, unmetered taxis) are colored light green. As is the case throughout Argentina, it is always safer to hire a remise and not flag a taxi on the streets. This is just an extra measure of security for the visitor -- locals have no problems with flagging taxis on the street.