Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) Airport Guide 2026 — Money, Terminals, Transfers

Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) — The Complete 2026 Airport Guide

Everything you were told about money in Argentina is now out of date. The “blue dollar”, the cash-only advice, the wad of crisp USD — that world ended in 2025. Your foreign card now bills at the good rate. Ezeiza is Argentina’s big international gateway, an hour south of the city, and the two things that trip people up here are money and mixing it up with the other Buenos Aires airport. Get those right and the rest is easy.

Last verified: July 2026. Argentina’s exchange rates, terminal layout and transport fares move fast — treat peso figures as approximate and confirm the specifics on your ticket and at official signage before you travel.

Quick reference

The 2026 money reality: pay by card, and throw out the old advice

For a decade, every guide to Argentina said the same thing: bring a thick stack of pristine US$100 bills, never use your card, and change money on the street at the “blue dollar” rate to avoid getting robbed by the official one. That advice was correct for years. It is now wrong, and following it in 2026 costs you money and adds risk.

Here’s what changed. The government scrapped the PAIS import tax in late 2024 and then lifted most of the currency controls — the famous “cepo” — around April 2025. The peso moved to a managed float. The upshot for a visitor is that the exchange rates have converged: the gap between the official rate and the parallel “blue” rate, once more than 100%, has collapsed to roughly 10–15%. Crucially, foreign Visa and Mastercard are now charged at or very near the official rate — the same fair rate locals get — with only a small spread. Cards are genuinely usable now, everywhere from steakhouses to supermarkets.

Two practical notes. Argentine ATMs are a poor deal — low withdrawal caps (often the equivalent of ~US$100–150 per pull) and stacked fees — so don’t rely on them for cash; bring USD and exchange it instead. And peso prices inflate quickly, so any ARS figure in this guide (or any guide) should be read as “roughly, mid-2026” — the US$/€ anchor is the number to trust. Rates move week to week; I’m deliberately not quoting a single peso-per-dollar figure because it would be stale by the time you read it.

Ezeiza vs Aeroparque: don’t book the wrong airport

Buenos Aires has two airports and they are not interchangeable. Ezeiza (EZE) is the big international one, out in the suburb of Ezeiza. Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) sits right on the river a few minutes north of downtown and handles most domestic and short-regional flights. They are on opposite sides of the metropolitan area — a cross-city taxi between them can be an hour or more in traffic.

This matters because a lot of Argentina itineraries pair an international flight into EZE with a domestic hop (to Patagonia, Iguazú, Mendoza, Bariloche) — and that domestic leg very often departs from AEP, not EZE. If your two flights are on separate tickets, you are responsible for getting yourself across the city, with luggage, in time. Build in a comfortable buffer, and check which airport each leg actually uses before you book.

Terminals: one big departures hall, follow the signs

Ezeiza was substantially rebuilt: a large new departures terminal opened in April 2023, and the layout that returning travellers remember has changed. The important thing to understand for 2026 is that the airport now works by function, not by airline:

• All departures — international and domestic — are consolidated into one departures hall for check-in, security and emigration. You no longer need to hunt for “your airline’s terminal” on the way out; you follow Salidas / Departures and everyone funnels through the same modern hall.
• International arrivals come in through Terminal A (immigration, baggage, customs).
• Domestic arrivals use Terminal C. Terminals A and C are linked by a covered walkway, about a 10-minute walk — there’s no shuttle or tram between them.

One honest caveat: the terminal letters (A / B / C) are used inconsistently across booking systems, older maps and even the airport’s own signage after the rebuild. Don’t over-index on the letter printed somewhere online. On the ground, follow the plain-language signs — Salidas (departures), Llegadas Internacionales (international arrivals), Cabotaje (domestic) — and you’ll be fine. Aerolíneas Argentinas, the airport’s home carrier, and its low-cost sibling Flybondi both operate here.

Getting into Buenos Aires

There is no train and no metro from Ezeiza — plans for a rail link have come and gone for years, but as of 2026 it’s roads only. That means four realistic choices. Here’s the honest comparison:

Shuttles: Tienda León and NEO

Manuel Tienda León is the long-established airport coach operator and the safe default. Buy at the clearly marked official desk in the arrivals hall (or online in advance, which is cheaper), and it runs roughly hourly from about 05:00 to midnight, taking around 45–80 minutes to its downtown terminal near Retiro, from where you take a short taxi to your hotel. The newer NEO Bus undercuts it at around US$9 and is a strong solo option. There’s also the local public bus (line 8) for a couple of dollars, but it can take over two hours and is only for the very budget-minded travelling light.

Taxis, remis and rideshare

Use the official taxi and remis desks inside the terminal, where you agree and prepay a fixed fare (about US$45) before getting in — this is the single best defence against the touts who approach you in the hall. Do not follow anyone offering you a taxi before the desk; the official counters are the only ones to use.

Uber and Cabify are legal and operating at Ezeiza in 2026, and usually noticeably cheaper than the official taxi. The catch is the pickup: app cars can’t wait at the official taxi stand, so there are dedicated rideshare pickup points near “Meeting Point I” just outside the terminal — the process is a little disorganised, so read your driver’s instructions in the app carefully and expect a short walk. For a solo traveller who’s comfortable with the app dance, it’s the cheapest door-to-door ride.

Entry: visa-free, and the reciprocity fee is gone

Argentina is one of the easier arrivals in the region for Western travellers, and it got easier.

• Visa-free for 90 days. Citizens of the EU, UK, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most Latin American countries enter as tourists for up to 90 days with just a passport — no visa, no online pre-authorisation.
• The “reciprocity fee” is abolished — pay no one. Argentina used to charge visitors from the US, Canada and Australia a hefty entry fee to mirror their own visa charges. That was dropped years ago (for US citizens back in 2016, and phased out for others since) and it is not coming back. If any website or “agent” tries to sell you an Argentina entry fee or a mandatory arrival permit, it’s a scam — there is nothing to pay.
• No EES or ETIAS here. Those are the new European Union border systems; they have nothing to do with Argentina. You may have read about EES going live in Europe in April 2026 — it simply doesn’t apply to arrivals at Ezeiza.
• Onward proof. Immigration can, in principle, ask to see a return or onward ticket and proof of funds. It’s rarely enforced for obvious tourists, but have your onward booking handy just in case.

Immigration at Ezeiza can be slow at peak arrival banks (the wave of overnight flights from Europe and North America lands mid-morning). There’s no way to pre-clear it — just budget the time and don’t book a nail-bitingly tight onward connection.

Connections and minimum times

If your international and domestic flights are on one ticket, the airline’s minimum connection time is around 60 minutes — but treat that as the floor, not a plan. It can genuinely take an hour just to clear immigration and customs after a long-haul arrival.

The bigger issue is self-connecting on separate tickets, which is common on Argentina trips. In that case you must collect your bags, clear immigration and customs, and check in again from scratch — and if your onward flight leaves from Aeroparque (AEP), you also have to cross the city. For a same-airport self-connection at EZE, give yourself at least three hours; if it involves the AEP cross-town transfer, treat it as two separate journeys and don’t cut it close.

Lounges

Ezeiza has a cluster of contract lounges in the departures/airside area, a couple of which accept Priority Pass alongside walk-in and airline access. Facilities in the better ones run to hot food, showers, Wi-Fi and rest areas.

One honest warning that comes up again and again from travellers: Priority Pass access at EZE is unreliable. Lounges here are frequently “full”, and cardholders are regularly turned away on capacity grounds even when the lounge doesn’t look packed. Don’t build your pre-flight plan around getting in — have a backup, and if you’re relying on a lounge for a meal, keep a Plan B in the food court. If you’re flying a premium cabin on your operating airline, your own airline lounge is the more dependable bet.

Food, SIMs and practicalities

Food: the new departures terminal has the usual airport cafés, empanada counters and a food court. It’s fine rather than a destination — if you want a proper parrilla steak or a serious dulce-de-leche fix, do it in the city, not at the gate. Prices airside are marked up as everywhere; paying by card here is straightforward.

Money at the airport: skip the airport exchange booths (poor rates) and skip the offer to bill your card in your home currency (dynamic currency conversion) — always choose pesos. If you want cash, a small amount from a bank ATM in arrivals will get you to the city, but save the bulk of your exchanging for a cueva or Western Union in town.

SIM / eSIM: the least-hassle route is an eSIM bought before you land so you have data the moment you’re through immigration — useful for the Uber/Cabify pickup and for maps. Local prepaid SIMs are sold in the city but can be fiddly for foreigners to register.

Other practicalities: free Wi-Fi is available in the terminal; there are ATMs, pharmacies and left-luggage services landside. Argentina uses type C and I plugs at 220V — bring an adapter.

Frequently asked questions

At a glance

Before you fly

• 📊 Check what a good fare to Buenos Aires looks like — our price-check tool shows the typical deal range so you know a bargain when you see one.
• 🧳 Baggage checker — confirm your airline’s carry-on and checked allowance before you pack.
• 🏙️ Buenos Aires city guide — where to stay, eat and what’s actually worth your time in the city.
• 🌎 Argentina travel guide — best time to go, regions (Patagonia, Mendoza, Iguazú) and how to get around.