HOHO Bus in Buenos Aires & Hotel Near a One of the Stops

[Taters]

Does anyone have any experience with the Hop On Hop Off bus in Buenos Aires?  Was it a nice experience?  We've done the HOHOs in Amsterdam, Vancouver, Rome and Barcelona and have loved the ease of using the bus to get to so many attractions.  This will be our first time in BA and I am just getting started on looking into what there is to see and do.  It looks like there is plenty to keep us busy.

 

I've read quite a bit about safety issues in BA, so am looking for a clean hotel in a safe neighborhood that is near one of the HOHO stops.  I would appreciate any information and guidance offered.

 

Thank you!

[PurpleTraveller]

In February 2018 we used the Hop On Hop Off bus in Buenos Aires. We were able to walk to the main office on Ave Pres. Roque Saenz Pena where we bought our 24 hour tickets using our credit card for ARS 670. We went on the Red/Blue route first to La Boca via many sights in the city. We found this was a safe and easy way to get to La Boca which we really enjoyed. We then got a bus to Palermo where we had a picnic lunch in a park before doing the Green route. In the afternoon we got back on a Red/Blue bus and went to Recoleta Cemetery. At the end of the day we did most of the Red/Blue route again as we enjoyed it so much. The next morning we hopped on the 9.00am bus as we still had some time left on our 24 hour tickets to Plaza Dorrego and then walked back to the Cathedral and Florida Street. 

 

The Hop On Hop buses ran frequently and we never had any trouble getting on one and getting a seat on the top deck. We felt safe and really enjoyed seeing the city from the buses. We were able to see and visit all of the places we were interested in. 

 

We stayed at the Park Silver Obelisco Hotel right at the obelisk. It is a no frills hotel and we had a small room but it was clean and comfortable. It was in a great location near a Hop On Hop Off bus stop, Teatro Colon, restaurants, a supermarket and walking distance to a number of sights. We felt safe in the area. 

 

We heard all the warnings about Buenos Aires and took sensible precautions of leaving our valuables in the hotel safe, didn't carry a handbag, only carried enough cash for our needs for the day, we wore no jewellery and cheap watches, used a pocket camera and stayed alert. We never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. However when we were on our cruise ship we met a man who had been robbed within an hour of venturing into the city and when he went to the police station there were other tourists there who had been robbed, so please be aware and careful. 

 

I hope you enjoy your visit to Buenos Aires. 😊

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by PurpleTraveller

[Lunenburg]

Another hotel is the  Globales Republico - if you go for the deluxe room you get a  great view of the Obelisk and a nice buffet breakfast. It is quite cheap less than $60 USD per night usually. We found it a convenient location as well. 

[clo]

We were in BA for four days and never felt a moment of safety discomfort.

[Taters]

Thank you all for the replies.  I appreciate the hotel recommendations and will check into them.  I also found the Hotel 725 Continental, which is almost directly across the street from the main office of the HOHO bus.  It has good reviews. 

 

Our cruise is not util November, 2020, so I have plenty of time to make a decision on the hotel.

 

I've been reading up on personal safety in BA, and like Purple Traveller, will not wear any jewelry, and will not carry a bag of any kind during our wanderings.  I've read that if you want to check your phone, that it's much safer to step inside a business to do this.  I have an iPhone and do not want it snatched from my hands. 

 

Another thing that we do when we leave our luggage in the hotel room - we lock them all together with a bicycle chain.  That way no one can slip into our room and take the bags when the housekeeper has the door open.  They would have to haul both large suitcases and both carry-ons all in one fell swoop.  Random people ducking into rooms is something that has been going on in Europe, and we figure we might as well do the same thing in Buenos Aires.

 

We are looking forward to a great time in BA pre-cruise! 😊

Edited December 27, 2019 by Taters

[clo]

23 minutes ago, Taters said:

I've been reading up on personal safety in BA, and like Purple Traveller, will not wear any jewelry, and will not carry a bag of any kind during our wanderings.  I've read that if you want to check your phone, that it's much safer to step inside a business to do this.  I have an iPhone and do not want it snatched from my hands. 

 

If that's how you feel hopefully you'll do that when you travel to any large city all over the world. The risks are very similar.

[TeeRick]

Is the HOHO bus in Buenos Aires bilingual?  English/Spanish?

[Taters]

On 12/27/2019 at 1:38 PM, TeeRick said:

Is the HOHO bus in Buenos Aires bilingual?  English/Spanish?

The website says that a rider can choose from 10 different languages: https://www.buenosairesbus.com/?lang=en 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Taters

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, Taters said:

The website says that a rider can choose from 10 different languages: https://www.buenosairesbus.com/?lang=en 

Thank You!

[kathynorth]

On 12/27/2019 at 1:50 PM, Taters said:

Another thing that we do when we leave our luggage in the hotel room - we lock them all together with a bicycle chain.  That way no one can slip into our room and take the bags when the housekeeper has the door open.  They would have to haul both large suitcases and both carry-ons all in one fell swoop.  Random people ducking into rooms is something that has been going on in Europe, and we figure we might as well do the same thing in Buenos Aires.

 

Interesting suggestion! Thank you for the tip!