Local time
The Argentine standard time is 3 (three) hours less to that of Greenwich. (Universal Time Coordinate earlier Greenwich Mean Time). As a referente, it is 1 hour ahead of New York in summer and 2 in winter. Argentina does not realize changes of schedules for the saving of energy, therefore daylight saving time does not exist in summer or winter, but the hour stays the same during the whole year and does not change from one geographical area to other one.

Schedules
In general the schedules of the offices it is interrupted between 12:00 and 14:00 for lunch that lasts about one hour and a half. The petrol stations open early in the morning and close at midnight, some are open 24 hours. The museums in general are open 5 days a week from Tuesday until Saturday or from Wednesday until Sunday. The shops in the big cities open every Sunday with discontinuous schedules, some are open until midnight.
In Buenos Aires the magazine stands and some stores remain open all the night. However in the resto f the country the stores close almost two hours at noon for lunch.

Commercial schedules

BANKS AND CURRENCY EXCHANGES
Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 15:00 hours.

COMMERCIAL OFFICES
Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00 hours.
Post offices Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 to 18:00, Saturdays from 8:00 to 13:00

STORES, BUSINESSES AND COMMERCIAL PREMISES SUCH AS SHOPPING CENTRES
Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 20:00 hours in main cities (in the interior they recess at noon) and Saturdays from 9:00 to 13:00 hours. Shoppings remain open every day of the week and their commercial premises open generally all the days of the week from 10:00 hs. until the 21:00, 22:00 or 23:00 hs.according to the location of the shopping.

CAFES AND PIZZERIAS
In general they are always open, except from 3:00 to 6:00 at dawn.

RESTAURANTS/FOOD COURTS OF SHOPPINGS
Lunch: from 12:00 to 14:30 hours; Supper: from 20 to 23:30 hs. The food courts of the shoppings open generally to the public from Sundays to Thursdays around 10:00 or 11:00 hs. to 23:00 or 1:00 hs. and Fridays, Saturdays and eves of holiday the schedule can be extended from 10:00 or 11:00 hs. to 3:00 hs. in the morning.

DISCOS
They open between 23:30 hs and the 1:00. They close at dawn.

CORREO CENTRAL:
Sarmiento 151 Tel: 4314-1414
Monday through Friday From 8 To 20 Hs Saturday >From 8 To 13 Hs

BANKS
Monday through Friday From 10 To 15 Hs

SUBWAYS
Monday To Saturday From 5 To 22 Hs, Sundays and Holidays 8 To 22Hs

TIPS AND BARGAINING
In places like restaurants, cafeterias and bars it is usual to leave between a 10% to 15% tip. It is customary to give to a tip to doormen, personnel on watch in hotels, luggage handlers and theatre ushers, personnel of beauty parlors, etc, and others, a voluntary tip according to the service received.

In Argentina bargaining is not used, rather is frequent to request some discount if paying in cash.

Telephones
The public telephones work with cards that can be acquired in kiosks and offices of the telephone companies or with local coins. Also there exist locutorios where you pay in cash (open 24 hours). In order to call from abroad first the country code must be dialled, i.e. 54 and then the area code of the locality sought. In National domestic calls it is necessary to put in front the 0 to the respective code. And to call abroad, from inside the country, one has to dial 00, the country code and the code of the corresponding city. Remember the existence of reduced tariffs between 22,00 to 08,00 hours.

Road maps
Can be acquired in the offices of the Automóvil Club Argentino (Av. of Liberator 1850, Tel. 4802-6061 and 4802-7071, Buenos Aires).

Tourist information
Secretaría de Turismo y Deporte de la Nación, Centros de Información Turística: Av. Santa Fe 883, (C1059ABC) Buenos Aires, Tel. 4312-2232 ó 0800-555-0016; Aeropuerto Internacional de Ezeiza y Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. Tourist information centers of the City of Buenos Aires, in Av. Pte. Quintana and J.M. Ortiz, Florida y Diagonal Norte, Carlos Pellegrini 217, Dique 4 de Puerto Madero, Teatro de la Ribera (La Boca), Terminal de Ómnibus de Retiro and Shopping del Abasto

Electricity
The electricity used is 220 v (volts) and 50 Hertz (Hertz).
Alternate Current electricity of 220/240 volts to 50 cycles.
The electrical current in Argentina is of 220 volts, 50 cycles.
In order to use apparatuses designed for 110 volts a transformer is necessary.
The flat, North American and European plugs, need adapters, since the plugs in Argentina are of continental type; doubles or triples.
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.
The light bulbs are screww in type sockets. In old buildings the plugs are of 2 round prongs heads and in the modern ones they are of 3.
Weights and Measures
Argentine uses the metric system of measurement, therefore istances are measured in meters, the weight in grams, the temperature in Celsius degrees and the volume in liters.

For distances the meter and its derivatives are used: the millimeter (0.001 meter), the centimeter (0.01 meter) and the kilometer (1000 meters).

For weights the gram is used and its derivative: the kilogram (1000 grams).
For volume the liter is used and the cubic centimeters (cc) (1000 cc = 1 liter).
For temperatures the degrees Celsius are used.

Equivalences - Weights:
- 1 gram = 0.035 ounces
- 1 kilogram (kg) = 2.205 pounds
- 1 pound (lb) = 0.454 kilos

Equivalences - Lengths:
- 1 millimeter (mm) = 0.039 inches
- 1 centimeter (cm) = 0.394 inches
- 1 meter (m) = 3.281 feet
- 1 kilometer (km) = 0.621 miles
- 1 inch = 2.542 cm
- 1 foot = 0.305 meters
- 1 mile = 1.609 km

Equivalences - Temperature:
- 0º centigrade = 32º Fahrenheit
- 100º centigrade = 212º Fahrenheit

Equivalences - Surface:
- 1 hectare = 2.471 acres
- 1 square kilometer (km2) = 0.386 square miles
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
- 1 square mile = 2.590 km2