PRIVATE DRIVER · BY THE HOUR · 2026
A driver is not a guide: nobody in the front seat will explain the palace you are passing, but the car will be outside when you come out, with the morning's shopping still on the back seat.
Some days in Buenos Aires are really a list of addresses. A leather jacket to try on in Villa Crespo, the antique stalls of the Sunday fair in San Telmo, lunch in Palermo, an aunt in the suburbs who has been waiting since your plane landed. Those are the days a car with driver by the hour from Buenos Aires Transfers is for, and they share one thing: each stop is short, and the trouble is everything in between.
A taxi flagged at every door, the bags carried from shop to shop: that is how a good list turns into a tiring day. This guide covers when it pays to hire a private driver in Buenos Aires by the hour, and when something cheaper, or something with a guide in it, does the job better.
What does hiring a driver by the hour get you?
A car, a driver and a clock. You set the route; the driver picks you up, waits at each stop and moves on when you do, with the bags in the car. Nothing is charged per stop or per person: the rate is per hour and per vehicle, from a car for two up to a minibus for twenty, so a family of five pays one rate, not five.
Three rules shape how our chauffeur service works:
- Minimum three hours when the car is booked on its own.
- From one hour when the hours are added to a transfer in the same booking, such as the ride to the airport on your last day.
- No guide. The driver drives. That is the whole idea.
The hourly rate depends on the vehicle and is the same day or night; you book on WhatsApp and pay by card once it is confirmed.
"Both of our drivers were early for pickups, very pleasant and helpful." (Karen, from the United States, in a verified guest review of our Ezeiza airport transfer on our booking site)
A driver or a guide: what is the difference?
A driver is there for the car: the route, the traffic, the parking, the waiting, the bags. A good one knows the shortcuts but gives no running commentary.
A guide is there to explain the city. On our private city tours the guide rides with you and the driver, and the story comes with the route: why La Boca is painted in those colours, whose tombs draw the crowds in Recoleta. It costs more and, on a first visit, is usually the better use of a morning.
The rule of thumb: if the day is about places you already know you want to reach, hire the driver; if it is about understanding what you are looking at, book the guide. For a driver day, send us the addresses and times in English on WhatsApp when you book and we pass the plan on: a list of addresses is all the conversation the job needs.
When is a car with driver worth it?
A day with too many stops for taxis
Shopping days are the classic case. The leather shops of calle Murillo in Villa Crespo, the antique dealers along Defensa and the Sunday fair in Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo, a design shop in Palermo: none is a long drive from the others, but together they cross half the city. With a car waiting, the shopping goes in the trunk after each stop. It is also how our Souvenir Shopping Tour works: driver only, no guide, three or four hours between leather goods, mate sets and local design.
Family visits and business meetings
Relatives in the suburbs or a day of meetings across town have the same shape: several addresses, fixed times, and a car waiting at the door instead of an app refreshed on the street.
A day at the polo
Argentina's three big polo tournaments, the Triple Crown, are played one after the other. In 2026 the season opened on 22 September with the Hurlingham Open: its matches up to the semi-finals are played at the Argentine Polo Association's grounds in Pilar, and its final at the Hurlingham Club on 3 October. The Tortugas Open follows, from 6 October to 7 November, and the season closes with the Argentine Open at Palermo, whose opening dates the Association has announced it will change. Check each tournament's fixture before you plan around it.
Palermo is inside the city. The other grounds are not: the Hurlingham Club is about 30 kilometres west of the city by road, and both the Association's grounds and the Tortugas Country Club, at kilometre 38.5 of the Panamericana, are in Pilar. The hard part is the way back, when the last chukka (the period of play) ends and everybody leaves at once. For the Hurlingham and Tortugas tournaments we run a polo day: hotel pickup, the car and driver with you for up to eight hours (more on request), tolls and parking included. Match tickets are not included and we do not sell them.
Your last day, with the luggage in the car
Check-out in the morning, flight at night: a whole day with suitcases. The driver loads them at the hotel door and they stay in the car for the hours you book (a last lunch, the neighbourhood you missed), then straight to Ezeiza or Aeroparque.
Count backwards from the flight: we plan to have you at Ezeiza three hours before an international departure (check your airline's advice too), and the drive from most of the city takes 40 to 60 minutes, longer at weekday rush hour. Our last day page shows how the packages are built.
A cruise stop
Cruise ships dock at the Quinquela Martín terminal, in the port of Buenos Aires, within the Retiro neighbourhood.
→ AV. RAMÓN S. CASTILLO AND AV. DE LOS INMIGRANTES, RETIRO
The driver meets you at the terminal exit with your name on a sign, takes you wherever you want, waits, and brings you back: minimum three hours, no guide, planned around your all-aboard time. Our cruise stop page has the details, plus private shore excursions with a guide.
Planning a day around a list of addresses? Send us the stops, the times and how many of you there are on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 2404-0448, and we quote the hours and the vehicle.
When is it not worth it?
- One trip from A to B. A single transfer, or a ride-hailing app, is cheaper.
- A walking day in one neighbourhood. San Telmo or Palermo Soho are best on foot, and a parked car is money spent on nothing.
- Dinner and a show. Book the ride there and the ride back, and let the car go in between.
- A first look at the city. A driver cannot choose the places for you. That is a guide's job.
Driver by the hour, or a ride per trip?
App rides charge per trip. A remís is a car with driver from a local agency, booked through the agency rather than hailed in the street, and charged by distance or by the hour.
| Option | How it is charged | Waits for you | Bags and shopping | Explains the city | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private driver by the hour | Per hour and per vehicle, 3 hours minimum (1 with a transfer) | Yes, that is the point | Stay in the car | No, the driver drives | Many stops, polo, last day, cruise stop |
| Private city tour with a guide | Per group, 4 or 6 hours (8 on request) | Yes | Stay in the car | Yes, the guide rides with you | A first visit |
| Remís | By distance or by the hour, through the agency | Only if you book it by the hour | Travel with you, every leg | No | A single booked ride |
| App ride (Uber, Cabify, DiDi) | Per trip, in the app | No, a new car each leg | Travel with you, every leg | No | One trip from A to B |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire a private driver in Buenos Aires by the hour?
It is per hour and per vehicle, not per person, and depends on the size of the vehicle. We quote it on WhatsApp, and current hourly rates are on our cruise stop page.
What is the minimum booking?
Three hours on its own. Added to a transfer in the same booking, such as the ride to the airport, from one hour.
Is the driver also a guide?
No. For the city explained, book a private city tour, which comes with a guide and a driver.
Can we book a car with driver for the polo?
Yes: a polo day of up to eight hours for Hurlingham and Tortugas, a transfer each way for Palermo. Match tickets are bought separately, through Ticketek.
What if my plans change?
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the service.
Your route, your pace
A car with a driver will not tell you the story of Buenos Aires. It does something more modest and, on the right day, more useful: it is there when you come out.
Book a driver by the hour. Message us on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 2404-0448 with your date, your stops and how many of you there are. Or see how it works for a cruise stop, your last day and a day at the polo, or have the city explained on one of our private city tours with a guide.