Subte Guide: How the Buenos Aires Metro Works

Six lines, one card, no trams

Ask a first-time visitor to picture getting around Buenos Aires and many imagine trams gliding down wide boulevards, the way they might in a European capital the city is often compared to. That picture is wrong. Buenos Aires has no tram network. The city’s rail-based public transport backbone is the Subte, the underground metro, running on six lines labelled A through E, plus a sixth line, H, added later to cross the others from north to south. Above ground, the dense grid of colectivo buses fills in everywhere the Subte does not reach, and that combination — metro plus buses, no trams — is how the city actually moves.

The confusion is understandable. Buenos Aires does have a rail line in its northern suburbs called the Tren de la Costa, a scenic light rail service linking riverside towns on the way to Tigre, and light rail lines are sometimes loosely called “trams” in English. But the Tren de la Costa is a suburban excursion line, not a Subte line, and it does not run within the city centre. Inside the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires itself, there is no tram, historic or modern, in regular public service. If a walking tour guide or an old guidebook mentions Buenos Aires trams, they are either describing the Tren de la Costa loosely, referring to a defunct historic network from decades past, or simply mistaken.

This guide covers how the Subte actually works: the six lines and what they connect, the SUBE card every rider needs, how to plan a route through the Microcentro and beyond, and the honest limits of the system — including why nobody should promise you a fixed “last train” time.

The six lines, line by line

Each Subte line has its own colour and its own character, and knowing roughly what each one covers saves a lot of backtracking.

Line	General route	Useful for
A	East–west along Avenida de Mayo, from the Microcentro toward Flores	Plaza de Mayo, the historic centre; opened 1913, the oldest line
B	North-west from the centre toward Chacarita	Abasto theatre district, connecting toward Belgrano
C	North–south, linking Retiro and Constitución	The two main long-distance rail terminals
D	North-west from the centre through Palermo toward Belgrano	Palermo, museums along Avenida Santa Fe
E	South-east from the centre toward Plaza de los Virreyes	Southern barrios, less touristed routes
H	North–south, crossing most of the other lines	Interchanges, reaching south toward Boca-adjacent areas

Lines A and D both start near the Microcentro and fan out roughly north-west, which is why visitors sometimes mix them up; D is the one that heads toward Palermo, while A cuts along Avenida de Mayo toward the older, more central barrios. Line C is the short connector that matters more than its length suggests, since it is the practical way to move between Retiro and Constitución without surfacing into traffic. Line H is the newest addition and the one most likely to intersect whichever route a visitor is already on, since it crosses nearly every other line at some point.

Trains run frequently on weekdays, less so on Sundays and holidays, and stations in the Microcentro can be genuinely crowded at rush hour — roughly 7:30–9:30 in the morning and 17:30–20:00 in the evening. Travelling just outside those windows makes for a noticeably calmer ride.

The SUBE card: not optional

Every Subte ride requires a SUBE card. This is a rechargeable contactless card, tapped against a reader at the turnstile, and it is the only way in — there are no paper single-ride tickets sold at Subte stations, and station staff do not sell cash fares over the counter. The same card is required on the colectivo buses and on the suburban trains that run out to places like Tigre and San Isidro, so buying one is close to unavoidable for anyone planning to move around the city by public transport.

SUBE cards can be bought and topped up at Subte station booths, at many kiosks around the city, and at dedicated top-up machines. It is worth sorting this out early — on arrival, or during the airport transfer into the centre if a stop allows it — rather than discovering the need for one at a turnstile with a train about to leave. A single card can usually be shared between two people tapping in one after another, which is handy for couples or small groups travelling together, though each traveller carrying their own card is simpler for a longer stay.

Fares on the Subte are flat regardless of distance travelled, and the SUBE balance is deducted automatically at the turnstile on entry. Because Argentina has lived through years of high inflation, any specific peso fare printed here would be out of date within weeks; check the current fare when topping up, and keep in mind that a small top-up goes further than it might look once converted, given how frequently the peso figures move. For the currency picture more broadly, see the budget and currency guide.

Planning a route through the centre

For a first-time visitor based anywhere near the Microcentro or Plaza de Mayo, the Subte handles most of the obvious moves: Line A or Line D into the centre, Line C to swap onto a long-distance train at Retiro, Line D out toward Palermo for an evening among its restaurants and bars. Reaching Recoleta or Puerto Madero is a bit less direct, since neither barrio sits squarely on a line — a short walk or a connecting bus at the end of the ride is normal, and it is worth building that into the timing rather than assuming a station sits at the door.

A half-day city tour that takes in the historic centre is a good way to get oriented before using the Subte independently, since seeing how the barrios connect above ground makes the underground map click into place faster. For visitors who would rather have someone else handle the logistics of tickets, connections and timing altogether, a guided outing built specifically around the public network removes the guesswork:

a guided outing that rides the city’s public transport system with a local, covering how the network fits together

For a broader half-day introduction to the centre that naturally uses the Subte between stops, there is also:

a half-day city tour through the historic centre

Shopping-focused visitors sometimes prefer to have transit handled for them entirely for a morning or afternoon:

a guided shopping outing across the city’s main retail areas

And for anyone who wants Subte logistics removed from the itinerary altogether for a full day:

a private full-day tour of the city with door-to-door transport included

Where the Subte does not reach

The Subte network is dense in the centre and thins out fast toward the edges. La Boca, including Caminito, has no Subte station within easy walking distance — the usual approach is a bus or a taxi from the nearest line, and this is one of the more common planning mistakes for first-time visitors who assume every major sight sits on the metro map. Mataderos, Belgrano’s outer reaches, and the football grounds at La Bombonera and El Monumental are similarly a Subte-plus-bus, or Subte-plus-taxi, combination rather than a direct ride.

For trips beyond the city limits — Tigre and the Paraná Delta, San Isidro, or further out to San Antonio de Areco and La Plata — the Subte is not part of the journey at all; those routes run on the suburban rail network or by road. See the day trip guides for how each of those connects from the centre.

Historic Line A and the age of the system

Line A deserves a mention on its own merits: opened in 1913, it was the first underground railway built in the southern hemisphere and in all of Latin America, running beneath Avenida de Mayo through the heart of the historic centre. For decades the line kept its original wooden carriages in service, a detail transit enthusiasts still ask about; those historic cars have since been retired from daily service and largely preserved, with modern rolling stock running the line today. Riding Line A between Plaza de Mayo and the western edge of the centre is as much a small piece of transit history as it is a practical way to move through the city.

On last trains, and why this guide will not give you one

It would be convenient to print a single closing time for the Subte and be done with it, but that number would be misleading. Closing times differ by line, and they differ again between weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays or holidays, and the operator has adjusted service hours more than once in recent years. A time printed here today could easily be wrong by the time of a reader’s trip.

The honest approach, if a late return matters — after a tango show or a long dinner in Palermo — is to check the current schedule for the exact line in use on the day of travel, and to have a fallback in mind: a colectivo bus, many of which run later or all night on key routes, a remise booked by phone, or a ride-hailing app. None of those require planning around a train that may or may not still be running.

Subte vs colectivos vs everything else

The Subte is fast and predictable within its reach, but the colectivo bus network covers the city far more finely and, on many routes, runs through the night. For a barrio not directly on a Subte line, or for a late return once the relevant Subte line has closed for the night, a colectivo is often the practical answer, and it uses the same SUBE card. Taxis, pre-booked remises, and ride-hailing apps round out the options, particularly late at night, in bad weather, or with luggage. For getting to and from the airports specifically, see the dedicated EZE vs AEP guide, since neither airport connects directly to a Subte station.

Frequently asked questions about the Buenos Aires Subte

Does Buenos Aires have trams?

No. There is no tram network operating within the city today. The Tren de la Costa, a light rail line in the northern suburbs toward Tigre, is sometimes mistaken for one, but it is a separate suburban service and not part of the Subte or the city’s tram history.

Do I need a SUBE card to ride the Subte?

Yes. SUBE is required for every ride, tapped at the turnstile; there are no cash fares or paper single tickets sold at Subte stations.

Where do I buy and top up a SUBE card?

At Subte station booths, many kiosks around the city, and dedicated top-up machines. Sorting this out on arrival avoids delays at the first station used.

How many Subte lines are there and what do they cover?

Six: A, B, C, D, E and H. A and D both start near the centre and run north-west, C connects Retiro and Constitución, E serves the south-east, and H crosses the network north–south.

What time does the last Subte train run?

It depends on the line and the day of the week, and hours have changed more than once. Check the current schedule for the specific line before relying on a late train, and keep a colectivo, remise, or ride-hailing app as a backup.

Is Line A really the oldest metro in Latin America?

Yes, opened in 1913 beneath Avenida de Mayo, it was the first underground railway in the southern hemisphere and in Latin America.

Is the Subte safe to use?

Generally yes, in the way any busy city metro is; the realistic risk is pickpocketing in crowded carriages and at busy interchanges such as Retiro, not a broader danger.

Can I use the Subte to reach the airports?

Not directly. The Subte connects to the wider transport network in the centre, but the last leg to either Ezeiza (EZE) or Aeroparque (AEP) is by bus, remise, taxi, or ride-hailing app.