The only European countries with official Argentine tourist offices are Germany and Italy; in the USA three overseas delegations can give you the lowdown: 12 West 56th St, in New York (tel 212/603-0443, fax 212/315-5545); 5055 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 210, Los Angeles (tel 213/930-0681, fax 213/934-9076); and 2655 Le Jeune Rd, Ph. 1, Miami (tel 305/442-1366, fax 305/441-7029). The main national tourist board is, of course, in Buenos Aires, and you should go there for maps of the country and general information about getting around. Piles of leaflets, glossy brochures and maps are dished out at national, provincial and municipal tourist offices across the country, which vary enormously in quality of service and quantity of information - from the extremely professional, with all the latest computer equipment, to dingy offices with a couple of rusty filing-cabinets. Don't rely on staff speaking any language other than Spanish; nor on the leaflets or lists of accommodation, campsites, museums and other facilities being translated into foreign languages. In smaller towns you may find that the oficina de turismo is attached to the municipalidad or town hall, and can provide nothing more than some basic advice. Every province maintains a Casa de Provincia in Buenos Aires, where you can pick up information about what there is to see or do, prior to travelling. The standard of information you'll glean from them varies wildly, often reflecting the comparative wealth of a given province. Some of the casas have fairly in-depth archives and the busier of them should be able to provide you with detailed printouts of accommodation and transport to various destinations under their jurisdiction. Notably helpful ones are Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Salta, Mendoza and La Pampa. Many also have a shop selling locally made arts and crafts. Getting the information you need can sometimes be a question of finding the right person - the Casas de Provincia are staffed by people from the various provinces and if you persist you may well be rewarded with some real insider knowledge. As well as the casas de provincia there are also several shop-window tourist offices in Buenos Aires run by major resorts, mostly those on the Atlantic seaboard.