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Arrival, information and orientation
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Mar del Plata is well-connected by public transport to most points in Argentina, particularly during the summer, when services increase dramatically. Its
airport
, Aeropuerto Camet (tel 0223/478-0744), is around 8km northwest of the city centre along the RN2. Local bus #542 will take you from the airport into town, passing along Avenida Pedro Luro all the way to the seafront.
Trains
from Buenos Aires (Constitucion) arrive at Estacion Norte to the northwest of the town centre, at Luro and Italia (tel 0223/475-6075), where you can still see the first train that brought passengers to Mar del Plata. Various local buses, including #511, #512 and #542, run between the station and the town centre. The bus terminal, at Alberti 1602, is right in the centre of things, and is a good point from which to start looking for reasonably priced accommodation if you haven't anything booked. If you are travelling by car, the most direct route from Buenos Aires is via the RN2, but this is also by far the busiest route during the summer and - thanks to hefty tolls - the most expensive. You'd be better off heading for the RP29 via Balcarce, a route which is longer by about 80km but much quieter and cheaper.
The main office for Emtur, Mar del Plata's tourist information service, is centrally located on the northwest corner of the old Hotel Provincial on the Boulevard Maritimo, opposite Plaza Colon (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9am-1pm & 4-8pm; tel 0223/495-1777; www.argent.com.ar/emtur ). The information offered is rather minimal, but they can provide you with a good map of the resort, together with leaflets on the main tourist areas, and they will happily answer any specific questions you may have. For up-to-date information on Mar del Plata's lively calendar of entertainment check the listings in the local paper, La Capital .
Though Mar del Plata is a large city,
orientation
is fairly easy since both the sprawling coastline and the hills to the south of the centre make useful landmarks. The main square,
Plaza San Martin
, is connected to the seafront, six blocks to the southeast, by Avenida Pedro Luro. Running parallel to Luro, six blocks to the southwest, is Avenida Colon, which runs from the downtown area to the hilly streets of Stella Maris, where you will find most of the best examples of Mar del Plata's pintoresco architecture. Lying between Luro and Colon is the hectic
microcentro
, with the greatest concentration of shops, restaurants and hotels. Hugging the coast is a wide avenue officially called Avenida Patricio Peralta Ramos, but invariably referred to as the Boulevard Maritimo. Though the majority of Mar del Plata's attractions are within reasonable walking distance of each other, the combination of summer heat and hilly streets will probably make you glad to hop on a bus from time to time. Local buses are cheap and efficient and routes are well marked at bus stops. Useful routes include #551, #552 and #553, all of which run between Avenida Constitucion - centre of the city's nightlife - Avenida Luro and the port; #523 also goes to Punta Mogotes and the Bosque. Taxis are easy to come by and relatively inexpensive: from the centre to Avenida Constitucion, for example, costs about $6. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Argentina,
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