Puerto Madero and Catalina's, Buenos Aires

In the 80's a group of specialists were dreaming of recycling the port of Buenos Aires.
So, from 1991 to 1998 Puerto Madero Project gave place to technology and planning.

The attractive contact with the river and an area of high-gastronomy restaurants -together with new office-blocks and shops- make this place an ideal rendezvous for business people at lunch time and for friends in the evening.

Renewed and embellished, the old port of Buenos Aires, is now one of the residential and commercial districts, more visited by the tourist.
This district arises from the restoration of the old Docks, that conformed the old port of Buenos Aires, towards a recreational function. By his proximity to downtown, one became a very tourist place quickly. Their 16 buildings, to borders of the Docks, concentrate a great amount of restaurants and companies.
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Puerto Madero refers to a fairly long area where the old docks used to function and where now (after a succesful recycling effort in the mid-90s) a variety of restaurants, bars and other business have set shop. The long explanade that connects all the buildings makes for a great walk on a warm summer night, and you can find every type of food ina very short span. There's also a couple of museum ships (the Fragata Sarmiento and Corbeta Uruguay) that are worth a visit.

For more info, there's a Tourist Info Center on Dock 1 (the closest to Avenida Cordoba) by the large crane, which is open from 10 AM to 2 PM and 3 PM to 6 PM

To access it, walk down Avenida Cordoba, past Avenida Alem and hang a right when you get to the water - the start of the restaurants and bars is right there and goes all the way past the Casa Rosada.

Puerto Madero is actually one of the places I like the most in Buenos Aires. This part of the city used to be ruined and very poor, until the government decided to nvest some money there.

Now it is one of BA's coolest areas, full of restaurants, offices and even some people live over there. Some people say it is like the Docklands in London. Maybe. The new Hilton hotel is located there and it is very nice. There is also a casino in that area.

The Reserva Ecológica, situated just in the shore of the Río de la Plata, is not a must but is also very nice. Not many tourist know it and you will find only locals. It is a park of 360 hectares full of plants and fauna of the area, like coatíes (our own sort of otters) and some more stuff. I always do it by walk, but you may preffer go there with a bike. Cars are not accepted.

A thing most tourists don't know: check out how all the street names in that zone are female names. It was done on purpose, so that Porteños could know the famous women of their history. It is a shame we still don't know who Macacha Güemes, for instance, was.

Puerto Madero was Buenos Aires's port, and now, renewed and beautiful, is a touristic neighborhood, close to downtown, with many restaurants, exclusive lofts, the Hilton hotel (very good hotel by the way) and a private university. This picture was taken at "El puente de la mujer" bridge.

Puerto Madero is a great place, and if you want to go home with the feeling that you really got to see what the city has to offer, you have to come here at least once. It's called "Puerto Madero" because there used to be grand plans to build the new harbor of Buenos Aires here. The project was a complete failure. There are about 20 red, brick buildings all in a row here, which used to be old warehouses, and once the project failed, this area closed down and all of the old warehouses were abandoned and inhabited by rats. However, it's a different scene today. Almost every one of the old warehouses has been restored, and nowadays they house restaurants, apartments, offices, and one of them houses the Catholic University. You'll find the yacht harbor here, 2 museum boats, and the Hilton Hotel as well. On both sides of the water there is a lovely, clean, relaxing promenade which I highly recommend strolling, and definitely you should eat in at least one of the restaurants. Many of the city's well known restaurants are located here, like Cabana Las Lilas, La Cabelleriza, Happening, Bice, and so forth. You'll also find a TGI Fridays. Yes, alot of tourists go here, but also locals (locals with a little money) so prices are higher than some other areas of the city, but nonetheless, it's a must see.

This is a place reclaimed from abandoned docks. It now has great office buildings, restaurants and entertainment spots.
It is also a place where young people pour in on the weekends to cut loose.
I went to a restaurant called Rodizio over here. It was pretty good.

The renovation of the docks of Puerto Madero transformed an area that was a dirty harbour into a touristic spot full of restaurants and bars. It is a nice place for dining or just good sightseeing but not too much else to do.