Buenos Aires Port: How Close to the City?

Our ship (Infinity) boards on Jan3 and then stays overnite leaving the port on Jan 4 at 5pm. I appreciate a recent thread re: taxi drop off at the port. I am wondering how long it takes by taxi to get into the Recoleta area? Just thinking about how it easy it is to go back into the city at night after boarding and then again the next day prior to departure. Thanks in advance.

The Buenos Aires port is very close to the city center. We stayed at a hotel in Recoleta and my recollection is that the taxi ride from the hotel to the terminal was about 15 minutes.

Our ship (Infinity) boards on Jan3 and then stays overnite leaving the port on Jan 4 at 5pm. I appreciate a recent thread re: taxi drop off at the port. I am wondering how long it takes by taxi to get into the Recoleta area? Just thinking about how it easy it is to go back into the city at night after boarding and then again the next day prior to departure. Thanks in advance.

The Rocoleta area is very close to the port. You can walk there if you had a good map. Only issue is that you would not want to be out at night. Some areas are not the best.

Taxis are cheap in BA, but have read on cc that taxis inflate their prices for people leaving from the port area. Best to negotiate the rate prior to entering the taxi.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Buenos%20Aires&country=AR#a9a7b7bcc665c20ce104cd91

4774Papa talks about walking from the port to Recoleta, but then says you wouldn't want to do it at night.

Is it safe to walk in and out of the port area during the day?

We have a day in Buenos Aires coming up, and the distances to where we want to go are such that we would normally walk. But comments elsewhere seem to suggest it is not safe to walk in the port area even during the day.

Anyone done this recently? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

4774Papa talks about walking from the port to Recoleta, but then says you wouldn't want to do it at night.

 

Is it safe to walk in and out of the port area during the day?

 

Anyone done this recently? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

The port is next to a bus terminal and not too far from the main train station. Neither is a very good area, but my husband and I have walked it during the day and really fast early in the evening but already in darkness. We were told that the illegally built slums underneath the overpasses and next to the railroad are the origin of the pickpockets.

You should be fine during the day if you do not openly display your expensive camera and please, no jewelry at all. I think it's quite a distance to walk to the cemetery in Recoleta and uphill from the port. Wear your most comfortable shoes.

We had no trouble whatsoever, but we tried to look like someone dressed for the city not like hikers on an expedition to the jungle.

I would use a taxi. quick and cheap. walking in the heat can be a chore, and this is a vacation, right? :confused:

Thanks for the feedback Floridiana. We would definitely prefer to walk, as long as we can do it safely. We have been to Buenos Aires before, but as part of a land tour, so didn't go near the cruise port.

Merlinite - I appreciate you taking the trouble to log your thought, but walking is not a chore to us. We enjoy the exercise and what we can see when walking.

Thanks.

4774Papa talks about walking from the port to Recoleta, but then says you wouldn't want to do it at night.

 

Is it safe to walk in and out of the port area during the day?

 

We have a day in Buenos Aires coming up, and the distances to where we want to go are such that we would normally walk. But comments elsewhere seem to suggest it is not safe to walk in the port area even during the day.

 

Anyone done this recently? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

We walked from our B&B to Reoleta Cemetery then past the entrance to the port area into the Puerto Madero Waterfront area of the city. This was during the day and we did not feel unsafe. There is a large abandoned building near the port filled with squatters. It is near where more squatters are under the overpass. We just crossed the street and no one bothered us.

Apparently, there are 13 million people in BA and one million squatters. These are homeless people that find any abandoned building they can find.

Thanks 4774Papa for info on your experience.

_Remember that the taxi stand at the pier is dodgy.Walking during the day is fine .Go straight take the over pass.Once you are on the other side you keep walking til you see the English Tower on your left located right across the train station. You will then walk across Alem ave.--beware of some crazy driving-until you have reached your first sight, San Martin Park a beautiful Plaza surrounded by cattle baron estates from the early 20th century French architecture.

Enjoy my hometown!

Thanks very much Pochito for this info.

This sort of detail is really useful - I have been trying to make sense of the route on a map, but am not sure exactly we will exit the port terminal.

:):):):):)Hello. We just got off our cruise and are in Santiago. I had a few minutes before our flight to post some quick recommendations on tour guides and transfer from Valparaíso to Santiago Chile.

We used to Victor (wwwenaturchile.com). They picked us up promptly at port with a sign with our names. Our guide was Christian and he was extremely informative and a very nice man. He showed us all around Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, which may be the most beautiful cities in Chile. We stopped at many lovely local places along the way. He made us reservations at a seaside castle for lunch which was so lovely with great seafood and wine! We then drove towards Santiago, stopping for two tours of wineries on the way. Those who have never been in wineries will be very surprised by how modern and grand the wineries are. In total he was with us for 8+ hours for a very reasonable fee. The next day he gave us a lovely 1/2 day tour of Santiago. I would highly recommend this company for a tour or a transfer Victor, also organize our trips to Buenos Aires. All agreed was excellent service one faith

It is really easy to walk to Calle Florida then on to the main square in BA and we did it last year. As has already been said, the area round the port is not the best but we didn't feel in the least intimidated during the day. We wouldn't walk there at night but we wouldn't walk at night in any city we were unfamiliar with. We did a walking tour with BA tours and our guide said he would never pick up a taxi near the port.

If you look on a Google map, you will see a street called Avenido de los Immigrantos (not sure of spelling). It is just to your left as you're leaving the terminal building and in front of the port entrance used by lorries.

Walk up that street till you come to an overpass. (10 mins) Go up, over and down and carry on walking past some green spaces on your left and shops/market and Retiro station on your right.

Just after Retiro station, cross the road into Plaza San Martin. Walk to the left round it and in the top left hand corner you will come to Calle Florida.(10 minutes) It is one of the main shopping streets and leads close to the Plaza de Mayo where you'll find the Pink House and the Cathedral where the Pope preached.

We found it very easy to walk around BA, and just used google maps on our iPad, once we'd planned what we wanted to see. BTW we exchanged our dollars for Pesos at a kiosk on CF. It was outside an outfitters called Hanleys and it was recommended to us by our guide. He got a great rate for us and we went back the next day and got the same rate.

Thanks a lot Tartanexile - very useful detail!

Thanks for all the useful information. How far is the Hilton in the Puerto Madero Area to the port? The address is Blvd Macacha Guemes. Will embark on 2/15.

Thanks for all the useful information. How far is the Hilton in the Puerto Madero Area to the port? The address is Blvd Macacha Guemes. Will embark on 2/15.

It is a 35-40 minute walk from the Hilton to the port, about 3 1/2 miles. I would not recommend walking to the port for a cruise check in with luggage and valuables in tow though. Toting luggage down the street is like posting a sticky note to your head saying "rob me." And you do pass a very sketchy area to get to the cruise port.

It is a 35-40 minute walk from the Hilton to the port, about 3 1/2 miles. I would not recommend walking to the port for a cruise check in with luggage and valuables in tow though. Toting luggage down the street is like posting a sticky note to your head saying "rob me." And you do pass a very sketchy area to get to the cruise port.

Thanks for the reply. We will plan on a cab.