Hotels near Puerto Madero and the Puente de la Mujer

Puerto Madero is the newest barrio in Buenos Aires, built from 1990 onward out of four disused brick docks that had been obsolete almost from the day they opened in 1897. The warehouses along the western quays now hold offices and restaurants; the eastern side is glass towers. The Puente de la Mujer, designed by Santiago Calatrava and installed in 2001, crosses Dique 3 as a white steel span with one angled pylon meant to suggest a couple dancing tango. Its central section rotates to let boats through, although it does so rarely.

Two museum ships are moored along the quays: the Fragata Sarmiento, an 1897 naval training vessel, and the Corbeta Uruguay, which rescued a stranded Antarctic expedition in 1903. Both charge very little to board. Beyond the towers to the east lies the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur, 350 hectares of reclaimed riverside grassland with flat gravel paths, free entry and almost no shade. It closes on Mondays and after heavy rain.

Pro Tip: Do this stretch at sunset. Walk the north quay, cross the Puente de la Mujer, then take the coastal path into the Reserva Ecologica before it shuts at 18:00 in winter or 19:00 in summer. Bring water, because there is nowhere inside to buy any.