Living in Mar del Plata, Argentina: what is near your door when the season ends

Districts

Centro

Pedestrian San Martín, the casino, Bristol beach and the Rambla. Shops, banks and buses are close. Packed in summer, and in winter many apartments in the towers stand empty.

La Perla

A residential area north of the center with small beaches below the bluff and older apartment buildings. The center is a walk away and daily life is calmer.

Güemes and Los Troncos

Calle Güemes with its shops and cafes, and behind it the stone chalets and gardens of Los Troncos. Quiet, green and steep in places where the Stella Maris hill rises.

Puerto

The fishing port in the south, with seafood restaurants and a sea lion colony. The streets around it are plain and residential, and the center is a bus ride away.

In January half the country arrives; from April the city belongs to its residents. Living in Mar del Plata, Argentina, all year means wind, damp winters and water that is cold even in summer.

Guides to the best neighborhoods in Mar del Plata are mostly written for a January fortnight. For a year-long lease, ask what is open nearby in July. The center and Calle Güemes trade all year; the southern beaches beyond the Punta Mogotes lighthouse are empty in winter.

The ocean within a walk adds to the parks category of the score. The route is measured to a way down to the water, and in La Perla and at Playa Grande a bluff stands between the street and the sand, with few stairs.

There is no subte; buses cover the city. The train and bus terminal share one building on Avenida Luro, about twenty minutes on foot from the sea.