La Plata travel guide

La Plata is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 census, the Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabitants.

It covers an area of 940 km² at 9.87 m above the sea level. It sits on the "pampa húmeda" (wet pampas), 56 km south-east of Buenos Aires city. La Plata was designed around a central axis marked by 51st and 53rd Avenues, where the main buildings and landmarks are located: the Cathedral, City Hall, Plaza Moreno (Moreno square), the Teatro Argentino, the Provincial Legislature and Government house around Plaza San Martín (San Martín square). It was designed by Pedro Benoit and his prestigious team, who are among the most distinguished in the world.

Getting in

Buses from Retiro and other places in Buenos Aires leave all the time - they cost A$39 (September 2016) and take 1 hour or so. There are two companies that cover the route: Costera Metropolitana and Plaza. On business days the buses leave from the Retiro neighborhood, not the main Retiro bus station. On weekends and holidays, Costera's buses leave from the interior of the station (platforms 1 or 2). The Plaza bus' stop is across the street from the main bus station. There are a number of bus stops, look (or ask) for the 129 to La Plata "por autopista" (by the freeway).

Getting around

La Plata is an easy city to navigate because of its numbered grid system. (However, many street signs are missing, which makes it more difficult to determine your location.) You can easily walk from one side of the city to another within 45 minutes. Taxis are plentiful and cheap. They can be hailed on the street, but be observant: the diagonal avenues that cut through La Plata can be confusing and taxi drivers might take advantage of that to rack up the price on the meter. The city buses, or the micro, are very cheap and reliable.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.