The Makati Central Business District (CBD) is an area within Makati which contains most of Makati's financial resources. It is home to numerous buildings, companies, and last but not the least, employees. This guide will help you learn how to get around the Makati CBD.
I. Area Structure:
The Makati CBD is an informal district bounded by 4 main roads, namely: EDSA (east), Senator Gil Puyat Avenue or Buendia (north), Pasong Tamo or Chino Roces (west), and Antonio Arnaiz Avenue or Pasay Road (south).
Map of the Makati Central Business District (CBD)
There are three main roads within the Makati CBD, namely: Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue, and Paseo de Roxas.Also, the main areas inside are: Ayala Center (east), Legaspi Village (south), and Salcedo Village (north).
II. Landmarks:
The Makati CDB is full of landmarks. While walking, driving, or commuting, knowing these landmarks will help you determine exactly where you are located inside the Makati CBD.
Senator Gil Puyat / Buendia Avenue, corner:
- EDSA: MRT Buendia Station, SM Cyberzone 2
- Paseo de Roxas: FortMed Medical Clinics, Saville Building, School of Fashion and the Arts
- Makati Avenue: Executive Center, Metrobank Plaza, Pacific Star, Petron Gas Station
- Ayala Avenue: The Columns, Makati Post Office, People Support, RCBC Plaza
- Pasong Tamo: Centro Escolar University (CEU), Petron Gas Station
Ayala Avenue, corner:
- EDSA: Fort Bus Terminal, Hotel Intercon Manila, MRT Ayala Station, SM Makati
- Makati Avenue: Gabriela Silang Monument, Manila Peninsula, Makati Shangri-la
- Paseo de Roxas: BPI Main Building, The Enterprise Center, Insular Life Building, Ninoy Aquino Monument
- V.A. Rufino: Makati Skyline, PBCom Tower, SLC Building
- Buendia: The Columns, Makati Post Office, People Support, RCBC Plaza
Makati Avenue, corner:
- Buendia: Executive Center, Metrobank Plaza, Pacific Star, Petron Gas Station
- H.V. Dela Costa: Banco de Oro Towers (former Equitable Towers)
- Paseo de Roxas: Atrium of Makati, Ayala Triangle Park, Citibank Tower
- Ayala Avenue: Gabriela Silang Monument, Manila Peninsula, Makati Shangri-la
- Dela Rosa: Ayala Museum, Greenbelt 5
- Pasay Road: New World Hotel, Raffles Residences
Paseo de Roxas, corner:
- Buendia: FortMed Medical Clinics, Saville Building, School of Fashion and the Arts
- Makati Avenue: Atrium of Makati, Ayala Triangle Park, Citibank Tower
- Ayala Avenue: BPI Main Building, The Enterprise Center, Insular Life Building, Ninoy Aquino Monument
- Legaspi Street: 111 Paseo de Roxas Building, Corinthian Plaza, Greenbelt 1
- Pasay Road: Corporate Business Center, Joni's Building, The Residences at Greenbelt
Antonio Arnaiz Avenue / Pasay Road, corner:
- Makati Avenue: New World Hotel, Raffles Residences
- Paseo de Roxas: Corporate Business Center, Joni's Building, The Residences at Greenbelt
- Amorsolo: Columns Legaspi, El Cielito Inn, St. John Bosco Parish, Sunvar Plaza
- Pasong Tamo: Eurotel Makati, Makati Cinema Square, Waltermart Makati
Chino Roces / Pasong Tamo, corner:
- Buendia: Centro Escolar University (CEU), Petron Gas Station
- Dela Rosa: Dela Rosa Square, King's Court Building 2, International Inn
- Pasay Road: Eurotel Makati, Makati Cinema Square, Waltermart Makati
III. Getting Around:
In the Makati CDB, jeepneys, like in most places in the Philippines, are the main mode of transportation for commuters.It is pretty easy to get around the Makati CBD. All you need is to know where you are relative to your destination and you're all set.
Senator Gil Puyat / Buendia Avenue
Jeepney Route: Guadalupe (east) - Cartimar (west)The Guadalupe-Cartimar jeep traverses the length of Buendia from EDSA (Makati) to Taft Avenue (Manila).
Example: You want to get to Mapua-Makati and you're coming from MRT Buendia Station. To get there, ride a jeepto Cartimar along Buendia and get off at Mapua-Makati. If you're coming from RCBC Plaza, since Mapua-Makati is toeast of RCBC Plaza, ride a jeep to Guadalupe along Buendia and get off at Mapua-Makati.
Ayala Avenue
Jeepney Route: Ayala MRT (east) - Washington (west)Some people may find this route weird. The Ayala-Washington jeep traverses the length of Ayala from EDSA to Yakal (Ayala Extension near the Fire Station).
Example: You want to get to the Makati Stock Exchange and you're coming from MRT Ayala Station. To get there, ride a jeep to Washington along Ayala and get off at the Makati Stock Exchange. If you're coming from RCBC Plza, since the Makati Stock Exchange is to the east of RCBC Plaza, ride a jeep to Ayala MRT along Ayala and get off at the Makati Stock Exchange.
Antonio Arnaiz Avenue / Pasay Road
Jeepney Route: Pasay Road (east) - Libertad (west)The Pasay Road - Libertad jeep traverses the length of Arnaiz Avenue from Makati Avenue (near Landmark) and Taft Avenue (Manila).
Example: You want to eat at Tsukiji located at the Milky Way Building and you're coming from Waltermart-Makati. To get there, ride a jeep to Pasay Road or Landmark along Pasay Road and get off at the Milky Way Building. If you're coming from Landmark, since the Milky Way Building is to the west of Landmark, ride a jeep to Libertad along Pasay Road and get off at the Milky Way Building.
Pasong Tamo / Chino Roces
Jeepney Route: PRC (north) - Mantrade / Kayamanan C (south)The PRC-Mantrade C jeep traverses the length of Pasong Tamo from J.P. Rizal and EDSA (near MRT Magallanes Station).
Example: You want to eat at Seryna located at Little Tokyo and you're coming from Waltermart-Makati. To get there, ride a jeep to PRC along Pasong Tamo and get off at Little Tokyo. If you're coming from CEU-Makati, since Little Tokyo is to the south of CEU-Makati, ride a jeep to Mantrade along Pasong Tamo and get off at the Little Tokyo.
Makati Avenue
Jeepney Route: Makati LoopThe Makati Loop traverses the length of Makati Avenue from Buendia and Pasay Road (near Landmark).
Example: You want to get to Gercon Plaza and you're coming from Pacific Star. To get there, ride a Makati Loop jeep and get off at the Gercon Plaza. If you're coming from Landmark, this is where things get tricky. If you can find a Makati Loop jeepney, then you're in luck. Since the Makati Loop jeepney is rare depending on the time of day, you'll have to improvise if you want to traverse Makati Avenue (northbound -- from Landmark to Buendia) via jeepney.
Jeepney Route: Ayala (south) - Pateros (north)Don't be afraid of the Pateros sign. The Ayala-Pateros jeep traverses the length of Makati Avenue from Paseo de Roxas and Pasay Road (near Landmark).
Following our previous example... you want to get to Gercon Plaza and you're coming from Landmark. Unfortunately, you are unable to find a Makati Loop jeep. What you can do is to ride a jeep to Pateros along Makati Avenue and get off at Paseo de Roxas corner Makati Avenue. Luckily, the length of Makati Avenue from Paseo de Roxas to Buendia is only around 400 - 500 meters so you can easily walk to your destination.
Paseo de Roxas
Some parts of Paseo de Roxas cannot be traversed by jeep. Your only option is to walk along Paseo de Roxas. These parts are:
- Between Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue, near the Ayala Triangle Park (approx: 500 meters).
- Between Ayala Avenue and Pasay Road, southbound from Ayala to Pasay Road (approx: 1 kilometer).
- Between Ayala Avenue and Pasay Road, northbound when there is no Ayala Loop jeepney (approx: 1 kilometer).
Don't be afraid of the Pateros sign. The Ayala-Pateros jeep traverses the length of Paseo de Roxas from Makati Avenue and Buendia.
Example: You want to get to One Roxas Triangle and you're coming from Citibank Tower. To get there, ride a jeep to Pateros along Paseo de Roxas and get off at One Roxas Triangle. If you're coming from Buendia corner Paseo, since One Roxas Triangle is to the south of Buendia, ride a jeep to Ayala along Paseo de Roxas and get off at One Roxas Triangle.
Jeepney Route: Ayala LoopThe Ayala Loop jeep traverses the length of Paseo de Roxas from Pasay Road to Ayala Avenue (northbound only).
Example: You want to get to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) or Corinthian Plaza and you're coming from Pasay Road. To get there, ride an Ayala Loop jeep and get off at AIM or Corinthian Plaza.
The Makati Green Route (MGR)
Before, the only way to reach Salcedo and Legaspi Village was to walk. Luckily, in 2007 the Makati Government has deployed a new breed of jeepneys to cater to this problem. This was the birth of of the Makati Green Route.
You can check out the route of the Legaspi E-Jeep and the Salcedo E-Jeep to see which places the e-jeepney passes through.
IV. Using Google Maps to find your destination:
Lucky for us, Google has made an effort to create a map of the world, for free. :) Like its bread and butter, the Google Search, you can search places in Google Maps and it will display, more often than not, the exact location of the place you are seeking.
Here is a Map of the Makati CBD. Please be warned that Google holds no liabilty on the data found in Google Maps since there are user contributions that may fail to accurately display the exact location of the place. If you need help in finding a place and getting there, you can post a comment here, on Facebook, or at our Shoutbox.
V. Walking and the underpass:
Along some parts of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, there are parts of the street where in you cannot cross. In the event of a situation there are underpasses located at specific intersections in order to allow people to cross Ayala Avenue or Paseo de Roxas. Some of there are located at:
- Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue
- Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas
- Ayala Avenue corner V.A. Rufino
- Paseo de Roxas corner Sedeno
In this guide, we have provided the basic information and routes that the average person needs in order to travel within the Makati CBD. Of course, these are not the only routes that you can use; there are other complex routes that we haven't mentioned in this blog post. In any case, if ever you have question please feel free to post a comment here, on Facebook, or at our Shoutbox.