Starting at its western terminus at Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road), the road crosses into Legaspi Village, passing by the Greenbelt complex, the Asian Institute of Management, and several low- to mid-rise office and residential towers. As it passes by Salcedo Village east of Ayala Avenue, the buildings give way to high rises on the north side and the entire length of the Ayala Triangle Gardens on the south. Past the intersection with Makati Avenue, Paseo de Roxas skirts the northern side of Urdaneta Village. It then crosses Gil Puyat Avenue and Jupiter Street before entering the gated Bel-Air Village, ending at its intersection with Mercedes and Hydra Streets.
The avenue was named after Ayala Corporation founder Domingo Róxas of the Zobel de Ayala family, who owns the land. It was the site of the old Nielson Field airport, where the avenue's section east of Ayala Avenue served as a runway along with Ayala Avenue.[1][2] Paseo de Roxas also has short extensions into the gated San Lorenzo Village as Edades Street and the gated Bel-Air Village as Hydra Street.