Shopping · Buenos Aires · Argentina
Shopping in Buenos Aires
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Roberto Fiadone is the author of this work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Buenos Aires is good for leather, clothes from local designers, books, wine and mate gear. Palermo Soho has the independent boutiques, Recoleta and Avenida Alvear the luxury brands, and San Telmo the antiques. Best souvenirs: Leather goods, Mate gourd and bombilla and Malbec.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 4
- Markets
- 3
- Top souvenir
- Leather goods
Where to shop
Palermo Soho
Argentine designers, leather goods and concept stores along Honduras, El Salvador, Armenia and Gurruchaga.
Recoleta and Avenida Alvear
Luxury labels in Belle Époque buildings and the Patio Bullrich mall, a former livestock auction house.
Villa Crespo
Brand outlet stores around Aguirre and Gurruchaga, and the leather-jacket shops of Calle Murillo.
Avenida Corrientes
Long-established second-hand and new bookshops between the Obelisco and Callao.
Markets
Feria de San Telmo
Sunday antiques, crafts and street performers along Calle Defensa.
Feria de Plaza Francia
A weekend craft market outside Recoleta Cemetery with leather, jewellery and mate gourds.
Puerto de Frutos, Tigre
A riverside market of wicker, wooden furniture, plants and crafts at the edge of the delta.
What to buy
Leather goods
Jackets, bags and belts from Argentine hides, sometimes made to measure in Villa Crespo's leather shops.
Mate gourd and bombilla
A carved gourd with a metal straw, plus a bag of yerba mate to go with it.
Malbec
Bottles from Mendoza and Salta, chosen with help from the staff at a vinoteca.
Dulce de leche and alfajores
Jars of dulce de leche and boxes of alfajores; check your home country's food import rules.
Soda siphons
Vintage coloured-glass soda siphons are a San Telmo fair classic.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Street · La Boca
Caminito, La Boca
This short pedestrian lane of corrugated-iron houses painted in bright colours recalls the tenements where Italian immigrants settled by the Riachuelo port.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Art
- Free
Market · San Telmo
San Telmo Sunday fair
Every Sunday, stalls stretch along Calle Defensa from Plaza de Mayo to Plaza Dorrego, selling antiques, soda siphons, leather, crafts and street food, with tango dancers and bands on the corners.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- History
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Dulce de leche and alfajores, Helado, Mate and Malbec and fernet con coca. Bakeries, kiosks and specialist shops across the city; Havanna, from Mar del Plata, is the best-known brand. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Palermo Soho | $$$ | Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano |
| Palermo Hollywood | $$$ | Restaurant streets and late bars north of Avenida Juan B. Justo |
| Recoleta | $$$$ | French-style mansions, museums and the famous cemetery |
| San Telmo | $$ | Cobbled streets, antiques, tango and the Sunday Defensa fair |
| Puerto Madero | $$$$ | Converted docks, steakhouses and high-rise hotels on the water |
| Microcentro and Monserrat | $$ | Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo cafés and the Corrientes theatres |
| Belgrano | $$$ | Leafy residential barrio with Chinatown and an open-air milonga |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in ARS. Leave about 10% in restaurants and cafés, ideally in cash, as card machines often cannot add a tip; the cubierto on the bill is not a tip. Round up taxi fares.
- Exchange rules and card rates have changed often in recent years; before you travel, compare paying by foreign card with changing cash at a bank or official exchange house.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in January, May–June and August–September; the busiest months are the peak holidays.
- March: Lollapalooza Argentina — music festival in San Isidro (usually March)
- April: BAFICI — independent film festival (usually April)
- April: Feria del Libro — International Book Fair (usually late April to May)
- August: Tango BA Festival y Mundial — free tango festival and world championship (usually August)
Staying near the shops
$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, food lovers, couples and nightlife
Palermo Soho
Boutiques, cafés and leafy cobbled streets around Plaza Serrano
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Buenos Aires?
Leather goods, Mate gourd and bombilla, Malbec and Dulce de leche and alfajores.
+Where is the best shopping in Buenos Aires?
Palermo Soho: Argentine designers, leather goods and concept stores along Honduras, El Salvador, Armenia and Gurruchaga.
+What are the best markets in Buenos Aires?
Feria de San Telmo, Feria de Plaza Francia and Puerto de Frutos, Tigre.