Shopping in Buenos Aires

In the inner city the pedestrian strips of Florida and Lavalle are bustling with people and flooded with shops. For bargain prices but hit and miss quality the streets of the Once neighbourhood are the place to go, where hundreds of small no frills shops sell items in bulk.

If your shopping experience requires air conditioning, floor planning with neat shop windows and a food court there are countless shopping malls which can fulfil these needs including Abasto and Alto Palermo. Even if you don't intend to buy a thing the interior designs of Patio Bullrich and the Galeria Pacifico are worth a visit by themselves.

Outdoor markets in Buenos Aires

For local arts and crafts, the street markets of Buenos Aires are the places to visit. The Sunday antique market in San Telmo runs the length of Defensa street from Plaza de Mayo past Plaza Dorrego. The Feria Artesenal located outside the Cemetery in Recoleta is very popular on the weekends, as is the smaller Plaza Serrano market in the Palermo neighbourhood.

Each market has its own vibe with its own range of handicrafts, souvenirs as well as local buskers and street musicians.

Antiques

Those with a keen eye and good knowledge can pick up a bargain at el Mercado de las Pulgas, the flea market, in the Palermo neighbourhood. Another option for antique shopping in Buenos Aires is the San Telmo neighbourhood which is filled with many shops selling antiques. They overflow on Sundays when the street market is also open.

Leather Goods

Leather products of Argentina are especially well known, and Buenos Aires sells some of the best. The leather is soft, with an almost butter-like feel, and it looks great too. The stores around Plaza San Martín and in Villa Crespo sell leather bags, jackets and other souvenirs.

Take a Buenos Aires shopping tour to visit the leather factories outside of the city center where you can get any item tailor-made. Pick a colour, style and type of leather, and get each product made to your size. Tailors can get things ready in a day or even a few hours if it is urgent.

Clothing and Shoes

Clothes and accessories are available all over the city at rates to suit every budget.

Shoes are a must-buy in Buenos Aires with every style, size and design available. For the dancer, tango shoes are best bought in speciality shops where each pair is hand-made.

Fashion in Buenos Aires closely follows the world market and many shops sell the latest trends. International designer brands are found in the upmarket shops on Avenida Santa Fe and Cabildo Avenue in Belgrano.

For one of a kind items the streets of Palermo are dotted with designer boutiques each filled with their own exclusive range of clothing.

Souvenirs

There are many types of souvenirs to buy in Buenos Aires. Sport fans can choose football jerseys in support of the national or local teams.

Purchasing yerba mate, the mate gourd and the bombilla straw which are all used in the ritualistic national drink can be bought as a package and can even be engraved with a name.

Other typical souvenirs are bottles of Argentine wine, tango music and traditional fileteado paintings with their colourful lettering and borders.

Shopping Hours

Standard shopping hours in Buenos Aires are 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9 am to 1pm on Saturdays. Generally on Sundays most shops are closed but larger shopping malls and outdoor markets will be open.