San Telmo Market

The Mercado de San Telmo opened in 1897 in a hall of wrought iron and glass designed by the Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo, and it has never stopped working: butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers still trade alongside antique dealers whose stalls spill over with cameras, soda siphons, records, silverware and the accumulated contents of a century of Buenos Aires households, and a newer generation of food counters serving empanadas, coffee and craft beer. On Sundays the market becomes the anchor of the Feria de San Telmo, when Defensa street closes to traffic for a kilometre and fills with hundreds of stalls, buskers and tango dancers running from Plaza Dorrego toward the centre.

What you actually see

• The iron market hall - the 1897 structure with its glass roof and old stalls.
• The antique dealers - cameras, siphons, records and household relics.
• The food counters - empanadas, coffee, sandwiches and craft beer.
• The Sunday fair - Defensa street closed for hundreds of stalls and buskers.

When to go

Sunday for the full street fair, arriving before midday to beat the worst crowds; the hall itself is open through the week and far calmer then. Summer Sundays are hot and packed; autumn and spring are ideal.

Honest expectations

On Sundays the crowds are heavy and pickpocketing is a real risk in the crush. Antique prices are set for tourists in the main aisles. The neighbourhood is atmospheric but scruffy, and the usual city caution applies after dark.

Nearby

Plaza Dorrego is a block away; Caminito and La Boca lie south along Defensa.