Shopping in Buenos Aires: the best shopping tips
Buenos Aires is a small piece of heaven for those who love to shop. You can shop till you drop in the Argentine capital that has thousands of stores at your disposal. Some prices compare with those in Europe or USA but others are definitely lower.
Not all our Spanish students have a big budget for shopping but no worry, here in Buenos Aires it is great fun to just visit the stores as they take you to the different neighborhoods of Buenos Aires making it a great way to explore the city of Buenos Aires. Every shop seem to have its own style and every neighborhood, its own kind of shops. So grap your Buenos Aires city map or open the Buenos Aires app on your smart phone and here we go. We’ll reveal some of the city’s nicest shopping secrets.
To start with, one of the places you cannot miss is Palermo. Palermo is the trendiest part of Buenos Aires and one of the nicest places to be. Here the shops are hip and happening and the streets are small with many big green trees and nice terraces.
The most famous and the up-and-coming designers, all have shops in this part of the city. Palermo has fancy boutiques, fashionable stores but also nice and little shops where new designers show their creations. Among others, Palermo is the place for beautiful leather work, and antiques and vintages clothing and accessories . After shopping: visit one of the many delicious and hip restaurants of Palermo.
San Telmo is the place to go if you are looking for antiques and typical souvenirs. The Defensa street (Calle Defensa) is filled with different kinds of antique shops where finding a hidden treasure is not that hard. Especially on a Sunday it is recommended to visit this neighborhood, when the whole street of Defensa and the Plaza Dorrego turn in to a large fair, La Feria de San Telmo, where individual merchants selling all kinds of things flood the streets.
For imported foods, we recommend you visit the big China town in Belgrano, a neighborhood that sits next to Palermo and Recoleta. This is the place to go if you are looking for a special food item – you can also take some really nice photographs here.
El microcentro, downtown Buenos Aires, is filled with all different kinds of stores. It is worth it to take a stroll down Calle Florida the large pedestrian street that has all kind of shops. Calle Florida is always full of shoppers, businessmen and tourists.
The famous “Galerias Pacifico”, a big shopping mall, is also located here, at the corner of the Florida y Avenida Córdoba. Galerias Pacífico is one of the biggest shopping malls in Argentina, declared National Historic Monument. For those who are interested in the history of the Galerias, the building, their murals and their artist, there are tours with guide through the amazing building. You can also buy duty-free here. Galerias Pacificas hosts over 150 stores.
Recoleta is one of the most elegant and residential neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, here you can expect the shopping to be pricey, especially the luxury shops on Avenida Alvear. Here many famous designers have their own shop. On the other hand, Recoleta also hosts a nice artesans fair at Plaza de Francia – but only Saturday and Sunday. The prices here might a bit higher than at the Feria de San Telmo. Here you can also find the Avenida Santa Fe. This shopping street is even longer than Calle Florida, but not pedestrian friendly at all. Santa Fe, that runs from the Plaza San Martin crossing for t total of 3 kilometers, is just as popular as Calle Florida and you will have no problem finding everything you are looking for. Recoleta Libertad. This is a great spot if you are in search of some beautiful jewelry, here you find a jewelry after another, especially in the section between Rivadavia and Corrientes, in the so called ‘jewerly district’ of Buenos Aires.
Finally, find below some addresses of important shopping malls of Buenos Aires. And if you are looking for some organized, there are even shopping tours offered in Buenos Aires “tailored to your interest, style and budget”. Contact us if you are interested and AMAUTA Buenos Aires makes the arrangements for you. Enjoy our time in Buenos Aires and make sure you do some shopping after Spanish classes!
Alto Palermo Shopping Mall:
Avenida Santa Fe 3253
Open from Monday to Sunday 10:00am to 22:00pm
Patio Bullrich Shopping Mall:
Avenida del Libertador 750 / Posadas 1245
Open from Monday to Sunday 10:00am to 21:00pm
Abasto Shopping Mall:
Avenida Corrientes 3247
Open from Monday to Sunday 10:00am to 22:00pm
Galerías Pacífico Shopping Mall:
Avenida Florida 737
Open from Monday to Sunday 10:00am to 22:30pm
Recoleta Mall:
Uriburu
Open from Monday to Sunday 10:00am to 22:00pm.