After a month in Buenos Aires and my fair share of getting to know the people and their customs, I could tell the porteños really love being treasure hunters. They appreciate a good vintage find, crafty gifts, decent second-hand clothes and like to stack up on farmer’s food.
It’s probably the reason why their weekend markets are so awesome. I went to several corners of the city and visited quite some ferias over time. In here I’ll share with you what you can find throughout the city and whether going there is worth the effort or not!
Feria de San Telmo
This outdoor market is the biggest of the entire city. It takes place on Sunday and should be included in your itinerary for sure. Even if you’ve already walked this street – Defensa – you won’t recognize it again during this day in the weekend.
From Plaza de Mayo all the way up to Plaza Dorrego, the street is absolutely packed with stands. Think of anything you need, and you might just get lucky in here. Leather jackets, Mafalda stickers, old records, Spanish and English books, vintage jewellery and so on. Allow yourself some time, as it’s usually rather busy in here and you need a slow pace to make it to the end.
Don’t forget to visit the indoor Mercado de San Telmo for a lovely lunch and some decent snacks. They sell the best falafel, empanadas and choripans accompanied with all kinds of stuffing in here!
Palermo Soho:
For both spots can be said; if you’re around Palermo Soho during the weekends, try to make it here. You don’t need a lot of time to see what’s going on. Yet, these markets are great to add to a day of shopping!
– Plaza Armenia
During the weekend, a couple of stands surround two sides of this pet-friendly park in the middle of Palermo Soho. Again, expect quirky gifts like beautiful ceramics, hand-made dresses for Barbie dolls, decorative items for the garden and just very randoms products. Often the creativeness of the stuff sold in here made me laugh.
– Plaza Serrano
A 5-minute walk from Plaza Armenia, this next outdoor feria has more or less the same creative goods for sale, with a larger section dedicated to jewellery and art included. And like Plaza Armenia, this square is surrounded with bars and restaurants. This spot is especially famous for its nightlife by the way.
Plaza Francia (Feria de Recoleta)
On Saturdays, make sure you go to Plaza Francia. To me, even though the San Telmo market is wayyyy bigger, this feria in Recoleta was my favourite outdoor markets of all. Perhaps because it’s so easily combined with doing other things in the neighbourhood. After all, the market is next to both the Recoleta Cemetery and the Museo de las Bellas Artes.
So much lovely stuff is sold at this square; copper rings and bracelets, cat-shaped cups, a fair share of typical landscape paintings, wooden tropical birds and hand-knitted hats, shawls and toys. On top of that you’ll can find a lot of food vendors in here, selling warm nuts, empanadas and sandwiches everywhere on the plaza.
Live musicians will brighten your mood in between the strolling. The sounds of their accordeons can even be heard all the way in the quietness of the Recoleta cemetery.
There’s a parking station beneath the Plaza, in case you want to safeguard your bike.
El Mercado de las Pulgas
The only indoor market on the list, this flea market (the literal translation of ‘mercado de las pulgas’) is located between Palermo Hollywood and Colegiales. I was super triggered to visit the place because of the name, yet a little bit disappointed when I finally got there, as the main part of this market is dedicated to refurbished furniture, large landscape paintings and old Coca Cola ads. Not necessarily stuff you want to bring home from a trip. But there were also a lot of shops dedicated to jewellery and tableware. Go there if you’re in the neighbourhood, if not, don’t make the effort of the detour.
Calle Peru
This small market is perched between Av. Hipólito Yrigoyen and Av. de Mayo. To be honest I’m not sure if it’s an official market or whether it’s around daily, but whenever I walked by on the famous Avenida de Mayo towards San Telmo, it was there.
The vendors over here are selling a lot of quirky and handmade stuff; creative gifts and some art mainly. Just have a quick look whenever you’re on your way to Plaza de Mayo.
Centenario Park
This feria is spread out along the borders of the Centenario Park, nearby the neighbourhood of Villa Crespo. It’s really one for the locals though. As this was my first outdoor market I’d visited in Buenos Aires, I was a bit disappointed to be honest. It didn’t feature the quirky stuff I was hoping to find. But if you’re planning to stay in the city for a while, the stuff sold in here may come of use.
Expect second-hand clothing, electrical goods, utilitarians like socks and underwear, cleaning and hygiene projects. Apart from that, the park behind the market is worth a stroll too if you like to see how the locals and their pets spend their sunny weekends!
