San Telmo, Buenos Aires: a complete neighbourhood guide

San Telmo is the oldest neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, full of historic charm, cobbled streets and crumbling mansions. This is always our favourite place to stay in Buenos Aires, and we’ve now racked up months of time dwelling there. So, what makes San Telmo so special? In this guide we’ll explain everything you need to know about its famous markets, shops, local eateries, landmarks, and the best places to stay.

The neighbourhood is best known for its vast weekly open-air market, which takes over its streets every Sunday. It is also filled with some of Buenos Aires’ best independent cafés, steakhouses, bars and tango houses, and is always buzzing with activity.

Even if you don’t stay in San Telmo, it is a must to visit while you are in the city. So, let’s take a look.

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San Telmo, Buenos Aires: a quick introduction

San Telmo is like a living relic of a faded era of grandeur. It was once the heart of wealth in Buenos Aires.

In the mid 19th-century, with newly independent Argentina emerging from centuries of colonial rule into a golden era of prosperity, families of the city’s high society moved into opulent mansions along and around Defensa, the central street of San Telmo.

But in the 1870s, San Telmo was struck by a dreadful yellow fever epidemic, prompting a mass exodus of rich families. The grandiose mansions were left to decay, some being repurposed as apartment blocks to house workers and European immigrants arriving in the city.

So, San Telmo quickly went from being the wealthiest area of Argentina’s capital to one of the most deprived. That’s how it stayed until a new revival began in the 1960s, as a generation of artists, writers and students from near and far were drawn to the neighbourhood.

The last half century has seen San Telmo become a hub of culture, creativity and street art. The old buildings still stand as a reminder of its affluent past, but are now interspersed with colourful murals, and occupied by thriving bars, cafés and independent stores.

Is San Telmo worth visiting?

San Telmo is both a beautiful and a fascinating place to visit. In many ways it is the heart and soul of old Buenos Aires, while also being a thriving hub of its culture today. There is a lot to see and do here, as well as some of the city’s best places to eat, as we will explore in this guide.

Whether you are on a short trip or spending a week in Buenos Aires or even longer, we highly recommend spending at least a few hours here.

Is San Telmo safe?

San Telmo is mostly a safe neighbourhood, and we have never experienced any problems here personally, but it is best to exercise some caution.

As with many of the city’s popular tourist areas, there are pickpockets and petty thieves around. Keep an eye on your valuables, and don’t put bags or phones where they could be snatched.

We have always felt safe walking around San Telmo in the daytime, but it can certainly seem a bit sketchy after dark. Avoid walking around alone at night, or in parts of the neighbourhood you don’t know.

Where to stay in San Telmo

San Telmo has become like a second home to us, and it has some great places to stay. Many of its old mansions have been repurposed as characterful hotels, and some of the best backpacker hostels in Buenos Aires can also be found here.

Best hotels in San Telmo

These are our top personal picks for hotels in San Telmo:

• L’Adresse Hôtel Boutique: this lovely boutique hotel is on the south side of San Telmo near Parque Lezama, a large green space. Its inner courtyard is a like a little oasis of calm among the buzz of the neighbourhood.
• Lina’s Tango Guesthouse: a homely, family-run bed and breakfast just a short walk away from the heart of the neighbourhood.
• Cassa Lepage Art Hotel: our pick of the luxury hotels in the area, situated in Montserrat to the north of San Telmo. The hotel has a museum and an archaeological dig on site.

Best hostels in San Telmo

We’ve stayed in two hostels during our trips to San Telmo, each brilliant in its own special way:

• Viajero Hostel Buenos Aires: this is a large hostel with a great social atmosphere, and you can always get a good night’s sleep as the rooms are upstairs, and the bar in the basement. We enjoyed lots of the activities they organised, including free walking tours of San Telmo and La Boca, an asado night, a milonga night, pub crawls and gaucho dancing.
• Rayuela Hostel Boutique: this is a smaller, more intimate hostel with a handful of rooms and beds. It has a nice relaxed atmosphere but is also good for socialising and meeting people, especially the weekly asado night.

Check out our complete guide to where to stay in Buenos Aires for more recommendations and an insight into the city’s other best neighbourhoods for travellers.

Places to eat in San Telmo

The food in Buenos Aires is one of the reasons we keep going back, and San Telmo has some of the city’s best restaurants, cafés and street food.

San Telmo’s food scene has a gritty, authentic essence to it. Think traditional old steakhouses, hole-in-the-wall local takeaways, family-run bakeries, cosy cafés on cobbled street corners, and non-pretentious wine bars.

Steakhouses in San Telmo

As you can read in our guide to the best steak in Buenos Aires, San Telmo has some of the city’s top authentic parrillas.

If you’re eating steak in the city for the first time, Desnivel is a great place to start for a traditional experience. It’s one of the oldest steakhouses in the area, and has barely changed with the times. No fancy decor, just plain, neatly arranged tables and the welcome waft of frying meat emanating from the kitchen. There’s a reason locals keep coming here.

La Brigada is a bit more geared towards tourists, its walls cluttered with Argentine football memorabilia and flags. Dining here can be a chaotic experience. You can book ahead, but we had a lot of fun turning up for a walk-in and having a drink while we waited for our names to be called out. Try the classic bife de chorizo here, which is excellent.

PES is a hidden gem in San Telmo, centrally located but tucked away around the outside of the San Telmo Market building. The fish is great here, but I had an ojo de bife (rib eye) steak on the first night of our latest trip to the city, and it was a delicious cut, cooked to perfection. Quite a bit cheaper than the average steakhouse in the city as well.

Chic cafés and authentic bakeries

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat breakfast in San Telmo, or perhaps a morning coffee and cake, or a light lunch, you can try one of the neighbourhood’s charming cafés.

We had breakfast one day at Nica, a café just opposite PES. This place has a rustic, hipster-ish vibe, and the food is definitely Instagram-worthy! Their eggs benedicts are a superb choice among a varied breakfast menu. Although you might just want one of their irresistible homemade cakes with an artisan coffee.

Punto Café has more of a classic laidback café and bakery vibe, perched on a street corner on the north side of San Telmo. We had a break from morning sightseeing to stop here for a freshly baked pastry and a sandwich with a tasty cup of coffee.

If you are looking for somewhere to try a traditional Argentine empanada, look no further than Panadería y Confitería La Mariposa, which makes some of the best in the city. This is a proper old-school local bakery that opens at 7am every day.

Street food at Mercado de San Telmo

The beating heart of the San Telmo neighbourhood is its 19th-century market building, Mercado de San Telmo. Not to be confused with the weekly open-air market that takes place on the streets, this is an old market hall with an array of food stalls and shops under its iron-framed roof.

You can try an array of different street food in the market hall, from international treats like raclette to local classics like empanadas or alfajores.

Other great places to eat in San Telmo

With its history of immigration, San Telmo’s food scene also has an international flavour to it. Saigón Noodle Bar, on an outer corner of the market building, is a very good Vietnamese restaurant. We were impressed with the pho here, which I can say from experience is a great hangover cure!

El Banco Rojo in San Telmo is my favourite burger bar anywhere in the world. You definitely won’t find a better one in Buenos Aires. This place has a lively atmosphere and a young crowd, with rock music playing every time we’ve been in. The burgers are stacked with flavour, dribbling with juice, and quite a handful to eat! There is a great selection of craft beers to try as well.

When poets started frequenting San Telmo in the 1960s, some of the most famous in the city used to meet in a 19th century building on a corner of Calle Chile. The building is now the home of La Poesía, a restaurant that pays tribute to this history with a literary theme. Old dark-wood shelves are lined with books, while portraits of famous poets and writers are hung on the walls. It’s an atmospheric place to come for a traditional dish paired with a glass of red.

You probably didn’t know that pizza is a big thing in Buenos Aires. The city has more pizzerias than any other city in the world. Pirilo is like a local institution in San Telmo. Whenever this hole-in-the-wall takeaway pizza joint is open, you can see queues of regulars outside waiting patiently for a slice. It’s delicious pizza and unbelievably cheap.

Things to do in San Telmo

San Telmo is quite a compact neighbourhood that’s easy to get around, and there is plenty to explore. These are some of our favourite things to do in San Telmo, even if you have only a few hours.

The Sunday open-air market

Every Sunday morning, the main artery of Calle Defensa is taken over by Feria de San Telmo, a sprawling open-air flea market that spills into the surrounding streets.

The market officially starts at 10am, but if you come a bit earlier you can catch some stalls setting up before it gets really busy. By mid-morning there are hundreds of people wandering up and down the cobbled roads, and a bit of a carnival atmosphere. Look out for street musicians and tango dancers on side streets.

A visit to Feria de San Telmo is one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires to capture the raw atmosphere of the city. Traders sell all manner of items: jewellery, art, traditional mate cups, clothes, crafts and more.

More shopping in San Telmo

If you don’t get the chance to visit San Telmo on open-air market day, there are still many quirky little stores to explore. Starting at the middle of the neighbourhood, the outer corridors of the San Telmo Market building are lined with various craft, clothes and music shops.

The neighbourhood’s literary past lives on in some great little book stores around its cobbled streets. Walrus Books is one of the best book stores in Buenos Aires, with a collection of titles in English or Spanish. They also run events like literary workshops.

While in Argentina you must try some dulce de leche, a caramel-like substance made with milk. Around San Telmo you will see various specialist shops dedicated to the stuff, selling alfajores, cakes and other sweet treats filled with it.

For a more boutique shopping experience, head to Galería Solar de French, a cosy shopping centre and walkway decorated with pretty flowers and colourful umbrellas overhead. This is a place to find specialist artwork, craft, and random paraphernalia like old war medals.

Finally, wine! One of the reasons we love Argentina so much. There are many great wine bars around here to relax with a glass, and you can also peruse some of the city’s best wine stores. We bought a couple of bottles from La Uvateca on Defensa, where the staff were very friendly and happy to give recommendations.

Sightseeing and tours

If it’s your first visit to San Telmo, or you are short of time, you could try the south of Buenos Aires bike tour. Beginning at 9:30am, this is a great half-day activity, beginning on Calle Chile and taking about four hours – perfect for having a bite to eat in the neighbourhood afterwards. The circuit explores San Telmo in depth as well as nearby neighbourhoods La Boca, Puerto Madero and Montserrat.

Another tour we recommend in San Telmo is an introduction to Buenos Aires wine culture. Beginning at 5pm, this is a fitting way to end a day of sightseeing. You will visit to a local winery to learn about its methods, and of course try some vintages and food pairings.

You may want to simply explore San Telmo on foot. There are some curious landmarks to look out for. See if you can find La Casa Minima, the narrowest house in Buenos Aires! You can also join the queue and have your photo taken with Mafalda, a statue of an iconic Argentine cartoon character sitting on a bench.

While you’re walking around, keep an eye out for colourful street art and graffiti. From murals of the legendary footballer Diego Maradona to poignant political messages, San Telmo’s walls are a labyrinth of creativity.

Museums

A handful of the most fascinating museums in Buenos Aires are located around the streets of San Telmo. For a glimpse into the neighbourhood’s affluent past and the way of life in older times, you can venture underground at El Zanjón de Granados.

This is an 1830s mansion that has a network of hidden tunnels and waterways underneath it. We took the one-hour guided tour to see this first-hand, including original cisterns and wells. It’s amazing to see how the foundations have been restored and maintained. You can book tours for El Zanjón de Granados or Casa Minima online.

Right on the south side of San Telmo, within the grounds of Parque Lezama, is the National Museum of History. One of the highlights here is the chance to see gigantic portraits depicting the 19th-century Argentine–Paraguay wars by Cándido López, who fought on the battlefields. There is also an extensive display exploring the city’s famous football heritage.

MACBA, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires, is also on the south side of San Telmo. The collection here features artists from across South America, often with provocative political themes.

Evening entertainment

San Telmo is home to some of the oldest tango houses in Buenos Aires. The neighbourhood was one of the main breeding grounds for Argentina’s most popular dance tradition. So, if you want to experience the full extent of Argentine culture, you should definitely see a tango show while you are here.

We went to the show and dinner at El Querandi, performed in an old mansion to the north side of San Telmo on the cusp of where it meets Montserrat. This is a great option if you only have time for one show, as it walks through the entire history of tango in 90 minutes, showcasing many different styles from over the years.

San Telmo has a fun nightlife scene. It is often where we begin our nights out in Buenos Aires, hitting a couple of bars before heading over to a club in Palermo. Bar Chin Chin is a lively, colourful bar with a wide selection of craft beers right near the market building. This is one of our favourite neighbourhood hangouts, and it serves good food too.

And if we’re feeling homesick at all, there’s always The Gibraltar, a British pub, although it is also very popular with locals. This is one of the few pubs in San Telmo where you can watch live sport. It also has a pool table, and there is a fun atmosphere late in the evening.

Map of San Telmo, Buenos Aires

You can click the map below to see the locations of the landmarks, hotels, hostels, restaurants, shops and other sites of interest in San Telmo, Buenos Aires:

Planning a shorter trip to Argentina’s capital? Check out our itinerary for 3 days in Buenos Aires.

Have you visited or stayed in San Telmo on a trip to Buenos Aires? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

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