San Telmo
The soaring French style houses of San Telmo were built for the wealthiest families of Buenos Aires. In 1871, the Yellow Fever epidemic forced them to move to areas to the north. This mass exodus left behind the wonderful colonial architecture that is still characteristic of the original Porteno lifestyle. The area of San Telmo is now a bohemian artist’s quarter with lots of handmade crafts around. It is also the area with the best antique shops and some of the city’s most notable bars and tango rooms. The area is just beginning to undergo gentrification while keeping the unique spirit it possesses. San Telmo is also home to some of the hottest new art galleries in Buenos Aires
The virtue of San Telmo lies in getting to know Buenos Aires as it existed 140 years ago. Cobblestone paths and narrow streets lead to quaint restaurants with al fresco seating. Tourists seeking the authentic Buenos Aires experience will not be disappointed with San Telmo.
San Telmo Market
Although this is definitely a good place to shop, the building is also worth seeing on its own. The San Telmo market opened in 1897, and it is a classical masterpiece not just for its soaring wrought-iron interior, but for the atmosphere you find here. Half of the market is made up of things that locals need — butchers, fresh-fruit-and-vegetable grocers, and little kiosks selling memorabilia and household items.
San Telmo Sunday Street Fair
The regular Sunday flea market (la feria de San Telmo) is a must for anyone in Buenos Aires. The flea market includes not just antiques but also tango shows, arts and crafts and everything in between. The flea market itself normally happens in the stretch of Defensa between Ave Independecia and Ave San Juan with the highest concentration of vendors, buyers and onlookers around Plaza Dorrego (Defensa/Humberto).
Pasaje Defensa
On weekdays, a leisurely half-hour walk through the quiet cobbled streets around Plaza Dorrego affords a glimpse of what the city looked like in centuries past. The colonial building at Number 1179 Calle Defensa, a block south of Plaza Dorrego, is known as a casa chorizo (sausage house) because of its long, narrow structure. The internal Roman-style courtyards are referred to as Pasaje de la Defensa (Defence Alley). Once the home of the well-to-do Ezeiza family, it became a conventillo (tenement house) and is now a picturesque spot for antiques and curio shopping. The stores here are open daily 10 to 6.
El Viejo Almacén
The Viejo Almacén is the most traditional tango place of Buenos Aires, located in the heart of the most bohemian district of Buenos Aires, San Telmo. El Viejo Almacen (The old Storehouse), formerly the first location of the British Hospital of Buenos Aires. This colonial building opened as the traditional Tango House in Buenos Aires in 1969.
Lezama Park
Though run-down in parts, this handsomely designed park, the former grounds of a mansion built by Charles Ridgely Horne in the mid-19th century, is widely believed to be the site of the founding of Buenos Aires. On the park’s south side is the mansion, which now houses the National History Museum; on the northern side are the imposing Russian Orthodox Church and the murky Bar Britanico cafe, where scenes for Argentine TV series are often filmed. Drummers and other musicians sometimes perform, and artisans hawk their wares. Paseo Colon and Avenida Martin Garcia, San Telmo, Buenos Aires.
Russian Church
Next to the Parque Lezama (between La Boca and San Telmo) the Russian Orthodox church can be found: Catedral de la Santisima Trinidad. The building has five onion-domed ‘towers’, which do have an almost too turquoise color. The church is (off course) based on a Muscovite style and has been inaugurated in 1901.