Buenos Aires' oldest surviving neighbourhood and the city's bohemian heart. San Telmo was the original colonial quarter, and its early-19th-century architecture — low buildings, covered arcades, cobblestoned streets — has been preserved by accident rather than design: the yellow fever epidemic of 1871 drove the wealthy classes north to Recoleta, leaving San Telmo to artists, immigrants, and eventually antiques dealers.
The Sunday antiques market in Plaza Dorrego is the neighbourhood's centrepiece — stalls spread through the square and the surrounding streets from mid-morning, with tango dancers performing between the tables. The rest of the week, San Telmo is quieter but still atmospheric: a good neighbourhood for wandering, with vintage bookshops, milongas (tango clubs), and the city's best concentration of antiques stores along Defensa street.