Malls and supermarkets are usually open from 10:00 to 22:00 hrs, 7 days a week. Non-chain, small stores usually close around 20:00 and are also closed  on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays, except on major streets and in tourist areas. The main areas have an abundance of kiosks and convenience stores that stay open 24 hours. On the Recoleta area several bookstores and record stores close as late as 2:30am daily.

Recoleta is the city's most expensive neighbourhood and features upscale shopping. In the Recoleta Plaza Francia there is a handicraft market every weekend. You can also see the street artists and the shows they perform. Patio Bullrich is right across from the luxurious Caesar Park Hotel. Many stores are very nicely decorated, and the prices are out of reach for tourists.

Buenos Aires Design (Avenida Pueyrredon 2501) is a centrally located upscale shopping mall entirely devoted to interior design.

The weekend Flea Market in San Telmo offers leisurely people-watching. One of the best antique fairs in the world  is at the Plaza Dorrego every Saturday and Sunday. Many of the old homes in the neighborhood have been converted to great antique shops that offer many very interesting and unique articles.

The Avenue Florida is lined with clothing, sporting goods, banks, electronics, gifts, cafes, and leather goods stores. The pedestrians-only street also houses some of the best bookstores in the city.

The Galerias Pacifico shopping center is a multi-level shopping center at the corner of Florida and Cordoba.

Avenue Santa Fe is the site of hundreds of shops which mainly sell gifts and clothes, but also features a number of cafes for a break from shopping.

The Paseo Alcorta shopping center has chic clothing stores for both sexes along with great cafes and a movie theater.

Alto Palermo Shopping Mall (Arenales 3360) is the biggest shopping centre in the city. It has a mirror-like exterior that reflects the buildings in Santa Fe Avenue and Coronel Diaz Street. Hundreds of shops, cafes, and a movie theater are housed there.

Useful Address

• Frommers.com: Buenos Aires Shops