Buenos Aires

San Telmo: what to see and walking tours

San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood still standing in Buenos Aires: colonial houses, tenements, Plaza Dorrego and the Sunday antiques fair. These tours pass through it from different angles — the founding of the city, old-style bodegones, Borges, the tunnels — and each one shows which stops fall in the neighborhood.

This list has 5 tours, from 2 h to 3 h 20 long (the shortest is “Bodegones: comer como en casa”). 5 on foot, 2 by bike, 1 by car.

The tours are written and narrated in Spanish; the app is in English and can translate a tour when you open it. Tour names below are shown in their original language.

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The tours

  1. 1

    Bodegones: comer como en casa

    San Telmo y La Boca: la comida de los que llegaron con una valija

    • Stops in San Telmo: Plaza Dorrego, Bar El Federal, El Hipopótamo and Parque Lezama.
    • 2 h · 3.6 km on foot.

    Buenos Aires · 6 stops · Starts at Plaza Dorrego

  2. 2

    Buenos Aires oculta

    Túneles del siglo XVIII, una casa enterrada y un edificio que es un poema: expediente sobre lo que hay debajo

    • Stops in San Telmo: El Zanjón de Granados and Casa Mínima.
    • 2 h · 3.1 km on foot.

    Buenos Aires · 4 stops · Starts at Manzana de las Luces

  3. 3

    Buenos Aires desde su fundación

    Plata, contrabando, vacas e inmigrantes: cómo se hizo la ciudad

    • Stops in San Telmo: Esquina del Parque Lezama, Plaza Dorrego and El Zanjón de Granados.
    • 2 h 45 · 4.6 km on foot.

    Buenos Aires · 11 stops · Starts at Al pie de la barranca

  4. 4

    Buenos Aires de Borges

    El escritor que soñó la ciudad y la ciudad que lo soñó a él

    • Stops in San Telmo: Biblioteca Nacional (México 564) and San Telmo y el Sur mítico (Plaza Dorrego).
    • 3 h 20 · 9.7 km on foot.

    Buenos Aires · 8 stops · Starts at El Palermo de la infancia (calle Jorge Luis Borges)

  5. 5

    Buenos Aires en bici: de Palermo a San Telmo

    Veinte kilómetros: a la ida la ciudad monumental, a la vuelta el río

    • Stops in San Telmo: Plaza Dorrego and Mercado de San Telmo.
    • 3 h 10 · 20.1 km by bike.

    Buenos Aires · 11 stops · Starts at Plaza Italia

Before you go

  • Each tour shows which stops fall in the neighborhood: you can do just that part.
  • To see the whole neighborhood, combine two: one on history and one on food.
  • Check each tour’s starting point on its map.

How Guía works

  1. 1Pick a tour and open it on your phone. Nothing to install: it runs in the browser.
  2. 2Go to the starting point and press play. The live map takes you from stop to stop.
  3. 3At each place, a voice tells you its story, with archive photos and videos.

During the beta, every tour is free.

Browse all tours

FAQ

Which one if I’m short on time?
“Bodegones: comer como en casa”: it takes 2 h and covers 3.6 km on foot, including time to listen at each stop.
How much do they cost?
Nothing: all 5 tours on this list are free. The only costs are optional, like a museum ticket or a coffee.
Do I need to book or go with a guide?
No. Guía is an audio guide: open it on your phone whenever you like, go at your own pace, and the narration starts by itself at each stop using GPS. Bring headphones.
Where does each tour start?
“Bodegones: comer como en casa” starts at Plaza Dorrego; “Buenos Aires oculta” starts at Manzana de las Luces; “Buenos Aires desde su fundación” starts at Al pie de la barranca; “Buenos Aires de Borges” starts at El Palermo de la infancia (calle Jorge Luis Borges).

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How we build this list: every tour gets in on its data (mode, duration, distance and its stops), never on advertising.