Bariloche hands you the Argentine Lake District: a Swiss-inflected town on Nahuel Huapi, ringed by peaks that ski in winter and hike in summer. Drive the Circuito Chico for the view from Cerro Campanario, ride the gondola up Cerro Catedral, walk a refugio trail into the national park, and give the evenings to the chocolate shops on Mitre. Five days covers the town, the lake and a day out to Tronador.
Best of Bariloche
▶ Video guide
Bariloche sits at the eastern edge of the Patagonian Andes, on the south shore of Nahuel Huapi, and the whole city is arranged around that geography. The centro is small, the interesting distances run along Avenida Bustillo (numbered by the kilometre), and everything worth doing is a lake, a mountain or the road between the two.
The 10 best things to do in Bariloche
1
Ride the Circuito Chico
Nature· Avenida Bustillo, from km 0 to km 25, Bariloche
The classic Bariloche loop is a 25-kilometre road west of the city that threads Playa Bonita, Cerro Campanario, Bahía López and the Llao Llao peninsula before circling back through Colonia Suiza. Drive it, bike it, or take the local Mi Bus 20; every stop is signposted and free unless you climb something. Do it clockwise so the lake sits on your right the whole way.
A short chairlift (or a 40-minute walk) climbs to a 1,050-metre summit and one of the widest views in the Lake District: Nahuel Huapi and Moreno lakes below, the Llao Llao peninsula ahead and the Andes behind. National Geographic once ranked it among the ten best panoramas in the world; there is a small café at the top and no reason to rush the ride down.
Nature· Villa Catedral, 19 km south-west of Bariloche
Argentina's largest ski resort, running since 1938, becomes the city's summit lookout out of season. The Amancay gondola climbs from the base village year-round: in winter to more than 100 kilometres of pistes, in summer to the trailheads for Refugio Frey. Clear mornings hand you Tronador and the Chilean border in one turn.
The wooded peninsula at the western end of Bustillo carries three easy loops of the Nahuel Huapi National Park: the Sendero de los Arrayanes on the lakeshore, the climb to the Ermita chapel and the short Cerrito Llao Llao summit. All start from the same trailhead opposite the 1938 Hotel Llao Llao, and each takes an hour or two.
The classic Bariloche day hike climbs from the Cerro Catedral base village to a stone Club Andino hut on a granite-walled lake, six hours round trip and 800 metres of gain. The spires above it are Argentina's best rock climbing. Register at the Club Andino office in town on your way out.
Landmark· Plaza Doctor Juan Domingo Perón, Centro, Bariloche
The civic heart is a cluster of grey-green stone-and-timber buildings around a small plaza above the lake, laid out by Ernesto de Estrada and inaugurated in 1940, in the alpine style that then spread through the town. It was declared a National Historic Site in 1987, and one wing holds the Museo de la Patagonia.
Nature· Puerto Pañuelo, Avenida Bustillo km 25, Bariloche
Catamarans leave the Puerto Pañuelo pier below the Llao Llao hotel for a full-day loop out to Isla Victoria and the Bosque de Arrayanes, a low forest of cinnamon-barked myrtle trees on the tip of the Quetrihué peninsula. It is one of the small corners of the national park you can only reach by boat, and the crossing itself is most of the point.
Nature· Ventisquero Negro, Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi
The extinct volcano on the Chilean border, just under 3,500 metres, is the highest peak in the park and the source of eight glaciers, the nearest of which is the black-streaked Ventisquero Negro. The route runs 90 kilometres south past Lago Mascardi on a road that carries traffic in one direction at a time, on a strict daily schedule.
Food· Calle Mitre, between Rolando and Beschtedt, Centro
Two blocks of Mitre carry the city’s founding chocolate shops, an industry seeded by Aldo Fenoglio's shop in 1948. Del Turista is among the oldest, Rapa Nui and Mamuschka the two biggest names, and every counter runs on tasting samples. Come mid-afternoon, taste your way along the strip and buy from whichever bar you actually go back for.
Food· Colonia Suiza, Circuito Chico km 25, Bariloche
The Swiss-Chilean farming hamlet on the far side of the Llao Llao peninsula holds an artisan market and an open-air curanto every Wednesday and Sunday: meat, potatoes and vegetables cooked in the ground on hot stones under nalca leaves, uncovered around noon. Come hungry, come early for a seat, and pair it with a Berlina beer at the brewery next door.
For the outdoor season, December to March: dry, warm days (18–24°C), lakes for swimming, and every trailhead open. For ski, July and August. September and October are the shoulder that a lot of locals prefer: fewer people, snow still on the peaks, and the first spring colour.
How many days do I need?+
Five is the working minimum: one for the Circuito Chico, one for Cerro Catedral, one for a longer hike or the Isla Victoria loop, one full day out to Cerro Tronador, and one for the town, the chocolate on Mitre and dinner in Colonia Suiza. Add two or three if you drive the Ruta de los 7 Lagos to San Martín.
Do I need to hire a car?+
For the Bustillo road and the centre, no: Mi Bus lines 20, 50 and 10 cover the peninsula, Cerro Otto and Colonia Suiza cheaply, and line 55 runs to Cerro Catedral in season. For Tronador and the Ruta 7 Lagos a car is close to essential, so most travellers hire one for two or three days rather than the whole trip.
Should I come in summer or winter?+
Summer if you want the peninsula, the hikes and the lake swimming that make Bariloche a Lake District rather than a ski town. Winter (mid-June through August) for Cerro Catedral and the powder that draws South American racers and freeriders. The town works either way; the trip is entirely different.
Is Bariloche safe for tourists?+
Yes, by South American standards: the centre and Bustillo are relaxed, and the usual big-city precautions are enough. The greater risks are outdoor: mountain weather changes fast, and every serious hike should be logged with Club Andino Bariloche before you leave.
Water & sky
Best lakes & viewpoints in Bariloche
Six free (or near-free) ways to see the Andes over the water.
The smaller inland lake between the Circuito Chico and Colonia Suiza, split by the Ruca Malén bridge and lined with cottages. Calmer for kayaks than the main lake.
The 1,405-metre summit above the western edge of town, reached by a rotating-restaurant cable car or a paved road. Time the ride late for the sunset over the city.
The city's classic day hike, from the base of Cerro Catedral to an alpine lake ringed by the spires that made Frey a climbing destination. Six hours round trip.
The high hut on Tronador's northern shoulder, from the Pampa Linda trailhead. Eight hours round trip through beech forest, or overnight for the glacier sunrise.
The tough one: a full day up the Casa de Piedra valley to a hut on a lake, ten hours round trip and 1,000 metres of gain. Sleep there and traverse to Frey.
The southern hemisphere's biggest resort by lift capacity: around 120 kilometres of pistes, a 1,000-metre vertical, and off-piste that draws Europeans in July.
A municipal snow park on Cerro Otto's lower slopes, ten minutes from the centre, with sledge runs and a beginner lift. The best introduction for children.
In winter the cable-car mountain adds sledding runs and a snowshoe circuit. Not a ski destination, but the easiest way to stand in fresh snow near town.
Mariana Müller and Ernesto Wolf's hillside kitchen above Lago Gutiérrez, one of the country's reference tables. Patagonian ingredients, book weeks ahead.
A Bariloche institution running two rooms, a parrilla on Villegas and a pasta house on Elflein, for more than three decades. Portions built for sharing.
A twelve-cover tasting counter above Playa Bonita, run by chef Rodrigo Mederos since 2005, with a Patagonian menu that changes weekly. The drive is part of it.
The Weiss family have served trucha, ciervo and jabalí on the corner of Palacios and Mitre since the 1970s: the reliable introduction to Patagonian cooking.
The pink-and-white shop on Mitre and Rolando, founded in 1988 and the highest-selling chocolate name in town. Professional tastings, dozens of filled bars.
The other big Mitre name, a 1996 brand carrying the Fenoglio family tradition from 1948, with a vast café at Mitre 202. Leave with the rama and the alfajores.
Argentina's first craft brewery, opened in 1989 by former INVAP engineers at kilometre 11.6, and still the reference brewpub. Ales, lambics and a wooden terrace.
Started in Colonia Suiza in 2005 and now the household craft-beer name in Patagonia, with a brewpub facing the curanto square. Pair the stout with lamb.
The big lakeside brewery at kilometre 24.7, part of AB InBev but brewing on site, with a huge deck over the water. The commercial one, and it earns its view.
The compact grid around the Centro Cívico, with the chocolate strip on Mitre and a lakeshore promenade below. Best for a first stay: everything walkable.
The Swiss-Chilean farming hamlet on the north side of the peninsula, with a handful of cabins, a curanto square and the Berlina brewery. Rural and calm.
The 110-kilometre stretch of Ruta 40 from Villa La Angostura to San Martín de los Andes, threading seven lakes. A full day if you stop, two if you sleep there.
The full-day southern loop past Lago Mascardi to the foot of the black glacier, on a one-way gravel road. Read the day's road bulletin before you leave.
Argentina's national gardens festival, each February in Villa La Angostura, 80 kilometres up the Seven Lakes road.
Semana Santa
Fiesta Nacional del Chocolate
Chocolate week runs through Semana Santa, with a giant open-air bar cast down Calle Mitre for tasting on Easter Sunday.
3 May
Aniversario de Bariloche
The founding date is marked with a public act in the Centro Cívico, a parade and a free concert.
Jun
Ski season opening at Catedral
Cerro Catedral opens the winter in mid-June with fireworks and a torch-light descent from the top of the Amancay gondola.
Aug
Fiesta Nacional de la Nieve
The National Snow Festival runs a week in mid-August, with races on Cerro Catedral, a torch-light parade and a Queen of the Snow.
Oct
Bariloche a la Carta
The ten-day food festival takes the city each October, with fixed-price menus at more than forty restaurants.
Nov
Media Maratón Ciudad de Bariloche
The half-marathon runs a lakeshore route along Avenida Bustillo on a Saturday in early November, with shorter races alongside.
20 Nov
Nuestra Señora del Nahuel Huapi
The feast of the city's patron saint, marked with a mass in the Catedral de San Carlos de Borromeo and a procession.
Getting around
Bariloche transport & airports
How to arrive and move around the Lake District.
BRC
Airport
Teniente Luis Candelaria (BRC) sits 15 kilometres east of the centre and handles the shuttle from Buenos Aires, about 2 hours 20 with Aerolíneas, JetSmart and Flybondi.
The Terminal de Ómnibus is three kilometres east of the centre. Overnight coaches run to Buenos Aires (22 hours) and Mendoza (18), with shorter routes to El Bolsón, San Martín and Osorno in Chile.
Mi Bus runs the network and a SUBE card pays for it. Line 20 covers Bustillo out to Llao Llao, line 10 loops through Colonia Suiza and line 55 runs to Villa Catedral.
For the Circuito Chico, Tronador and the Seven Lakes road, a car saves a day. In town, licensed remises from a numbered stand are cheap and metered; Uber and Cabify are unreliable here.
Traditional food
Must-try dishes in Bariloche
The classics to order before you leave.
Cordero patagónico
Whole lamb roasted cruciform on an iron cross over embers, the Patagonian asado done right.
Trucha
Trout from Nahuel Huapi and the lakes around it, grilled or baked with butter and herbs.
Ciervo
Farmed red deer from Río Negro and Neuquén, served as ossobuco, ragù or steak with berries.
Jabalí
Wild boar from the surrounding forests, slow-cooked with juniper and served with sweet-potato purée.
Fondue de queso
The Swiss inheritance from Colonia Suiza: a communal pot of melted Gruyère-style cheese with bread cubes.
Curanto
The Colonia Suiza specialty: meat, potatoes and vegetables cooked in the ground on stones under nalca leaves.
Chocolate artesanal
The house style is a filled bonbon or the tangled rama branch, the town's founding product since the 1930s.
Cerveza artesanal patagónica
The Patagonian ale is malty, honey-scented and hop-restrained, a style Blest set and the region copied.
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