Patagonia at one end, subtropical falls at the other, and a capital that eats at eleven and dances until six. Cheap for visitors, expensive for Argentines, and unlike anywhere else on the continent.
Argentina runs 3,700km from the subtropics to the edge of Antarctica, and the two ends have nothing in common. The Iguaçu falls in the north sit in jungle; El Chaltén in the south sits under granite towers with glaciers behind them. Buenos Aires is in the middle and is the most European city in South America.
Patagonia is what most people come for and it is an undertaking: El Chaltén for trekking, El Calafate for the Perito Moreno glacier, Bariloche for lakes and mountains, and Ushuaia at the bottom of the world. Distances there are enormous and buses take a day at a time.
Mendoza on the Chilean border does wine at the foot of the Andes, and Salta in the northwest has desert, colour and a culture closer to Bolivia than Buenos Aires.
Three weeks covers Buenos Aires, Patagonia and one more region. A month does it justice.
Domestic flights are the only sensible way to cross the country. Buses are excellent but very long.
The most European city on the continent: steak, tango, bookshops and a nightlife that starts at two.
Wonderful city, i spent 2.5 weeks here and always had things to do.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The trekking capital of Argentine Patagonia, under Fitz Roy, with free trails from the village.
Fantastic place, great cafes and vibes overall. Of course the hiking is top notch. Visit Glacier Hamuel!
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The base for the Perito Moreno glacier, which calves into a lake while you watch.
Really nice and beautiful city. People tell you to stay there 2 days max - I was there a week and I didn’t want to leave.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Wine country at the foot of the Andes, with Aconcagua nearby and cycling between vineyards.
Beautiful city. Food, nature, wine, bars, cafés, plazas are high points. Buses are pretty good.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Lakes, mountains and chocolate in the northern Patagonian Andes. Ski in winter.
Bariloche is Argentina’s ultimate escape for travelers seeking nature over city noise. Nestled between the Andes and the massive Nahuel Huapi Lake, it’s the perfect base for adventure. Getting around is easy, giving you quick access to stunning spots. Don’t miss Circuito Chico: stop by the famous Patagonia Brewery for world-class views, or explore the charming Colonia Suiza. As the gateway to the legendary 7 Lakes Route, Bariloche is where your Patagonian journey truly begins!
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The northwest: desert, colours, Andean culture and the road to the Salinas Grandes salt flats.
Argentina is trekking, steak and wine, and the distances mean picking two regions rather than five.
Patagonia, which is the reason most people come.
Beef, malbec and the best ice cream outside Italy.
Buenos Aires over five days, and it is not enough.
Nothing starts before two, and it runs until breakfast.
Tango, literature, Peronism and Italian immigration.
Cheap for visitors, though inflation makes it a moving target.
El Chaltén is the best trekking base in South America and it is free: trails to Laguna de los Tres beneath Fitz Roy and Laguna Torre start from the village itself, need no guide or permit, and are day walks rather than expeditions.
Perito Moreno near El Calafate is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world and calves into the lake with a noise you feel. Walkways face it directly, and ice trekking on the surface is bookable.
In Buenos Aires, tango is the thing people get wrong — the dinner shows are for tourists, and a milonga, where locals actually dance, costs a few euros and is far better. San Telmo's Sunday market, Recoleta cemetery and Palermo's bars fill the rest.
Iguaçu falls in the north are shared with Brazil and worth seeing from both sides.
Beef is the national obsession and the parrilla is the format: a grill restaurant where you order a cut, it arrives cooked over wood, and the portion defeats most people. A steak with a glass of malbec runs €6 to €15 depending on the city.
Empanadas differ by province and cost under a euro each. Milanesa, breaded and fried, is the everyday cheap meal, and Argentine pizza — thick, enormously cheesy, from Italian immigration — is its own tradition.
Dulce de leche is in everything, the ice cream is genuinely world class thanks to the same Italian heritage, and mate, the shared herbal drink passed around a group, is a social ritual rather than a beverage. Being offered it is a compliment; wiping the straw is an insult.
Buenos Aires runs on a schedule that surprises everyone. Dinner is at ten, bars fill at one, clubs open at two and nobody arrives before three, and it ends around breakfast. Turning up to a boliche at midnight means an empty room.
Palermo is the main bar district, split into Soho and Hollywood, with San Telmo more bohemian and Costanera holding the big clubs.
Wine is very cheap and very good — a decent malbec is €3 to €6 in a shop and €8 to €15 in a restaurant. Fernet with Coke is the national mixed drink and an acquired taste. For tango, find a milonga rather than a show.
Distances are the defining problem. Buenos Aires to El Calafate is 2,700km — three and a half hours by air or over thirty by bus. Aerolíneas Argentinas, Flybondi and JetSmart fly the routes, and booking ahead keeps fares at €50 to €120.
Buses are genuinely excellent for the medium legs: cama and semi-cama seats recline almost flat, and Buenos Aires to Mendoza or Bariloche overnight is comfortable.
In Patagonia, distances between towns are long and services infrequent — El Calafate to El Chaltén is three hours and runs a few times a day. Book ahead in January and February. In Buenos Aires, the Subte and buses need a SUBE card, and Uber and Cabify both operate.
Argentina has had severe inflation for years, which makes any price figure unreliable within months. What has stayed true is that it is cheap for visitors holding euros and painful for Argentines earning pesos.
Broadly: dorms from around €10, a parrilla steak dinner €6 to €15, a good bottle of malbec €3 to €6 in a shop. A day comes to €30 to €50.
Patagonia is the exception and costs considerably more than the rest of the country — El Chaltén and El Calafate are remote, seasonal and priced accordingly, with dorms at €20 to €35 in peak season. Historically there was a parallel exchange rate that rewarded bringing cash dollars, though the position has shifted repeatedly, so check current advice rather than relying on older guidance.
Argentina is one of the safer countries on the continent for travellers, and Buenos Aires is comfortable in the central and northern neighbourhoods, including late at night when the city is still busy.
Petty theft is the main issue: bag snatching in San Telmo and La Boca, distraction thefts on the Subte, and phone grabs in the street. La Boca in particular is fine on the tourist street in daylight and not somewhere to wander beyond it.
In Patagonia, the risks are weather and remoteness. Wind in El Chaltén regularly reaches speeds that knock people over, weather changes within an hour, and trails cross exposed ground with no shelter. Check forecasts, register longer walks at the park office, and carry more layers than the day suggests.
Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter visa-free for 90 days, extendable once at a migration office.
Passports need to be valid for the stay, and proof of onward travel may be requested.
The practical thing to research is money rather than paperwork. Argentina has operated multiple exchange rates in recent years, with a significant gap between official and parallel, and the rules for card payments and cash have changed repeatedly. Check the current situation shortly before travelling, because it materially affects what your trip costs.
Southern hemisphere seasons, and Patagonia decides the calendar: it is only comfortably accessible from October to April.
Average highs for Buenos Aires. Patagonia is an entirely different climate — El Chaltén is cold and extremely windy even in January, and most services there close from May to September.
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person. Patagonia runs well above these figures.
Inflation has been severe, so treat these as indicative. Patagonia costs considerably more, and domestic flights run €50–120 a leg.
The wine harvest and the tango championship are the two worth timing a trip around.
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