Bariloche: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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San Carlos de Bariloche lies on the shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi in the Patagonian Andes, settled by Swiss, German, Austrian and Chilean immigrants and built in an Alpine style of stone and timber. It is the classic destination of Israeli travellers after the army, with a Chabad house, Hebrew signs and Israeli-run hostels; it also has a darker past as a hiding place for Nazis after the war. Half a day on foot.

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A short history of Bariloche

Indigenous tribes lived on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, and only at the end of the 19th century, after Argentina took over Patagonia, did settlers arrive, many of them from Germany and Switzerland and by way of Chile. The settlement was officially declared in 1902. In 1934 Nahuel Huapi National Park, the first in Argentina, was created around it, and in the following years the town centre was built in an Alpine style of stone and wood. After the Second World War several Nazi criminals found refuge here, and in 1994 it was revealed that Erich Priebke had been living openly in the town for decades. Today Bariloche is the largest ski centre in Argentina.

The ten best sights in Bariloche

1
Centro Cívico
The stone-and-timber civic square
2
Museo de la Patagonia
The peoples and nature of Patagonia
3
Playa Bonita
A lake beach west of town
4
Cerro Otto
Cable car and a revolving café
5
Cerro Campanario
A chairlift to the classic view
6
Colonia Suiza
Swiss settlers’ village and curanto
7
Punto Panorámico
The viewpoint of the Circuito Chico
8
Llao Llao Hotel
A grand hotel between two lakes
9
Cerro López
A steep hike to a mountain hut
10
Cerro Catedral
The great ski resort

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Bariloche →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Bariloche:

Free walking tours in Bariloche

The Alpine town

Centro Cívico · A square of stone and dark timber buildings in an Alpine style, designed by the architect Ernesto de Estrada and built around 1940, facing the lake; its Saint Bernard dogs with brandy barrels pose for tourists.
Museo de la Patagonia · Named after Francisco Moreno, the explorer who in 1903 donated land around the lake to the state — the seed of Nahuel Huapi, Argentina’s first national park; the museum tells of the Mapuche and Tehuelche peoples and of the military campaign that took their land.
Calle Mitre chocolate shops · The main street of chocolate shops, started by European immigrants, selling chocolate in rama — thin flaky branches — and alfajores. In 1994 an American TV crew found the Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke living openly in Bariloche, where he had headed the German school; he was extradited to Italy.
Cerro Otto · A hill just west of town reached by cable car, with a revolving café at the top and a gallery of replicas of Michelangelo’s sculptures, looking over the lake and the town.
Playa Bonita · A small beach on the lake road with Isla Huemul offshore, where in the 1950s the government of Perón funded an Austrian scientist who claimed to have achieved nuclear fusion — a famous hoax.
Bus terminal · Every winter thousands of Argentine school-leavers arrive here on their graduation trip, the viaje de egresados, filling the town’s clubs; in summer it is the hikers’ turn.

The Circuito Chico

The little circuit is a loop of about sixty kilometres along the lake west of town, best done partly by rented bicycle from kilometre eighteen. A day.

Cerro Campanario · A chairlift climbs to a summit with a view over the lakes, islands and peaks that is often listed among the most beautiful in the world.
Colonia Suiza · A village founded by Swiss settlers in the 1890s, where on market days families cook curanto — meat, potatoes and vegetables steamed in a pit of hot stones covered with leaves — a dish brought from Chile.
Llao Llao Hotel · A grand wooden hotel of 1938 on a hill between two lakes, burned within a year and rebuilt in stone, which has hosted presidents and film stars; walkers may visit the grounds.
Puerto Pañuelo · The port below the hotel, from which boats cross the lake to Isla Victoria and set out on the Cruce Andino, a crossing to Chile by boat and bus over three lakes.
Punto Panorámico · The most photographed viewpoint of the circuit, over a lake, a peninsula and the Llao Llao hotel against the Andes.
Cerro López · A steep trail from the lakeshore climbs to a mountain hut with a view across the whole lake district, a classic hike of the area.

Lakes, forests and the Tronador

Around the lake lie islands of forest, a ski mountain, mountain huts and, to the south, the glaciers of the Tronador and a hippie town. Separate day trips by boat, bus or car.

Isla Victoria · An island in the middle of the lake, planted early in the twentieth century with trees from around the world, with trails, beaches and Mapuche rock paintings.
Bosque de Arrayanes · A forest of arrayanes, myrtle trees with cool cinnamon-coloured bark, some about three hundred years old. A popular story says it inspired the forest of Disney’s Bambi; it is a myth.
Cerro Catedral · One of the largest ski resorts in South America, named for its granite spires that look like a Gothic cathedral; in summer its lifts carry hikers toward the mountain huts.
Refugio Frey · A stone mountain hut beside a lake under spires of granite, a day’s hike from Catedral, where climbers and hikers sleep; the trails beyond link a chain of huts.
Cerro Tronador · An extinct volcano of about three thousand five hundred metres on the border with Chile, named the thunderer for the roar of ice falling from its glaciers; below it lies the Black Glacier, darkened by rock and dust.
El Bolsón · A valley town south of Bariloche that drew hippies from the 1970s and in 1984 declared itself a nuclear-free municipality; its craft fair, berries and craft beer from local hops draw visitors.

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Getting to Bariloche and getting around

Bariloche Airport · About twenty minutes east of town
Bus terminal · Buses to Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Chile
Puerto Pañuelo · Boats to Isla Victoria and Chile

Cheap eats in Bariloche

Bariloche eats chocolate, trout from the lakes, Patagonian lamb roasted on an iron cross over a fire, cordero al asador; fruits of the forest — raspberries, calafate berries — in jams and ice cream; and craft beer. Most of all it eats chocolate, sold by weight. Lamb at a parrilla costs about fifteen to twenty dollars.

Calle Mitre chocolate shops · Chocolate by weight
Colonia Suiza · Curanto on market days
El Bolsón · Berries and craft beer

Museums in Bariloche

Bariloche’s history: the peoples of Patagonia, the immigrants and the national park.

Museo de la Patagonia · Patagonia’s peoples
Centro Cívico · The Alpine square

Nature and day trips near Bariloche

Lakes, Andean forest, granite spires and glaciers.

Cerro Campanario · The famous view
Bosque de Arrayanes · The myrtle forest
Cerro Tronador · The glaciers

Things to do in Bariloche with kids

With children: chairlifts, a chocolate factory tour, boats and snow.

Cerro Otto · Cable car and snow park
Calle Mitre chocolate shops · Chocolate
Puerto Pañuelo · The boat to the island

Nightlife in Bariloche

Bariloche’s nights are brewpubs, clubs full of school-leavers in winter and Israeli travellers’ hostels in summer.

Centro Cívico · Bars and brewpubs
Bus terminal · The graduation-trip clubs

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Frequently asked questions about Bariloche

What is there to see in Bariloche?

The top sights in Bariloche are Centro Cívico, Museo de la Patagonia and Playa Bonita. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Bariloche?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Bariloche without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Bariloche?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Bariloche, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Alpine town.

How do you get to Bariloche and get around?

The main ways are Bariloche Airport, Bus terminal and Puerto Pañuelo. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Bariloche, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Bariloche that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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