Bariloche in 4 days, the best travel itinerary

There are many activities to do in Bariloche in 4 days. To make sure you don’t miss anything, we designed this day-by-day itinerary with the places to see in and around the city.

Bariloche is one of those dream places in the Argentine Patagonia, thanks to the nature that surrounds it. Located on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, a crystal clear water mirror of great extension, and with the high snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains as a backdrop, it is worth a visit at least once in a lifetime.

There are many activities to do in Bariloche in 4 days, including hiking in the Patagonian forests, climbing hills to see the panoramic view of the lake, boat rides and even scenic drives.

In this article we tell you a perfect itinerary for Bariloche in 4 days so you can see the main sites and make the most of this city.

Map of things to do in Bariloche in 4 days

Summary – Bariloche Itinerary in 4 days:

• Day 1: Civic Center in the morning and Victoria Island and Arrayanes Forest in the afternoon.
• Day 2: Cerro Catedral, Circuito Chico and Colonia Suiza
• Day 3: Route of the 7 Lakes to San Martín de los Andes
• Day 4: boat excursion to Puerto Blest and Los Cántaros waterfall

Day 1: the center and the Nahuel Huapi tour

What better way to start than walking through downtown Bariloche on the first day in the city. The starting point can be the Civic Center, a large stone-floored square surrounded by mythical buildings of the city such as the City Hall. The stone and wood architecture will surely leave you fascinated.

Crossing two large stone arches from the plaza you reach Mitre Street, the main street in downtown Bariloche. Shops everywhere, souvenir shops and above all artisan chocolate shops to taste one of the star products of the city.

💯There are many artisan chocolate shops in the city, we recommend you to visit Rapa Nui. It is a perfect plan to do in Bariloche with children, it even has a skating rink inside. The loca is divided in two, on one side the store to buy chocolate and chocolates to take away and on the other the gastronomic place where you can have a good hot chocolate, cake, breakfast or snack.

There are two ways to tour the city center with a guide: taking a free tour of Bariloche or hiring the excursion with transfer to visit the panoramic balconies of the city.

After a good meal, it is time for the first excursion in Bariloche in 4 days. Sailing the Nahuel Huapi is one of the activities to do, contemplating the surrounding mountains.

There are two stops to make on the excursion: one is Victoria Island, the largest island in the lake, with hiking trails to go deep into the Patagonian forest and observe the flora and fauna.

The other stop is the Arrayanes forest, the tall trees whose cinnamon-colored trunks stand out among the coihues and cypresses. They are located near Villa La Angostura and within a protected park, so the circuit is made by wooden walkways.

✏️If you touch the trunk of any myrtle you will notice its cold temperature, something very characteristic of this species.

📷 Book here the boat ride on the Nahuel Huapi lake to visit Victoria Island and the Arrayanes forest.

Day 2: walk through Circuito Chico and Cerro Catedral

The second day of the itinerary of what to see in Bariloche in 4 days is for a panoramic route called Small CircuitA 60-kilometer circuit that goes along the Nahuel Huapi Lake and passes by emblematic hotels, hills where you can go on chairlifts, lakes with viewpoints and the charming town of Colonia Suiza.

There are two hills where you can stop and go up by chairlift: the Campanario or the Catedral, the latter by taking a detour from the Circuito Chico. In both cases, the views are fantastic towards the Nahuel Huapi lake with the snow-capped mountains in the background.

Cerro Catedral is a small town in itself with restaurants and hotels. In winter it attracts thousands of national and foreign tourists thanks to its ski slopes.

📷 Book here the excursion to Cerro Catedral, the most important ski center in Patagonia Argentina and also a viewpoint to the lake and the mountains.

The Chico circuit continues after the stops until it reaches an emblematic point, the five star hotel. Llao Llao. Its large windows with views of both the mountains and the golf course stand out. It is one of the postcards of Bariloche.

💯If you don’t have the budget to stay at the hotel, there is a possibility to have a drink in the restaurant area and contemplate part of the hotel inside, it is really worth seeing the luxury and views from the bottom.

There are more surprises, so it is worth continuing the circuit. The road enters a wooded area, where there are several hiking trails to follow. One of the most recommended is the small trekking of low physical difficulty towards the Escondido Lake until you reach Los Troncos Bay. The panoramic view you find here is fascinating!

The next stop is for craft beer lovers and is a good place to stop for a snack. The Patagonia Brewery offers the varieties of its brand, in addition to the panoramic views of Lake Moreno and Nahuel Huapi.

The circuit begins its return to Bariloche, but first we must stop in the charming village of Colonia Suiza, with its artisan stores displaying their products, mainly made of wood.

If you visit the town at lunch or dinner time, you must try the local specialty, the curanto, which is cooked on the ground on hot stones covered with earth. The meat and vegetables are wrapped in cloth and the heat of the stones cooks the food.

💯The curanto is served mainly in two places in Colonia Suiza: next to the artisan fair and at Victor Goye‘s place, a very traditional place that also includes a folkloric show.

The last stop is at the panoramic point of Moreno Lake, a viewpoint towards the lower part of Circuito Chico, an ideal place to see the lake and the mountains in all their splendor.

If you want, you can make one more stop at the bridge that crosses Lake Moreno, where there are small beaches with gentle waves.

📷 Book here the Circuito Chico tour in Bariloche, stopping at viewpoints and emblematic places such as the Llao Llao Llao hotel.

Day 3, route of the 7 lakes to San Martín de los Andes

The third day of the itinerary of what to do in Bariloche in 4 days should be dedicated to San Martin de los Andes. It is before, in Villa La Angostura, where one of the most beautiful scenic routes of the Argentine Patagonia begins, the road of the 7 lakes. It is a 100-kilometer tour linking the towns of Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes and has several viewpoints to stop along the way.

This route of the 7 lakes owes its name to the number of lakes it borders: Lácar, Machónico, Falkner, Villarino, Escondido, Correntoso and Espejo. The road is fully paved along its entire length, zigzagging between mountains and lakes.

In the viewpoints there is space to park the car and observe the charm of each of the lakes, some smaller like the Escondido and others of great magnitude like the Correntoso.

Near each of the viewpoints, there are gravel roads leading down to natural beaches and campgrounds. One of the best places to stop for lunch is on the shore of Falkner Lake, as it is at road level and there is a beach with tables to enjoy a picnic.

At the end of the tour, we reach the beautiful city of San Martín de los Andes, on the shores of Lake Lácar. It is worth spending about two hours touring downtown and strolling along the waterfront.

📷 Book here the excursion from Bariloche to do the 7 lakes road. Includes transfers, guide, stops at the viewpoints of the lakes and the city of San Martin de los Andes.

Interested in making the trip from Bariloche to San Martín de los Andes? See how to do the 7 lakes road by car.

Day 4, excursion to Puerto Blest and Los Cántaros waterfall

One of the best excursions to do in Bariloche in 4 days is the navigation on the Nahuel Huapi until you reach one of the ends of the water mirror, Puerto Blest.

At this point the landscape mixes the Valdivian forest with alerce trees and cohiues next to the turquoise color of the lake. This is also the natural boundary between Chile and Argentina.

There are two possible treks to do in the place:

One is the Cascada de los Cántaros, a beautiful waterfall that can be reached by a wooden staircase that ascends through the jungle. For the more adventurous there is a trail through the forest from Puerto Blest, for those who do not feel like walking there is a catamaran that crosses the lake from Puerto Blest to Puerto Cantaros, from where you only have to climb the stairs.

There is even the option of continuing on after the waterfall of the Cántaros until reaching the viewpoint of the Cántaro Lake, a small lake that reflects in its waters the high snow-capped mountains that surround it.

The other hike is to Lake Frias, more precisely to Puerto Alegre. Of low physical difficulty, it is about three kilometers from Puerto Pañuelo. This lake is characterized by the green water that comes from the melting of the glaciers located in the Tronador mountain. There is the option of sailing in a catamaran on the lake.

✏️If you want to have a bite to eat or sleep surrounded by idyllic scenery, on site is the Hotel Puerto Blest, an ideal accommodation for relaxation. Waking up and observing the Patagonian landscape through the window is spectacular.

📷 Book here the boat excursion to Puerto Blest and Los Cántaros waterfall. If you want, there is an interesting Andean crossing excursion that in addition to the navigation of the Nahuel Huapi and Frias lakes, includes the crossing to Chile and the navigation of the Todos los Santos lake in this country.

Things to do in Bariloche in 5 days, Mount Tronador

If you have an extra day in Bariloche, we recommend a visit to Tronador Hill, an ideal place for trekking and to see the Negro snowdrift.

Located on the border between Argentina and Chile, this 3500-meter-high mountain is characterized by its snow-capped summit all year round. Its name derives from the noise or thundering generated by the detachment of ice from the glaciers.

It is the perfect place to see glaciers and other natural attractions, among which the Ventisquero Negro stands out. Thanks to a natural phenomenon, the Manso glacier located at the top of the mountain releases ice that falls down a ravine and mixes with the sediment on the ground, producing the dark color that gives the snowdrift its name.

To get there, it is best to take a day trip from Bariloche, although it can also be done by car, but you have to travel more than 50 kilometers of gravel road at low speed.

📷 Don’t worry about everything and book here the excursion to Cerro Tronador from Bariloche. Includes guide and stops at viewpoints on Piuke Island and Pampa Linda mountain refuge.

Practical information for travel to Bariloche

If you are looking for where to stay in Bariloche, all the excursions you can do in the city and how to get from the airport to the city center, we leave you with the articles with useful information on these topics.

• How to get from Bariloche airport to downtown.
• Where to stay in Bariloche: recommended accommodations.
• Excursions in Bariloche: in addition to the excursions already mentioned throughout the article and the Free Tours, check these pages for the best experiences for your trip:
  Excursions in Civitatis.
  Excursions in Get Your Guide.