Argentina 7 Days Travel Guide
Why Argentina Needs Your Full Week
Most people try to see Argentina in 3-4 days. Buenos Aires for two nights, quick flight to see a glacier, done. They miss everything. Argentina is massive—eighth largest country in the world. You could spend a month here and barely scratch the surface.
This guide focuses on the greatest hits: Buenos Aires and Patagonia. It won’t make you an expert, but you’ll eat proper steak, see ice that’s been frozen for 18,000 years, and understand why Argentines are so passionate about everything.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit Argentina
Buenos Aires – Spring (Sep-Nov): 15-25°C, perfect. Summer (Dec-Feb): 25-35°C, hot and humid. Fall (Mar-May): 15-25°C, beautiful. Winter (Jun-Aug): 10-18°C, mild but gray. Patagonia – Summer (Dec-Feb): 10-20°C, long days (sunset after 10pm), crowds. Shoulder (Nov/Mar): 5-15°C, fewer people, unpredictable weather.
Day 1: Buenos Aires – First Impressions
Land in Buenos Aires early morning if you can. The city is huge—3 million people, 15 million in the metro area. It looks like Paris had a baby with Madrid, then moved to South America and developed opinions about everything.
Start at Plaza de Mayo, the historic center. The Casa Rosada (Pink House) is where the president works—Eva PerĂłn gave her famous speeches from that balcony. Every Thursday, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo still march here, remembering their children who disappeared during the military dictatorship. It’s a powerful reminder that Argentina’s history isn’t ancient—it’s living.
Walk down Avenida de Mayo toward Congress. Stop at CafĂ© Tortoni, opened in 1858. Yes, it’s touristy. It’s also genuinely historic—Jorge Luis Borges, Albert Einstein, and basically everyone important has sat in these marble-topped tables. Order a cortado and dulce de leche cake. Don’t rush.
The Teatro ColĂłn opera house offers tours. The acoustics are supposedly among the world’s best. The building is gorgeous—1908 architecture, horseshoe auditorium, absurd amounts of gold leaf. Worth 45 minutes.
Lunch: Don’t eat near Plaza de Mayo. Walk to San Telmo instead—it’s the old bohemian neighborhood with cobblestone streets and actual character. Find a parrilla (steakhouse) where locals eat. Order bife de chorizo (sirloin). It will ruin steak for you everywhere else.
Evening: Puerto Madero is the renovated port district. Modern, expensive, nice for a walk along the water. The Puente de la Mujer bridge is striking. Eat here if you want upscale dining, or save money and go back to San Telmo for something more authentic.
Day 2: Buenos Aires – Neighborhoods and Culture
Start in Recoleta, the rich neighborhood. The cemetery is world-famous—Eva PerĂłn is buried here, along with presidents, generals, and wealthy families in elaborate mausoleums. It’s beautiful, weird, and very Argentine. The tombs are like miniature cathedrals. People take this death thing seriously.
The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is nearby and free. Good collection of Argentine and European art—Goya, Rembrandt, plus local artists you’ve never heard of but should. Give it an hour.
Recoleta itself is worth walking—tree-lined streets, French-style mansions, elegant cafes where coffee costs three times what it should. If it’s the weekend, the craft fair in Plaza Francia has decent handmade stuff—leather goods, mate gourds, jewelry.
Afternoon: Take a taxi to La Boca. The famous Caminito street is wildly colorful—bright painted houses, tango dancers performing for tips, artists selling paintings. It’s 100% a tourist attraction. It’s also genuinely pretty in a kitschy way. Take your photos, buy nothing, and leave.
The rest of La Boca is rough—don’t wander alone or after dark. But if Boca Juniors (the famous football club) has a home game, the experience is incredible. Argentine football culture is intense. The singing, the passion, the chaos—nothing prepares you for it.
Evening: Palermo is where Buenos Aires goes out. Palermo Soho has boutiques and trendy restaurants. Palermo Hollywood has bars and nightlife. The Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods) are nice for a walk if you need greenery.
For dinner, find a parrilla in Palermo. Try entraña (skirt steak) or vacĂo (flank steak). Order a bottle of Malbec—Argentina’s wine is criminally cheap and excellent. Dinner doesn’t start before 9pm here. Embrace it.
Tango: You should see it. Tourist shows are expensive and polished—places like Esquina Carlos Gardel or Piazzolla Tango do dinner shows with professional dancers. They’re impressive but sterile. For something more real, go to a milonga (dance hall) where locals dance. La Viruta or Salon Canning have beginner classes before social dancing. Watching skilled dancers is mesmerizing.
Day 3: Fly to El Calafate – Welcome to Patagonia
Early flight to El Calafate (3 hours). The contrast is shocking—from a city of 15 million to a town of 25,000 sitting on the edge of Patagonia’s steppe. El Calafate exists for one reason: glaciers.
The town is small, wind-blown, and entirely built around tourism. Avenida del Libertador is the main street—hotels, tour agencies, restaurants, outdoor gear shops. It’s not charming, but it’s functional.
The wind in Patagonia is no joke. Gusts can hit 100 km/h in summer. Bring layers. The weather changes fast—sunny morning, snow by afternoon, even in December.
After checking in, visit the Glaciarium museum. It explains glaciology, ice fields, climate change. There’s an ice bar kept at -10°C where you drink whisky from glasses made of ice. Touristy but fun.
Walk along Lago Argentino. The water is an unreal turquoise from glacial flour—rock particles ground by glaciers. As the sun sets, the mountains turn pink and orange.
Dinner: Try cordero patagĂłnico (Patagonian lamb), traditionally roasted over open fire. Also good: trout and king crab from local waters. El Calafate has better restaurants than you’d expect for its size.
Day 4: Perito Moreno Glacier – The Main Event
This is why you came. Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the world’s natural wonders—a massive river of ice that’s actually advancing, not retreating. Most glaciers are dying. This one is growing.
It’s 80km from town (90 minutes by bus or tour). Book a tour the day before—every hotel and agency sells them, prices are similar. You need transportation; there’s no public bus.
The first glimpse through the forest is breathtaking. Brilliant blue ice rising 74 meters above the water, extending another 170 meters below. The glacier is 5km wide at the face, 30km long, 250 square kilometers total. The numbers don’t capture it. You have to see it.
Metal walkways let you get close—500 meters from the ice wall. You can hear it groaning, cracking, shifting. Every few minutes (or hours—it’s random), chunks of ice calve off and crash into the lake with sounds like thunder. Sometimes it’s a small piece. Sometimes it’s the size of a building. When a big one goes, the ground shakes.
The blue color comes from ice density—it absorbs every wavelength except blue. The oldest ice at the bottom is 18,000 years old.
Ice trekking: You can walk on the glacier. Companies offer mini trekking (90 minutes on ice) or big ice (3-4 hours deeper into the ice field). They give you crampons, guides lead you across crevasses and ice formations. It’s surreal—walking on ice that fell as snow before human civilization.
At the end, they give you whisky poured over glacier ice. It’s a tradition.
Even if you trek, spend the afternoon on the walkways. Different platforms give different views. The light changes the glacier’s appearance. Pack lunch—there’s a restaurant but eating while watching ice calve is better.
This is the highlight of most people’s South America trip. It exceeds expectations, which is rare.
Day 5: El ChaltĂ©n – Trekking Capital
Drive to El Chaltén (3 hours north). The road is spectacular—following the lake, climbing into mountains, views getting more dramatic every kilometer.
El Chaltén is tiny—under 2,000 people. It was founded in 1985 in a territorial dispute with Chile. The town exists purely for trekkers accessing the Fitz Roy massif. Unpaved streets, simple restaurants, gear shops, hostels. No bank, no gas station. Frontier town in the best way.
The wind is even worse here. Weather changes instantly. Bring all your layers.
Trails leave right from town—no guides needed, well-marked. Stop at the National Park office for maps and weather forecasts.
Laguna de los Tres (Fitz Roy Base Camp): The classic trek. 20km round trip, 800m elevation gain, 8-10 hours. The trail climbs through forest to a mountain lagoon at the base of Monte Fitz Roy. The final approach is brutal—400m straight up loose scree. The view at the top: granite spires rising behind a milky turquoise lake. One of South America’s most photographed scenes.
Start early—4-5am with headlamps. You want to reach the lagoon at sunrise when alpenglow hits the peaks. The mountains turn pink, orange, gold. It’s legendary.
Laguna Torre: Easier option. 18km, less elevation, still spectacular. Leads to a lagoon at the base of Cerro Torre, a granite needle that’s one of the world’s hardest climbs. The lagoon fills with icebergs from the Torre Glacier.
Strong hikers can do both in one day (12-14 hours, 35km). It’s exhausting. Also amazing.
Evening: El ChaltĂ©n has brewpubs. Cerveceria ChaltĂ©n and Patagonia Rebels make good beer, perfect after 10 hours of hiking. Restaurants serve huge portions—steak, pasta, stews. You’ll be starving.
Watch sunset on Fitz Roy from town. The mountains dominate the skyline, visible everywhere. Evening light on the granite is spectacular.
Day 6: Back to El Calafate – Optional Activities
Return to El Calafate early afternoon. You have options:
Glacier boat tour: Cruise Lago Argentino among icebergs, visit Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers. Both are larger than Perito Moreno but less accessible. Full day trip, includes lunch.
Estancia visit: Experience Patagonian ranch culture. Sheep shearing demonstrations, horseback riding, traditional lamb barbecue. Estancia Cristina and Nibepo Aike are popular. Gives you insight into gaucho life.
Horseback riding: Rides through the steppe, 2 hours to full day. Views over Lago Argentino. Connects you to gaucho traditions.
Or just rest. You’ve been going hard. Walk the lakefront, browse shops for souvenirs (wool products, mate gourds), have a long lunch with Patagonian lamb and wine.
For dinner, try La Zaina (creative Patagonian), Casimiro Biguá (brewery with king crab), or Pura Vida (upscale fusion). El Calafate punches above its weight for food.
Day 7: Return to Buenos Aires
Morning flight back (3 hours). If your international flight is same day, leave 3-4 hours between connections—Patagonian flights delay for weather.
If you have time in Buenos Aires, options depend on hours available:
5-6 hours: Take a taxi into the city (45-60 minutes). Have lunch in Palermo or San Telmo, visit one last museum, buy souvenirs. Good leather goods, dulce de leche products, wine, mate gourds, alfajores (cookie sandwiches). San Telmo and Palermo Soho have the best shops.
Less time: Stay at the airport. Ezeiza has improved—decent restaurants, shops, even spa services. Still not exciting, but functional.
Practical Information
Money: Argentine Peso (ARS), but US dollars are king. Bring cash—exchange at unofficial cuevas for way better rates than official. Credit cards work but use bad rates. Argentina’s economy is complicated. Just bring dollars.
Costs: Argentina is cheap for visitors with foreign currency. Budget: -60/day. Mid-range: -120/day. Luxury: +/day. Patagonia is more expensive.
Language: Spanish. Argentine Spanish is distinctive—they use vos instead of tú, pronunciation is different. English works in tourist areas but basic Spanish helps everywhere.
Getting around: Domestic flights essential for Patagonia. AerolĂneas Argentinas is the main carrier. Buenos Aires has efficient subway, cheap taxis/Uber.
Packing: Buenos Aires—casual but stylish (Argentines dress well). Patagonia—layers, waterproof jacket and pants, warm fleece, hiking boots, hat, gloves, sunglasses. Weather changes fast. UV radiation is intense—bring sunscreen.
🗺️ Nearby Destinations from Argentina
Combine your Argentina trip with these nearby countries:
Final Truth
Seven days isn’t enough for Argentina. You won’t see IguazĂş Falls, Mendoza wine country, Salta’s deserts, Peninsula ValdĂ©s penguins, or dozens of other places. This country is enormous.
But you’ll eat the best steak of your life. Stand before ice that’s older than civilization. Trek beneath granite spires that make you understand why people climb mountains. Dance tango badly. Drink too much Malbec. Get blown around by Patagonian wind.
And you’ll leave planning your return. Because Argentina does that to people.