San Carlos de Bariloche

Bariloche needs 3 days: touring the Circuito Chico around Lake Nahuel Huapi, with viewpoints like Cerro Campanario, on one, and sailing Lake Espejo among coihue and myrtle forests on another, leaving the third to explore the stone-and-wood civic center and try its artisanal chocolate. December-March brings the best weather for summer trekking and boating, though June-September draws skiers to Cerro Catedral. It's mid-to-upper priced, among the pricier cities in Argentine Patagonia given its tourist infrastructure. Its artisanal chocolate, produced by dozens of factories since Swiss and German immigrants settled the area in the early 20th century, is today one of the city's strongest identity markers, along with the shingle-and-log architecture of its civic center.