Destinations in Argentina — where to go
Where to go, how many days each place needs, and how they connect — Argentina is roughly the size of India, so 'wing it' can cost you a week in transit.
Argentina is roughly the size of India, so 'seeing the country' really means picking two or three regions and flying between them, not driving. The core combination: Buenos Aires for tango and steak (3–4 days), El Calafate in Patagonia for the Perito Moreno Glacier (3–4 days), Bariloche for lakes and mountains (3–4 days), and Mendoza's wine country (2–3 days). Iguazu Falls, shared with Brazil, is a strong add-on with its own direct flight from Buenos Aires.
Here's the thing nobody tells you about Argentina before you land: it is enormous. Buenos Aires to Patagonia is a longer flight than London to Rome. This isn't a country you road-trip end to end in two weeks — it's a country you pick a few pieces of and fly between, the same way you'd approach the US or Australia. Here's every major destination, with an honest read on how many days it actually needs and who it's for.
Everyone books their connecting flight to El Calafate, Bariloche, Mendoza, or Iguazu for the same day they land in Buenos Aires, treating it like a normal airport transfer. It isn't one: international flights land at Ezeiza (EZE), while nearly all of Aerolíneas Argentinas' domestic network flies out of Aeroparque (AEP), a separate airport roughly 20 miles across the city with no shared terminal. That means clearing immigration, collecting bags, and crossing the city by road — about an hour in light traffic, 90 minutes or more at rush hour — before checking in and clearing security again from scratch. Build in at least 4–5 hours between an international arrival and a domestic departure, more during peak summer traffic, or you'll spend your first day in Argentina in a taxi instead of Patagonia.
Buenos Aires
3–4 nights, stay in Palermo or Recoleta — Argentina's most European city.
El Calafate
3–4 days, a small town built entirely around one glacier — and it's worth it.
Bariloche
3–4 days, Swiss-looking lake town, skiing in winter, hiking in summer.
Mendoza
2–3 days, world-class Malbec, at the foot of the Andes.
El Chaltén
2–3 days, free (mostly) trekking trails straight to Mount Fitz Roy.
Ushuaia
2–3 days, the world's southernmost city — genuinely the end of the road.
Salta
4–5 days, colonial Argentina at altitude — wine, salt flats, and canyon towns.
Córdoba
2–3 days, a university city with a UNESCO colonial core and mountains nearby.