Non-Skiers in Bariloche: A Complete Guide to a Great Week Without Skis
Bariloche in winter is exceptional for skiers. It is also very good for the people who come along and do not ski. Here is everything a non-skier can do in a week in the Lake District.
Not everyone in a ski travel group skis. Partners, parents, children who are not ready for the mountain, guests with injuries -- there are always people in Bariloche who are there because someone they love wanted to ski, not because they planned a ski trip themselves.
This is a guide for those people. Bariloche in winter has more to offer a non-skier than most international ski destinations, and a week there without ever setting foot on the mountain is genuinely excellent if you know how to spend it.
The town itself
Bariloche is a real town, not a purpose-built resort village. It has a Centro Civico with civic architecture that dates from the 1930s, a waterfront promenade along Lago Nahuel Huapi that is one of the more beautiful lake walks in South America, a library, a cathedral, and a main commercial street with chocolate shops, clothing, and bookshops. It does not shut down when the skiers go up the mountain.
The mornings are the best time to walk the waterfront. The light is low and gold in winter, the lake is calm before any afternoon wind, and the Andes across the water are reflected in a way that feels deliberate. The walk from the Centro Civico east along Avenida Bustillo toward the Llao Llao peninsula takes about two hours at a relaxed pace with stops. Do it once early in the week.
The chocolate trail
Bariloche's artisan chocolate scene is substantial enough to occupy an afternoon on its own. The main chocolate shops are concentrated on Calle Mitre and the surrounding blocks. Mamushka, Abuela Goye, and the smaller operations on the hillside streets each have a different style and product range. A tasting circuit covering four or five shops, with coffee stops between, is a legitimate way to spend two or three hours.
Our chocolate culture guide covers the best shops in more detail and explains why the tradition in Bariloche is different from what you find in Buenos Aires.
Snowshoeing and winter walking
The trails around Bariloche that are used for hiking in summer become snowshoe routes in winter. The circuit around Laguna Ilion, the ascent to Cerro Otto by foot (or gondola if you prefer), and the trails through the coihue forest above the city are all accessible to non-skiers in winter conditions.
Snowshoe rental is available in town. A guide for a half-day snowshoe circuit is a worthwhile investment -- they know which trails are packed and safe after a snowfall and which are icy and difficult without experience. The Nahuel Huapi National Park visitor centre near the Centro Civico can provide current trail information.
For a gentler option, the Cerro Otto gondola takes visitors to 1,405 metres without any physical effort. The circular restaurant at the top rotates slowly and the views of the lake and the Andes are the same ones you can see from skis, without the cold or the exertion.
Boat trips on Lago Nahuel Huapi
The lake is the dominant feature of the Bariloche landscape and in winter it is at its most dramatic -- deep blue, cold, ringed by snow-covered peaks. Boat excursions run through most of the winter season from the Bariloche port.
The most useful for a non-skier is the day trip to Isla Victoria and the arrayanes forest at the tip of the Quetrihue Peninsula. The arrayanes -- a myrtle species with distinctive cinnamon-coloured bark -- form a dense forest that turns orange and red in winter light. The boat trip takes about three hours round trip with time to walk the island trails.
Book through the port operators directly; tours run several times a week depending on weather and season demand.
The craft beer scene
Bariloche has one of the oldest and most developed craft beer scenes in Argentina. The brewing tradition dates from the same European immigration history that produced the chocolate culture -- German and Swiss settlers who brought brewing technique with them. Today the town has a dozen active craft breweries.
Blest, on the lakefront, is the oldest and most established. Antares, a national chain that got its start in Mar del Plata but has a strong Bariloche presence, is reliable for quality across a wide range of styles. The smaller craft operations that have opened in the past decade tend toward more experimental styles and are worth seeking out if you are interested in the scene.
A non-skier who spends an afternoon at a Bariloche cerveceria -- mid-afternoon, quiet, a view of the lake, a plate of cold cuts and local cheese -- is not having a worse day than anyone on the mountain.
Rest-day activities for the group
When the whole group has a rest day together -- whether because of wind on the mountain, or a planned break -- there are activities in Bariloche that work for skiers and non-skiers equally.
The spa at the Llao Llao hotel is bookable for day guests and is worth the taxi. The hotel itself, set on a peninsula between two lakes, is among the most dramatic hotel locations in South America regardless of what you think of the interior. The chocolate shops, the lakefront, and a long lunch at one of the better restaurants in town fill a rest day in a way that nobody regrets.
For help planning the full trip -- timing, accommodation, what the week looks like for skiers and non-skiers together -- tell us what you have in mind. We build trips around mixed groups regularly and know what works.
For more on where to stay, our Bariloche accommodation guide covers options in the town and around the resort, including which locations work best for groups with mixed interests. The eat and drink guide covers the restaurant scene that makes evenings in Bariloche worth looking forward to regardless of what you did during the day.