Argentina is an extremely diverse country, geographically speaking, and so there really isn’t one perfect time of the year to visit. If you spend most of your time in the busy city of Buenos Aires, it’s easy to forget that in the rest of Argentina there are deserts, snowy mountains and wild forests to enjoy.
Firstly, if you’re planning on visiting Argentina, it’s important to bear in mind that as the country is located in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed (for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere). The seasons in Argentina are as follows:
Summer: December – March
Autumn/Fall: March – June
Winter: June – September
Spring: September – December
The best time of the year to visit Argentina depends largely on your personal preferences, so here’s a bit of an overview of what you can do depending on when you visit during the year:
Summer (December - March)
If you live in the northern hemisphere and you’re sick of the January blues, Argentina is a great place to go to lift your spirits a little!
Argentina is by no means a tropical country, but in summertime the average temperature in Buenos Aires is usually about 25ºC (77ºF). You can count on clear, blue skies pretty much all throughout summer too (hence the name Buenos Aires!).
If you’re looking to relax on the beach for a while, you needn’t leave Buenos Aires. From the City of Buenos Aires, it’s just a 4-hour drive to reach the coastal town of Cariló (pictured on the left). There, you’ll find sandy beaches, lots of sun and a small town centre with loads of nice bars and restaurants to wind down in the evening!
Venturing a bit further, another great place to visit during the summertime in Argentina is Bariloche. There’s plenty to do in Bariloche, from trekking in the mountains surrounding the seven lakes, to chilling in one of the many bars in the town centre. A great place to visit is the Patagonia Micro Cervecería, where you can enjoy artesanal beers and delicious food whilst enjoying the view of the surrounding mountains and lakes.
In the summer months, it’s also a good time to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier (pictured at the top of the page), which is located in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, in the Province of Santa Cruz. Although it’s possible to visit the glacier all year, some excursions only run from October to April, so summer is the best time to go to ensure you can book yourself onto an excursion, and also to make the most of the warmer weather as in the winter, temperatures can reach -3ºC (26ºF) during the day.
Autumn (March - June)
If you’re a fan of wine, without a doubt one of the best places to go in autumn is Mendoza.
At the beginning of March, you can experience the Mendoza Wine Festival, known as La Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia. The festival celebrates the end of the year’s grape harvest and the beginning of the year of ‘new wine’.
La Fiesta de la Vendimia involves music and dance performances, as well as the crowning of a ‘queen’ of the festival.
During the later months of autumn, Mendoza continues to be a great place to visit as come April, there are much fewer people visiting the province. You can expect less crowds and enjoy better the stunning natural scenery. It’s also a great idea to visit one (or more) of the 900 vineyards found in Mendoza. Many vineyards in Mendoza have hotels and restaurants onsite where you can stay and enjoy not only wines that are exclusive to the province, but also gourmet food and beautiful views.
Located on the border between Argentina and Brazil, the Iguazú Falls are one of the worlds natural wonders, and a perfect place to visit in autumn.
You can experience the wonder from either side of the border and the views from both are truly stunning. Many people choose to visit Iguazú during summer, but in my opinion it’s better to visit during a quieter time of the year. The place can get very crowded during the summer and it can often ruin the experience, not to mention that temperatures can also reach 35ºC (95ºF)!
In April, the rainy season also comes to an end for the northern regions of Argentina, so it’s definitely a good idea to go in autumn.
The case is the same for Salta, another region in the north of Argentina. More specifically, a really interesting place to visit is Cafayate. If you choose to visit the city of Salta, you can go on a day-long excursion to Cafayate – a place full of red, sandy mountains and incredible natural landscapes. It was also in Cafayate where an iconic part of Relatos Salvajes was filmed!
Jujuy is another province which is great to visit in the autumn months – it’s another place where you can enjoy breathtaking views. Why not rent a car and go on a road trip?
Winter (June - September)
If you’re more of a winter person, then Argentina has a lot to offer too!
To start off, Argentina is home to 20 different ski resorts, mainly dotted around different parts of the Andes. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend trying to ski down Aconcagua (pictured above), I would recommend skiing or snowboarding as an activity in Argentina. Personally, I’ve skied in Ushuaia and Bariloche and both centres are amazing in their own way.
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, located just 2800 miles away from Antarctica, in the Province of Tierra del Fuego. Snow sports are just one of the many things that Ushuaia has to offer, alongside breathtaking views, excursions and deliciously fresh seafood. The picture on the left shows a well known lighthouse found in Ushuaia. You can buy tickets to go on a boat excursion to the island and see the penguins it’s inhabited by!
Ushuaia is home to the Cerro Castor ski resort, and it’s a great idea to visit, even if you don’t plan on going skiing. There are restaurants and bars at different points on the mountain and it’s a great way to spend a day. If you do plan on going skiing or snowboarding, expect lots of snow and 30 different slopes to enjoy!
Bariloche is also home to a ski resort – Cerro Catedral. Cerro Catedral is much bigger that Cerro Castor and offers a much wider range of slopes of varying difficulties. Like Ushuaia, Bariloche’s ski resort features many bars and restaurants on top of the mountains, and in the case of Cerro Catedral, the views are truly spectacular. One of the slopes at the very top of the mountain allows you to ski down whilst enjoying the view of the surrounding lakes.
There are plenty more ski resorts that you can visit, but these are definitely two of the best!
If skiing and snowboarding isn’t really your thing, don’t worry! There’s loads of more relaxing things to do in Argentina in winter.
In August, the City of Buenos Aires holds its annual Tango Festival, where you can visit free tango events and shows around the city. The event is usually held between August and September and alongside it, the Tango World Cup is also held. One of the best places to visit in the city is El Querandí, which is a famous tango bar with shows featuring some of the best tango dancers in the world.
Spring (September - December)
Spring also has a lot to offer in Argentina. The picture on the right shows Villa General Belgrano in the Province of Córdoba. It’s here where Argentina holds its annual beer festival, Oktoberfest.
Like in Germany, Oktoberfest involves lots of beer and food, as well as live music, parades and other games and attractions. People travel from all over the world to visit Córdoba’s Oktoberfest, with the event taking place this year from 4th October until 14th October.
If beer isn’t really your thing, spring is a good time to visit Puerto Madryn, in the Province of Chubut.
Puerto Madryn is a town that was originally founded in the 1800s by the Welsh in the Argentine Patagonia. Nowadays, it’s a popular tourist destination for whale watching, and the months between July and December are the perfect time to go to have the best chance of seeing some whales.
From Puerto Madryn, you can also visit the neighbouring town of Gaiman, which is just an hour’s drive away. If you’re into history, in Gaiman you can delve into how the Welsh travelled over 7000 miles to form a new colony in Argentina.
Spring also plays host to the popular music festival, Primavera Sound. This year, it will take place on 23rd-24th November, and in previous years artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Blur, The Cure and Travis Scott have played at the festival. If you’re already planning a trip in the spring, why not make the most of it and see if there are any tickets left?
As mentioned in the beginning, Argentina is an incredibly diverse country with lots to offer, no matter the time of year in which you travel. Have you already booked a trip to Argentina for this year? Or do you have any other recommendations which could be added to this page? Let us know in the comments below!