Argentina: 3 weeks, from Buenos Aires to the end of the world

Three weeks is the length at which Argentina stops being a race and becomes a journey. The country stretches 3,700 km from the subtropical north to Tierra del Fuego, distances are measured in flight hours, and dinner never starts before 9 pm. Our itinerary fits in one sentence: Buenos Aires for the energy, Mendoza for wine facing the Andes, then a clear-eyed choice between the Andean North-West and Patagonia. Here is how we build it, with realistic timings, the internal flights to lock in and the honest trade-offs.

From Luxembourg, allow 16 to 18 hours of travel with one stop, most often via Madrid, Lisbon or Brussels, including around 13 hours of long-haul. Good news for your recovery: the time difference stays gentle, 4 hours in winter, 5 in summer, as Argentina lives at UTC-3 all year round with no clock changes. As for timing, aim for October-November or March-April: the southern spring and autumn offer the best balance of weather, light and crowds. And if your dates fall between June and August, the southern winter, keep this article to hand: the final choice of itinerary depends directly on it.

The golden rule: fly, don't drive

We cannot say it often enough: in Argentina, the distances are enormous, and internal flights are not a comfort option, they are the backbone of the trip. Buenos Aires and El Calafate are around 2,100 km apart as the crow flies (nearly 2,800 km by road), a little over 3 hours by plane against more than 30 hours of driving. The same logic applies to Mendoza (around 1,000 km, a 1 hour 50 flight) or Salta (1,500 km, just over 2 hours). Book these internal legs at the same time as the long-haul: the best departure times go quickly, and since many routes pass back through Buenos Aires, it is flight availability that sets the order of your stops, not the other way round.

Days 1 to 5: Buenos Aires, energy first

Four to five days in Buenos Aires is not padding: it is the time you need to absorb the flight, then slip into the porteño rhythm. The Sunday market of San Telmo, the coloured corrugated-iron facades of La Boca, Recoleta cemetery, the street art of Palermo, and in the evening a parrilla where the grilled meat arrives with its chimichurri, before a milonga where tango is still danced among regulars. The city runs late: dinner is at 9.30 or 10 pm, going out comes after. Get into the habit from the first evening, your jet lag will actually help, and keep the museums for the hot hours of the afternoon.

Days 6 to 10: Mendoza, wine facing the Andes

An internal flight of around 2 hours from Buenos Aires, and a complete change of scenery: in Mendoza, the vines stretch as far as the eye can see with the snow-capped cordillera as a backdrop. The malbecs and cabernets made here rival the world's finest, and the estates are a joy to visit: tastings facing the Andes, paired lunches in historic bodegas, asado among the vines. Three full days are enough to alternate the estates close to the city with the Uco valley, higher and more spectacular. Keep one day for the mountains themselves: the road that climbs towards Aconcagua delivers superb panoramas without asking you to be a mountaineer. One last piece of advice, tastings oblige: with the estates scattered 30 to 60 minutes apart, a driver for the day is often a better bet than a hire car.

Days 11 to 20: North-West or Patagonia, you have to choose

This is the central trade-off of the trip, and we will be frank with you: in three weeks, trying to have both means sacrificing the pleasure of both. Each option deserves 7 to 8 full days, flights included, before keeping a final buffer day in Buenos Aires for the flight home. The right criterion is not beauty, both regions are spectacular, but your season and your way of travelling: Patagonia is lived from October to April and rewards walkers; the North-West works all year round, southern winter included, and speaks to lovers of culture, colour and markets.

Option A: Salta and the quebradas, Andean Argentina

Fly Buenos Aires to Salta, then a road trip loop through the North-West. Salta “la Linda” and its colonial churches, the Quebrada de Humahuaca and its timeless villages, the Hill of Seven Colours at Purmamarca, the giant cacti of the altiplano, markets where Andean culture is still very much alive and, to the south, the high-altitude vineyards of Cafayate. You will eat the best empanadas in the country and drive unreal roads between 2,000 and 4,000 m. Plan for relaxed driving and short stages: the altitude and the unpaved stretches set the pace, and that is precisely the charm of the region.

Option B: El Calafate and El Chaltén, the Patagonia of glaciers

Fly Buenos Aires to El Calafate (a little over 3 hours) for two complementary bases 220 km apart. From El Calafate: Perito Moreno, long cited as one of the world's rare stable glaciers (it is now showing its first signs of retreat), which drops blocks of ice into the turquoise lake with a crash no photo truly prepares you for. Then El Chaltén, Argentina's trekking capital at the foot of Fitz Roy and its jagged peaks: trails for every level, from a 2-hour stroll to a full day out to the glacial lagoons. A friendly warning: the Patagonian wind blows hard even at the height of summer. A serious windproof jacket, a flexible programme, and one spare day for the weather.

Budget and benchmarks from Luxembourg

• International flight: around €1,200 per person, stop included, booking 4 to 6 months before departure.
• Internal flights: 2 to 3 legs depending on the option chosen, to be booked as soon as your dates are set and built into the budget from the start.
• On the ground: €60 to €120 per day per person (accommodation, meals, activities), with excellent value for money thanks to the exchange rate, more than 1,000 pesos to €1.
• Realistic total for 21 days: €4,000 to €6,000 per person depending on the level of comfort and the option chosen, with Patagonia pulling prices upwards.
• Money: withdrawing from a cash machine beats exchanging notes, and a tip of around 10% is appreciated in restaurants.

Three weeks in Argentina is precision engineering: internal flights that connect cleanly, stages that breathe, and a choice of region aligned with your season. That is exactly the kind of balance we build for our travellers: tell us your dates and your tempo, we will tell you frankly which option to choose, and we will put together the itinerary to match, critical bookings included.