Cerro Campanario: The Absolute BEST View in Bariloche (2024)

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Your Guide to Cerro Campanario

Cerro Campanario offers 360-degree views of the beautiful nature in Bariloche, Argentina. From the massive Nahuel Huapi Lake to the miniscule El Trébol lagoon to the gorgeous alpine peaks, forested islands, C erro Llao Llao and more, this is an absolute must-do while in Bariloche.

Cerro Campanario is open year round, so whether you wish to enjoy the snow-covered mountains, or watch the sailboats glide across the lake, this is the place to go! Indulge in an easy hike to the top or admire the views from the chairlift–the choice is yours! After you’re done, make sure to check out the Manduca Food Truck Park just a five minute walk down the road!

Let’s get into everything you need to know before visiting Cerro Campanario in Bariloche!

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Cerro Campanario: Best Views of Bariloche

Hiking Cerro Campanario

If you decide to hike rather than take the chairlift, that’s certainly possible! The hike up to Cerro Campanario takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your physical ability and how many stops you take. It is a simple winding trail underneath the chairlift, without any steep inclines. The trailhead is to the right of the chairlift, if your back is to the street. The trail is extremely well marked, and there’s no entry cost!

Taking the Cerro Campanario Chairlift

These are probably the most beautiful views we’ve seen from a chairlift – so we can’t recommend doing this enough! A round-trip ticket for the Cerro Campanario Chairlift costs $8 USD, and a wonderful picture at the top only costs $3 USD. The ride takes around 7 minutes and brings you to an altitude of 1050 meters. Make sure to check the official website to see if the chairlift is running the day of your visit!

Enjoying the Top of Cerro Campanario

There are a few look out points at the top of Cerro Campanario, each with their own unique and gorgeous views. There’s a small building with a souvenir shop and a food stall where you can buy beer, hot chocolate, coffee, cakes, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and of course – empanadas! There’s a small seating area here, and an even better one outside. Visitors can take as much or as little time necessary, because it’s impossible to get tired of these magnificent views!

How to Get to Cerro Campanario

How to Get to Cerro Campanario by Bus

Getting to Cerro Campanario is super easy – you just take bus 20, 51, or 10B or C from downtown Bariloche. This takes around 30-35 minutes and costs ~33 cents. We highly recommend catching the bus at the Moreno y Beschtedt B stop as all of the aforementioned buses stop here.

Make sure to wave down the bus so it stops, and scan your SUBE to pay. When it’s almost time to get off, press the button on the railings near the rear door to alert the driver to stop at the next stop.

To use the buses in Bariloche, you need a SUBE card. Find places to buy and recharge your SUBE card using this map. Worst case scenario, you can pay someone to use their SUBE card, but this is not a guaranteed option.

How to Get to Cerro Campanario by Car

Renting a car definitely gives you more freedom to explore Circuito Chico after your visit to Cerro Campanario, but the parking lot at Campanario is very small. This isn’t a big deal if you’re fine with parking on the side of the road!

Rent your car here or with Booking.com if you’re in the Genius loyalty program for cars less than $40/day!

Ubers are also a great option for getting around Bariloche, costing around 40 cents per minute. Taxis are usually more expensive than Ubers, but if you want to schedule a taxi, contact one of the official Bariloche taxi services here.

Combine Cerro Llao Llao with Cerro Campanario

Cerro Llao Llao is another one of Bariloche’s most popular hikes. This trail gives a more up close and personal view of the massive alpine peaks that tower over the clear blue lake water. Combining the Cerro Llao Llao hike with a trip up Cerro Campanario will make this a day to remember! They are only 30 minutes away from each other using a combination of bus #20 and walking, and they are both fairly easy hikes!

For a full day trip, we recommend doing Cerro Campanario first, then heading to Manduca Food Truck Park for some lunch (the lamb and asado sandwiches were FANTASTIC), and then grabbing the bus that stops right across the street from there to get to Cerro Llao Llao.

Read all of our tips for hiking Cerro Llao Llao here!

Where to Stay in Bariloche

We recommend staying downtown to be near the main attractions and the public bus stops. However, the Llao Llao Resort is legendary, and a great place to splurge for a day or two!

Bariloche Accommodations

Keep Exploring Bariloche…

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!