We have booked our frequent flier miles, now we need to plan the trip. We arrive in buenos Aires on dec 23 and depart on the 31st...any tips on how long to stay in the city and top destination outside the city? I have heard Salta is beautiful, or would you recommend Mendoza? A vineyard would be nice, but up for anything!

THANKS

dinny

7 nights is little time for 3 destinations. dont think it is the best idea. It would be better to make only two side trips.
But it is understandable people want to visit as much as possible.
Salta needs longer time than Mendoza but as everybody says, it is really beautiful iguazu for a night and the rest in Buenos Aires.

milla

Buy a good BA guide book, decide what you want to see and how many days it will take. Then, if you have any days left, consider a short trip to Iguazu (which would be my first choice. An overnight stay if the flight times are good would allow sufficinet time to see the falls which are one of the wonders of the world. Other days trips not requiring a stay are Colonia del Sacremento accross the river in Uruguay -very quaint and colonial and the Tigre delta.

There is some more deatils on our blog.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html
entries 82 onwards cove rour time there.

Currently I am using TIME OUTUENOS AIRES guide. I find it very useful as well as thorough in my planning for my fourth trip next month.

If I were you, I'd spend the majority of my time exploring and experiencing Buenos Aires itself and do two day trips, one to Colonia and the other to Tigre or somewhere dictated by your interests!

I should have read crellston's response before writing mine. Please excuse the redundancy.
The previous writer makes some salient suggestions; I'd take her/him up on them for the trip.

I also erred in typing; the title of the recommended guide book is TIME OUT: BUENOS AIRES. These particular guides per country are superb.

I agree completely with Crelleston, though I would try to spend 2 nights in Iguazzu, if I decided to go there, and the rest of the days/nights in BsAs. There is sooooo much to see and do, and the in-country travel really eats into that time.

Have a wonderful trip,
~MarnieWDC

I am planning my third trip to BA this year. There is so much to see in BA, I agree with what others are saying - spend a good chunk of time in BA, and pick one other place to see. Have not ferried over to Uraguay, but on my next trip I am. Have also heard wonderful things about the falls. I personally have been to both Salta and Mendoza and loved both! They are both a plane ride away, but Salta is probably a quicker trip. If you can change your departure, you could do Mendoza and then fly home out of Santiago. That's what we are doing.

I agree with the majority's suggestions and comments here. My hubby and I were in Argentina last November (2009). Buenos Aires is a big city, divided to many districts of the Old Town (Plaza de Mayo area), Recoleta, Palermo, Congressional Area, La Boca, San Telmo. You'd need at least 4 days to enjoy it all including tango shows. For sidetrips, Tigre, Puerto Iguazu are best options. Puerto Iguazu, if only the Argentinian side of the falls, you can do it in 2 days (it will be hot weather by that time). Tigre is okay for a day trip which we did but miss the Tren de la Costa. Salta is beautiful but if you want to spend time to see other nearby areas like Tilcara, Pumarmaca, Humuhuaca...you will need more than 4 days to fully enjoy the region and its other provinces. That is only on the northern part. South of Salta like Cachi and Cafayate, it took a long day driving for us!!! Both places are a must. I enjoyed Salta, it was so hot that I got bad sun burn! Have a wonderful trip, you will not regret whatever you miss, any place is great!!!!

all VERY helpful, Thank you!

Salta needs at least four days to see as much as possible. The salt flats, Purmamarca and Tilcara and Cafayate are the destinatiosn you should not miss.
Maybe Buenos Aires and NW ..
And I recommend to bring some su lotion ALWAYS; becuase the sunratiotion becasue of the altitude is hiugh. NW is very varied and our wine country includes te most prestigious wine brands and wines. Have a great trip.
Flintstones.

Yup, four days in BA and then a trip to Iguazu or Mendoza should make a great trip. The falls are super impressive, but if you are into wine you don't want to skip Mendoza. Doing a bike and wine tour on your own is the best!

More info and pics from our trip in our Argentina posts at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/

I just did a 7 night trip last month.

2 nights BA
1 night Colonia
4 nights Mendoza area

I would've wanted 1-2 more nights in Mendoza to allow for an overnight hike, but otherwise, our timing in each spot worked perfectly for us.