Bariloche will keep shop-a-holics pretty happy. The main shopping district is located around the avenues of Mitre and Moreno, with Mitre really being tourist central. The streets are lined with souvenir shops selling t-shirts, stuffed St Bernard dog toys, gnomes (???!!), and other knick knacks. Shops with gourmet food offerings are also common, selling Argentine wine, trout pate, and smoked meats. Good luck getting the latter through customs!

There are also lots of shopping arcades off Mitre that have speciality shops as well as department stores.

Bariloche Chocolate Shops Bariloche is the chocolate capital of South America and one big Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory! God only knows how many tonnes of mass produced chocolate are sold in Bariloche and the Lakes District!

Thanks to the Swiss influence in Bariloche, the centro area has an abundance of chocolate shops, particularly in Mitre Street. They don’t need any touts out the front of the shops to get you inside. You are easily lured in by the aroma! There are a huge range of yummy yummy fillings for the chocolates, and if you’re having difficulty choosing which chocolates to buy, many of the shops provide free samples. The chocolate is not expensive, so the other option is just to buy one of every type and taste them all!

My favourite chocolate shop is Mamuschka (Mitre 298) with the Russian/Ukranian dolls. Their chocolate is to die for! Thankfully they also have a shop at Cerro Catedral, so you never have to go long without a sweet fix of divineness.

Bariloche Ski and Snowboard Shops Central Bariloche has several ski and snowboard shops. A few of these are located on Av San Martin. The shops offer snowboard and ski rental as well as basic retail items such as outerwear and accessories. They generally don’t have a huge range of hardwear available such as skis, snowboards, bindings or boots. Bariloche also has various outdoor shops that sell clothing and a few accessories, but backcountry equipment is hard to come by.

Cerro Catedral shopping is the other option. The village has many ski and snowboard shops, but they too have limited hardwear and backcountry gear on offer.

Local Handicrafts Bariloche has lots of shops selling local handicrafts and there are also markets. An outdoor artisan market is held a couple of afternoons a week near the Centro Civico. Bariloche also has an indoor artisan market on Moreno (between Villegas and Quaglia). Items for purchase include woollen clothing, jewellery, art, wood carved items, and other products made by the Mapuche indigenous folk.

Grocery Shopping The central streets of Bariloche have various supermarkets selling a large range of groceries, fresh produce and alcohol.