Patagonia train: how to take the Tren Patagonico

Imagine the Trans-Siberian Railway in Patagonia and you get the Patagonia train. A little bit too straight forward because there are many differences. For example in price, luxury, and distance.

Here we will explain all details of tren Patagonico and the best way to book a ticket on the 13h long train ride.

Read also: secrets of whale watching in Patagonia (Argentina)

Route of the Patagonia train

Tren Patagonico rides from Viedma to Bariloche and vice versa. Viedma is located 200km North of the Peninsula Valdes. Getting from Puerto Madryn to Viedma is possible by bus or car.

Bariloche – also known as Little Switzerland of Argentina – is located in the West of Argentina close to the Andes mountains.

The train journey takes you along the Patagonian steppe from the coast to the mountains. A fun way to traverse the country.

Below we made a map of the route of the Patagonia train including all stations.

Comfort level of the train

Tren Patagonico has 3 classes: First, Pullman and Bedroom.  The first class is a standard cabin with normal seating and no airconditioning. There are ventilators on the ceiling when it is a bit too hot in the cabin.

Pullman seats are a little bit more comfortable but don’t expect a full recline of the seat. The benefit of Pullman class in airconditioning.

Last we have the bedroom (dormitorio). An interesting option for many because you can sleep comfortably during the night. There is space for two persons.

On top of that, there is a restaurant-bar on the train. You need to make a reservation for dinner. The menu has for example, chicken with cream sauce, a pasta, … in general basic plates. But you can accompany it with a good Argentinian wine 🙂

Don’t expect high comfort in general. The cabins are well maintained but they are dated for the 90s. No glamour and glitter, but a good option to cross the country.

When does the train ride?

The train departs on Fridays from Viedma and Sunday from Bariloche. Also, there is a train service on Sunday but it departs from San Antonio Oeste. Below we give you the time table overview. A complete ride will take around 13h30min.

How much does it cost?

The good thing is that you can pay it in Argentinian peso. That makes the ride even cheaper. The first-class costs around USD 18 per person, Pullman around USD 25, and the bedroom USD 34 per person.

How to make a reservation?

You can book your ticket online on Argentina’s famous website Plataforma10. Click here to go directly to the page. Also, you can make a reservation by sending a (Spanish written) mail to comercial@trenpatagonicosa.com.ar. Mention your name, date, departure location and destination, class of travel, number of passengers, and also their names, telephone number, and nationality.

You can also always go on the day itself to the train station and ask for the availability. It’s then based on good luck :-).