The tourist office is located in ridiculously cramped quarters in the centro cA­vico (daily 8am-9pm; tel & fax 02944/426784 or 423122; secturismo@bariloche.com.ar ). It has copies of the free monthly listings magazine for the Bariloche area, Agenda Cultural ; also worth having is a copy of the GuA­a Busch , which has good maps of the area. In addition, staff have a list of casas de familia ; and information on horseriding, as well as windsurfing and diving. Just to the south of the tourist office are two other useful places for information: the Club Andino Bariloche, 20 de Febrero 30, which is a vital port of call for trekkers; and the Intendencia of the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Av. San MartA­n 24 (8am-4pm; tel 02944/423111), which has pamphlets on all the sectors of the park, sells the ten-day park pass (the Paso Verde), and fishing permits ($10 per day in Patagonia), as well as up-to-date information on changes of status of the park's campsites. Their free Trekking de Bajo Impacto leaflet has a handy colour map of the central trekking zone, but is insufficiently detailed to be of use for route-finding.

Most of what you'll need in town can be found in the commercial area to the east of the centro cA­vico - sandwiched between the lake and Calle Elflein - plus the hilly Belgrano barrio to the southwest, which is useful for accommodation. Avenida 12 de Octubre from the terminal runs along the lake front, past the cathedral and the elevated centro cA­vico park, where its name changes to Avenida Juan Manuel de Rosas. Further west this becomes Avenida Bustillo , which runs through the western suburbs and is the start of the Circuito Chico. Running inland from the centro cA­vico, Calle Morales is the street which acts as the division for street names on an east-west axis: do not confuse the Vice Almirante O'Connor, which runs parallel with 12 de Octubre with John O'Connor, to the east of the cathedral.

For those with cars, a rather complicated parking scheme operates in the heart of the city (restrictions apply basically from Elflein and Avenida San MartA­n to the lake). After the first day in town, you must purchase a "Codigo de Barras" sticker from any kiosk, which works in conjunction with tickets for the time you need ($4 for 6hr; $8 for 10hr). Fix them in the back windscreen of your vehicle on both sides. You can move your car as often as you like within the time allotted.