Where to go in Argentina in August? Open to ideas.
 

Hey all, I've got 8 nights in Argentina in August.
I have been to Bs As five times, Iguazu twice, and Colonia in Uruguay twice. Don't need to go to any of those again. Rosario once.
While I love Buenos Aires, I was there in March this year and so don't need to spend much time there. I actually loved Rosario-- had some great food, met friendly people, it has a beautiful riverfront for jogging, an old town with good shopping.
With that in mind, what other medium-sized cities can you recommend in Argentina? I don't need to go to tourist places; in fact, I like to be in places where you can get a good "feel" of a country (I prefer Rotterdam to Amsterdam, Chicago over Los Angeles, etc).
Here are some parameters-- if Cordoba and Tucuman are nice, that's a bonus:
1) I see the Holiday Inn Cordoba is on Point Breaks now, could stay a few nights free there.
2) Hilton Garden Inn Tucuman is only 5K points/night, so also see that as a possibility.
3) I have plenty of BA and AA points for free flights using LAN. Also open to bus and train or a combination.
Will likely spend the weekend in BsAs after the flight down, just to recuperate and then will be ready to go.

So: Favorite smaller cities, and why you like them. GO!

I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks in advance.

If you liked Rosario you'll probably like Córdoba, which in my opinion is more beautiful. It has a nice old town (with some Unesco World Heritage buildings), shopping, and since it's a university city it also has many bars and clubs. Plus there are many small towns near the city that make good day trips.

Tucumán is not a great city. It's smaller than Córdoba and Rosario, and quite run down and chaotic. It has some nice surroundings (San Javier) but most of the nice places are further away, thus requiring more time than just a day trip.

May I suggest you consider Salta, which has a nice colonial old town and many attractions nearby. Since it's a very touristic place, lots of tour operators can arrange trips from there. Córdoba, in that regard, is not so touristic, so you'll have to rely on public transportation or rent a car.

You can add Mendoza too

I'd go with Salta. Or Brazil :D

Thanks for all the replies. I have to say LOL about Brazil-- I do LOVE Brazil... I have been doing more vacations there in the past few years; I guess part of is that, after 5x seeing Buenos Aires, it's definitely in decline; even the food on the past few trips seems to have fallen in quality, which is no surprise considering the horrible economy. Quality ingredients seem less commonly used. Of course you can still find good food in BsAs, I just seem to remember how easy it was to find amazing meals there, while now you do have to do your homework a bit more.
That said, I did really like Rosario. So maybe a trip with Rosario and Cordoba?
I could take the bus from BsAs to Rosario, then fly ROS-COR, and COR-AEP.

As for Brazil: Amazingly I'm still considering just arriving into EZE, and taking a later flight that day (or the next) to Rio, (where I've only been for New Year), or Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, etc.

I would fly ROS-COR only if the fare was ridiculously cheap or if, for some reason, you only consider flying. Both cities are 400km apart and connected through a very good motorway. A coach will take 6 hours or less versus some 4 hours if flying, considering getting to the airport, check-in, flight time, disembarking, etc. So while the coach takes a little longer, it's usually much cheaper. The coach stations at Rosario and Córdoba are quite central, whilst airports are far away and taxis tend to be expensive, especially in Córdoba, where they have a special (more expensive) fare for airport-downtown trips.

It's only $86 for the OW ticket, while bus is around $30-ish. I have done the 3.5 hour bus from Retiro to Rosario, and it was pretty painless; good to know that the airports are far from town!
Is there anything interesting in between the two cities?

Do you like winter sports....???

For someone who grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Minnesota (both snowy!), I am not really into winter sports, though I don't mind cold weather and love snow.

COW DO in Buenos Aires. Don't miss it.

BTW have you found any good RT fares (ideally discounted business class) from MSP to EZE?

Nope, no cheap tickets ex-MSP, almost ever. Thanks DL!
Actually I have been buying ex-AMS tickets to South America that allow stops in MSP both directions for around US$950 for summer departure, $725 for winter!

Nope. Pure pampa, flatlands full of crops and some cows. Quite similar to the landscape you saw from Buenos Aires to Rosario but with less population density. The only "big" city between Rosario and Córdoba is Villa María (roughly 100,000 inhabitants), without any touristic or historic relevance.