The great thing about doing an internship in Cordoba is that it’s very easy to plan little excursions to surrounding towns every weekend.

Throughout my internship, I have had the opportunity to explore various charming pueblitos. It’s not only a great way to learn more about the culture of the province of Cordoba, it also provides a great change of scenery from urban surroundings to grand vistas, panoramas, countryside, and a stark contrast in the architecture. These are also great places to buy souvenirs and gifts to bring back home.

Here’s my list of three must-see towns surrounding Cordoba:

1. Villa Carlos Paz

Villa Carlos Paz is a town that lies in the north center of the province. One of the most enchanting parts of Carlos Paz is the San Roque Lake; it’s not often that I see lakes and greenery during my internship in Cordoba, so the view was refreshing.

In addition to big parks and lakes, this town also offers a wide variety of theaters in the small downtown area, where performers host shows for limited periods of time. If you are looking to see a performance—everything from dance, gymnastics, singing, to theatre—this is the place to go.

The central area is also filled with shops with traditional foods and items of Cordoba; everything from alfajores (from famous shops such as La Quinta and Chammas) and miniature bottles of Fernet, to jars of escabeche.

2. Villa General Belgrano

The shops and architecture of this town seemed like something from a fairytale. All of the signs, doors, shops, balconies are made of wood. The forms of the houses and the stores are also more traditional. I felt like I was in a completely different country, which was a pretty interesting sensation considering we only drove an hour or so outside of Cordoba to get there.

The most fascinating aspect of my visit in General Belgrano was to see the massive influence of German culture. German food was very common in most of the restaurants and so were figures of people dressed in clothing more characteristic of that country, such as the “Oma” figure commonly stationed outside of several stores.

This town is an excellent place to go to for experiencing Oktoberfest, beer tasting, and is well known for an abundance of chocolate.

3. La Cumbrecita

In the same way that Villa General Belgrano has a strong German influence, pieces of Swiss culture are very visible in La Cumbrecita.

Another thing that makes this town quite different is that while it is full of interesting shops and hikes, no one can pass through it in a car. You have to arrive in a bus and explore the town walking.

In addition to shops with traditional souvenirs, picturesque hikes and a waterfall can also be found in this pedestrian town.