Colonia Suiza is the original European settlement in the Bariloche area, founded by Swiss colonists in 1895. It sits at the back of the Circuito Chico, a small cluster of wooden houses, gardens, and farm plots above the Goye lake. The settlers brought the cattle, the carpentry, and the chocolate traditions that became the city's identity.
The big draw today is the Feria Artesanal, a craft fair held in the village square every Wednesday and Sunday — wood carvings, hand-knitted wool, local cheeses, and the curanto al hoyo, a Mapuche pit-roast feast of meat and vegetables cooked under hot stones and earth, served in the early afternoon. Cars fill the road on fair days; come early.