A Local’s Guide to Mendoza - What to See & Do
Mendoza, in the heart of wine country in western Argentina, has what I’d consider the best quality of life anywhere in Argentina and South America, and it is a wonderfully hip and trendy city with easy access to nearby nature and some of the best wineries in the country.
The city itself is extremely pleasant – there’s lots going on culturally and gastronomically, and you have everything you’d hope for from a modern city, but the atmosphere is just peaceful and serene. You’ll never get bored here, but you’ll also never be overwhelmed.
And whenever you tire of city life, the foothills of the Andes mountains await you just outside of town, offering up incredible opportunities for trekking, kayaking and rafting, horseback riding, mountaineering, and in winter, even skiing. And to top it all off, less than 200 kilometers away is Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the western hemisphere. So if you’re after adventure and outdoor pursuits, you’ll find them here.
As if that weren’t already enough, this is also the area where you’ll find Argentina’s best and most innovative wineries. The countryside outside of Mendoza has almost too many vineyards to count, and you’ll find a marvelous selection of wines across them all, perhaps none better than the best Malbec in the world, hailing from Bodega Dante Robino.
Mendoza is one of my favorite places on earth, and I would move here in a second if I could. It has the perfect blend of urban and country, with an easygoing city vibe complemented by a deep appreciation for the wine, views, and adventure right at its doorstep.
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Table of Contents
Why visit?
Where is Mendoza and how to get here
How long to spend
When to visit
Where to stay
Restaurants and dining
What to see and do
Wineries to visit
How to spend 4 days in Mendoza
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Why visit?
Mendoza itself is a pleasant small city with pretty squares and parks, tree-lined streets (over 50,000 trees in the city!), a host of terrific restaurants, and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. It’s also the perfect base from which to explore the nearby wineries of the Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley wine areas and the foothills of the Andes mountains.
Beyond the city proper, the province of Mendoza is simply spectacular, and it offers an almost absurd number of attractions.
First, as I’ve already mentioned, you have the best wineries in the country here (there are more than 800 in total!), and you can easily plan multiple days of cruising along the well-organized wine routes.
And while many people come to Argentina for the mountains (which aren’t far away here, of course), the scenery among the wineries is actually far more like Tuscany, in Italy. It’s a bucolic land of gently rolling hills covered in grape vines. Driving through it is wonderful.
But it’s not just about the wine, so if you want to mix in more active pursuits, there is no shortage of options. During warmer times of year, you can visit lakes and rivers and go swimming, kayaking, or rafting. Or you can head into the mountains and spend days trekking or climbing. There are also great roads and trails for mountain biking, and lots of areas where you can go horseback riding, either for short stints or on multi-day trips.
And come winter, the mountains see plenty of snow, which in Argentina means only one thing: skiing. There are a number of great ski resorts throughout the province, so a winter visit typically entails busy days spent out on the slopes and leisurely evenings around a warm fire eating great food and sipping local wine.
There are also thermal baths here, so when you’re ready to really relax, they’ll be waiting for you.
And I can’t possibly finish extolling Mendoza’s virtues without also mentioning that this part of Argentina has by far the best cuisine in the country, so no matter what you do during your visit, plan to always eat heartily.
Downtown Mendoza
Where is Mendoza?
The province of Mendoza, highlighted in red. Photo: TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mendoza is located in western Argentina in the Cuyo region, just to the east of the Andes Mountains. The province of which it is a part (these lie within the regions), is also called Mendoza and has a population of about 2 million and is constantly growing.
This part of the country is best known for its wineries, and they, along with the tourism that they bring, are the primary economic driver. While the mountains are always in view and never far away, the city itself is surrounded by their foothills moreso than actual mountains, and the landscapes here are characterized by rolling hills, an abundance of lakes, and lovely forests.
Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas, is under 200 kilometers away, and is another major draw for tourism, bringing hikers and mountaineers who come to summit it.
How to get here
Mendoza has an airport (El Plumerillo International Airport), but if you’re coming from anywhere outside of Latin America, you will need to first fly to Buenos Aires, and then catch a direct connecting flight here. The flight takes 2 hours and there are multiple daily departures, often for very affordable rates.
If you’ll already be in Argentina or elsewhere in Latin America, you may actually find direct flights to Mendoza, as it has connections with a host of other cities in the region.
By bus from elsewhere in Argentina: Mendoza is also well connected by bus from other destinations throughout Argentina, and you’ll find buses traveling here from just about every other city in the country that’s within a reasonable distance.
These are typically comfortable coach buses, and for longer journeys, you’ll have the option of an overnight sleeper, with various classes of service.
How long to spend
To get the most out of a visit here, I would suggest staying for around 4 days, as this gives you time to explore the city itself and make day trips out to the surrounding wineries, Uco Valley, and the Andes, which is really why you come here!
Mendoza itself is small and doesn’t have any must-see sights, so you can easily explore it in a morning or afternoon, leaving the rest of your time for winery visits and outdoor excursions. With so many options, you’ll really want multiple days for this, as that will let you intersperse wine touring with some time in nature; hiking in the Andes foothills, horseback riding, going rafting/kayaking, mountain biking, and visiting the thermal baths.
You’ll also want time to lounge in the city. There’s nothing really to see, but it’s exceedingly pleasant to stroll around and it’s full of great cafes and restaurants. In my opinion, a visit to Mendoza is all about simply enjoying yourself and your surroundings, so it’s best to take things slow and savor them.
You could easily base yourself in Mendoza for your entire stay, but you might really enjoy splitting your time between the city and then somewhere out in nature, either a vineyard/hotel in the Uco Valley or somewhere in the foothills of the Andes.
When to visit
For me, Mendoza is at its most pleasant from late summer into early fall (late February through April) when warm, but not scorching weather coincides with the wine harvest. This is a great time to be outdoors, including in the nearby Andes, and out touring vineyards. The city itself is also very pretty in the fall, as the tens of thousands of trees that line its streets start to change colors and to litter the streets and sidewalks with fallen leaves.
If you’re coming to enjoy wine touring, March and April are the two main harvest months in Mendoza, so can be a particularly interesting time to be here. The weather is ideal for outdoors activities like hiking, horseback riding, and white water rafting, all of which are accessible within an hour or two from Mendoza. However, it’s an expensive time of year to be here.
Late spring is also a very nice period (mid-October through the end of November) as you get mostly good weather coupled with blooming flowers in the mountains and valleys. Vineyards are also bright and active as the growing season gets underway. You do have to accept the occasional risk of rain, though.
In general, temperatures in Mendoza are relatively mild, rarely descending below 0°C, and rarely rising about around 35°C, meaning that it’s never really unpleasant here. Summers can be very hot, however.
Summer (December thru February) is also a fine time to visit so long as you can deal with a bit of heat and make all yours bookings well in advance. Summer is high season here, so you also have to accept that prices will be high and there will be lots of other visitors out and about.
Although I don’t find winter (June, July, and August) to be a very nice time to visit, you do have good ski resorts near to the city, meaning that skiers will have plenty to do even over the winter. That said, the vineyards will not be very pretty with no leaves and you won’t be able to get out into the Andes as the mountains will be snowed in and often impassable.
Where to stay
Hotel and Spa Termas de Cacheuta. Photo: Aeveraal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In general, unless you’re only here for 2-3 few days, I recommend choosing two bases in different areas, as this will let you do a bit of everything while minimizing driving times: city sightseeing, wine touring, and long days in the outdoors.
Personally, I think a good combination is to stay in Mendoza city for 2 or 3 days and then spend another 2 days or so out in one of the wine regions or a small town with good access to the stunning nature of the region.
Mendoza city - urban life
If you want to stay in the city, central Mendoza has many options, from hostels to boutique hotels, big corporate chains, and plenty of short-term apartment rentals.
As I’ve said throughout this article, the city won’t blow your mind, but it’s a nice place that’s very pleasant to explore, and it is within easy driving distance of many wineries and beautiful natural areas.
El Portal Suites: I stayed here recently and really liked it. It’s an apart-hotel, so the rooms are basically full apartments, with decently equipped kitchens. and I entirely recommend it. Very centrall located, right opposite Chile Square on Necochea street.
Luján de Cuyo - good wineries close to Mendoza
If you’re mostly visiting to tour wineries, I would probably suggest staying in the countryside in the Luján de Cuyo, the wine region closest to Mendoza. You’ll be in the middle of tons of wineries but will always be close enough to Mendoza to pop in for lunch, dinner, or to do some shopping in town.
Valle de Uco - for luxury and exclusive wineries
The Valle de Uco, which has more exclusive wineries and what I think are even prettier landscapes than Luján de Cuyo, is another common and excellent choice, but just be aware that if you stay here, you will be too far from Mendoza city and many other natural areas in the province to comfortably visit them. So, this is a good base for a few days of wine touring, but I wouldn’t make it my home base for my entire visit.
Many of the wineries have luxurious on-site hotels, so if you can afford it, they are really lovely. Just be aware that this is the most expensive area in Mendoza, so prices will be “elevated”.
Andeluna Winery Lodge (in the Tupungato are) is one of the best places to stay in the Uco Valley, with very nice, chic cottages. The common areas are beautiful, as are the grounds. The restaurant is great too.
Potrerillos - nature and glamping
The town of Potrerillos, and specifically its El Nido glamping domes, is somewhere that I love and it’s a great spot if you want to disconnect and enjoy some blissful days in nature.
El Nido: these luxurious glamping domes are the perfect place to stay if you want to be in the middle of nature but without sacrificing comfort. They are totally comfortable, the onsite pool is gorgeous, and breakfast is lovely. They can also prepare lunch and dinner for you as well.
Las Leñas resort/Los Molles - for a winter ski trip
If you visit Mendoza in winter, you’re probably here to ski, so staying right at Las Leñas on the ski slopes is a pretty obvious choice. However, while there are lots of hotels on the mountain, they are a bit outdated, can be very expensive, and it gets super overcrowded on weekends and during the winter holiday.
So, I think a better bet is to head out to Los Molles, which are these lovely cottages about 10 miles away from Las Leñas. They have wonderful views of the mountains and great hotel-like services, but with the benefit of your own private, fully-equipped mountain cottage. The onsite restaurant is really good too, with excellent homemade food.
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Restaurants and dining
Days of wine touring or excursions out in nature should of course be paired/rewarded with great food, and thankfully, Mendoza has lots of that.
There are many really good restaurants in the city proper, and you’ll also find tons of great places all along the wine route (and at the wineries themselves, of course).
The Michelin guide came to Buenos Aires and Mendoza in 2023, and they went through reviewing and awarding the best spots, after which the food scene exploded, with lots of investment, lots of tourism, and less positively, somewhat higher prices.
Restaurants in Mendoza
Fuente y Fonda: this is one of the most local and traditional places to eat in town and they do a fixed price menu that is very abundant. Everything is homemade and it’s served family style, with big platters that everyone at the table shares.
Azafrán, with its Michelin star, is the most sought after restaurant in Mendoza, and with good reason. Great, innovative food in a lovely setting. It’s expensive, of course, but if you have the budget, be sure to go. Reservations need to be made well in advance.
My favorites in the surrounding countryside
Brindillas Restaurant: Recently awarded a Michelin star, this is a nice place in the Luján de Cuyo that does 8 and 11 course fixed menus for around $50 USD per person.
Casa Vigil: Located in the winery of the same name, this is a beautiful restaurant that serves good Italian food in a very artistc/design-focused space.
Ruda cocina: In the Tupungato area of the Valle de Uco, this is a delightful restaurant with extremely tasty, creative and modern food cooked up by a very well-known chef. It’s best to come during warmer times of year as most of the tables are outdoors. The views of the mountain are stunning. Prices are high, so take a look before booking to make sure you can swing it.
Bodega La Azul: Also in the Tupungato area, the restaurant has great views of the mountains and they serve traditional food with modern twists. Wine is free and unlimited, so you can drink as much as you like.
La Central Vermutería: this is a classic bar in Mendoza city, both for drinking vermouth (very typical) and cocktails. Right next to Independencia square, it’s a great bar to have an aperitif before dinner.
Aristides Street: This is the nightlife street in Mendoza and it’s absolutely filled with bars, pubs, and restaurants. It’s lots of fun for a night out.
What to see and do
Downtown Mendoza, seen from the Gomez building. Photo: Itsmemarttin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mendoza is simply a charming city, and for me to say that, as a born and bred Porteña (Buenos Aires resident), means a lot. This is the only other city in Argentina where I would happily live, as I think it just has a wonderful energy and atmosphere.
Busy enough but not never hectic, plenty to see and do but never too many options, and of course, unbelievable access to wineries and the outdoors. What more can you ask for?!
Of course, the city itself is rarely the highlight of anyone’s trip here and it’s almost never the primary reason for visiting the area, so in the list below I’ve included tons of things to see and do throughout the province of Mendoza in addition to the main sights within the city proper.
1. Go for a walk through Mendoza’s 5 squares
The fountain in Plaza Independencia. Photo: HoracioGarro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Plaza San Martín. Photo: ArgentinaWineTourism…, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mendoza’s city center has 5 pretty squares, 4 of them laid out equidistant from each other and surrounding the largest of the 5, Plaza Independencia. Each square is very different, and all are quite pleasant.
I think you should walk between all four of them (Plaza Chile, Plaza San Martin, Plaza Italia, and Plaza España, and then walk into Plaza Independencia, which is the city’s central meeting place.
2. Take a bike ride in Parque General San Martin
The lake in the park. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Parque San Martin is the main park in Mendoza and it is huge! There are miles of running and biking trails, a rose garden, a little lake, and plenty of little restaurants and kiosks for a snack (a choripan is always a good idea!) or wine/coffee/beer.
A tall hill in the park, crowned by a statue of General San Martin on the horse with which he crossed the Andes, affords great views of the Andes Mountains. The park is just at the edge of the city center, so it’s easy to get to with a bike, which in my opinion is the best way to explore it.
3. Go window shopping on Avenida Las Heras
Shops on the corner of Avenida Las Heras and Avenida España. Photo: Ccarosio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
Right in the center of town, Avenida Las Heras is a pleasant street with lots of shops and boutiques. It also has a number of good leather stores, many of which make custom goods.
4. Try some local specialties at the Mercado Central
This food market is also on Avenida Las Heras and has a number of little shops, restaurants, and vendors mostly selling local food products. It’s a good place to try some snacks, buy souvenirs, or grab lunch.
5. Go bar hopping on Calle Aristides Villanueva
In the southern part of the city center, this pretty street is quiet in the daytime, but gets busy in the evenings, and outright thumping on weekend nights. It’s full of restaurants, craft breweries, and cocktail bars, and is your best bet for a little nightlife while in town.
6. Visit wineries in Lujan de Cuyo
If you’re in town because you love wine routes and vineyards, this area is just a 40 minute taxi away from Mendoza city. It is the closest area where wine is produced and you can easily book a visit at a winery of your choosing, which should include a tour of the grounds, an expalantion of the production process, and a tasting.
Most of the wineries have restaurants and offer lunch (often with excellent food), so you should absolutely plan to have lunch in amongst the grape vines. One of my personal favorites is Bodega Santa Julia, which is a family run place with a very local style and warm atmosphere.
7. Visit wineries in the Uco Valley
A bit further from the city, the Valle de Uco is home to some of Argentina’s most prestigious wineries. Hilly and surrounded mountains, the big green and open fields, often lined by elegant trees, makes you feel a bit as if you’re in Tuscany.
During the last few years it has become especially hip and trendy, so you’ll find many excellent wineries that are also boutique hotels with spa services, all different manner of tours and excursions, and even in-house barbecue masters.
Some of the boutique wineries are much more exclusive, so advance reservations for wine tastings and lunch are a must (and may not always be available to just anyone). Expect for wines and meals to be significantly more expensive than in Lujan de Cuyo.
8. Do a self-guided bike tour of the vineyards
A favorite for young people is often to visit the wineries of Lujan de Cuyo by bike from Mendoza. Any cycle rental place will be able to show you the possible routes and tell you about which wineries will let you just drop in for an impromptu tasting.
This is a very fun and active way to tour some wineries, and it lets you do so without having to ever get in a car.
9. Relax in the Termas de Cacheuta hot springs
Photo: Elvis Boaventura, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Close to the city, the lovely natural hot springs of Cacheuta are a great half-day or full-day experience from the city. The spa is set in a gorgeous natural setting amidst canyons and mountains and offers pools of different temperatures, as well as massages and other spa services, and a good on-site restaurant.
There’s even a hotel, so if you want to stay overnight, that’s an option.
10. Raft, kitesurf, or hike in Potrerillos
Potrerillos Reservoir
The tiny little town of Potrerillos is just an hour west of Mendoza, but the landscape changes dramatically as you start to climb into the foothills of the Andes. The Mendoza River offers class 3 rapids that are ideal for families with kids or people who just want a “chill” experience on the river.
The Embalse Potrerillos (Potrerillos reservoir) has gorgeous water that’s swept by strong winds, making it ideal for kitesurfing and windsurfing. You can also rent kayaks to get out on the water, a highlight of which is usually a paddle through a submerged forest.
Potrerillos Explorers is a tour operator that has operated in the area for over a decade and they offer 2-hour and 4-hour rafting experiences, as well as lots of other outdoor adventuress.
While active pursuits on the lake and in the mountains are the main draw here, I think staying overnight is also worthwhile, as there are these gorgeous luxury glamping domes, called El Nido, right in the area. A stay in them affords incredible views of the night sky, and a chance to revel in the silence of undisturbed nature and the immensity of the mountains.
11. Go horseback riding
Photo: Almonroth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you want to go horseback riding, you’re spoiled by options in/around Mendoza. Close to town, some wineries even offer horseback riding through the vineyards and you also have tour operators that offer guided winery tours on horseback.
For a more rugged experience, you can drive off into the Andes, either in Potrerillos or deeper, and go for anything from half-day to full-day and even multi-day horseback rides through the mountains. There are also plenty of estancias (ranches) that offer horseback riding, usually paired with a good local asado (barbecue) lunch.
12. Hike to Mt. Aconcagua base camp (Confluencia Hike)
Photo: Dmitry A. Mottl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This one is a bit of a long day, but very much worth it. Mt. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, rising to a bit over 6,200 meters. Many trekkers come to this area and spend weeks here training to summit the mountain. A 6,000 meter summit isn’t on the cards for most people, but a moderate day hike to the Mt. Aconcagua base camp at Confluencia should be!
The hike takes 4-6 hours and begins in Parque Provincial Aconcagua, about 2.5 hours away from the city. It’s a lovely hike in the Andes with great views and is entirely doable on your own, provided you have a bit of hiking experience. You’ll drive the gorgeous RN7 route on your way here, passing through towns like Potrerillos and Uspallata.
13. Drive the stunning Ruta Nacional 7 (RN 7)
Puente del Inca archaeological site
Even if you’re not planning on hiking or doing any outdoors activities in the Andes, you should drive this beautiful route. Cruising through the Andes mountains and passing by lakes, rivers, and snowcapped peaks, it’s one of the most beautiful drives in South America!
You can pick up the road right outside of Mendoza and just drive west towards Chile, stopping and turning back whenever you’d like.
Be sure to stop at the Puente del Inca archaeological site, one of few Inca sites in Argentina!
15. Skiing in Las Leñas (in wintertime)
Honestly, you’re probably not planning a winter visit to Mendoza, or Argentina more broadly, but in case you are, Las Leñas is a well-known resort with very solid skiing. It’s about 3 hours from Mendoza, so is most definitely not day trip territory though.
This is a very trendy spot that’s popular with Argentines from other parts of the country, especially with posh Porteños who come here to see and be seen. Because of the sort of odd social scene, as well as the high prices that come with rich Porteños, you typically won’t find that many locals here, as they prefer to cross the Andes and go skiing in Chile.
The peak season for skiing usually starts around June and continues through mid-September.
16. Atuel Canyon and San Rafael city
Photo: Mauricio V. Genta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is really too far away to be a day trip (3 hours each way by car), but I’ve included both the Atuel Canyon and San Rafael because they are really lovely places and should absolutely be included for anyone with more time in their itinerary. This is an especially popular summer destination for Argentines (December through March), who swarm here to enjoy the scenery and do watersports on the Atuel River.
San Rafael is a charming little city, kind of like an even more laid-back version of Mendoza, but with its own unique vibe. Being surrounded by vineyards, you can also do some wine tasting here.
The nearby Atuel Canyon is the real reason to come though, with its massive red rock walls that rise straight up all around you and the river of the same name that winds its way between them. The river has a good set of rapids, so rafting is of course an option here, but there’s also kayaking and catamaran rides on the calmer sections.
There are tons of hiking trails too, usually with great views of the canyon, and plenty of opportunities to grab a bike and cycle through the canyon and many side canyons that branch off from it. And for less active minded travelers, there’s a dirt road that runs through the canyon, so if you have a 4x4 vehicle, you can enjoy a leisurely drive through, stopping off wherever looks cool.
Wineries to visit
As I wrote above, there are over 800 wineries around Mendoza, so the number of options is genuinely overwhelming. And while I like wine, I’m not an oenophile, so I certainly wouldn’t claim to be able to recommend “the best” wineries in the region.
With that said, the list below just includes some of the places that I’ve most enjoyed visiting. Many of them are very well-known, so be aware that these aren’t by any means hidden spots where you won’t find other tourists. Some are small and family run, while others are big commercial enterprises, but all of them have beautiful grounds, good wine, and are very fun to visit.
Bodega Santa Julia
In the Luján de Cuyo, just a 40-minute drive from central Mendoza, you’ll find this very famous and very popular winery. They produce simple table wines that are sold in supermarkets and bars/restaurants throughout the country, and are known as an affordable producer accessible to normal people.
The winery is totally unpretentious, and the atmosphere, from the grounds to the staff, is informal and warm. They produce what we call vino de mesa, which is an everyday type of wine that you’d drink at home with lunch or dinner.
They also grow olives and produce olive oil (their brand is the ubiquitous “Zuelo”), and you can do tastings of that as well.
Not boutique or high-level by any means, but it’s a good place to start off your wine touring.
Bodega Richitelli
This is my second favorite winery in the region, but for very different reasons. While Santa Julia is the family style place producing good, traditional table wines, Richitelli is an innovative winery that makes really interesting, experimental, and mostly organic wines.
The grounds are beautiful, with very cool modern architecture, a chic vibe, and incredible views. And the restaurant serves incredible food, so if you visit, absolutely plan to have a meal here.
Casa Vigil Bodega
The backstory for this winery is very fun, as the founder designed the place based in part on Dante’s Divine Comedy, which was a book that his Italian grandfather often read to him during his childhood.
Whether that interests you or not, this is an exquisitely stylish place with excellent wine, a great restaurant, and a very fittingly Italian vibe. It’s another of the most famous wineries in the region.
Bodega Zuccardi
In the Uco Valley (farther away from Mendoza) Zuccardi has received a lot of attention in recent years as well as a fair deal of awards. A very modern and luxurious place, the architecture here seems to have been inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and it’s really impressive.
Every detail has been poured over painstakingly and you can absolutely tell - the grounds are incredible, as are the mountain landscapes around them.
They are constantly experimenting with different materials and processes to produce new wines, and you may notice that the profiles here are rather different from in the Lujan de Cuyo, as the minerals in the soil are very different, being much closer to the mountains.
Bodega La Azul
Also in the Valle de Uco, this is really good spot to come if you’re visiting with friends and are looking to drink a lot of wine! They have packages that include unlimited food and drink, and it’s very common for big groups to come here and hang out, spending a day feasting and drinking (probably a bit too much!).
You need to book well in advance.
How to spend 4 days in Mendoza
Here’s a potential 4-day itinerary:
Day 1
Enjoy a winery tour and lunch at El Enemigo winery, located in the Luján de Cuyo area. Spend the early afternoon driving around the general area, which is very scenic. You can also look on a map and pop into some other nearby wineries if you want to try more wine.
In the evening, explore Mendoza city, including its 5 main squares, Avenida Las Heras, and the dining/nightlife street of Aristides Villanueva. Have dinner at Fuente y Fonda in town and a nightcap of vermouth at the aptly named La Vermuteria bar.
Day 2
After breakfast, go for a short morning bike ride up to Parque General San Martin and catch a great view of the Andes Mountains. After, leave Mendoza city behind and do some more wine touring.
If you’re feeling up for it, you can do a winery tour of Mendoza’s closest wineries (in Lujan de Cuyo) all by bike. Bike rental places always have maps for this and can explain in more detail. It’s a very nice way to be active and enjoy some wine without ever needing to get in the car.
If bike touring isn’t on the cards, consider taking a drive (or a tour) to the Uco Valley to see wineries that are a bit different. Higher in altitude and closer to the Andes, many of these wineries are very design-focused and they produce very high-quality wines, a bit different from those lower in altitude.
Many wineries double as boutique hotels/ranches, and they’ll often offer lots of different experiences at them.
In the evening, enjoy some more time at leisure in Mendoza – grab a coffee or a beer and people watch - and then head to dinner at the terrific Azafran restaurant.
Day 3
Spend a day out in nature in the Potrerillos area, about 1 hour from Mendoza. Here you have the Embalse Potrerillos (a reservoir caused by the damning of the river of the same name) where you can go walking, windsurfing, or kayaking, always with stunning views of the glacially-fed waters.
The Mendoza river, which runs through here, also has class 3 rapids, and operators like Potrerillos Explorer offer half-day and full-day rafting excursions. Most tour operators (and hotels in the area) can also help arrange horseback riding, hiking, or mountain biking excursions.
For a unique experience within nature, stay the night at the El Nido Domes luxury glamping hotel, which is unlike anything else in the area.
Day 4
I would spend today partaking in more outdoors activities, perhaps a half-day horseback ride with an included Argentine asado (barbecue). In the afternoon, head over to the Termas de Cacheuta spa to relax and pamper yourself.
The baths are located in the middle of colorful canyons and mountains and beautiful does not even begin to describe the location. It’s a lovely way to wrap up your stay in the region!
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Argentina Expert based in Buenos Aires
¡Hola y buenos días! 👋
Hi, I'm Maria, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here in Argentina for the last 20 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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