Argentina’s Wine Capital
Welcome to Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina. If your main goal in visiting Mendoza is to drink a ton of Malbec, then you’ve certainly come to the right place. However, definitely keep in mind that there are a lot of other things to do in Mendoza and its vicinity that will keep you busy for a while!
Mendoza truly offers something for everyone. For the passionate wine enthusiasts, there are more than 1,200 wineries at your disposal. If you’re an adventurous trekker, it’s your lucky day – Mendoza is only a few hour drive from Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas! Or perhaps you’re looking for a relaxing escape and wish to enjoy some of Mendoza’s hot springs. Whatever you want, Mendoza has it!
In this post, we’ll dive into the best things to do in Mendoza City and follow that with all of the amazing experiences in Mendoza province. Then, we’ll wrap up with some fun logistics! Let’s get into it!
Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase.
The Best Things to do in Mendoza City
1. Plaza Independencia
Plaza Independencia was our favorite spot to visit in Mendoza City. It houses the Museum of Modern Art, the Artisanal Fair, and a nice fountain as well as the massive Mendoza letters. You’ll inevitably find yourself strolling through this plaza if you stay more than a few hours in Mendoza! Mendoza also has some amazing smaller plazas, like Plaza de España and Plaza Italia! We recommend just wandering around the city to discover all of these green spaces.
2. San Martin Park
San Martin Park is absolutely massive. It houses 2 soccer stadiums, a pond, a rowing club, a museum, a huge amphitheater, 2 schools, various roadways, various walking and hiking trails, at least two bmx parks, and a great lookout, called Cerro de la Gloria.
You’ll find locals going about their day, grabbing an ice cream or beer on the way home from work, kids playing sports, or soccer fans cheering on their favorite team. Cerro de la Gloria is a great lookout that you can get to via a Mendoza city bus or a 15 minute hike from the bottom. It’d be hard to explore the entire park during your first visit to Mendoza, but try to walk around the pond and hike up the Cerro de la Gloria!
3. Aristides Villanueva
Aristides Villanueva is the street where people come to have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere. The main area stretches a few blocks and is lined with breweries, restaurants, and cafes, most of which have outdoor seating. We loved La Berlina and Chachingo for their beer, so make sure to check them out!
4. Peatonal Sarmiento
Peatonal Sarmiento is a nice pedestrian street lined with cafes, restaurants, and bodegas offering wine tastings. Starting your day off with a coffee and breakfast here is a great way to fully enjoy Mendoza!
We were big fans of Mokka and their monster of a dish that is the croissant with avocado, ham, egg, and cheese!
The Best Things to do in Mendoza’s Surroundings
Now that we’ve covered the best things to do in Mendoza City, it’s time for its surroundings!
Outskirts: Maipú, most of the horseback riding tours, the wine museum, and Chacras de Coria are barely outside of Mendoza City and can be reached with the city buses.
Full Day Trips: Visiting Uco Valley, Aconcagua, and the Cachueta Hot Springs will require either a bus from the Terminal de Ómnibus or for you to go as part of a tour!
1. Bike through Vineyards in Maipú
Doing a bike tour through the Maipú vineyards was probably our favorite activity during our time in Mendoza. Maipú is a town on the outskirts of Mendoza city with a huge concentration of vineyards. Head over to Maipu Bikes and rent bikes for $8, and get on your way! There are also olive orchards you can tour, but if you’re looking to do as many vineyards as possible, you should be able to fit five wineries into one day!
Check out our post on how to do a self-guided wine tour of Maipú!
2. Taste Wine in Uco Valley
Mendoza is obviously known as the wine region of Argentina, and the star of the show is Uco Valley. Located a little over an hour south of Mendoza city, this 100% deserves a stop in your Mendoza itinerary. Many of the wineries have drop-dead gorgeous backdrops of snow-capped mountains contrasting with the dark green vineyards.
The tastings here are more expensive than in Maipu, but amazing in every way possible. We toured Bodega La Azul and Finca Adelma which were amazing (make sure to try the Malbec Rosé at Finca Adelma!). Other popular wineries are Bodega Andeluna, Finca Sophenia, and Zorzal. If you’re passing through Tupungato on the weekends, make sure to check out La Parrilla de Tito, a family-cookout style barbeque with wine included in the meal prices!
We recommend renting a car for this trip (the wineries are all located a bit outside of Tupungato), but if not, you can take a Cata International bus that costs $2 to Tupungato from Mendoza (these are super hard to find online, so you’ll have to just buy at the bus station). From Tupungato, you can hire Rosendo (+5492622442124) to take you to the wineries. Be aware that most of the wineries in the Uco Valley will only let you in if you have a reservation, and they can be totally booked up if you wait until the last minute!
Where to Stay in Uco Valley
We spent a few nights in Tupungato, but if we weren’t ballin’ on a budget, we would have stayed at one of the amazing wineries, ranches, or camping sites. We definitely recommend renting a car in Mendoza and driving down to Uco Valley for maximum flexibility and freedom. Here are our top picks:
Uco Valley Accommodations
3. Climb the Tallest Mountain in the Americas
While summiting the tallest mountain in South America takes 18 days, a good alternative for those who want to hit the trails is to hike to the base camp – Confluencia – which takes closer to 6 hours. This guided tour will bring you from Mendoza to Aconcagua and includes a delicious BBQ lunch!
If you instead want to visit on your own, that’s certainly possible! You can book bus tickets on Andesmar from Mendoza to Puente del Inca. These buses run three times daily and take about four hours, but you’ll want to be on the first one out (which leaves at 5:55 am – though on the weekends the earliest one leaves at 7 am) to make sure you have enough time for the hike. If you want to sleep in a little more, consider staying a night or two in Uspallata. From the dropoff point in Puente del Inca, you’ll have about a 30 minute walk to the entrance of the national park!
You MUST register in advance in order to be allowed entry into the park. To do this, go to the national park’s website and select “Parque Provincial Aconcagua.” On the next screen, select the activity you want and you’ll be able to reserve spots. You’ll need to pay for your reservation at a Pago Facil, so make sure you register at least a few days in advance so you’ll have time to make the payment. Keep in mind that if you want to hike to Confluencia, the trail is only open between November 15th and April 30th. However, if the conditions are bad, the season may be cut short.
4. Horseback Riding and Wine Tour
What better way to enjoy the beautiful Mendoza landscapes than horseback riding through mountains and vineyards! This is one of the best things to do in Mendoza, and definitely worth splurging for!
- Check out this tour if you want a gourmet lunch on a vineyard!
- Check out this tour if you want a Gaucho (Argentinean Cowboy) focused tour
- If you want a multi-day horseback riding tour, book this amazing experience!
5. Cacheuta Hot Springs
Cacheuta Hot Springs is one of those things that make you think: if this was in the United States, this would cost $50+. However, for just 6 USD, you can experience this hot springs resort. People of all ages enjoy these hot springs followed by some delicious parrilla, or Argentinean barbeque. It definitely can get a bit busy, but there are tons of different pools (with different temperatures) to enjoy. This is a great place to relax, unwind, and escape the hustle and bustle of Mendoza City.
If you want a more private experience, consider staying a night or two at Termas Cacheuta Hotel & Spa!
To get to Mendoza’s Hot Springs, head to Terminal de Ómnibus where you can buy a ticket from Andesmar. The bus costs around 1.50 USD and take about an hour. The hot springs are open daily from 9 am to 6 pm and cost 6 USD to visit.
6. Chacras de Coria
Chacras de Coria is a small town on Mendoza City’s outskirts that has wineries, restaurants, and calm streets waiting to be explored. There aren’t tons of things to do here but if you’d like a change of pace, make sure to check it out! Check out La Taverna and Bodega L’Orange for great beer and wine!
To get to Chacras de Coria, you can take buses #721, #722, and #723 from downtown Mendoza for around 20 cents.
7. White-Water Rafting
Mendoza is known for its wine, and its adventure activities sometimes go under the radar. The hiking, paragliding, gorgeous mountains, and white water rafting are great activities if you want (or need!) a break from drinking wine. Check out this white water rafting tour down the Mendoza river!
8. National Wine Museum
Obviously there’s going to be a wine museum in the wine region of Argentina! This museum, located in Maipú, showcases the history and insights into the wine growing and harvesting in the early days. They even offer wine tastings accompanied by a guided tour!
The National Wine Museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am to 2:30 pm on Saturdays, and 10 am to 1 pm on Sundays.
Where to Stay in Mendoza
The best area of Mendoza to stay in is the city center, close to Plaza Independencia. Mendoza is a super cheap place to stay – we got a really nice apartment close to the center and only paid 20 USD per night!
Mendoza Accommodations
How to Get to Mendoza City
By Plane
The most common way to get to Mendoza City is flying into its international airport. Aerolineas Argentina is the most popular airline, and you can book cheap flights on Skyscanner!
From the airport, you can take bus #72 which you can catch by walking out the ground floor and to the left. You need a SUBE card before arriving in Mendoza City if you plan on taking this bus. Check the #72 bus schedule here. This only comes every 1.5-2 hours so take a taxi (also called “remis”) or book this private transfer if you don’t want to wait!
We do not recommend walking further away from the airport to catch a different bus. We did this and it was a sketchy area. Someone even stopped their car to tell us to be careful because the area was dangerous!
By Bus
Mendoza City is accessible by bus from various other cities in Argentina, like Bariloche, Buenos Aires, and El Chalten, as well many places in Chile. While the bus rides can be long, they can save you a fortune! Book your city-to-city buses here!
How to Get Around Mendoza
It’s super easy to get around the city of Mendoza, including into the outskirts to spots like Maipu and Chacras de Choria. The best way to get around Mendoza is to use the public transportation, which consists of city buses that use the SUBE card. If you’ve been to other spots in Argentina like Buenos Aires and Bariloche, then you may already have one! If not, you’ll definitely want to buy one here and load your card up. Rides typically cost about 30 cents.
To use the buses in Mendoza, you need a SUBE card. Find places to buy and recharge your SUBE card using this map. Worst case scenario, you can pay someone to use their SUBE card, but this is not a guaranteed option. Make sure to wave down the bus so it stops, and scan your SUBE to pay. When it’s almost time to get off, press the button on the railings near the rear door to alert the driver to stop at the next stop.
Where to Eat and Drink in Mendoza City
- Mokka: For delicious breakfast sandwiches, and cool co-working space
- Casa Vigil: For a winery with delicious food
- Chachingo Craft Beer: For a cheap happy hour with good craft beer!
- Yeka Food Market: Outdoor food court with food trucks and good vibes!
- Bodega Lopez: For a free tour and wine tasting!
Keep Exploring the Mendoza Province…
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
