Mendoza.
Mendoza sits 1,000 kilometres west of Buenos Aires, reached in two hours by air, at the foot of the Andes. It is defined by irrigated oasis viticulture and wood-fired asado cooked over old vine cuttings. Mendoza is worth visiting if you want unhurried multi-course vineyard lunches, world-class Malbec, and quiet leafy plazas fed by mountain snowmelt canals. Look elsewhere if you want dense metropolitan nightlife, rapid cross-valley trains, or coastal scenery.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026
Build a Mendoza itinerary.
Choose up to 4 threads that pull you in. Your plan arrives organised around them.
The Bed
Where to stay in Mendoza
Which part of town to book, and what each one costs you in walking, noise or quiet.
The Comparison
Mendoza, or somewhere near it
The places you are realistically choosing between, and the honest case for each.
The Local Record
Where to read more about Mendoza
The blogs, boards, guides and operators worth bookmarking.
What to do in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Life in Mendoza moves to the rhythm of the irrigation acequias and the midday siesta. The city itself is laid out around five wide squares, dominated by the green canopy of Plaza Independencia, while the real action unfolds out in the surrounding vine corridors. Days revolve around leisurely four-course bodega lunches, afternoons avoiding the desert heat, and late evening dinners along Calle Arístides Villanueva. It suits travellers who appreciate unhurried tables.
24 hours in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Spend the morning tasting Malbec and olive oils in nearby Luján de Cuyo, a thirty-minute drive south. Linger over a four-course wood-fired asado lunch among the vines, then return to the city for a sunset walk through Parque General San Martín before empanadas and fernet on Calle Arístides. Select 1 Day above to see it.
2 days in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Head ninety minutes south into the high-altitude Uco Valley. Visit modern architectural cellars in Tupungato and Gualtallary, where vines grow above 1,200 metres against sheer Andean walls. Eat slow-braised ossobuco or trout with views of snowcaps, returning for a quiet coffee on Plaza España. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
3 days in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Take the mountain road on Ruta 7 towards the Chilean border. Stop at the turquoise Potrerillos reservoir, soak in the rock pools at Cacheuta, and view the southern face of Aconcagua from the national park trailhead before an evening of local goat cheese and Syrah in Chacras de Coria.
Mendoza Wine Country Argentina itineraries by interest
Wine & Vineyards in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Taste old-vine Malbec, Torrontés, and Cabernet Franc across the alluvial terroirs of Luján de Cuyo and the high-elevation slopes of Gualtallary.
Open-Fire Cooking in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Sample beef ribs, chorizo, and sweetbreads blistered over jarilla wood and grapevine embers at traditional country bodegas and family parrillas.
Mountain Landscapes in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Drive the winding Ruta 7 past the red rock canyon of Potrerillos and the dramatic bulk of Mount Aconcagua near the border with Chile.
City Parks in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Stroll beneath towering plane trees along the avenues of Parque General San Martín, designed by Carlos Thays, out to the boating lake.
Regional Markets in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Browse dried oregano, local goat cheeses, and spiced empanadas mendocinas baked in clay ovens at Mercado Central on Calle Las Heras.
Olive Groves in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Sample cold-pressed Arauco and Arbequina olive oils with warm crusty bread at heritage family mills across the dry plains of Maipú.
Modern Architecture in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Tour dramatic concrete and stone cellars that blend directly into the Andean foothills across Tupungato and San Carlos in the Uco Valley.
River & Waterways in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Raft the class-three rapids of the Mendoza River or kayak across the calm turquoise waters of the Potrerillos reservoir dam.
Thermal Springs in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Soak in tiered outdoor mineral pools carved into mountain rock alongside the river at the historic Termas de Cacheuta complex.
Cycling Routes in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Pedal along quiet poplar-lined gravel tracks between historic cellars and olive groves along the flat lanes of Chacras de Coria.
Horse Riding in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Ride criollo horses through high mountain pastures and scrubland with local gauchos near the foothills of the Cordón del Plata.
Local Bakeries in Mendoza Wine Country Argentina
Stop for morning medialunas, tortitas mendocinas folded with beef fat, and dulce de leche pastries at neighbourhood panaderías.