Mendoza is a beautiful province in Argentina, right at the foot of the Andes. It’s most famous as one of the best regions in the world for wine production and drinking wine is definitely one of the best things to do in Mendoza. But there is much more to do than only wine sampling in Mendoza. From amazing mountain scenery to historical sites to hot springs, there is enough to do in Mendoza to fill a few days.
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Table of Contents - 4-day Mendoza itinerary: Best things to do in Mendoza
Prices in Argentina – Note that in this blogpost, I won’t put any prices. This is because Argentina’s economy is very unstable and prices change all the time. Some prices will keep a similar value in USD or EUR, but many will not and you might get the wrong idea about cost if I put current prices in this article. It’s best to just check current prices on the websites I’ve provided or at the spot for things like car and bike rental.
Where is Mendoza
Mendoza is a province in the east of Argentina, at about the same height as Buenos Aires. The capital city of the Mendoza province is also called Mendoza. The city of Mendoza is the perfect place to base yourself if you want to follow this itinerary.
How to get to Mendoza
Mendoza is very well connected with other big cities in Argentina, like Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Bariloche. You can travel by bus or plane. There is a public bus that goes to the city center from the airport. Mendoza is also very well connected with Santiago in Chile. It’s just across the mountains and the bus ride is very scenic!
When to visit Mendoza
Mendoza is located in a desert, and it rarely rains here. This means it’s a great place to visit year-round. Summer can get very hot though, and it is also the busiest time of year. The best time of year to visit Mendoza is in spring or autumn when it’s not too hot and not too cold either. While winter days are generally quite sunny, nights can get cold. But there is great skiing and snowboarding around Mendoza, so if you’re into winter sports, winter is the perfect time to visit for you.
Where to stay in Mendoza
As most of Mendoza’s attractions are located outside of the city itself, the best place to base yourself is in the center of Mendoza, close to the bus terminal. Due to Argentina’s unstable economy prices change frequently and booking through foreign agents is often more expensive. So I don’t recommend booking through platforms like Booking or Agoda in Mendoza, or Argentina in general. You can use them to browse options, but contacting them directly will often result in better prices.
Where to eat and drink in Mendoza
Mendoza has many great places to eat and drink. The best place to go for food and/or drinks is the street Aristides Villanueva. It’s in the center and here you’ll find plenty of restaurants and bars.
A 4-day Mendoza itinerary
The four days in this itinerary include your arrival and leaving day. If you’re arriving very late or leaving very early, consider adding extra days to this itinerary. You can of course always add extra days to this itinerary and relax in the city, or sample more wines!
Day 1: Arriving and free walking tour
Try to plan your arrival in the morning, so you have enough time to enjoy today. After dropping your luggage at your accommodation, start your Mendoza visit with a free walking tour to get your bearings and all the insider information you need. Mendoza is an interesting city, with a lot of history making it quite an interesting tour.
If you can make the morning tour, grab some lunch and head to San Martin Park. This is the biggest park of Mendoza and perfect to go for a stroll and/or have a picnic. Head up to Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill) next to San Martin Park for a nice view over the city.
Day 2: Wine sampling at bodegas
Of course a visit to Mendoza is not complete without drinking some of its famous wines. You can visit bodegas by joining a tour, with your own transport, or by renting a bike and cycling through the vineyards.
With a tour
Most tours are half-day tours, visiting some bodegas and an olive plantation. These tours include guided visits to the bodegas and they normally visit different types of bodegas. Joining a tour might be the best option if you want to learn more about the process of making wines and the different types of bodegas in Mendoza. Most tours leave in the afternoon, giving you time in the morning to visit San Martin Park for example, if you didn’t have time for this on your first day in Mendoza.
By car
This might seem the most convenient option, as it gives you the most freedom to drive around. While that’s true, the driver won’t be able to sample wines! So while having a car is normally the best way to get around, in this case, I would recommend going by bike if you want the freedom of being on your own schedule.
By bicycle
I find this the best way to get around and explore Mendoza’s vineyards and bodegas. I love the freedom of being on your own schedule and just stopping for a wine wherever you see fit. If you want to know more about the wines and the winemaking process, you can join a tour at many of the bodegas themselves. Or you can just sample away. The best area to go by bike is the Maipu area. If you don’t want to cycle all the way from the center of Mendoza, you can also take a bus to Maipu and rent a bike over there. Most rental places will be able to provide you with a map of bodegas and some recommendations on where to go.
Olivares – For those who don’t drink alcohol, but still want to get to know the region, there are also many olive plantations (olivares) around Mendoza. Here you can learn about the process of making olive oil and sample both olives and oil. They offer a nice change from the bodegas for anyone, but those who don’t drink at all, could focus on olivares instead of bodegas.
Day 3: Visit Parque Aconcagua
While one day is not enough to climb the highest mountain in the Americas, it is enough to get some good views from Parque Aconcagua (Aconcagua Park).
Unfortunately, there is no public transport to Parque Aconcagua, so you will either need to rent a car or join a tour to visit. I highly recommend renting a car, as this not only provides you freedom, it’s also cheaper if you’re enough people.
In order to visit Parque Aconcagua, you will need to buy your entrance ticket beforehand, online. We arrived without a ticket and needed to buy one on the spot, which was a little complicated since they don’t sell the tickets there. You’ll need to buy it online from your phone with data, their wifi doesn’t work very well, and pay by MercadoPago or, as a foreigner, you can pay cash in the kiosk next to their office. So it’s best to just buy the ticket online, this way you’ll also be sure there are still tickets left, as daily numbers are limited.
We opted for the lake ticket, which is a good option for a day trip. From the park rangers office, you can drive to the next parking lot to start your hike. From here it’s only about 3 km to the suspension bridge, which is as far as you’re allowed to go with this ticket. While it’s only a 6 km round trip, plan more time than you would normally need. This hike is at an altitude of 2.800-3.000 meters above sea level, so you will likely feel a shortness of breath and will need to take it slower than usual. But the landscape is so beautiful, you’ll want to make many stops anyway. 😉
Summiting Aconcagua – Hiking to the top of Aconcagua is not an easy task. It takes about 2 weeks due to the acclimatization time you need during your hike. If you are interested in summiting Aconcagua, enquire at agencies who offer this experience. You will need a guide and the help of mules carrying your equipment.
On your way back, make a stop at el puente del inca (the inca bridge). These used to be hot springs open to the public, but they are closed now. Rock avalanche destroyed almost all buildings here. Weirdly enough, only the church remains intact, without a scratch. The name comes from the legend that According to legend, the Incas built the bridge formed over the river.
Day 4: Visit the Cacheuta hot springs or Potrerillos reservoir
The Cacheuta hot springs is a popular place to visit in Mendoza. While it’s a great place to visit during the colder months in Mendoza, I would not recommend it in summer. It gets very busy (especially during the holiday months of January and February) and there is no shade. There are hotter and cooler pools to enjoy, but I think Cacheuta is more of a winter destination rather than for summer.
If you’re visiting in summer, you can go for a swim in the river instead (note that the water here is very cold, it’s not like the water of the hot springs) or head to the Potrerillos Reservoir for water activities.
Both Cacheuta and Potrerillos can be reached by public transport. Andesmar makes this trip several times a day.
If you’re leaving late today or tomorrow, you can spend a few hours here before continuing to your next destination. The bus ride normally takes around 1-1.5 hours, but do note that in high season (January and February) there might be a lot of traffic on the road, making your trip substantially longer. This is especially the case when going back in the afternoon so calculate extra time and leave before the majority does.
Other things to do in Mendoza
A popular tour amongst foreign travelers is a Gaucho tour. These are mainly half-day tours, visiting a ranch where you’ll go horseback riding and have an asado with lots of wine afterward. While these tours can be very fun, it’s a very touristic tour and not your average Argentinian experience. It’s kind of like going to a tango show in Buenos Aires.
If you’re looking for a more typical way to enjoy an asado, the best way is to make Argentine friends. Or you can head to a place like Camping Las Vegas for a real Argentine weekend experience. Invite your hostel friends, buy lots of meat, mate and wine and prepare your own asado. There are parrillas (barbecues) on site and you can buy wood for the fire here as well.
History buffs might find El Manzana Historico an interesting place to visit. This was an important place for the liberation of Argentina. The drive here is beautiful and you can hike in the area as well.
This was 4-day Mendoza itinerary: Best things to do in Mendoza
