Mendoza Travel Guide: Wineries, Food & Things to Do

by Walter
Published: Updated:

I’m born and raised Argentine, raised to have an appreciation for wine and good food. So it’s no surprise I take a trip to Mendoza every chance I get. What used to be a couple of wineries on dirt roads has transformed into a destination for wine lovers and foodies, one with more Michelin stars than Buenos Aires itself. Luján de Cuyo and Maipú have been staples of Argentine wine since the late 1800s. Valle de Uco is newer: commercial wineries there really only got going in the early 1990s, just over 30 years ago, nothing in winery years.

With the transformation came a problem: so many wineries along Mendoza’s wine trail, or Ruta del Vino, that it’s impossible to visit them all in one trip. I put together this Mendoza travel guide to help you organize yours, plus the stops beyond wine you shouldn’t miss.

All opinions are our own. Some posts on this site contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission — which I greatly appreciate, and it comes at no extra cost to you.

Short on time? Mendoza hotels we stayed in, and genuinely recommend:

Valle de Uco - La Morada Lodge. Rooms with views of the Andes, and El Hornero, a gourmet destination restaurant, right on-site.

Luján de Cuyo - Casa de Coria. Centrally located in Chacras de Coria. A boutique hotel with six rooms in a pristine landscaped setting, with a parrilla and a pool.

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A hand holds a glass of red wine at sunset, mountains and lawn behind, La Morada Lodge, Valle de Uco, Mendoza.
La tierra del sol y el buen vino at sunset.

Why Mendoza is Worth It

Mendoza doesn’t just have the elements for a great trip, it packages them into a complete world-class experience. Over the years, its wineries, hotels, retreats, gastronomy, and tours have all grown to a level of polish that can hold its own against the best in the world. I’ve been to every destination travelers typically add to a Buenos Aires trip, from Iguazú Falls to Patagonia, and I’ll keep adding them to the blog as I revisit them. Each has its own strengths, but if you’re after gastronomy and wine tours set against the Andes, Mendoza is the one.

A breaded cutlet with herb butter, roasted vegetables, and a glass of red wine, El Hornero, Valle de Uco.
Argentine cuisine at its best at El Hornero, Valle de Uco,

How Many Days in Mendoza?

This Mendoza travel guide is built for a 5-night trip, with a morning arrival on day one. Five nights gives you a good overview of the region and the chance to spend two nights in Valle de Uco. If all you have is 3 or 4 nights, base yourself in Luján de Cuyo (my recommended option) or Mendoza city, and fit in a one-day tour to Valle de Uco. Some tour options are in the affiliate links below. If possible, try to include either Salentein or Zuccardi on your Uco tour.

More nights give you the chance for horseback riding, bicycle tours, and getting closer to the Andes peaks. Either way, this setup covers the full Ruta del Vino, Mendoza’s wine trail, across all three regions.

How to Get to Mendoza?

Flying into Mendoza’s own airport (El Plumerillo, MDZ) is the most frequent and convenient way to arrive, whether you’re coming from Buenos Aires or from abroad. The airport also receives direct international arrivals from Santiago, Chile; São Paulo, Brazil; Lima, Peru; and Panama City, Panama, so a stop in Buenos Aires isn’t a requirement, useful if you’ve already visited and don’t feel the need to repeat it.

If you are coming through Buenos Aires, there are plenty of domestic flights on the national carrier, Aerolíneas Argentinas, and on budget carriers. If you’re connecting from Bariloche, direct flights run during ski season (July and August). When it comes to budget carriers, Flybondi in particular is notorious for extensive delays and cancellations, weigh any savings against that reputation.

Bus service from Buenos Aires is available for budget-minded travelers, but Mendoza sits about 1,050 km (650 miles) away, so it’s a 13 to 15 hour trip, and if you go for the most comfortable full-reclining option, the savings over flying might be marginal, depending on the season.

How to Move Around in Mendoza?

The two main options are renting a car, or using Uber and private drivers. If you’re doing the 3 nights in Mendoza/Luján de Cuyo plus 2 nights in Valle de Uco itinerary, renting a car is the way to go, you’ll have a vehicle for side trips (Potrerillos, Tunuyán, etc.). Uber isn’t available in Valle de Uco, but there are plenty of private drivers, and your hotel can recommend one. We used Ezequiel (+54 9 2622 61-1593) and can recommend him: good driver, a clean vehicle, and very knowledgeable (unbiased, not a sponsored mention).

If you’re only staying in Mendoza/Luján, Uber covers the area well and is inexpensive.

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IMPORTANT: If you plan to taste wine, hire a driver. Mendoza’s provincial blood alcohol limit for drivers is 0.5 g/L, roughly two drinks (but different for everybody), stricter than the U.S. legal driving limit of 0.08%. But Route 40, one of the main roads connecting the wine regions, is a national route and follows the rest of Argentina’s zero-tolerance law. Checkpoints operate along the wine routes.

Uco Valley: Wine at the Foot of the Andes

Valle de Uco (Uco Valley) is the youngest wine area of Mendoza. Vineyards existed here before, but commercial-scale operations only began just over 30 years ago, with pioneers like Nicolás Catena, who planted the high-altitude Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary in 1992, and Bodegas Salentein, founded in 1996 and still regarded locally as the valley’s “locomotive.”

From most of the vineyards you see the Andes’ snowcapped peaks up close, and that’s no accident. Vines here are planted between 900 and 1,500 meters (roughly 3,000 to 5,000 feet), some of the highest in the world. The thin mountain air lets in strong UV radiation, which thickens grape skins and gives the wine its deep color, richer tannins, and bold palate, reds like the valley’s signature Malbec.

The valley has distinctive terroirs, and one of the first things you learn is that the soil can change from one meter to the next. Its three sub-regions run north to south: Tupungato, the coldest and highest, home to Gualtallary’s calcareous soils and taut, mineral-driven wines; Tunuyán, centered on Vista Flores and Los Chacayes, known for elegant, aromatic Malbec; and San Carlos, the warmest and lowest, home to La Consulta’s century-old vines and Paraje Altamira’s structured, terroir-driven reds.

Vineyard rows and snowcapped Andes seen through Zuccardi's etched winery window, Paraje Altamira, San Carlos, Valle de Uco.
Zuccardi's Finca Piedra Infinita, Paraje Altamira, San Carlos.

Where to Stay in Valle de Uco?

Valle de Uco lodging is designed to blend into the landscape and deliver a holistic retreat, gastronomy, wine, and wellness together, and it doesn’t come cheap. The Vines Resort & Spa (about USD 2,000 a night) houses a restaurant by celebrated Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, and Casa de Uco (about USD 700 a night) offers a spa, wine tours, and curated activities. More modest options exist in hotels and posadas around the towns of Tunuyán and Tupungato.

We stayed at the superb La Morada Lodge. (about USD 250 a night) It’s not quite the level of luxury as some of the options above, more of a boutique experience, with rooms with large windows looking out over the vineyards and the Andes. Its restaurant, El Hornero, led by Chef Edward Holloway, was what tilted the scale on our choice, and it didn’t disappoint. We tried empanadas, a crispy and tender milanesa, a beef cut called punta de espalda cooked to perfection, and grilled vegetables. It was so good that we ended up having both our Uco Valley dinners at the hotel. 

The lodge also has a wine cellar with over 12,000 bottles, curated by sommelier and co-owner Andrés Rosberg. Ask for a visit outside the restaurant’s busy hours, it’s truly a sight.

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Wine Tasting in Mendoza: What to Expect

Most wineries in Mendoza offer full wine-tasting experiences: architectural marvels, on-site museums, and lunch decks with ample views of the vineyards and the Andes. Guides are professional, many holding sommelier certifications or degrees in oenology. In one of our tastings, we met a woman with a winemaking degree from Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. So don’t expect a casual stop for a couple of pours, like you might find in other wine regions.

Tastings here usually run to five glasses of wine, each served well above the standard tasting measure, and if you like something, you might be offered a second pour. Some include light hors d’oeuvres. Yes, the price tag for these tastings looks high at first glance, but given what’s included, it’s well worth it. They’re offered at set times, and reservations are a must. I wanted to include Bodega Catena on this trip, but even booking two months ahead, I couldn’t get a spot.

A pianist performs among towering wine barrels in Salentein's domed underground cellar, Uco Valley.
Salentein, the cellar doubles as a concert hall with perfect acoustics.

Which Wineries to Visit in Valle de Uco

During our visit to Mendoza, we wanted to include both the big names and smaller producers. Our experience confirmed that’s the right approach if you want unique wines and different perspectives. In Valle de Uco, we visited:

Zuccardi, Piedra Infinita (Infinite Stone)

This winery was first on my list. We established that Valle de Uco is the youngest wine region in Mendoza; Zuccardi Piedra Infinita is one of the youngest wineries within it, turning 10 in 2026. The vineyard in Altamira was planted on land where nothing but indigenous vegetation grew, a process that required removing over 1,000 truckloads of stone from the ground, hence the name: Piedra Infinita. It’s also a nod to a 1942 poem of the same name by Mendoza-born poet Jorge Enrique Ramponi.

Stone-clad concrete walls, a reflecting pool, and the winery's dome-shaped tank visible behind, Zuccardi Piedra Infinita, Paraje Altamira.
Zuccardi's cellar lives up to its name. Stone everywhere.

The cellar uses concrete vessels only for fermentation, no oak, no steel, with native yeast doing the work. French oak shows up only later, during aging, and never in small barrels. The emphasis stays on letting the grape and the site speak, a wine with character, a wine that tells a story. Everything here, from the architecture to the walk through the vineyards to the tasting itself, revolves around this concept.

A line from Ramponi’s poem, carved in stone at the door, sums it up: “El hombre quiere amar la piedra, su estruendo de piel áspera: lo rebate su sangre.” (Man wants to love the stone, its roar of rough skin: his own blood refutes it.) Our favorite large-winery experience on a trip where no visit disappointed.

Bodegas Salentein: Valle de Uco Veteran

Founded in 1996, Bodegas Salentein is one of the pioneers of premium, high-altitude winemaking. The property sits on a historic farm settled in the 17th century by Jesuits. The vineyards stretch across a steep elevation slope, up to 1,700 meters, giving the winery access to a variety of unique terroirs and conditions.

The architecture here also makes a statement: a cross-shaped, cathedral-like structure with an underground, amphitheater-style central cellar holding 5,000 oak barrels, where the tastings take place. Tastings in Mendoza are the luck of the draw, we would have liked to taste their signature, intense Malbec, but it wasn’t on the list. Regardless, everything we tasted was excellent, and we recommend this experience too.

An overhead view of Salentein's circular underground cellar, barrels arranged in tiers around a central amphitheater, Valle de Uco.
5,000 oak barrels, arranged in a perfect circle underground.

Del Yaucha: A Unique Experience with a Winemaker Family

Large operations like Zuccardi and Salentein, with their perfectly curated experiences, can make you lose perspective on the passion that winemaking generates in the Valle de Uco. In Argentina, any establishment producing up to 24,000 liters of wine per year is cataloged as “artisan wine,” a category that still requires a registered oenologist but carries a lighter regulatory burden. A visit to an artisanal winery is a must-stop.

Thousands of aging wine bottles stacked along a narrow cellar corridor, 'Del Yaucha' sign glowing ahead, La Consulta
Del Yaucha's cellar, thousands of bottles deep in a space this narrow.

After some research and stellar reviews on every traveler site, we went for Del Yaucha in La Consulta. You understand the passion for winemaking when you walk through the vineyards with Julián, son of Del Yaucha’s founder, who, mate in hand, explains what they do day by day and how he’s watched these vineyards grow since they bought the parcel in 2004. We tasted a harmonious Malbec Reserva, a crisp rosé, and an outstanding, well-rounded Tempranillo, all accompanied by a housemade picada (bread sticks, olives, cheeses), everything happening at someone’s home, bringing you an authentic experience. Highly recommended. Contact +54 2622 575184 / delyauchavinoartesanal@gmail.com

Two men holding wine glasses and talking outdoors, vineyard and pickup truck behind, Del Yaucha, La Consulta.
Sharing a glass with Julián, Del Yaucha's owner and manager.

Manzano Histórico: San Martín’s Glorious Renunciation

Manzano Histórico is a small town in Tunuyán, of interest both for its history and its natural beauty. The place sits in the foothills of the Andes, at 1,200 meters altitude. Irrigation from Andes snowmelt makes this area a natural oasis before the desert takes over. The Cristo de la Hermandad, a large copper-toned cross at the edge of town, marks a striking line between the green trees and the desert beyond, with a gravel road continuing toward the Andes. The place even makes it into Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle, when he arrived in Argentina after crossing the Portillo Pass (4,400 meters)

A large copper-toned metal crucifix on a stone base, dry mountains behind, at the edge of Manzano Histórico.
Cristo de la Hermandad marks the start of the arid road to Portillo Pass.

The historic significance, marked by a striking monument, is that this was the place a physically and spiritually exhausted San Martín stopped after returning from his epic campaign through the Portillo Pass. Having achieved military success in Chile and Peru, and after meeting Simón Bolívar, San Martín chose to step aside rather than risk confrontation and civil war among the new nations, what Argentina calls his Renunciamiento Glorioso, the Glorious Renunciation. The monument captures the moment he was met here by his old friend, Colonel Manuel Olazábal, who rode out to greet him: San Martín in civilian clothes, coming back humbly to his homeland.

A bronze monument with San Martín on horseback and a tall stone Liberty figure above, steps leading up, Manzano Histórico.
San Martín, in civilian clothes, received by his old friend Colonel Olazábal at Manzano Histórico.

Luján de Cuyo: The Cradle of Argentine Wine

If Valle de Uco is Mendoza’s modern, high-altitude innovation, Luján de Cuyo is tradition and history. It was established as an official winemaking region in the late 19th century and became the first DOC (controlled appellation) not just in Argentina, but in the Americas, in 1989. Some vineyards here date back more than a century and are older than most in Bordeaux, France, since Mendoza was largely spared by the phylloxera plague that wiped out Europe’s vines.

Luján de Cuyo is also home to some of Mendoza’s nicest suburbs. Places like Chacras de Coria, a small town with its own church, a square, and a bicycle path that runs through vineyards, brooks, and tall trees. Mendoza is a very nice city, but Chacras is my recommended home base for your stay in the area.

A quiet plaza with a small white chapel, red-tiled tower, and tree-lined streets, Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo.
Chacras de Coria: quiet streets, a town square, and red-tiled roofs, the perfect home base for Luján de Cuyo.

Where to Stay in Luján de Cuyo

We already established that Chacras de Coria is the right location, a conclusion that, given the sheer number of lodging options here, doesn’t feel especially original. At the top end (according to reviews), Susana Balbo Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites holds Two MICHELIN Keys, and its on-site restaurant, La VidA, carries its own Michelin Guide recommendation. It’s a Relais & Châteaux property too, rates run roughly USD 1,000 to 1,700 a night depending on room and season. From there down to lodges, posadas, and hotels with a more traditional Mendoza flair, you have no shortage of alternatives.

We stayed at Casa de Coria (USD 175 to 300 a night, depending on room and season), a boutique bed and breakfast with just 6 suites around a main house and some detached units, set in a wonderfully landscaped property with a swimming pool, outdoor and indoor sitting areas, a parrilla with outdoor seating, and a very complete, delicious breakfast. Its owner, Bruce Byers, a retired airplane pilot, former professional skier, and adventurer, is always around, ready to help with suggestions and engage in an interesting conversation. We had a great time here, and I recommend it.

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Which Wineries to Visit in Luján de Cuyo

Many big names call this stretch of Mendoza’s wine trail home, among them Catena Zapata, Nieto Senetiner, Luigi Bosca, and Lagarde, all in Luján de Cuyo. The area around Chacras de Coria also has many small producers with impressive wines and experiences of their own. Not an easy choice, here are the two we visited.

Lagarde: Lunch with Pairings

Lagarde is one of the most prestigious names in Luján de Cuyo, and like Salentein and Zuccardi, which we visited before, it’s on The World’s 50 Best Vineyards list, the annual ranking from William Reed (Zuccardi has actually graduated to the Hall of Fame, a three-time winner).

The vineyard dates from 1897, but it wasn’t until the Pescarmona family’s 1969 acquisition that it transitioned from mass production to internationally recognized wines, like their top Henry line and the more accessible Primeras Viñas.

A couple dining outdoors under a leafy vine canopy, ribeye steaks and wine glasses on the table, Fogón, Lagarde, Luján de Cuyo.
Century-old vines, ribeye steak, and Lagarde Primeras Viñas. Memorable lunch.

At Lagarde we went for the full experience: lunch at their restaurant, Fogón, under century-old vines (About USD 90 pp). It’s a 3-hour event, and you wish it would never end. Exquisite dishes built around the open-fire concept, and the best ribeye I had in Argentina this trip. Everything came with perfect, generous pairings. And worth mentioning, Lagarde’s olive oil is so good we had to bring a bottle home. This is a transcendent experience, and if you get the chance, it’s not to be missed.

Clos de Chacras: A Boutique Winery in the Heart of Chacras de Coria

For our second Luján experience, we decided to go for a renowned boutique winery. Clos de Chacras, with a production of 140,000 bottles, isn’t an artisanal producer like Del Yaucha in Uco, but it isn’t a large operation either (for comparison, Lagarde produces around 1.3 million bottles a year). We’d already tasted Uco/Luján blends at Lagarde over lunch, and at Clos we wanted to do it in a tasting environment, under the guidance of their expert oenologist.

Clos de Chacras is set in an adobe house among their vineyards. We had the tasting in a small room, just the two of us and their oenologist, and it was as enjoyable as it was educational. We tasted different vintages of their Cabernet/Merlot/Malbec blend, “Gran Estirpe,” and their 100% Malbec. The Gran Estirpe 2015 was very complex, one of the most oak-forward wines we tasted on this trip. Overall, another great experience.

Four wine bottles on a table, including two Gran Estirpe vintages and a Memorias de Ida Malbec, Clos de Chacras.
Four bottles and a personalized experience at Clos de Chacras.

Potrerillos: An Unexpected Turquoise Lake in the Andes

While Potrerillos is part of Luján de Cuyo, logistically it makes more sense as a stop on your way to Valle de Uco than a day trip from Chacras. If you decide to visit, make sure you get there via Route 82. The road on Route 82 is pleasant, running through valleys and canyons alongside the Mendoza River, then you cross the Cacheuta tunnel, and Embalse Potrerillos opens up, clear turquoise water surrounded by deserted mountains. The area was always a weekend trip for Mendocinos, and it has since evolved into a wider tourism destination focused on adventure tourism.

A good scenic spot for lunch is Potrerillos 360 Resto, with excellent empanadas, fresh salads, and panoramic views of Embalse Potrerillos.

Turquoise reservoir water framed by dry Andes mountains, the Cacheuta tunnel visible in the distance, Embalse Potrerillos.
Embalse Potrerillos, with the Cacheuta tunnel visible in the distance.

Maipú, Mendoza’s Wine Powerhouse

Luján de Cuyo is where Mendoza’s premium wines started, Maipú is where the pioneers of the industry first set foot. Spanish and Italian immigrants started wine dynasties that are still massive producers today, including Bodega Trapiche (1883) and Bodega López (1898). Right next door to each other, but the terroir and climate differ. Luján is closer to the Andes, starting around 1,100 meters, and the terrain continues to slope down to about 800 meters by Maipú. The Mendoza River crosses both, and soil composition varies from one sub-area to the next, some plots leaning more gravel, others more clay or sand.

Maipú is a short drive from Chacras de Coria and has the Wine Museum in the old Giol building, plenty of wineries to choose from, and, like Luján, bike paths to explore.

Which Wineries to Choose in Maipú?

Like in Valle de Uco and Luján de Cuyo, Maipú has plenty to choose from. Casa Vigil (El Enemigo) is the high-end option here; having already done Lagarde, and having tasted the Enemigo and Gran Enemigo line on another occasion, I decided to skip it. Bodega Trapiche is the other option that offers a high-end experience, and like in Luján, there are numerous boutique wineries. We decided to go with Bodega López, as we explain below.

Bodega López: The Value Option

We chose Bodega López in Maipú for two reasons. We wanted to visit a massive commercial winery to see an operation of scale, and to have lunch at a price that’s half what other wineries like Lagarde charge, so we could compare our options.

Bodega López is one of the largest producers in Argentina and has a line of wines running from everyday table wines, like the Argentine classic Vasco Viejo (a staple in my house growing up, and probably the first wine I ever tasted, with a splash of soda), to reserve wines like their Montchenot line, excellent value for a classic wine that holds its own against the more modern reds from Lagarde or Zuccardi.

Their restaurant, Rincón de López, is right next door to the winery, on a pleasant second floor with plenty of light and views. We went with the reserve pairing (Montchenot), and at about USD 45 per person, it’s an incredible value. Empanadas de carne cortada a cuchillo (knife-cut beef, not ground), cured ham, and a perfect milanesa caprese, dry and crispy outside, tender and juicy inside. This is a great option, particularly for someone who doesn’t want to splurge on a Lagarde or Zuccardi lunch for double the price, and still wants a unique winery lunch experience.

A breaded milanesa with tomatoes and melted cheese, fries, and a Sangre de Júpiter Cabernet Franc-Sangiovese blend, Rincón de López.
Milanesa with a unique Cabernet Franc-Sangiovese blend, Sangre de Júpiter, from Rincón de López.

The tour of the winery is a completely different experience than the designer wineries we visited before, this is an operation focused on commercial winemaking, not architecture. Less visually appealing, but very informational nonetheless. I would return to López, particularly to Rincón de López for lunch.

A view from the restaurant over Bodegas López's yellow colonial-style winery buildings, Andes faintly visible behind, Maipú
The view from Rincón de López, overlooking the winery itself.

Things to Do in Mendoza City

Mendoza, with its large trees, traditional squares, and acequias, the open irrigation channels that line nearly every street, deserves at least an afternoon. Many will even say we’re cutting it short, and that it deserves more time. It has the kind of scale that makes a place attractive: not an overwhelming metropolis, but large enough to have plenty to offer.

The acequias trace back to the Huarpe people, long before the Spanish arrived, and still carry snowmelt from the Andes down through the city, watering the roughly 100,000 trees that shade its streets. The city’s current layout dates to 1863, rebuilt after a devastating 1861 earthquake destroyed the old colonial center. 

The city center’s main square, Plaza Independencia, sits surrounded by four smaller plazas, each about two blocks off one of its corners: Plaza San Martín, Plaza Chile, Plaza Italia, and Plaza España, each with its own character. Walking this area will give you a good introduction to Mendoza city.

Tourists photographing a large colorful 'Mendoza' sign with a heart, trees behind, Plaza Independencia
The Mendoza sign at Plaza Independencia, your Instagram-ready shot.

While we prefer Chacras de Coria as a base, Mendoza has its advantages also, like a more lively nightlife on Avenida Aristides Villanueva, with plenty of restaurants and bars. If you reserve with the affiliate link below, you help us keep blogs like this one alive at no extra cost to you, and you keep your Genius discount.

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Plaza San Martín

San Martín isn’t only the venerated general and libertador of the Américas, he was also the governor of the region, then known as the Province of Cuyo, encompassing Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis. In this square you’ll find an equestrian statue of the general, his finger pointing west toward the Andes, the route he’d take to liberate Chile and Peru.

An equestrian statue of General San Martín atop a stone base, palm trees and buildings behind, Plaza San Martín, Mendoza.
Equestrian statue of San Martín, pointing toward the Andes.

Plaza Independencia

Plaza Independencia covers four city blocks. It has varied vegetation and tall trees, benches, the Mendoza sign, and a large fountain with a nightly dancing waters show, water, light, and music synced together. It’s also a cultural center, home to a modern art museum and a theater.

Dancers in flowing skirts performing traditional Argentine folk dance under trees, Plaza Independencia, Mendoza.
Street performers dancing Argentine folklore at Plaza Independencia.

Plaza España

A monument dedicated to the friendship between Spain and Argentina anchors this square: Spain and Argentina represented as two women, alongside a caravel commemorating Columbus’s discovery of America. In front of it, a curved wall of ceramic tile scenes, azulejos, depicts Mendoza’s founding in 1561 alongside each country’s literary epic, Don Quixote for Spain and Martín Fierro for Argentina. This is the most artistic plaza of the set.

A curved wall of painted azulejo tile panels leads to a white marble monument of two women, Plaza España, Mendoza.
The azulejo wall pairs Spain and Argentina's literary epics, Don Quijote and Martín Fierro.

Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill)

Cerro de la Gloria is an elevation within the expansive Parque General San Martín. It is included in the organized city tours of Mendoza and can also be reached with your own vehicle, about a 30-minute drive each way from Chacras de Coria. It affords views of the city and surroundings, but the main event here is the Monument to the Army of the Andes. This colossal structure, inaugurated in 1914, was built in remembrance of the epic quest to cross the Andes and liberate the Americas, and it delivers in all its majesty.

At the top, a winged female figure of Liberty breaks the chains of colonial rule, flanked by cavalry in attack formation. In front, standing apart from the main structure, is an equestrian statue of General San Martín. The base, built from stone hauled in from the Andes, carries three bronze friezes depicting scenes from the campaign. The site is a must for Argentine tourists, and a worthy stop for the rest, to admire such an epic structure and get some perspective on why General San Martín is such a revered figure in Argentina.

A winged bronze figure of Liberty atop a monument, cavalry and an equestrian San Martín statue on the stone base, Cerro de la Gloria.
The Monument to the Army of the Andes, Cerro de la Gloria.

How to Plan Your Itinerary

With some planning, you can fit everything in this guide into a five-night trip with a morning arrival.

Day 1: Morning arrival at El Plumerillo. Drive to Potrerillos on Route 82 (be mindful that Google Maps will route you to Potrerillos via Route 7 instead, and you’ll miss the Cacheuta tunnel approach). From Potrerillos, take Route 7 to National Route 40 toward Valle de Uco. The alternative, the scenic Route 89 through the mountains, known as Camino de la Carrera, between Potrerillos and Tupungato, is a winding road mixing gravel and asphalt. Great views and quaint stops, but not the kind of road to take in a rented sedan, and it will most likely void your rental agreement’s insurance.

The turquoise Potrerillos reservoir and Andes mountains framed by the exit of the Cacheuta tunnel, seen through a car windshield.
Just the view from the Cacheuta tunnel into the Potrerillos reservoir is worth the detour.

Day 2: Valle de Uco. Morning walk or bike ride. Afternoon: two wineries (Zuccardi and Del Yaucha).

Day 3: Return to Mendoza. First stop at Manzano Histórico. From there, take Route 89 (the segment to Tupungato is all asphalt, a different stretch than the mountain crossing on Day 1). Stop at Salentein for the winery tour. Shortly after Tupungato, leave Route 89 and take Route 86 to continue on asphalt toward Luján de Cuyo. Drop your bags at your hotel in Chacras, then head into Mendoza for the afternoon and night.

A wide view of the snow-capped Andes range from the roadside on Route 89, vineyards and poplars in the foreground.
The Andes come into view along the scenic stretch of Route 89.

Day 4: Walk the streets of Chacras. Lunch at Lagarde. Optional additional tasting, but don’t rush it, plan to leave Lagarde close to 4 pm.

Day 5: Morning at Cerro de la Gloria. Lunch at López.

Day 6: Return.

Two gauchos on horseback riding along a tree-lined road in Mendoza's countryside, seen from a car.
Driving in Mendoza is always full of surprises.

Mendoza and the wine trail. Frequently Asked Questions

When to visit Mendoza?

We visited in late April: sunny days, chilly nights, dry vine leaves, and no crowds. Unless you need to see grapes on the vine, early fall is what we recommend. Rain is rarely an issue here, Mendoza is semi-arid. Winters (June-August) are cold and dry, frost at night, though snow is rare in the city, common at higher elevations. Summers (December-March) run hot, often above 30°C (86°F).

Grape harvest varies with the weather but usually happens in January and February, with departmental festivities across the province, culminating in the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia in Parque General San Martín in early March (March 5th to 7th in 2027). It’s one of Argentina’s most important festivals, alongside the Cosquín Folklore Festival and the Carnaval de Gualeguaychú.

Mendoza is considered safe, and we never felt unsafe during our visit. Common sense applies, and we avoided driving at night through desolate areas. When driving at night between Mendoza and Chacras, avoid the Corredor del Oeste, which runs through marginal settlements. Take Route 40 instead, and ignore the GPS if it suggests otherwise. For information purposes and not professional advice, read our disclaimer.

Mendoza as Part of Your Argentina Trip

If Mendoza is part of an Argentina itinerary through Buenos Aires, you might want to check our posts on a walking tour through Buenos Aires’ landmarks, San Telmo, Caminito, and Palermo. Use the comments if you have any questions, and if you had a different experience at any of the places we reviewed or visited, we’d like to hear about that too. As always, happy travels.

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