Argentina · Wine Country
Mendoza
The home of Argentine Malbec: a shady oasis city with vineyards at its edge and Aconcagua up the road.
Mendoza is Argentina's wine capital, a leafy desert-oasis city at the foot of the Andes whose vineyards make most of the country's wine and nearly all of its world-famous Malbec. Tree-lined streets watered by open irrigation channels lead to broad plazas and a vast western park, while the bodegas of Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu and the high Uco Valley sit within an hour or two. Beyond them the road climbs to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
Spanish
Currency
ARS
Timezone
UTC-3
Why you'll love Mendoza
Malbec country Hundreds of wineries, from old family cellars to architect-built bodegas, pour the grape Argentina made famous
The Andes backdrop Snow-capped peaks rise straight behind the vineyards, and the Uco Valley puts the vines right at their foot
An oasis city Plane trees, open acequia channels and wide plazas make the centre cool, green and easy to walk
The high road A day's drive climbs past Uspallata and Puente del Inca to the viewpoint below Aconcagua
Best time to visit
Sep-May
Hot & dry · 18-31° days
32.889° S, 68.846° W
UTC-3 · America/Argentina/Mendoza
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Weather & when to go to Mendoza
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Sep-May
Conditions Jan Hot & dry · Feb Hot, harvest · Mar Warm harvest · Apr Mild autumn · May Cool · Jun Cold winter · Jul Cold · Aug Cool · Sep Spring · Oct Warm spring · Nov Warm
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Mendoza
No bad season for weather. Winter is crisp and dry rather than wet, but it is an access issue in the mountains: snow can close the Cristo Redentor crossing to Chile for days and disrupt the high road toward Aconcagua. The grape harvest, roughly February-April, is the liveliest time in the vineyards.
Top things to do in Mendoza
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Lujan de Cuyo - Malbec tastings in the first wine zone
food 👍 PopularJust south of the city, Lujan de Cuyo was the first area in Argentina to earn a formal wine appellation, and its old-vine Malbec is the benchmark. Book tastings ahead, since most bodegas work by appointment, and linger over a long winery lunch among the vines.
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Uco Valley - high-altitude vineyards below the Andes
food scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedAround Tupungato, Tunuyan and San Carlos, vineyards climb to over 1,000 m against a wall of snowy peaks. This is where the showpiece modern bodegas are, with dramatic architecture, fine-dining restaurants and some of the most scenic tasting rooms anywhere.
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Maipu - cycle between wineries
food 👍 PopularThe flat lanes of Maipu, on the south-east edge of the city, are made for a bike day: rent a bicycle and pedal between family wineries, an olive oil press, a wine museum and a chocolate and liqueur maker. Easy to reach on the Metrotranvia.
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Parque General San Martin and Cerro de la Gloria
history scenic 👍 PopularThe city's huge western park, laid out by Carlos Thays, has a boating lake, rose garden and long avenues of trees. At its far end, the Cerro de la Gloria hill carries a bronze monument to San Martin's Army of the Andes, with views over the city to the mountains.
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Plaza Independencia and the four squares
culture artsAfter the 1861 earthquake the city was rebuilt around a central square with four smaller plazas set a block off each corner. Plaza Espana, with its painted tiles and benches, is the prettiest; Paseo Sarmiento, running off Plaza Independencia, is the cafe strip.
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Area Fundacional - ruins of the old city
historyThe site of colonial Mendoza, flattened by the earthquake of 1861, is now a museum over the excavated foundations of the old cabildo, beside the ruined Jesuit church of San Francisco. The clearest way to understand why the modern city looks the way it does.
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Aconcagua Provincial Park - the Horcones valley
nature wildlife scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe park's entrance at Horcones puts the south face of the highest mountain outside Asia straight in front of you, reached by an easy walk to a small lagoon. Expeditions to the summit are staged from Mendoza, where climbers buy their permits.
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Rio Mendoza - rafting at Potrerillos
adventureBelow the Potrerillos dam, operators run rafting trips on the Mendoza river through a rocky canyon, most exciting when snowmelt raises the water in the warmer months. Kayaking, horse riding and paragliding are also on offer around Potrerillos and Cacheuta.
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Asado and empanadas mendocinas
foodEating here means long grills of beef and chivito, goat, cooked over vine cuttings, empanadas mendocinas filled with beef, onion, egg and olive, and tomato-and-onion salads alongside. Olive oil from local groves is on every table.
Best areas to stay in Mendoza
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
City centre
First-time visitors $$Leafy grid of plazas and cafes
Explore hotels in City centre →
Chacras de Coria
Couples $$$Village of old quintas and vineyards
Explore hotels in Chacras de Coria →
Maipu
Wine on a budget $Flat wine suburb made for bikes
Explore hotels in Maipu →
Uco Valley
Luxury wine stays $$$Vineyard lodges at the Andes' foot
Explore hotels in Uco Valley →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Mendoza
Getting to & around Mendoza
Getting there
Fly into Mendoza's El Plumerillo airport (MDZ), a short drive north-east of the centre, or ride a long-distance coach from Buenos Aires or over the Andes from Santiago
Flight
Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (El Plumerillo) (MDZ)
The airport sits on the city's north-eastern edge, about 20 minutes to the centre by taxi or app-booked car; a local bus also runs in on a slower route.
Coach
Terminal del Sol
Overnight coaches from Buenos Aires, plus services from Cordoba, San Juan and Salta, arrive at the main terminal in Guaymallen, just east of the centre
Coach
Terminal del Sol
Coaches from Santiago de Chile cross the Andes by the Cristo Redentor pass, a spectacular ride; snow can close the border in winter, sometimes for days
Getting around
Walking
The shady centre, the plazas and the park are all easily walkable
Free
Metrotranvia
The light-rail line runs through the city and out to Maipu, handy for the bike-and-wine route
TBC
Bus
City and suburban buses reach Chacras de Coria, Lujan de Cuyo and the park
TBC
Taxi and ride-hailing
Plentiful and the easy way to reach individual wineries around Lujan de Cuyo
TBC
Car hire or tour
The practical way to reach the Uco Valley and the Andes road; mind the drink-driving rules after tastings
TBC
Day trips from Mendoza
Alta Montana and Aconcagua
Full dayHigh Andes road trip
The classic mountain loop follows the Mendoza river past Potrerillos and Uspallata to the mineral-crusted natural bridge of Puente del Inca and the Horcones lookout toward Aconcagua. Snow can close the upper road in winter.
Getting there
tour | car
Around 3 hours each way by tour or car on the road to Chile
Uco Valley
Full dayHigh-altitude wine region
Two or three tastings and a long lunch at one of the valley's showpiece bodegas, with the Andes rising directly behind the vines. Hire a driver or join a tour rather than driving yourself.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5 hours south by car or tour
Maipu wineries by bike
Half dayCycling wine route
Rent a bike near the Maipu wine road and pedal between small wineries, olive groves and a liqueur maker on flat, quiet lanes.
Getting there
train | bus
About 30 minutes on the Metrotranvia or by bus, then bike
Cacheuta
Half dayMountain hot springs
Thermal pools set in the canyon of the Mendoza river, with a spa and an outdoor water park. An easy restorative day after a run of wineries, and close to the rafting at Potrerillos.
Getting there
car | bus
About 1 hour by car or bus into the foothills
A little history of Mendoza
Huarpe farmers were watering this dry piedmont with canals long before the Spanish came, and the Inca road ran through on its way over the Andes. Pedro del Castillo founded Mendoza in 1561 from Chile, and the region was ruled from Santiago until 1776. In 1814 Jose de San Martin became governor of Cuyo and spent three years here building the Army of the Andes, which crossed the mountains in 1817 to free Chile.
An earthquake in 1861 destroyed the city, and it was rebuilt to the south-west with wide avenues, open squares and the tree-lined acequias that define it today. The railway from Buenos Aires in 1885 and waves of Italian and Spanish immigrants turned it into a wine powerhouse, and in recent decades Malbec made Mendoza's name around the world.
Pedro del Castillo founds Mendoza on behalf of the governor of Chile
Cuyo passes from the Captaincy General of Chile to the new Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata
San Martin's Army of the Andes, raised and trained in Mendoza, crosses the mountains to liberate Chile
An earthquake destroys the colonial city, which is rebuilt on a new site to the south-west
The railway from Buenos Aires reaches Mendoza, opening national markets to its wine
Matthias Zurbriggen makes the first recorded ascent of Aconcagua
The Christ the Redeemer of the Andes statue is raised on the border pass with Chile
The first official Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, the grape harvest festival, is held
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type I
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+54
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Mendoza
▸ When is the best time to visit Mendoza?
Spring through autumn is the classic window, and the grape harvest from roughly February to April is when the vineyards are busiest and the city celebrates the Vendimia. Summer days are hot and sunny, cooling off at night. Winter is cool, dry and clear, fine for wine touring, though snow can close the pass to Chile and the high Andes road.
▸ Do I need to book winery visits in Mendoza?
Yes, for most of them. Many bodegas take visitors by appointment only, and the well-known Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo names fill up in the harvest months. Plan two or three tastings a day at most, allow for long lunches, and use a driver or tour rather than driving between them.
▸ Can you see Aconcagua from Mendoza?
Not from the city itself. The mountain is about three hours west along the road to Chile, and most visitors see it from the Horcones lagoon lookout at the park entrance on a day trip. Climbing it is a multi-week high-altitude expedition, with permits bought in Mendoza for the summer season.
▸ Can I cross from Mendoza to Chile by road?
Yes. Coaches and cars cross the Andes to Santiago by the Cristo Redentor pass, one of the most spectacular border roads in South America. In winter snow can close the pass, sometimes for several days, so leave slack in your plans and check the border status before you travel.
▸ Is Mendoza expensive?
The city itself is moderately priced by Argentine standards, and eating well is good value. Costs climb in the wine country: the top Uco Valley lodges, tasting menus and private drivers are firmly at the luxury end.
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