Argentina · The Northwest
Salta
Argentina's finest colonial city and the base for the canyons, vineyards and high puna of the Andean northwest.
Salta la Linda sits in the Lerma Valley at the foot of the Andes, the best-kept colonial city in Argentina: arcaded plazas, a pink-and-cream cathedral and the red-and-gold bell tower of San Francisco. It is the gateway to the Argentine northwest, with the Inca child mummies of Llullaillaco in its high-mountain museum, folk music in the penas at night, and the road and rail trips to the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Cafayate's vineyards and the Tren a las Nubes.
Suggested stay
3–6 days
Language
Spanish
Currency
ARS
Timezone
UTC-3
Why you'll love Salta
Colonial core Plaza 9 de Julio is ringed by arcades, the cathedral and the whitewashed Cabildo, the most intact colonial centre in the country
The mountain children Three Inca children left on the summit of Llullaillaco five centuries ago rest in the city's high-mountain archaeology museum
Penas and empanadas Small, juicy salteno empanadas, locro and humita by day, guitars and zambas in the folk music halls by night
The northwest on the doorstep Painted gorges, cactus-covered passes, salt flats and the vineyards of Cafayate all lie within a day's drive
Best time to visit
Apr-Nov
20-28° days
24.806° S, 65.420° W
UTC-3 · America/Argentina/Salta
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Weather & when to go to Salta
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-Nov
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Salta
No month is a bad one. The rains fall in summer, roughly December to March, as heavy afternoon storms that turn the valley green but can cut mountain roads with landslides and mud, so access to the gorges and the puna is least reliable then. Winter days are dry and sunny, with cold nights and freezing temperatures up on the altiplano.
Top things to do in Salta
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Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana - the Llullaillaco children
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedOn the main plaza, the high-mountain archaeology museum holds the three Inca children found in 1999 near the 6,700 m summit of Llullaillaco, offered in a capacocha ritual around five centuries ago. The freeze preserved them almost perfectly; one is displayed at a time in a climate-controlled case, alongside the textiles, figurines and offerings buried with them.
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Plaza 9 de Julio - cathedral, Cabildo and arcades
history 👍 PopularThe heart of Salta is a shady square of palms and orange trees framed by arcaded cafes, the pink-and-cream 19th-century cathedral that houses the city's revered images of the Senor and Virgen del Milagro, and the long whitewashed Cabildo, the old colonial town hall, now a museum of the north's history.
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Iglesia San Francisco - the red-and-gold bell tower
history culture arts 👍 PopularA couple of blocks from the plaza, the Franciscan church is Salta's signature image: an ornate facade of deep red and gold, white columns and a tall campanile that rises over the old town. Look inside, then walk on to the quiet convent of San Bernardo, the city's oldest building, with its carved wooden door.
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Cerro San Bernardo - cable car to the city view
scenic 👍 PopularA cable car climbs from Parque San Martin to the top of the hill that rises straight behind the city, with gardens, a waterfall and a lookout over the whole Lerma Valley. Fitter visitors walk up the stepped path of stations of the cross that starts behind the Guemes monument, and ride down.
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Calle Balcarce - penas and folk music
nightlife music culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedSalta is the capital of Argentine folklore, and the penas are where to hear it: long tables of empanadas and wine while guitarists, bombo drummers and singers work through zambas and chacareras, and the crowd often joins in or dances. The strip of penas around Calle Balcarce and the old railway station runs late, often past midnight.
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Empanadas saltenas, locro and humita
foodThe northwest eats differently from Buenos Aires: small, juicy baked empanadas of hand-cut beef, potato and spring onion; locro, a thick maize-and-meat stew; humita and tamales wrapped in corn husks. Drink cold torrontes, the floral white wine of the high valleys, or a bottle of Salta's own beer.
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Tren a las Nubes - the train to the clouds
scenic adventureOne of the highest railways in the world climbs through the Quebrada del Toro to the Viaducto La Polvorilla, a steel bridge across a gorge at over 4,200 m near San Antonio de los Cobres. The trip is a full day out of Salta and usually combines road travel with the rail section; take the altitude seriously.
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Mercado San Miguel - the city market
foodSalta's central market is the everyday side of the city: stalls of Andean potatoes, coca leaves, herbs and cheese, and simple counters serving soups, empanadas and plates of the day to workers at lunchtime.
Best areas to stay in Salta
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Centro
First-time visitors $$Colonial grid around Plaza 9 de Julio
Explore hotels in Centro →
Calle Balcarce
Music and nightlife $Penas, bars and the old station
Explore hotels in Calle Balcarce →
San Lorenzo
Couples and quiet stays $$$Leafy foothill village above the city
Explore hotels in San Lorenzo →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Salta
Getting to & around Salta
Getting there
Fly into Martin Miguel de Guemes International (SLA) from Buenos Aires, a short taxi ride from the centre, or arrive by long-distance bus
Flight
Martin Miguel de Guemes International Airport (SLA)
The airport lies about 10 km south-west of the centre, around 20 minutes by taxi or ride-hailing car; most flights come from Buenos Aires, just over two hours away.
Coach
Terminal de Omnibus
Overnight sleeper coaches from Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Mendoza, and shorter runs to Jujuy, Tucuman and Cafayate, all use the bus terminal near Parque San Martin
Getting around
Walking
The colonial centre, Calle Balcarce and the cable car base are all within easy walking distance on a flat grid
Free
City bus
SAETA buses cover the city and run out to San Lorenzo
TBC
Taxi and ride-hailing
Plentiful and easy for the airport, the bus terminal and late nights at the penas
TBC
Rental car
The best way to see the northwest at your own pace; the Cachi and Cafayate loop is a classic self-drive, partly on gravel
TBC
Day trips from Salta
Cafayate and the Quebrada de las Conchas
1-2 daysRed-rock gorge and vineyards
The road to Cafayate runs through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a canyon of red sandstone carved into the Garganta del Diablo and the Anfiteatro. Cafayate itself is a small town of high-altitude vineyards and bodegas famous for torrontes; stay a night to make the most of it.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 3-4 hours by car, bus or tour south through the gorge
Cachi and Los Cardones
Full dayAndean pass and village
A winding climb over the Cuesta del Obispo leads to Los Cardones National Park and the dead-straight Recta del Tin Tin, lined with giant candelabra cacti, then down to Cachi, a whitewashed village under snow-capped peaks. It can be looped on to Cafayate over two or three days.
Getting there
car | tour
About 3-4 hours each way by car or tour over the Cuesta del Obispo
Quebrada de Humahuaca
1-2 daysPainted Andean valley
A UNESCO-listed valley of striped mountains and adobe villages in neighbouring Jujuy: Purmamarca beneath the Cerro de los Siete Colores, the hilltop pucara ruins at Tilcara and the town of Humahuaca. Day tours run long; a night in Purmamarca or Tilcara is better.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 3-4 hours north by car, bus or tour via Jujuy
Salinas Grandes
Full dayHigh-altitude salt flat
A dazzling white salt pan on the puna at around 3,400 m, reached over the switchbacks of the Cuesta de Lipan. Usually combined with Purmamarca on a long day tour; bring sunglasses and warm layers.
Getting there
car | tour
About 4-5 hours by car or tour via Purmamarca and the Cuesta de Lipan
A little history of Salta
Before the Spanish, the valleys around Salta were home to Diaguita and Calchaqui peoples, and in the 15th century the Inca pushed their roads and shrines into the region, leaving offerings on the highest summits, including Llullaillaco. Hernando de Lerma founded Salta in 1582 as a stop on the route between the Rio de la Plata and the silver mines of Potosi, and the city grew rich breeding and trading the mules that worked the mines. When earthquakes shook the town in 1692 and stopped, the faithful credited the Senor and Virgen del Milagro, still the centre of the city's devotion.
In the wars of independence Salta was the front line: Manuel Belgrano won the Battle of Salta in 1813, and Martin Miguel de Guemes and his gaucho cavalry held off royalist armies from Upper Peru until his death in 1821. Independence cut the old trade with Bolivia and the city slowed, which is largely why so much of its colonial fabric survived. In the 20th century a railway was pushed across the Andes to Chile, part of which now carries the Tren a las Nubes.
Inca expansion reaches the region; the children of Llullaillaco are offered on the summit around this time
Hernando de Lerma founds the city of Salta in the Lerma Valley
Earthquakes strike and cease, giving rise to the devotion to the Senor and Virgen del Milagro
Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army at the Battle of Salta
Martin Miguel de Guemes, leader of the gaucho war of independence, dies in Salta
The railway from Salta across the Andes to Chile is completed
The three Llullaillaco children are found near the volcano's summit
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 Salta
▸ When is the best time to visit Salta?
April to November is the best stretch: dry, sunny days, with the winter months bringing cold nights and frost on the puna. December to March is the rainy season, when afternoon storms can close mountain roads for a time, though the city itself stays pleasant and the valleys turn green.
▸ Will the altitude affect me in Salta?
Not much in the city, which sits at about 1,200 m. The day trips are a different story: Salinas Grandes, San Antonio de los Cobres and the Tren a las Nubes reach well over 3,500 m. Go up gradually if you can, drink plenty of water, and chew coca leaves or drink coca tea as locals do.
▸ Should I rent a car or take tours from Salta?
Both work. Tours are the easy option for single sights, but the northwest rewards a car: the Cachi and Cafayate loop and the Quebrada de Humahuaca are best taken slowly with overnight stops. Some stretches are gravel, fuel stations are far apart, and summer rains can close roads.
▸ Is Salta expensive?
It is one of the better-value parts of Argentina. Eating out, especially empanadas and penas, is cheap by Buenos Aires standards; organised tours and the Tren a las Nubes are the biggest costs of a visit.
▸ How many days do you need in Salta?
Two days cover the city itself. Add at least three or four more for the northwest: a loop through Cachi and Cafayate, and a trip north into the Quebrada de Humahuaca, ideally with a night in each.
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