Mendoza

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• Mercado Central de Mendoza · Centro · Food market / empanadas: Covered city market with stalls selling empanadas mendocinas, cured meats, cheeses and quick, cheap lunches.
• Don Mario · Dorrego (Guaymallén) · Parrilla (Argentine grill): Long-running traditional steakhouse popular with locals for grilled beef, chivito and a big list of Mendoza wines.
• Francis Mallmann 1884 · Godoy Cruz · Argentine fire cooking: Chef Francis Mallmann's restaurant inside the historic Escorihuela Gascón winery, known for dishes cooked over open fire and clay ovens.
• Azafrán · Centro · Regional Argentine: Upscale restaurant on Avenida Sarmiento serving refined regional dishes, with a wine cellar where you can pick your own bottle.
• Anna Bistró · Centro · Bistro / international: Relaxed bistro with a leafy garden, good for a long lunch or dinner with local wine at fair prices.
• Fuente y Fonda · Centro · Argentine home cooking: Serves hearty Argentine home-style dishes in large clay pots meant for sharing at the table.

What should I do?

• Parque General San Martín · Ciudad (west side): Huge city park with a lake, rose garden and a road up to Cerro de la Gloria, a hilltop monument with views over Mendoza.
• Plaza Independencia · Centro: The main square of the city center, with fountains, shade trees and weekend craft fairs, surrounded by four smaller historic plazas.
• Museo del Área Fundacional · Ciudad (Sección Cuarta): Museum on the site of the original colonial city, showing ruins of the old cabildo and the story of the 1861 earthquake that destroyed it.
• Parque Provincial Aconcagua · Alta Montaña (Las Heras): Protected area around the highest peak in the Americas, where short trails from the Horcones ranger station give views of Aconcagua's south face.
• Puente del Inca · Alta Montaña (Las Heras): Natural rock bridge over the Río de las Cuevas, colored orange by mineral springs, usually visited on the high-mountain day trip.
• Termas de Cacheuta · Cacheuta (Luján de Cuyo): Thermal spa with outdoor hot-spring pools in a river canyon about an hour from the city.
• Winery visits in Valle de Uco or Luján de Cuyo · Valle de Uco / Luján de Cuyo: Tour and taste Malbec at wineries set against the Andes; most bodegas require reservations, so plan a driver or tour.
• Bike wine tour in Maipú · Maipú: Rent a bike and pedal flat country roads between several wineries and olive-oil producers at your own pace.