3 days in Mendoza

Day by day

1. Day 1: Plaza Independencia and Plaza España and the satellite plazas

   Plaza Independencia, Plaza España and the satellite plazas and Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins, then Avenida Arístides Villanueva in the evening.

   1. Breakfast

      Breakfast: Mate and medialunas

   2. Morning

      Plaza Independencia

      Mendoza's main square covers four city blocks with fountains, palms and the Teatro Independencia on its western edge.

   3. Late morning

      Plaza España and the satellite plazas

      Walk a loop of all four satellite plazas from Plaza Independencia; it takes under an hour and shows the city's grid plan.

   4. Lunch

      Lunch: Asado

      Parrillas in the Quinta Sección and the centre, and Sunday asados at many winery restaurants.

   5. Afternoon

      Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins

      The original colonial city stood here until the 1861 earthquake.

   6. Café break

      Café break: Malbec

   7. Evening

      Avenida Arístides Villanueva

      Start with dinner at a parrilla around 9:30pm, then move to the bars as the street fills later.

2. Day 2: Luján de Cuyo wineries and Museo Casa de Fader

   Luján de Cuyo wineries and Museo Casa de Fader, then Avenida Arístides Villanueva in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Luján de Cuyo wineries

      Book a winery lunch rather than only tastings; the multi-course menus are the highlight of a Luján day and pace the drinking.

   2. Late morning

      Museo Casa de Fader

      A provincial art museum in an early-20th-century mansion in Mayor Drummond, Luján de Cuyo, with walls painted by Fernando Fader, one of Argentina's leading painters of the period.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Empanadas mendocinas

      Bakeries and empanada shops across the city and the counters of the Mercado Central.

   4. Evening

      Avenida Arístides Villanueva

      Several blocks of bars, craft-beer pubs and parrillas in the Quinta Sección, crowded from about midnight at weekends.

3. Day 3: Parque General San Martín and Cerro de la Gloria

   Parque General San Martín, Cerro de la Gloria and Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano, then Microcentro in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Parque General San Martín

      Laid out by landscape architect Carlos Thays from the 1890s, this park of more than 300 hectares has a rowing lake, a rose garden, a football stadium and thousands of trees on what was once dry scrub.

   2. Late morning

      Cerro de la Gloria

      Go late in the afternoon for the view; the walk up from the park lake is steep, so taking a taxi up and walking down is easier.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Chivito

      Parrillas and country restaurants, especially on the road south and in traditional places in the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano

      Mendoza's natural history museum by the lake in Parque General San Martín covers fossils, Andean wildlife, minerals and the archaeology of the region, including finds from high-altitude Inca sites.

   5. Evening

      Microcentro

      Wine bars and cafés around Plaza Independencia and Paseo Sarmiento for earlier, quieter evenings.

Before you go

• Luján de Cuyo wineries: Tours and lunches at most Luján wineries require reservations, often several days ahead in March and April.

If it rains

• Swap in Mercado Central (Microcentro): Eat lunch at one of the counters with locals, then buy olives and dried fruit for a winery picnic.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Microcentro keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva ($$) suits nightlife, couples and food lovers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 16–21 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10 hours in June to 14.3 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Mendoza
• 2 days in Mendoza
• 5 days in Mendoza

Questions travellers ask