Things to do · Mendoza · Argentina
14 best things to do in Mendoza
14 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Cerro de la Gloria, Mendoza · Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Mendoza are Plaza Independencia, Luján de Cuyo wineries and Plaza España and the satellite plazas. Of the 14 picks below, 7 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 4 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Plaza Independencia
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
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At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza Independencia | Microcentro | 45 minutes | Free |
| Luján de Cuyo wineries | Luján de Cuyo wine country | Full day | Expensive |
| Plaza España and the satellite plazas | Microcentro | 1 hour | Free |
| Parque General San Martín | Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Cerro de la Gloria | Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva | 1 hour | Free |
| Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins | Microcentro | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Mercado Central | Microcentro | 45 minutes | Free |
| Avenida Arístides Villanueva | Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva | An evening | Low cost |
| Paseo Sarmiento | Microcentro | 30–60 minutes | Free |
| Maipú wineries by bike | Maipú | Full day | Mid-priced |
| Museo Casa de Fader | Luján de Cuyo wine country | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano | Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Cerro Arco | Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva | 3–4 hours return | Free |
| Olive-oil tasting in Maipú | Maipú | 45 minutes | Low cost |
The 14 best things to do
Landmark · Microcentro
1.Plaza Independencia
Mendoza's main square covers four city blocks with fountains, palms and the Teatro Independencia on its western edge. Beneath it is the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, and on weekends a crafts fair sets up along its paths. It is the hub of the grid and the start of the pedestrian Paseo Sarmiento.
Come on a weekend evening, when the craft stalls are out and families gather around the lit fountains.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Kids
- After dark
- Shopping
Experience · Luján de Cuyo wine country
2.Luján de Cuyo wineries
Luján de Cuyo, south of the city, styles itself the first zone of Malbec, with large historic estates and modern wineries in Agrelo, Perdriel and Vistalba. Many offer guided tours, tasting flights and long multi-course lunches paired with wine against an Andes backdrop.
Book a winery lunch rather than only tastings; the multi-course menus are the highlight of a Luján day and pace the drinking.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Tours and lunches at most Luján wineries require reservations, often several days ahead in March and April.
- Food
- Couples
- Views
- Iconic
Landmark · Microcentro
3.Plaza España and the satellite plazas
After the 1861 earthquake, the city was rebuilt with four plazas two blocks from the main square, designed as open refuges. Plaza España is the most striking, covered in Andalusian-style painted tiles with a mural of the country's history; Plaza Italia, Plaza Chile and Plaza San Martín complete the set.
Walk a loop of all four satellite plazas from Plaza Independencia; it takes under an hour and shows the city's grid plan.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- History
Park · Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva
4.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. Its ornate wrought-iron entrance gates on Avenida Emilio Civit are a city landmark.
Rent a bike near the main gates and ride the loop around the lake and up towards Cerro de la Gloria.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
- Active
Viewpoint · Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva
5.Cerro de la Gloria
A hill at the western end of Parque General San Martín crowned by the bronze Monument to the Army of the Andes, commemorating General San Martín's 1817 crossing of the Andes to free Chile and Peru. The terrace gives a sweeping view over the city and the green belt of irrigated land.
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.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Historic site · Microcentro
6.Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins
The original colonial city stood here until the 1861 earthquake. A museum on Plaza Pedro del Castillo shows excavated foundations, the old council building and exhibits on the disaster, while the ruins of the Jesuit-built San Francisco church stand across the square.
Take a short taxi from the centre and combine the museum with the ruins on the plaza opposite in one visit.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Market · Microcentro
7.Mercado Central
Mendoza's covered market on Avenida Las Heras has butchers, greengrocers, cheese and cured-meat counters, and simple stalls selling empanadas, pizza and sandwiches at lunchtime. It is the easiest place to buy picnic supplies or try local olives and dried fruit.
Eat lunch at one of the counters with locals, then buy olives and dried fruit for a winery picnic.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Street · Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva
8.Avenida Arístides Villanueva
This avenue in the Quinta Sección is Mendoza's main going-out street, with parrillas, wine bars, craft-beer pubs and pavement tables along several blocks. It is quiet by day and fills from about 10pm, peaking after midnight at weekends.
Start with dinner at a parrilla around 9:30pm, then move to the bars as the street fills later.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- Food
- Free
Street · Microcentro
1.Paseo Sarmiento
The pedestrian stretch of Sarmiento street runs east from Plaza Independencia, lined with cafés, ice-cream shops and outdoor tables. It is where Mendocinos stop for coffee and medialunas and is the easiest place to watch city life.
Order a café con leche and medialunas at an outdoor table in the morning before the shops get busy.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
Experience · Maipú
2.Maipú wineries by bike
In Coquimbito, Maipú, rental shops supply bikes and a map of wineries, olive-oil producers and small artisanal liqueur and chocolate makers along mostly flat roads. A typical day links three or four tastings, from historic family bodegas to boutique producers.
Start in the morning before the afternoon heat, eat lunch at a winery restaurant, and avoid riding on main roads after several tastings.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Some wineries take visitors only by reservation; book tastings a day or two ahead, especially at weekends.
- Food
- Active
- Outdoors
- Couples
Gallery · Luján de Cuyo wine country
3.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. The rooms show his work and other Argentine art, and the garden has sculptures and old trees.
Combine it with a Luján winery visit or lunch in Chacras de Coria, both a few minutes away.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva
4.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. It is a compact, practical stop for families.
Pair it with a walk around the park lake; it is a good choice for a hot afternoon or a rare rainy day.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Nature
Nature · Quinta Sección and Arístides Villanueva
5.Cerro Arco
On the edge of the city's western foothills, Cerro Arco is a popular hike and the launch point for tandem paragliding flights over Mendoza. A dirt track and trail climb to the summit, with views back over the city and across to the Andes.
Start early with plenty of water and sun protection; there is little shade on the slope.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours return
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Active
- Views
- Outdoors
Experience · Maipú
6.Olive-oil tasting in Maipú
Maipú is also Mendoza's olive country, and several producers along the bike route explain pressing and serve tastings of extra-virgin oils, tapenades and preserves. It is a good break between wineries and a useful stop for those who do not drink.
Buy oil in tins rather than glass bottles if it is going in your luggage.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Kids
- Shopping
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Museo Casa de Fader and Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano |
| History | Plaza España and the satellite plazas, Cerro de la Gloria, Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins and Museo Casa de Fader |
| Views | Cerro de la Gloria, Luján de Cuyo wineries and Cerro Arco |
| Outdoors and nature | Parque General San Martín, Maipú wineries by bike, Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano and Cerro Arco |
| Food and markets | Luján de Cuyo wineries, Mercado Central, Avenida Arístides Villanueva and Paseo Sarmiento |
| After dark | Plaza Independencia and Avenida Arístides Villanueva |
| With children | Plaza Independencia, Parque General San Martín, Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano and Olive-oil tasting in Maipú |
| On a rainy day | Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins, Mercado Central, Museo Casa de Fader and Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano |
What to book ahead
- Luján de Cuyo wineries: Tours and lunches at most Luján wineries require reservations, often several days ahead in March and April.
- Maipú wineries by bike: Some wineries take visitors only by reservation; book tastings a day or two ahead, especially at weekends.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Mendoza?
Plaza Independencia. Mendoza's main square covers four city blocks with fountains, palms and the Teatro Independencia on its western edge.
+What can you do for free in Mendoza?
Plaza Independencia, Plaza España and the satellite plazas, Parque General San Martín, Cerro de la Gloria and Mercado Central. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Mendoza when it rains?
Head indoors to Área Fundacional and San Francisco ruins, Mercado Central, Museo Casa de Fader and Museo de Ciencias Naturales Juan Cornelio Moyano.
+What is there to do in Mendoza at night?
Plaza Independencia and Avenida Arístides Villanueva are best after dark.