Many people travelling to Argentina will have heard of Mendoza. Most people will know it as Argentina’s main wine region and travel there to embark a wine tour or two. Indeed, Mendoza is surrounded by vineyards and the wine they produce is some of the finest in the world.
But many people will move on once they’ve tried the wine, depriving themselves of the opportunity to experience all that Mendoza has to offer. In fact, my opinion is that Mendoza is seriously underrated. Read on for reasons to visit Mendoza, and a recommendation for how long to spend there.
Wine
Given that it’s the best-known thing in Mendoza, let’s start with the wine. You can choose from an abundance of different wine tours. It’s a pleasant way to spend an afternoon – sipping Malbec in the sun against a backdrop of snowy mountain peaks. Certainly it’s a reason in itself to visit Mendoza.
The city of Mendoza
But the city of Mendoza itself is almost never mentioned. It was a surprise to me to find that it had quite a different feel to Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Salta and Catamarca which I had visited beforehand, and even Bariloche which I visited next.
Mendoza immediately felt like an outdoorsy place, and even that it was designed as an outdoor city. It has large green spaces where you can get away from the traffic and noise of the cars, whilst still enjoying the benefits of an urban area. It’s cleaner than those other cities, making you more likely to want to walk. It’s also very leafy and blooming with bright flowers, which seals the deal for spending time outside.
Mendoza’s plazas are larger and greener than those in Argentina’s other cities and are nicely decorated with colourful tiles and ornamental fountains. People treat them as a social hub, relaxing there with friends or bringing a picnic.
The best green space in Mendoza, in my opinion, is the Parque General San Martín on the city’s western edge. People run, cycle and rollerblade around the lake, stopping in the park’s expansive rose garden for a rest or a chat, or at one of the park’s many outdoor gyms.
Mendoza’s nature
Mendoza is also in a prime spot to access some spectacular nature. In fact, you should not visit Mendoza without working in a trip out to its nature spots!
Mendoza is right next to the Andes and you can easily join a tour or hire a car to travel the three hours to Parque Provincial Aconcagua, home of the highest peak in the Andes. The road to Aconcagua goes all the way to Santiago. It winds through mountains whose rock reflects a surprising range of colours in the hot sun, with snow-capped mountains on the higher summits. When you reach the Parque, there is a short walking loop to the Aconcagua viewpoint. Along the way you pass glassy lakes with their vivid blue surfaces displaying inverted mountains in a perfect reflection of the surrounding peaks.
Nearby is Puente del Inca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Puente del Inca is a natural stone bridge over hot springs from which the minerals have created colourful stripes on the stone as it flows down it. Despite the abandoned hotel under the bridge, Puente del Inca is an unusual and beautiful sight.
How long should I spend in Mendoza?
Many people visit Mendoza for only three or four days. But, if you have time, I would recommend spending up to a week. This will give you time to experience and enjoy the vibe of the city as well as going on a wine tour or two and out to the Andes and Puente del Inca.
Mendoza is the kind of place where you don’t actually have to be doing anything to enjoy it. It’s just a very pleasant place to be.