# Mendoza: map, what to do and when to go

Argentina's wine capital at the foot of the Andes, Mendoza is a flat, tree-lined city rebuilt after the 1861 earthquake. It is the base for the wineries of Luján de Cuyo, Maipú and the Uco Valley and for the road that climbs to Aconcagua.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Mendoza: how do you get from the airport to downtown?** El Plumerillo airport (MDZ) is about 11 km north of downtown, and line 680 reaches downtown in 35 to 40 minutes, with low frequency and only with the SUBE card.
- **Mendoza: how many days should I stay?** Stay four days: the city, Luján de Cuyo, Ruta 7 to Aconcagua and the Uco Valley, where I'd sleep so as not to drive back after drinking.
- **Mendoza: do I need to book the wineries, and how many fit in a day?** Visits are scheduled and groups are small, and between October and April the most sought-after wineries fill up weeks ahead.

## The city rebuilt after the earthquake
Start in the morning at the Museo del Área Fundacional, in Plaza Pedro del Castillo, and cross the street to the Ruinas de San Francisco. Check the museum's hours beforehand, as they change with the season.
- Museo del Área Fundacional
- Plaza Independencia
- Parque General San Martín
- Cerro de la Gloria
- Mercado Central de Mendoza
- Cristo Redentor de los Andes

## Luján de Cuyo: Agrelo and Chacras de Coria
Leave at 9 a.m. with a driver or on a tour for Agrelo, in Luján de Cuyo, about 30 km to the south.
- Bodega Catena Zapata
- Chacras de Coria

## Ruta 7 to Aconcagua
Leave the city at 7 a.m. on RN 7, on a tour or by car, and bring a jacket even in summer. Check the road status beforehand.
- Parque Provincial Aconcagua
- Puente del Inca
- Embalse Potrerillos

## Valle de Uco, the high-altitude vineyards
Leave the city at 8 a.m. on RN 40 heading south: Tunuyán is about 1.5 hours away by car. Bring your luggage if you will sleep in the valley.
- Zuccardi Valle de Uco
- Manzano Histórico

## Museo del Área Fundacional
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-museo-del-area-fundacional
Mendoza · Up to half an hour
A site museum in Plaza Pedro del Castillo, where the city destroyed in 1861 once stood. In excavated layers it shows the floor of the old Cabildo, the floors of the slaughterhouse that operated there from 1877 to 1927 and the remains of the 19th-century plaza fountain, plus rooms on the settlement of the territory. It reopened in August 2025 after work on climate control, lighting, excavation and conservation, with new exhibits and a room for children. Across the street are the Ruinas de San Francisco, a Jesuit and Franciscan church that partly survived the earthquake.
Check access

## Plaza Independencia
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-plaza-independencia
Up to half an hour
The main plaza of the city laid out in 1863, surrounded by four smaller plazas that served as refuge in case of tremors. It has a crafts fair and street shows, and facing it are the neoclassical-fronted Teatro Independencia and the Park Hyatt. Two blocks away, Plaza España, renamed in 1947, is decorated with tiles from Seville.
Check access

## Parque General San Martín
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-parque-general-san-martin
Mendoza · One to two hours
Created by law in 1896 and designed by Carlos Thays, it has more than 300 cultivated hectares with species from several continents. You enter through cast-iron gates bought in Scotland; inside are the artificial lake of about 1 km used for regattas, the Fuente de los Continentes, the rose garden, the Museo de Ciencias Naturales y Antropológicas Juan Cornelio Moyano and the Teatro Griego Frank Romero Day, with 20,000 seats, where the Fiesta de la Vendimia takes place.
Check access

## Cerro de la Gloria
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-cerro-de-la-gloria
Mendoza · One to two hours
A hill inside the park, with the 1914 monument to the Ejército de los Andes by the Uruguayan Juan Manuel Ferrari: mounted grenadiers on each side represent the passes used to cross the mountains in 1817. You can go up on foot along a trail with viewpoints, or by bicycle, car or bus, and from the top you see the city and the pre-cordillera.
Check access

## Mercado Central de Mendoza
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-mercado-central-de-mendoza
Up to half an hour
A covered market at avenida Las Heras 279, founded in 1883, with fruit, spices, regional products and small counters serving empanadas and pizza. Published hours are 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with a break for the siesta.
Check access

## Bodega Catena Zapata
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-bodega-catena-zapata
Agrelo · One to two hours
A winery in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, with a pyramid-shaped cellar. The guided visit lasts 60 to 90 minutes, in small groups and by reservation only, and the restaurant Angélica Cocina Maestra, with one Michelin star, serves a tasting menu from US$ 145 per person without wine.
Check access

## Chacras de Coria
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-chacras-de-coria
Luján de Cuyo · Up to half an hour
A village of Luján de Cuyo about 15 km south of the center, with tree-lined streets, mansions converted into restaurants, galleries and tearooms, and wineries inside the little town, such as Clos de Chacras, family-run since 1921. On Sundays there is a crafts fair in Plaza General Espejo.
Check access

## Zuccardi Valle de Uco
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-zuccardi-valle-de-uco
Half a day or more
A winery in Paraje Altamira, San Carlos, at about 1,100 m, built almost entirely from stones taken from the site itself. It was named the world's best by The World's Best Vineyards list from 2019 to 2021. All visits and the restaurant Piedra Infinita require advance reservations, and demand is highest in March and April.
Check access

## Manzano Histórico
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-manzano-historico
Tunuyán (departamento) · Up to half an hour
A nature reserve in Los Chacayes, Tunuyán, about 120 km south of the city, where according to tradition San Martín rested under an apple tree on his return from the liberation campaign in 1823; a sprout of the tree is a National Historic Tree. The Retorno a la Patria monument, by Luis Perlotti, is the only one that shows San Martín in civilian clothes. Entry is free all year.
Check access

## Parque Provincial Aconcagua
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-parque-provincial-aconcagua
Half a day or more
The protected area around Aconcagua, at 6,960.8 m the highest mountain in the Americas. If you are not climbing, you enter through Horcones, about 185 km west of Mendoza on RN 7, and walk the Laguna de Horcones trail: about 2 km, one hour, with viewpoints facing the mountain. The trail entrance was reported open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the route closes on days of snow or ice.
Check access

## Puente del Inca
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-puente-del-inca
Las Heras (departamento) · Up to half an hour
A natural rock arch over the Las Cuevas River, at about 2,720 m, about 180 km from Mendoza on RN 7 and 4 km before the entrance to Aconcagua Park. The arch is surrounded by hot springs; beside it stand the chapel and the ruins of the thermal hotel built from 1925 and destroyed by an avalanche on August 15, 1965. The baths, the chapel and the hotel have been fenced off since 2005 because of the risk of collapse.
Check access

## Cristo Redentor de los Andes
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-cristo-redentor-de-los-andes
Los Andes · One to two hours
A statue by Mateo Alonso inaugurated on March 13, 1904 at the La Cumbre pass, at about 3,850 m, as a symbol of peace between Argentina and Chile. You reach it from Las Cuevas by 8.7 km of steep dirt road, open only when the snow has been cleared.
Check access

## Embalse Potrerillos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mendoza/#g-lugar-embalse-potrerillos
Mendoza · Up to half an hour
A dam on the Mendoza River inaugurated in 2003, about 60 km west of the city, with a lake more than 14 km long ringed by arid mountains. It is the first stop on Ruta 7 and the starting point for rafting on the Mendoza River, and it is close to the Cacheuta hot springs.
Check access

**Mendoza: how do you get from the airport to downtown?**
El Plumerillo airport (MDZ) is about 11 km north of downtown, and line 680 reaches downtown in 35 to 40 minutes, with low frequency and only with the SUBE card. At night, a taxi or ride-hailing app is the practical option.

**Mendoza: how many days should I stay?**
Stay four days: the city, Luján de Cuyo, Ruta 7 to Aconcagua and the Uco Valley, where I'd sleep so as not to drive back after drinking. With just one day, I'd do the city in the morning and a Luján de Cuyo winery in the afternoon, booked beforehand.

**Mendoza: do I need to book the wineries, and how many fit in a day?**
Visits are scheduled and groups are small, and between October and April the most sought-after wineries fill up weeks ahead. Since the distances are large and a winery lunch is long, I'd book one visit in the morning, lunch and at most a second one in the afternoon.

**Mendoza: how do you do the day trip to Aconcagua?**
Full-day excursions take 10 to 12 hours, and entry to the Laguna de Horcones trail, about 185 km away, was reported as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In winter, check the state of Ruta 7 and the Paso Cristo Redentor first, as they close for snow.

**Mendoza: how do you pay, and how much should you tip?**
Cards are accepted at hotels, wineries and restaurants, but carry cash for markets, fairs and tips. A 10% tip is customary and not on the bill, and the “cubierto”, charged for bread and cutlery, is not a tip. At winery restaurants in the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo, the guidance is 10% to 15%.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 4 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/mendoza/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/mendoza/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/mendoza.md