12 Best Things to Do in Mendoza: Malbec Bodegas, Uco Valley & Aconcagua

Blending world-class vineyard architecture and open-fire gastronomy with 6,000-metre Andean peaks, thermal canyons, and shaded nineteenth-century plazas, Mendoza offers far more than cellar tours alone. Here are the twelve essential experiences in Argentina's wine capital.

1. Vineyards, Olive Groves & Bodega Gastronomy

1. Taste Old-Vine Malbec in Luján de Cuyo (Argentina's First DOC): Spend a day exploring the historic estates of Perdriel, Agrelo, Vistalba, and Las Compuertas along the Luján de Cuyo and Maipú wine route, where vines planted in the early twentieth century produce plush, velvety Malbecs.
2. Tour Architectural Wineries in the High-Altitude Uco Valley: Travel 85 kilometres south-west to the Valle de Uco (Gualtallary, Paraje Altamira, and Vista Flores at 1,000 to 1,500 metres) to admire stone-and-concrete gravity cellars backed by the snow-walled Cordón del Plata.
3. Sample Extra-Virgin Arauco Olive Oil in Maipú: Pair your Maipú cellar visits with a tasting at a traditional olivícola pressing Mendoza's signature heritage Arauco olive variety, recognized with its own Geographical Indication.
4. Linger Over a Multi-Course Open-Fire Vineyard Lunch: Reserve a three-to-six-course midday pairing menu featuring costillar a la llama or carne a la masa cooked over jarilla brushwood in a vineyard garden.

2. High Andes Adventures: Aconcagua, Puente del Inca & Cacheuta

5. Hike to Laguna de los Horcones in Parque Provincial Aconcagua: Follow Ruta Nacional 7 up the High Andes corridor to Aconcagua Provincial Park to walk the Horcones interpretive circuit beneath the 6,960.8-metre summit of the Americas' highest mountain.
6. See the Natural Mineral Arch of Puente del Inca (UNESCO Qhapaq Ñan): Stop at 2,720 metres along the Río Las Cuevas to photograph the striking orange-and-ochre travertine bridge and thermal ruins of Puente del Inca.
7. Soak in the Canyon Thermal Pools of Termas de Cacheuta & Visit Potrerillos Dam: Relax in natural granite hot-spring pools overlooking the Río Mendoza at Termas de Cacheuta before driving through the mountain tunnel to the turquoise reservoir of Embalse Potrerillos.
8. Spot Guanacos on the 365 Curves of Reserva Natural Villavicencio: Climb the historic mountain switchbacks above the 1940 Tudor-styled hotel in Villavicencio Nature Reserve to the 3,000-metre Cruz de Paramillos lookout.

3. Plazas, Parks & Urban Culture in Mendoza City

4. Evening Craft Beer & Wine Bars on Avenida Arístides Villanueva

Join Mendocinos after sunset along the twelve tree-lined blocks of Avenida Arístides Villanueva.

9. Explore Parque General San Martín & Climb Cerro de la Gloria: Enter through the 1908 Scottish cast-iron gates of Parque General San Martín, stroll around the Regatas lake and Rosedal, and ascend to the 14-ton bronze Monument to the Army of the Andes.
10. Walk the Five Plazas of the 1861 Grid: Admire the hand-painted Andalusian majolica tiles of Plaza España and the fountains of Plaza Independencia.
11. Visit the Museo del Área Fundacional & 1731 San Francisco Ruins: See the subterranean colonial water cisterns and Jesuit church arches that survived the 1861 earthquake in the Área Fundacional.
12. Cycle the Leafy Lanes of Chacras de Coria: Rent a bicycle to pedal between shaded adobe lanes, wine bars, and family bodegas in Chacras de Coria.