Things to do in Mendoza, Argentina: Must-see places in the city and its surroundings
The city of Mendoza is one of the most seeked-out tourist places in Argentina, not only for being one of the most beautiful cities of the country and for everything it has to offer, but mainly for the activities and things to do in the surrounding areas. In this article, I’m going to tell you the best things to do in Mendoza, Argentina, that you shouldn’t miss.
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How to move around in Mendoza
To visit the city center of Mendoza, you can just get around on foot. You can visit the main tourist spots by walking, but there are plenty of things to do in Mendoza that are in its surrounding areas and you’ll need a means of transport.
The ideal would be to move around by car to travel on your own and with complete independence. If you are not traveling by car, you could rent one through RentalCars webpage where they compare between different renting agencies and see which offers the best price.
Otherwise, you’ll have two alternatives: using public transport or going on a tour. Each has its pros and cons.
As for public transport, in the city of Mendoza there are buses, trolley buses and the light rail, but to go to some of the places to see in Mendoza, they don’t run very often, and besides you won’t be able to take pictures of the spectacular landscape of the road.
Regarding the excursions, you would have to adapt to the schedules of other people, unless you book a private tour.
In any case, in each of the things to do in Mendoza city I’m going to talk about, I’ll tell you other options so that you can choose what’s best for you.
Things to do in Mendoza city: 8 must-do plans
Let’s see now the 8 things to do in Mendoza city and then 5 extra activities outside the city, all of them are a must in a trip to Mendoza.
🏨 A great place to stay in the city is the Hotel Fuente Mayor, at just 50 meters from the main plaza of the city. A cheaper but well-located option is Hotel Abril. Both are recommendable, and this is important information since we bumped into many surprises looking for something cheap in the city (for more information, read: where to stay in Mendoza).
1. Plaza Independencia and the city center of Mendoza
Plaza Independencia is the main plaza of the city and most places to see in Mendoza capital are walking distance. It takes up four blocks, that is, 200 meters per side.
What caught my eye the first time I went to Mendoza was how tree-covered the streets were and the amount of squares.
If you look at the map of the city of Mendoza, you’ll see that Plaza Independencia is the main one, but around it and from every corner, just a block away, there’s another square. That is, by walking 200 meters from each of its vertex, you can get to yet another square. These are Plaza Chile, San Martín, España and Italia, which I also recommend you to visit all of them.
Around the square is Teatro Independencia, the Legislature and Colegio Nacional, so it’s a good idea to walk the entire square to visit them. Plus, there’s also one of the most famous hotels, the Park Hyatt, located in a stunning building.
From Plaza Independencia, Paseo Sarmiento starts, the pedestrian street with bars and stores. It’s just 300 meters to San Martín Ave., one of the main avenues of the city.
💯 When you first arrive in a new city, what I recommend doing is going on a free walking tour (in english) to get yourself acquainted with where you are and to learn fun facts about Mendoza. The tour departs from Plaza Independencia, precisely. If the tour is not available the day you travel, there are other city tours around the area that are accessible.
2. Paseo La Alameda
On San Martín Avenue, from Córdoba street to Ayacucho street, you can find Paseo la Alameda.
It’s a one-kilometer trip with poplars and broad sidewalks, where you can find flower stores, bars and places to eat, etc. A classical walk in the city!
3. San Martín’s House, a destination you can’t miss in Mendoza
This amazing museum located 300 meters from Paseo La Alameda hopes to give value to the place where General José de San Martín lived between 1814 and 1817.
Something to highlight is the glazed door that allows you to see the excavations and constructions of different times, apart from objects found. I recommend going to the official webpage of the place for more information.
Free and open to the public.
4. San Francisco Jesuit Ruins
Just 400 meters from San Martín’s House, there’s the oldest area of the city. In a corner, there’s the ruins of the church of San Francisco that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1861.
In front of it, there’s Plaza Pedro del Castillo and the city’s Foundation Area Museum.
5. Arístides Villanueva Avenue
What to do in Mendoza at night? Aristides Villanueva is the avenue you should visit at night, since here is where the “it” bars and pubs are. If you’re into beer, here you’ll find many craft breweries that are worth checking out.
6. Parque San Martín and Cerro de la Gloria
Parque San Martín, designed in 1896 by French landscaper Carlos Thays, is the green lung of the city.
Within its area, it has several interesting places to see in Mendoza: the lake, the fountain of the Continents, the amphitheater where the National Festival of the Vendimia is held, the World Cup stadium, the Museum of Natural Sciences and Cerro de la Gloria with the monument to the Army of the Andes, from where you have views of Mendoza from the top.
7. Central Market of Mendoza
If you’re a fan of markets, then you shouldn’t miss the Central Market of Mendoza.
Although it’s not that big, it is immaculate and you can get regional products, such as wine or olive oil, and also meat, vegetables, spices, etc. And there are stalls where you can try traditional dishes of the area.
Plus, it’s very close to Plaza Independencia, so it’s definitely a must-do trip in the city of Mendoza.
8. Walking around fairs
The city of Mendoza has some interesting fairs to check out. Most of them open on weekends or holidays, so if you’re visiting Mendoza capital these days, I recommend adding some of them to your traveling plans.
The most typical fair and the one you’re most likely to run across is Paseo de las Artes, since it’s set up in the middle of Plaza Independencia. It opens all day long from Thursdays to Sundays and on weekends.
If you’re into antiques, during the weekends in the small Plazoleta Pellegrini there are collectors, antiques and numismatic stalls.
What to do near Mendoza city
9. Bodega López
Does anyone, by any chance, visit Mendoza city and not think of wine? Most of the bodegas, or wineries in Mendoza, are far from the city, but there’s one that is near and it’s also very easily accessed by public transport. I’m talking about Bodegas López, a very interesting visit to do in Maipú, a few kilometers from Mendoza.
On one of our trips to Mendoza, we didn’t have our own means of transport and we also wanted to save a bit since we’d then go to Chile (which is super expensive), and visiting a bodega was such a hit. Not only did we get there easily from the center of Mendoza capital by light rail, but also the tour and tasting were free.
You can take light rail no. 100 and it’s just a 20 minute trip. Then you need to get off at Gutiérrez station and walk only 350 meters to the entrance of the bodega.
For all these reasons, I believe it’s a very appealing activity in Mendoza if you don’t have a vehicle or you are on a tight budget.
🍷 We have a complete travel guide about vineyards and wineries to visit in Mendoza.
10. Visiting an Olive Oil Factory
There’s plenty of olivícolas, or olive oil factories, to visit near Mendoza. Some are olivícola Zuelo de Familia Zuccardi, Simone or Laur. This last one was the one we visited on our last trip to Mendoza, since in 2021 it was named the Number 1 Olivícola of the world.
You can take a guided tour and then taste different olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I had never done an olive oil tasting and I must admit, I loved it.
This tour include a stop at Olivícola Laur (or try this guided tour through vineyards and wineries on a multi-bike that include tasting at an olive oil factory).
11. Villavicencio
Located 47 kilometers from the center of Mendoza, Villavicencio Natural Reserve is the only place in this list of things to do in Mendoza Argentina that I still haven’t visited. The worst thing is that I always want to go there but for some reason or another I just don’t go.
On my last trip, the idea was to visit it from Uspallata, but the road is a bit complicated and we were told that it was in a very bad condition, so we decided not to go.
You can get there pretty easily from Mendoza city, either by car or by taking this one-day tour.
12. High Mountain Circuit through the Andes
This is truly one of the must-do excursions from Mendoza, where you can visit unique places such as Potrerillos reservoir, Puente del Inca or Aconcagua Provincial Park.
🌄 The best way to explore them is by car or taking this famous High Mountain tour or this private guided tour.
13. Cacheuta thermal baths
At just 40 kilometers from the city of Mendoza, you can find the famous Termas de Cacheuta in the middle of the precordillera area. What’s special about this thermal spring is that the pools are in terraces at different heights, in the middle of a one-of-a-kind natural scenery with views to the mountains and the river.
You should definitely skip it on the weekends since it can get really crowded.
This Cacheuta day trip take you only to the thermal springs or there is also other that combine it with Potrerillos reservoir (book it here!).
Map – Best things to do in Mendoza, Argentina
I hope this list of the best things to do in Mendoza Argentina was useful to plan your trip. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. Have fun!
