Mendoza 3-day itinerary

Explore Parque San Martín on foot or by bike. The park's centrepiece is the Cerro de la Gloria, a hilltop monument commemorating General San Martín's crossing of the Andes to liberate Chile and Peru. The panoramic view from the summit encompasses the entire city, the vineyards below, and the snow-capped Andes wall rising to 6,000m+ in the west. Walk the park's tree-lined avenues, past the boating lake, rose garden, and amphitheatre. The irrigated park is an oasis in the desert landscape of western Argentina.

Bus to Maipú and rent bicycles to tour the wine district. The flat vineyard roads connect over 20 wineries, olive oil producers, and chocolate shops. Start at Bodega La Rural (free museum of winemaking history), then cycle to Familia Cecchin (organic wines) or Trapiche (one of Argentina's largest producers) for structured tastings. The Malbec is the star — high-altitude grapes produce wines with intense colour, ripe fruit, and smooth tannins. The olive oil tastings at Laur or Pasrai are equally excellent and a unique Mendoza experience.

Avenida Arístides Villanueva is Mendoza's main nightlife strip — a long boulevard lined with restaurants, wine bars, and clubs. Start with a Malbec tasting at Vines of Mendoza or The Vines wine bar, then move to a parrilla for asado. The avenue has a young, social atmosphere with outdoor terraces that fill up from 9pm onwards. Argentine nightlife starts late — dinner at 10pm, bars at midnight, clubs at 2am. The energy builds through the evening and the wine flows freely.

Join a tour or rent a car for the 1.5-hour drive south to the Uco Valley, Mendoza's most prestigious and dramatic wine region. The valley sits at 1,000-1,500m altitude, higher than Maipú, and the vineyards are planted against a backdrop of snow-capped Andes peaks that rise directly behind the rows of vines. The combination of altitude, sun, and cool nights produces Argentina's finest wines. The first stop is typically Salentein, a stunning winery with an art gallery, chapel, and underground barrel room beneath the vineyards.

Visit two more Uco Valley wineries for tastings and lunch. Andeluna has a terrace restaurant with Andes views; Zuccardi Valle de Uco was voted the world's best vineyard and offers a gastronomic tasting menu paired with their wines. The Malbec from the Uco Valley is more structured and elegant than Maipú — the altitude and temperature variation create complex wines with minerality and depth. The landscape is extraordinary — rows of vines stretching to the base of 5,000m+ peaks with clear blue sky above.

Drive back to Mendoza through the vineyard landscape as the late afternoon sun turns the Andes pink. The 1.5-hour drive is beautiful and the conversation after a day of wine tasting is always lively. Back in the city, have dinner at one of Mendoza's wine-focused restaurants — Siete Fuegos (Francis Mallmann's fire-cooking concept), Azafrán, or Ocho Cepas. The Mendoza restaurant scene rivals Buenos Aires for quality and ambition, at significantly lower prices.

Take a day tour along Ruta 7 into the high Andes towards the Chilean border. The road climbs from 750m in Mendoza to over 3,000m at the Paso de la Cumbre, following the Mendoza River through increasingly dramatic mountain scenery. Stop at the Puente del Inca, a natural rock bridge over the river stained vivid orange and yellow by mineral deposits — a surreal and photogenic formation. The road passes through narrow canyons, past abandoned railway bridges, and into the high-altitude desert landscape of the Andes.

Stop at the Aconcagua Provincial Park viewpoint for a clear view of Cerro Aconcagua (6,961m), the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. The mountain is visible from a distance, its massive summit pyramid capped with ice and framed by the surrounding peaks. A short trail leads to the Laguna de Horcones, a milky glacial lake at the base of the valley. Continue to the Paso de la Cumbre near the Chilean border at 3,200m — the Cristo Redentor statue marking the Argentine-Chilean border is nearby. The scale of the Andes at this altitude is humbling.

Descend through the mountains as the late afternoon light paints the rock formations in reds and oranges. The drive back to Mendoza passes through the Villavicencio natural reserve and the precordillera foothills. Arrive back in the city for a farewell dinner on Arístides Villanueva. Try an empanada mendocina (pork and cumin empanada baked in a clay oven) and a final bottle of Malbec. Mendoza is a city built around two great pleasures — wine and mountains — and three days here gives you a taste of both.