Category: Argentina

While in Argentina’s wine country, we wanted to be sure to see some vineyards and see the outskirts of Mendoza… plus try some local wines. Mendoza’s wine regions account for about 70% of all the wine produced in Argentina, so visiting some wineries and tasting some Malbec is a must while staying in Mendoza.

Turns out, though, that planning a day trip to wineries is a little harder than we thought. Mendoza’s wine regions stretch out over more than 350,000 acres and there are three separate regions within Mendoza. So, with just one day set aside for this, we quickly realized we couldn’t see it all. First, we had to pick a region (we went with Maipú) and then we had to choose a plan. We had the option of paying for a tour that picked up and dropped off at our hotel but, for a fraction of the cost, we could make our own private tour if we were a little more adventurous.

We found “Mr. Hugo’s” bike rental and decided to go that route as opposed to the all-inclusive (and much more expensive) bus tour. For a much, much, much more affordable cost, we could find our own way out to Maipú and we thought it’d be more fun to take the local bus anyway. We took a city bus for 8 pesos to Maipú. The trip is pretty short– only take about 40 minutes total from the city center:

The best news is that the bus drivers know exactly what’s up. They let us know exactly when we should get off the bus and then pointed us (and the two other English-speaking tourists on the crowded bus of locals) toward Mr. Hugo’s.

1- Mr. Hugo’s

Update: Mr. Hugo’s appears to have closed. Instead, try Maipú Bikes (Website / TripAdvisor) which has fantastic reviews and is just a few blocks up the road from the old Mr. Hugo’s.

Mr. Hugo himself welcomed us and we watched as a whole boatload of Americans chugged champagne from the bottle then finished with beer before riding off into the sunset 11 am sunshine. I think the 50 – 70-year-olds all took the all-inclusive & more expensive bus tour choice, so you’re mixed in more with the party crowd on the DIY bike tours. That was fine with us and really more of what we were after anyway, but just something to consider when deciding which route to choose.

We rented bikes for 70 pesos each (looks like it’s up to 100 pesos/bike now because of inflation… still, that’s roughly $5-$7 USD). Mr. Hugo gave us a small paper with a suggested route showing all the wineries around (the drawing isn’t to scale, so some wineries had more space between them than we thought).

We started biking around 12:30 pm and took a total of 4 hr 15 mins of which about 1 hr 15 mins was spent actually biking and the remaining 3 hours we enjoyed eating and drinking in the various wineries and the biergarten.

Here’s a map of some of the […]

Mendoza is an excellent small town for a self-guided walking tour and just about everything can be explored within a day on foot. We would, of course, recommend a few more days than that to explore the vineyards and, depending on the season, another day or two to check out the ski slopes that aren’t too far away.

Here’s a map of the route that has a lot of the highlights you’ll want to check out as well as practical info, such as the bus station, airport, grocery stores (to stock up on cheap Mendoza wine!), etc:

Stay

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Mendoza and would highly recommend it. It is in the perfect location and quite luxurious. Find our full review here: Park Hyatt Mendoza Review – Mendoza, Argentina.

1- Plaza Independencia

Start your day at off at Plaza Independencia, the true center of the town. Here, you’ll find plenty of locals, anyone from school kids playing to couples basking in the sun to retirees just hanging out to pass the time. On the weekends and some evenings, you’ll find local vendors selling art and trinkets.

Some kids that insisted on being in the photo

2- Peatonal Sarmiento

From the central square, head east towards the city’s pedestrian mall. Here, you’ll find tons of restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating. Although we found them to feel a bit touristy and expensive, it might just be worth it if the weather is nice to post up and people watch along the lively walkway. Along with restaurants, there are also cute coffee shops and boutique stores, so it’s well-worth a walk.

You might even see an impromptu tango dance!

3- Pasaje San Martin

Make sure not to leave the area without popping into the Pasaje San Martin and the historic shopping gallery’s exquisite stained glass skylight.

4- Plaza Espana & Plaza Italia

After a coffee and snack (we’re partial to alfajores), make your way towards two of Mendoza’s other large squares. While there’s not all that much to see here, it’s just nice to have a seat and take in the city and begin to appreciate how much area has been set aside for parks, squares and green space in this city that hugs the Andes.

Mendoza’s downtown is interesting in that it has one large square in the middle (Plaza Independencia) and 4 other squares spaced equally apart in 4 corners:

The 4 squares were designed to pay tribute to the founders of the city and create a natural retreat for its residents.

Plaza Italia is a memorial to the Italian families who resettled in Mendoza’s Cuyo neighborhood. One of the park’s landmarks is a statue of Romulus and Remus being suckled by the Roman wolf– a well-known myth in Italian culture pertaining to the founding of Rome. Additionally, the fountain is embellished with Italian-style stones and offer a perfect place to enjoy the weather and passerbys.

Plaza Italia

Plaza España, another one of the squares, has a statue portraying two ladies: the older, more experienced one representing Spain and the younger, more lively woman representing Argentina.

Plaza […]