I just wrapped up 3 months in Mendoza, Argentina. That could be far too long for some. As my Uber driver said on the ride from the airport, Mendoza is really a “pueblo-ciudad.” It’s a city technically, but with a town feel. Still, I wanted a place to hunker down in nature while I worked on some writing projects, and I tried to make the best of my time in Mendoza.

If you’re looking for a clean, safe, and laid-back place, Mendoza will fit the bill. Especially for nomads who find themselves in need of a tranquil place to re-energize or those traveling with children. So, here are the main highlights when visiting Mendoza:

Parque San Martin

Believe it or not, Parque San Martin is the reason I chose to spend time in Mendoza. I wanted a city where I could live near a large public park so that I could go on daily jaunts. When I came across Parque San Martin in my research, I was sold!

Parque San Martin is actually slightly larger than Central Park. And just like three years ago when I set off for Buenos Aires close to Thanksgiving, I was happy to be in Argentina once again to enjoy the southern hemisphere’s summer, which takes place at the end of the calendar year. (We all know I like to be warm!)

I love the park for its rose garden, mountain reserve hiking trails, mountain biking athletic park, numerous food and drink options, and joyful energy. One day during a football/soccer match, a group of fans set off fireworks each time their team scored. Sometimes, I’d take a book and a blanket and just read on a plot of grass in the park.

After spending months exploring the park on foot, I rented a bike from Aconcagua Bike during my last week in Mendoza. The shop is located on Arístides, a main strip, and when I arrived a saw a sign saying “be back in 5 minutes.” This was expected based on a review I’d read but once the staff member showed up, I was in and out in just a few moments. It was a mountain bike with a comfy seat and poor breaks, but it matched my shirt and did just fine for the four hours I paid to rent it.

I was excited to finally adventure around the mountain bike recreational area in Parque San Martin now that I had a bike to match, but I found my skill level was not suited to the rigor of the trails in the park! I did get to see youngins do some cool tricks where they went up roughly 9 feet in the air, flew over the trail I was on, and landed on another. I thought it was sweet that the first boy who stuck the landing called me señora and alerted me that I should wait before biking further because there were two more coming behind him. And I’m most happy that on a whim I exited the park and started biking north. It took me to a bike lane overpass with a gorgeous view of the Las Heras region.

Nomad Community

For such a calm city, a nomad scene that is beginning to bubble in Mendoza. On Tuesday nights, there’s a “language exchange” event at El Container Bar that starts at 8pm. I use quotation marks because the focus is actually on English practice, but since the group ends up being 70-90% Mendocinos, you can usually get locals who are willing to switch to Spanish and practice with you. There is also a weekly Wednesday meetup at Believe Irish Pub that starts also at 8pm and goes “until.” That meetup is frequented by mostly foreigners, but a few Mendocinos show up as well.

Then, there are the WhatsApp groups like “Mendoza Travelers Group” and one simply called “Spanglish.” You pretty much have your basis covered between these two WhatsApp groups in terms of events and questions you need answered. I also started using Nomadtable in Mendoza to get connected with the traveler community. Since it’s a smaller city, I’ll wait until I’ve used the app more in larger cities before I do a review.

Wine

Bike Rentals for Winery Touring

A common activity for visitors to Mendoza is to rent a bicycle and vineyard hop. The two most common places to do this are Luján de Cuyo and Maipu, both towns located close to Mendoza that offer an abundance of wineries.

Luján de Cuyo

You can get to Luján de Cuyo south of Mendoza by a 45-minute public bus ride or take a 20-minute Uber ride. If you’re strapped for time and can only bike in one of these towns, I would recommend Luján de Cuyo over Maipu because the bike lanes were far smoother and more spacious as well. I rented a shockingly comfortable cruiser bike from “Baccus Wine Tours Bike” and then had to pay for my tastings and food at each individual winery, whereas I paid upfront in Maipu and spent much less overall. However, the experience with Baccus was better. It didn’t hurt that I formed a group with other travelers I met at my first winery and didn’t have to worry about navigating; one French traveler took the task on behalf of all of us! Check out some photos from that day:

Maipu

I think it’s nicest to arrive at Maipu to the southeast of Mendoza using the Metrotranvia (about 40 minutes) for the experience of using a light rail in a different country. But I am biased as a big proponent of public transportation; an Uber would take only about 20 minutes. Keep in mind that the bike lanes in Maipu aren’t perfect. They were comically narrow at some points. Even as I made it away from the town and further into vineyard land, I still had to stay aware of huge trucks that would occasionally ride past you. I found it funny (but responsible) that the company I used in Maipu, Wine and Ride, sent me a message half way through the day reminding riders to hydrate!

My bike wasn’t as bad as some reviewers of the company said, but I may have gotten lucky. Another group had various issues with their bikes (a flat tire being only one of them) and were forced to stop multiple times during their ride. I think people would experience flat tires way less if the bike lanes in Maipu weren’t so jaggedy! Also note that if you’re willing to put in the research, you can rent a bike from anywhere and just visit whichever wineries you are most interested in. The main winery I visited had too much sweet wine and the food looked far better than it tasted, but I also made a stop at an olive oil production facility where I sampled 6 flavors including a delicious spicy olive oil and a local food hall where I had comically small portions of an alfajor and ice cream.

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Earthquake

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Hikes

Cerro Arco

Chacras de Coria

You can take the 720 bus and walk a ways to the trailhead. If you Uber or drive, know that rugged vehicles are better to make it over all of the stones along the long path leading to the trailhead. This was also the one place in Mendoza where I came across multiple dogs that weren’t so friendly. There were some street dogs towards the entrance of the grounds that didn’t like cars and also some unsecured dogs guarding a private property just beyond the trailhead that seemed angered as well. This feels important to note because Mendoza has lots of dogs off leash (I would say 90% of all dogs that I saw around the city), but the vast majority usually seemed well-behaved and friendly towards humans.

Beyond that, Chacras de Coria is a spot full of beautiful desert and plenty of mountain bikers. I recommend the La Calandria restaurant to refuel after your hike or bike ride. They accept payment by credit card and there’s a handsome worker with great customer service skills. The other restaurant outside of the hike, Rincón Biker de Patricia, doesn’t accept credit card, but they had an adorable little dog sleeping by a window.

Museums

(Note: all museum exhibits are in Spanish)

Monumento a la Bandera

I recommend this museum. You get to view the original flag of the Army of the Andes, which is over 200 years old! A military member guards it and a representative I spoke with said guard changes happen, but infrequently as it is only for special events. Besides the flag, there is one other small room and then a separate video room that was great. It has a 16-minute video explaining the history of the flag and the Army of the Andes. I love that the video shows the women who played a role in the creation of the flag and the African descendants who fought in the Army towards the goal of liberation. If you visit the “Monument to the Army of the Andes” located inside Parque San Martin, you’ll notice one African man carved into the monument who represents the thousands of African descendants who fought in the army. I love that this piece is not left out in either depiction.

Museum of Modern Art of Mendoza Municipality (MMAMM)

MMAMM is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and only open for a few hours in the evening on weekends. One day I showed up during what would normally be open hours and workers there told me it would be closed for a few weeks. When I finally got to see the inside, it was pleasant. It’s free and has space for three main exhibits as well as a library.

Contemporary Art gallery Eliana Molinelli

I visited this free museum a few times because sometimes I’d show up and the downstairs or upstairs would be closed and I wanted to get to see everything. I regret to this day not snapping a photo on the basement level. It was an exhibit of student art and there was some great talent on display! My favorite was a self-portrait of a girl who ripped her heart out and was extending it to the viewer; the pain she depicted in her eyes was absolutely palpable.

Carlos Alonso Museum, Stoppel House

If you’re strapped for time, you can skip this one. The first floor doesn’t have much to see, but the second floor allows for a better view of the building’s architecture and there’s a space in a house at the back of the property with nice contemporary art.

Museo de Ciencias Naturales y Antropológicas Juan Cornelio Moyano

This natural history museum is free with some interesting things on display. It’s also a great place to use the restroom for free in the park, although you’ll need hand sanitizer because it never had soap the times that I stopped in.

Day Trips

Potrerillos 

Potrerillos is a tourist town with nature hikes known for its beautiful reservoir, which is about a 1hr drive away from Mendoza. Have your cellphone ready for the famous view as you emerge from the tunnel and into the epic view that awaits you.

Uspallata 

Uspallata also has natural landscapes and hiking opportunities. It is about a 2-hour drive away from Mendoza and many tours will take you to see Puente del Inca, about an hour drive away.

Aconcagua Provincial Park

As much as I love hiking, I knew climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, wouldn’t be for me…it takes 15 days on average…and it’s cold…HA! Still, I was excited to get close to it and do some hiking around the area.

In the end, it’s most ideal if you can secure a car and go to the Aconcagua Provincial Park on your own. I have this thing where I get so excited when I’m in open land that I want to start trail running immediately, but that urge was quickly squashed. As it turns out, if you go with a tour group, you all have to stick together as opposed to meeting back at a specified point like other nature tours I’ve done in the past. The group ended up moving at a slow pace and having many photo-taking stragglers, so we didn’t see as much as I would have liked to.

Traveling Further South / Interesting Things to Do in Argentina

Speaking of cars — if you have one, consider driving 4-5 hours south from Mendoza to visit Pozo de las Ánimas (a water-filled sinkhole), Ingreso a La Caverna de las Brujas (a “witches’ cave with stalactites and stalagmites), Volcán Malacara (natural chimney-like structures formed by water lava), and Provincial Reserve La Payunia (a protected area of volcanoes). I considered taking a flight nearby and booking a few tour groups to take me around for day trips to each, but many of them wouldn’t run if there weren’t enough people, and I ultimately decided not to take the risk.

Was It Too Small?

There were times when I found myself feeling like I was ready to bounce out of Mendoza, but I’d already booked my lodging for all three months and stuck it out. Plus, my time there served it’s purpose: I was able to get some writing done, buckle down when work got busy, and get outdoors in my abundant free-time. My options for seeing epic nature while traveling only by bus was very limited in comparison to my three months in Tenerife, but the tradeoff was being able to arrive at and explore Parque San Martin solely on foot any day I wanted. And I loved the safety of Mendoza. It’s not like some places you travel as a nomad where you don’t even wanted to be spotted outside with your phone lest a motorbike race by and snatch it out of your hand. In this case, small equaled safe, and my nervous system was quite thankful for that.

Being Black in Mendoza

While I could count the number of Black people I saw in Mendoza on one hand, being someone who stood out for my skin tone and hair didn’t contribute to many negative interactions with Mendocinos. Most assumed I was from Brazil or Cali, Colombia, which I guess comes from those being the closest places with large Black populations. I’d have to say “Estados Unidos” a few times before it clicked with people. Thankfully, I was able to find things like leave-in conditioner with no problems (I think curly hair care is just becoming more mainstream?). But when I knew I was ready to cut all my hair off again, I was out of luck finding a barber that knew how to cut afro-textured hair. I literally scheduled a hair appointment over a month in advance with a barber at my next nomad destination so that I could get someone familiar with cutting Black hair (updates to come on that later). So for Black travelers who always have to do research on what their experience and treatment might be like in a new destination, I say Mendoza felt safe.

Argentine Spanish

If you’re familiar with the many variations of Spanish, you know that español/castellano in Argentina has its idiosyncrasies. However, the ‘y‘ and ‘ll‘ sounds in Mendoza are not as pronounced at the Porteño accent in Buenos Aires. And you’ll be totally fine swapping out a couple of extra vocabulary words (palta instead of aguacate, porotos instead of frijoles, frutilla instead of fresa, and so on). There seems to be a different concept of the word batido in Mendoza that I haven’t quite been able to pin down, but know that if you want a smoothie, just ask for a licuado, which apparently does not mean jugo/zumo, although it really seems like it would! As for the myriad of ways to say “bus” in Spanish depending on where you are, it’s colectivo here. I made sure to clarify with my Uber driver upon landing since the “guagua” from Tenerife was still sticking to my tongue. Basically, if you have a decent level of Spanish, even if you’re not comfortable using vos, I don’t think you’ll struggle with speaking or understanding people in Mendoza at all. I’ve heard though that it can be a challenging place for people who do not know Spanish because, for example, many tour companies are not able to provide tours in English.

Food Recommendations for Mendoza

Best Pizza in Mendoza, Argentina

Bigalia Pizza Napolitana

Best place for salsa and bachata dancing in Mendoza, Argentina

QSYO (Que Se Yo)

Thursday and Sunday nights are salsa and bachata nights at QSYO. There are lots of regulars and at some point in the night, a host will lead a brief dancing session (that is not beginner friendly lol). The locals are polite here and happy to dance the night away with you regardless of your level.

Best Venezuelan food in Mendoza, Argentina

Tequeñitos Godoy Cruz

This restaurant is actually in a shared space of restaurants and one cafe (named Patio Godoy – Coffee Club, also recommended) run out of shipping containers. It has an excellent ambiance and the staff at Tequeñitos are all actually from Venezuela. Tequeñitos aren’t the only thing for sale though; there are also empanadas, Venezuelan pastelitos (so many countries have their own rendition of a pastelito), arepas, and beer. And I continue to be obsessed with the green garlic sauce that Venezuelans make! They “do their big one” on that.

Best Breakfast Cafe in Mendoza, Argentina

Mucho Cafe

This cafe is going to be more expensive than some, but sometimes good vibes and stellar decor cost a bit more. Service is good and they have fresh juices that are essentially the alcohol-free version of popular cocktails. Don’t miss out on their yummy pastries either.

Conclusion: Acknowledging the Bad with the Good

Of course, life is life anywhere you go.

I still had to fight through a random bout of depression for the first portion of my trip, had some disappointing social situations, and raged at the difficulties of getting information or even purchasing items from some local businesses (a complaint many other travelers also shared). Let’s just say I would’ve spent a lot more money during my time in Mendoza if businesses were more concerned with actually making money lol.

Surprisingly, I was even so saturated with wine options that I grew a bit indifferent (I know, woe is me). And if you want to order food or go out to eat, your options are super limited. Lastly, many streets also don’t have crosswalk lights for pedestrians and even in their absence, most cars will not yield.

Mendoza does, however, have a beautiful irrigation system, courtesy of the indigenous Huarpe people, constructed along sidewalks throughout the entire city. Though these do make it hard to jaywalk lest you fall into one of the gaping canals!

All that said, the homes in Mendoza have some of the prettiest curb appeal I’ve ever witnessed in a city! I loved adding some novelty to daily routines by taking walking along new streets and taking in the details and gardens of local homes.

In summary, if you’re a nomad who needs a calm place to just exist for a while, Mendoza might be right for you.