Before you fly in
Mendoza travel guides
The things you have to sort out before the fun starts. Money, getting here, seasons, safety.
01 Things to Do in Mendoza Wine, the Andes, the city and the food: the things I keep coming back to, and how to split your days. 02 Is Mendoza, Argentina Worth Visiting? Yes, if you give it three days and get out of the city. No, if you want a big night out. 03 Best Time to Visit Mendoza, Argentina March and April win. But there is a good case for almost every other month, and one wind nobody warns you about. 04 How to Get to Mendoza, Argentina One connection you cannot rush, two airports in Buenos Aires, and a mountain road that closes in winter. 05 Mendoza to Santiago: Bus, Plane and the Pass One of the great road journeys on the continent, and also a day that can run to fourteen hours. 06 Where to Stay in Mendoza – Part 1 My very personal neighbourhood guide: where I would look first, and what to check on the map before you book. 07 Eating in Mendoza: What You Should Know Dinner starts late, the best lunch is at a bodega, and the simple food is often the best. 08 Money in Argentina: What You Actually Need to Know Exchange rates keep changing. Here is what is actually useful to know about cards, cash, Western Union and tips. 09 Is Mendoza Safe? What You Should Know Use common sense with your phone and bag, choose where you stay carefully, and never drive after a wine day. 10 The Mendoza Road Trip I’d Take: Villavicencio, Uspallata & Potrerillos Villavicencio, the old mountain road to Uspallata, then on to Potrerillos. Not the quickest day trip, and that is exactly why I love it.
What to sort out before you fly
Argentina is relaxed about paperwork. But a handful of things are hard to fix once you are already here.
- A passport with enough validity left. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and EU citizens do not need a visa for tourism and can normally stay up to 90 days — check your own government's travel advice for the current rules, not this page.
- Winery reservations. The better-known bodegas fill up weeks ahead in high season.
- Insurance that covers altitude. Standard policies often exclude anything above 3,000 m, and almost every mountain trip here goes higher than that.
- A card that works outside your home country. Bring two if you can. More in the money guide.
- 200–500 USD in cash, clean, untorn notes, series 2013 or newer.
- An eSIM. Getting a local Argentine SIM as a tourist is awkward and usually needs local ID.
- High-factor sunscreen. This is high desert. The sun is sharp and there is no shade in a vineyard.
- Something warm for the evening. Even in summer.
And a few words of Spanish
You will manage in English at hotels and at the larger bodegas. Much beyond that, probably not. You do not need to speak Spanish, but a few phrases change the tone of every interaction — and people here notice that more than in most places.