Introducing Mendoza

A bustling city of wide, leafy avenues, atmospheric plazas and cosmopolitan cafés, Mendoza is a trap. Even if you’ve (foolishly) only given it a day or two on your itinerary, you’re bound to end up hanging around, captivated by the laid-back pace while surrounded by every possible comfort.

Ostensibly it’s a desert town, though you wouldn’t know unless you were told – acequias (irrigation ditches) that run beside every main road and glorious fountains that adorn every main plaza mean you’ll never be far from the burble of running water.

Lively during the day, the city really comes into its own at night, when the bars, restaurants and cafés along Av Arístides fill up and overflow onto the sidewalks with all the bright young things, out to see and be seen.

All over the country (and in much of the world), the name Mendoza is synonymous with wine, and this is the place to base yourself if you’re up for touring the vineyards, taking a few dozen bottles home or just looking for a good bottle to accompany the evening’s pizza.

The city’s wide range of tour operators also makes it a great place to organize rafting, skiing and other adventures in the nearby Andes.