Ah! Beautiful Mendoza! This Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary is all about enjoying life. You will spend relaxing time in the sun around the pool, drink some (well, let’s be honest, a lot) of fabulous wine, eat a lot of amazing food, and will leave you wondering why you haven’t visited sooner.
The city of Mendoza is located about 1000km west of Buenos Aires at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. It’s one of the most well known wine making regions in the world, home to more than 1500 wineries. If you love wine like I do, you are going to love Mendoza.
In addition to it’s amazing wines, it also has an abundance of activities you can enjoy while in the area. Nearby is Aconcagua, the highest mountain peak in the Americas, which hosts mountain climbers from around the world. You can also ski, mountain bike, and raft, just to name a few others.
Since 2 of our priorities were relaxation and wine tasting, we decided to base ourselves in Chacras de Coria, one of the wine regions, about 30-40 minutes south of Mendoza city. We rented a beautiful house with a pool through VRBO, you can read more about it below. This perfect Mendoza 4 day itinerary is based around staying in Chacras de Coria but if you wanted to base yourself in Mendoza it is still easy to follow this guide.
Keep reading to learn about Mendoza’s wineries and more with this…
Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary
Day 1 – The Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary
Pool Day
Arrive early (or the night prior to make the most of your time here) and check into your accommodation. First things first, grab the essentials, food and wine (not necessarily in that order), then take a good part of the day to relax and enjoy the sun and pool. We arrived from a busy week in Chile and this was just what the doctor ordered.
Dinner at Anastasio el Pollo
After spending a day by the pool (and ‘tasting’ a lot of amazing wine), a much needed nap may be necessary. Argentine’s eat late so don’t worry there’s still time for a delicious dinner. Stay close to Chacras tonight and dine at Anastasio el Pollo in Chacras. It’a parrilla, or BBQ restaurant, where you can watch them cook the meat outside on the patio.
The food was amazing and there was A LOT! Plus they do ‘wine to go’!
Day 2 – The Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary
Leisurely Morning by the Pool
Wake up and enjoy a light breakfast and a leisurely morning by the pool. Take advantage of the beautiful weather. We sure did! And get ready for another HOT day!
Wine Tasting at Casa Vigil/El Enimigo Bodega
In the afternoon, experience your 1st wine tasting at Casa Vigil/El Enemigo Bodega, located just across the highway from Chacras, in Maipu. We didn’t have a reservation however we were lucky enough to get there when an English tour was about to begin. If you don’t want to be disappointed I recommend making a reservation ahead of time otherwise you may find yourself out of luck. It was a short but really interesting and informative tour, with a knowledgeable guide. The design of the bodega is based on the story from Dante’s Divine Comedy, and has a lot of art throughout. After the tour portion was done, we did a tasting in a beautiful room. We were even treated to some live saxophone by our guide.
Casa Vigil/El Enemigo
Casa Vigil/El Enemigo
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Casa Vigil/El Enemigo
Casa Vigil/El Enemigo
Casa Vigil/El Enemigo
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Mendoza City
Tonight, head into Mendoza city for dinner. Although we could have easily driven in to the city, we chose to take an Uber so we could enjoy a few ‘beverages’. The Uber took about 30 minutes and cost around $6USD. Like most South American countries, the night doesn’t come alive until later, around 10pm. If you want to beat the crowds go a bit earlier.
Begin your evening on Av. Aristides. It’s a street lined with bars, restaurants and shops. There are so many places to choose from. If you are looking for craft beer, try Chachingo.
After a few ‘refreshing beverages’, head to Fuente y Fonda for dinner for some amazing food!
Chachingo Craft Beer, Av. Aristides, Mendoza
Fuente y Fonda Restaurante, Mendoza
Fuente y Fonda Restaurante, Mendoza
Plaza Independencia
Lastly, take a stroll through Plaza Independencia. It’s a huge park in the centre of the city, with a large fountain in the middle. At night it’s beautifully lit up. The Park Hyatt Hotel is just across the street and a perfect location to meet your Uber or get a taxi home.
Plaza Independencia, Mendoza
Day 3 – The Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary
Alta Vista Bodega
Like every other day, start out with breakfast at home and a few hours by the pool.
In the afternoon, try out Alta Vista Bodega. It’s very close to Chacras. We actually walked there from our VRBO, although it was a good 20-30 minute walk in the scorching sun.
They offer tours and tastings, however we opted to just enjoy a glass of wine in their beautiful gardens. We then walked through their gardens and vineyards, and finally made a stop at their store to purchase some of their wines.
The grounds of Alta Vista Bodega are so stunning with the Andes in the distance.
Alta Vista Bodega
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Alta Vista Bodega
Alta Vista Bodega
Alta Vista Bodega
‘Jump of Joy’ at Alta Vista Bodega
Chacras de Coria
This evening, stay in Chacras and head into the town center. We started out The Beer Club. They have a lovely patio and a DJ, but most importantly, a great selection of craft beers. This made my ‘beer snob’ husband a happy man.
Once you’ve ‘refreshed’ yourself and tasted a few of their beers, take a stroll through the cute town of Chacras. The town is so lively and picturesque.
Chacras de Coria town
Chacras de Coria town
You never know who you are going to meet! What a cutie!
Dantesco Restaurante
You must be getting hungry now? Make your way to Dantesco Restaurante, a beautiful restaurant with incredible food. They have an extensive menu of grilled meats, an amazing wine list, and delicious desserts so be sure to save some room!
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Day 4 – The Perfect Mendoza 4 Day Itinerary
Start your day out with breakfast at La Vene on Viamonte. It’s a fabulous bakery with all kinds of tasty treats. The empanadas are to die for.
Empanadas are ok for breakfast, right!?!!
Termas Cacheuta
Before leaving Le Vene, grab a snack from the bakery to take away, and then drive to Termas Cacheuta to enjoy a relaxing and therapeutic morning at the thermal spas. It’s located about 30-45 minute drive west from Chacras. We made the mistake of driving there without a reservation. As a result, after we arrived, we were disappointed to discover that they couldn’t fit us in. We were told we could return from 3-6:30pm but it was only 10am so that wasn’t an option. At least it was a beautiful drive through the foothills of the Andes.
TIP: Don’t be disappointed like we were…be sure to make a reservation in advance.
Photo by @redbarley (Instagram)
Tierra’s Altas Bodega
After spending the morning at the thermal spa, in the afternoon check out another winery. Gerardo, the property manager of our VRBO, recommended Tierra’s Altas Bodega. We called ahead and made a reservation (we’re getting the hang of this now) for lunch and wine tasting. And WOW, we were not disappointed this afternoon!
We went with the 4 course lunch with 3 wine pairings. The cost was $1660ARS (approximately $24US or €21) and included bread and olive oil, choice of starter, main course and dessert. There were 3 of us, so we were able to try a bit of everything! The wine, the food and the service were all excellent.
Tierras Altas Bodega
Mixed Starters
Braiser entraña
Mediterranean tagliatelli
Pork bondiola
left to right: Tierras Altas Temptation – Fruit with Sauvignon Blanc ice cream – Juana Maria tiramisu.
Before you leave, in addition to purchasing some wine, make sure you purchase some of their Miel de Malbec (honey malbec). It’s a delicious and versatile honey (made from malbec, of course), that can be used for bread dipping, drizzling on steaks or empanadas, and even desserts. They make it there themselves, and it’s DELISH!
Miel de Malbec (honey malbec)
Mendoza City
Spend what’s left of the afternoon, relaxing around the pool, and maybe having a little siesta to get ready for tonight. It’s your final evening in Mendoza so make it a good one!
Head into Mendoza city and to Av. Aristides. The street is packed with block after block of restaurants, bars and some boutique shops. It really comes alive at night, but not until 10pm. There are so many places to pick from. We stopped for a glass of wine and a light snack at the cute and very instagramable El Mercadito. If you want to continue on partying, there are plenty of options along Av. Aristides to choose from.
Av. Aristides, Mendoza
El Mercadito, Av. Aristides, Mendoza
Day 5 – Say Goodbye to Mendoza 😢
These are your last few hours. Spend them soaking in the sun around the pool, then head to the airport to catch your flight.
Mendoza’s Wines
Mendoza is all about the wine, and specifically Malbec. It is home to some of the best wines in the world. The 3 main wine regions are Luján de Cuyo, Maipu and Valle de Uco, and totaling over 1500 wineries. The choices are endless! They range from big name large production wineries such as Luigi Bosca to smaller family run wineries.
You can’t visit Mendoza and not do some wine tasting!
There are boutique, medium and large wineries. Be sure to try a variety. Also, mix up your tasting styles. For example, we visited 3 different wineries. On our 1st, we did a tour of the winery plus a tasting. With our next, we chose to just do a ‘self-directed’ tour. We sat in the beautiful gardens and enjoyed a few glasses of wine, followed by a walk through the vineyard. Then with our 3rd winery, we chose to do lunch and tasting. As a result, we had 3 very different experiences, with none being better than the other. They were all unique in their own way.
Where to Stay
Depending what your priorities are for your visit to Mendoza, this will make a difference in where you choose to stay.
If wine tasting is your number 1 reason for visiting Mendoza, I recommend staying in Chacras de Coria in Luján de Cuyo, 1 of the wine regions. It’s about 30-40 minutes south of Mendoza city. Also nearby is Maipu, another of the wine regions. And just south is Valle de Uco, the 3rd wine region. Staying in Chacras will give you easy access to each, and it’s really easy to get to Mendoza city from.
Our main goals of our visit to Mendoza were to taste some fantastic wines and relax and enjoy the sun, therefore we chose to stay in Chacras de Coria. If you love wine, this area is perfect, with amazing wineries at your fingertips.
I highly recommend the beautiful house we rented on VRBO. Click here to see it. It has plenty of space, a swimming pool, many outdoor dining areas, and the property manager was super friendly and helpful in making recommendations of wineries in the area.
Getting Around
Driving in and around Mendoza is fairly easy, therefore I highly recommend renting a car, especially if you are staying outside of Mendoza City. Just make sure you have GPS. There are also taxis and Uber, both are very reasonably priced. For wine tastings, you can easily hire a driver which can be arranged by your hotel or host.
When to Go
Mendoza is HOT in the summer, December 21 – March 21, with temperatures ranging from 30-30C or 86-104F.
March 21 – June 21 is autumn. Temperatures are very pleasant averaging 21C or 70F. Many wineries are finishing harvesting at this time and it is also less crowded.
Winter, from June 21 – September 21, is the driest and sunniest time of year, however evenings can be cool. Temperatures range from 2-14C or 36-58F.
From September 21 to December 21 is spring time. Things are starting to heat up for summer with temperatures ranging from 31-37C or 88-99F.
Overall
Mendoza was one of my favorite stops on this trip to South America. I love wine and I love sun. It has both plus a whole lot more. What more can you ask for? It’s definitely on my list to return to one day! This would be my ideal location to have a vacation home to escape the brutal winters of Canada!
Ciao for now!
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I hold a special place in my heart for Mendoza. We use to go frequently when we lived in Santiago. There was an amazing all you can eat parrilla; wish I could remember the name. Back then it was only $20 for two and a bottle of wine, included hand made pasta and dessert. Makes me hungry just thinking back. Glad you enjoyed your time there.
It certainly is a special place. A little piece of heaven!