6 of the 7 Continents For The Budget Traveler: mendoza

"I am going to like this city... I know I am going to like it. I am going to like this country too... I know I am going to like it...." I told myself after I began to plan what to do in Argentina post Antarctica. Most seasoned travelers know it is likely that going to Antarctica a very large number of cruises will leave from Argentina, more specifically, Ushuaia. Then many who have gone to book will quickly realize it is likely they will pass thru Buenos Aires. I had heard enough good things about Argentina that this wasn't going to just be a simple layover vacation, I wanted it to be something special. So I planned appropriately to have time in Ushuaia pre and post cruise, an exotic wine weekend in Mendoza, and of course Buenos Aires.

16 million people call Buenos Aires home, and after 11 days there I also hope I can be part of that group one day. It's a city of energy, of positivity, of art, of amazing people, red wine, tango, the best steak of your life, great food, great beers, dancing, music, safe, modern, and beautiful. Like so much of South America, Buenos Aires is a place I could easily call home. But since I only had 11 days.... Here's my go to advice for spending time here, as well as some advice I've learned since for those who want to stay longer.

You are a tourist, base yourself in the tourist hub if price permits, Palermo. More specifically I would stay on the east side of Palermo, search around Plaza Serrano. I stayed on the west side and absolutely loved it, but spent more time on the east side, and it was easily walkable during the day to and from. Don't even bother with hotels, Airbnb is an amazing fraction of the price, with a lot more amenities. My Airbnb had a rooftop pool, gym, sauna, parking if needed. It was so cheap at $35 a night that when I went to Mendoza for 2 nights I didn't even bother checking out. It was nice to have a place to keep my large bag, and not deal with check in on the way back.

Another night in Palermo at Hierro Parilla
The Blue Rate: Lets start with the big one. Argentina is a cash society if you are coming with dollars. And exchanging dollars for Argentina Pesos is a big business. Go online and check current exchange rates to make sure you get a good deal. So as not to get ripped off I only exchanged with my Airbnb hosts and Western Union. But most people I talked to had good experiences at exchange places, and at the time of writing using Visa credit card could even get the blue rate. This is not a discount, this is an extreme discount, so look into the current exchange rate and credit card info before you travel.
You probably already know you are going to be eating a lot of steak. If you can't get a reservation at La Cabrera that everyone told you to get, don't worry, every single meal I had in the country was delicious. They don't make bad steak there.
While I loved Palermo nightlife, don't disregard the other neighborhoods, we had some amazing nights in the center around Plaza De Mayo, rooftop bars to die for.
It's hard to spend a lot of money in Argentina but if you really wanna save, go to the parks by day, amazing plants, trees, sculptures, and free to see some wild life both native and non-native.

Recoleta Cemetery
If you don't go to a tango show or a tango lesson, did you really go to Argentina?

Hanging at one of the Milongas watching the Tango pros while drinking Malbec

La Boca, I personally didn't see it, but I'm told this is the area that can be dangerous, particularly at night, it's recommended by the tourist advice to go with a group, which I did. Also bring a good camera that captures the colors.

Think outside the box, this is general tourist advice too for anywhere, but I did an art class in Buenos Aires, drawing the human body on Airbnb with a live model. It's something I always wanted to but of course had to travel to another hemisphere to do it. Check Airbnb or websites like Viator for experiences you can do that maybe you never thought of.
I am super happy I went to Mendoza for the wine, but if you don't have time there are countless wine tours right in Buenos Aires or tastings you could attend. I did a coffee tasting tour! Perfect for the too much wine hangover from the night before. And of course eat local! I ate at gourmet restaurants to street food, not one bad experience!
I couldn't have said it better than this ARTICLE, as far as what to eat. I think I got damn near everything on that list. Argentina is probably in my top 3 for culinary countries after this trip along with Italy and Greece.
Catch a fútbol game! I got to Buenos Aires after the World Cup so I didn't get to do this as the city was still recovering from perhaps the greatest final ever, but you are in fútbol world, embrace it!
The city is very walkable, if not public transport was very easy, and Ubers to and from the airport were very well priced.
Photography experience tour! You may notice some of the photos here are better than my normal ones, I did a photo tour! A great way to walk the city with a local but also get some really good photos for the memory of the trip.
I fell in love with this city, and like a handful of others, a few weeks wasn't enough. Argentina has great options to live! Work visas, nomad visas, and pensionado visas. There are great sources of expats groups on Facebook and other social media that I am now a part of. Low cost of living, great medical care, and all the beauties of any city you can wish for, with of course also the pleasures of living in South America.

I am so glad that Argentina became it's own trip, not just a gateway to Antarctica. It's an amazing country, and Buenos Aires is an amazing city. I was sad to leave to say the least. It's also a giant country that I only got to see three parts of. It's no secret now that I can't wait to back. But for now, I am forever grateful to everything this beautiful city, and everything this beautiful country gave me.

Goodbye.... For now....

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I would like to think the very first time I tried Malbec was in Chile in 2013... I can't quite prove it, but I also can't quite disprove it... I mean how many people can truly remember the first time they had a grape varietal? But a photo from my trip to Santiago, Chile, seems to be some sort of evidence. It became my favorite wine shortly thereafter... As the story goes, the grape was discovered by a Hungarian, harvested by the French, but later after a chaotic season in France, perfected by Argentina. It is the premier wine of Argentina, and needless to say the majority of this amazing wine comes from the Mendoza region. When I booked my trip to Antarctica in 2022, I knew of course I would also be visiting Argentina, and thus, it was mandatory to also make a trip to Mendoza. We all have our favorite wines, and after visiting Mendoza I can whole heartedly say, there is no wine experience like drinking your favorite varietal right in it's home winery.

The airport gets right to business!

A big thing for me as a budget traveler is an issue of time, I have a full time job, and side gigs at home, so this trip combined with Antarctica was already way too long, but I had to go to Mendoza! That being said, I opted for an early flight in and a late flight out, so I'd really only have one night, and two days, it's never enough, but I'm still damn happy I did it!
Budget travel and doing things on your own is great, but for wine tours, I'm pretty damn big on arranging a tour guide or group, especially if you are going to be drinking wine, you are not going to drive. I found Mendoza Wine Camp, who were not only fantastic, but the only wine tour company that gave Malbec specific tours, which is exactly what I wanted. I know Mendoza has other great wines, but for me this was all about the Malbec.
Mendoza Wine Camp also optimized my tour picking me up from the airport, I was traveling light as always so I left my small bag in the car of the tour, and we went straight to business with the tour.
We toured three vineyards sampling at least 3 Malbec's in each vineyard, and Argentina wine tours from this experience, were MUCH more generous in the pours than any other country I have ever been to for a wine tour... Really glad I wasn't driving.
Of course the great opportunity as well to be behind the scenes and talk to the wine makers, and staff about the production and creation of Malbec in Mendoza.
And at the end, you are in Argentina, why not finish with a nice big steak for lunch?
I got back to my Airbnb at 4pm or so, and decided it was time for a nap!
I went out that night, lots of great bars and restaurants, but I wouldn't say it was very lively, I will also note it was Monday night, so I had a nice cocktail on a roof top bar, and small bites later.... The steak lunch was very filling.

The Statue Of The Continents, very appropriate for me
The next day the plan was to do a self city tour, and of course down a few more Malbec's. I had originally toyed with the idea of stopping by multiple wine bars, but again, with the generous pours of the prior day, my liver asked me to take it easy on day two.
The city is nice to walk around, nice parks, cafes, great weather, museums if you have time, which I did not.

For extended stays the sky is the limit with outings to the surrounding country side and of course the Andes Mountains, but for me, it was about the Malbec, and I was very happy with it. I've enjoyed Malbec for over a decade now, and finally being able to visit it in it's greatest vineyard is an experience I will forever be grateful for.