Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PLANE
Mendoza's international airport,
Francisco Gabrielli
(
&
261/520-6000
),
lies 8km (5 miles) nor th of to wn on RN 40.
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(
&
0810/222-
86527;
www.aerolineas.com.ar) offers sev en daily arriv als fr om B uenos Air es.
LA N
(
&
0810/999-9526;
www.lan.com) flies to Mendoza from both Buenos Aires (two times
a day) and from Santiago, Chile, once in the morning and once in the ev ening, making
a day trip from Santiago possible. Because Buenos Aires has both an international and a
domestic airport (which are a minimum of 45 min. apar t), it's both faster and easier to
get to Mendoza in 1 day via S antiago, which has only one airpor t.
BY BUS
The
Terminal del Sol
(
&
261/431-3001
), or central bus station, lies just east
of central Mendoza. Buses travel to Buenos Aires (12-14 hr.; $72/£49); Córdoba (12 hr.;
$42/£28); Santiago, Chile (7 hr.; $38/£26); Las Leñas (7 hr.; $19/£13); and other cities
throughout the r egion.
Chevallier
(
&
261/431-0235;
www.nuevachevallier.com.ar),
Expreso U spallata
(
&
261/421-3309;
www.turismouspallata.com), and
Andesmar
(
&
261/431-0585;
www.andesmar.com) are the main bus companies. B uses from Bue-
nos Aires and else where in Argentina generally arriv e in the early morning—book an
early check-in with your hotel to avoid being stranded!
BY CAR
The route from Buenos Aires is a long (10 hr .) but easy driv e on either the
RN 7 or the RN 8. M endoza is more easily reached by car from Santiago, Chile, along
the RN 7, although the 250km (155-mile) trek through the Andes can be treacherous in
winter, when chains ar e required. Give yourself 4 to 6 hours to make the journey fr om
Santiago.
VISITOR INFORMATION
M endoza's
Subsecretaría Provincial de Turismo,
on Av.
San Martín 1143 (
&
261/420-2800
), is open daily from 9am to 9pm. The helpful staff
will provide you with tourist information on the entir e province, including maps of the
wine roads and r egional driving cir cuits.
Municipal tourist offices,
called Centr os de
Información, are located at G aribaldi near S an Martín (
&
261/423-8745;
daily 8am-
1pm), 9 de J ulio 500 (
&
261/420-1333;
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm), and Las H eras 340
(
&
261/429-6298;
Mon-Fri 9am-1:30pm and 3-7:30pm). They pr ovide city maps,
hotel information, and brochures of tourist activities. You will find small visitor-informa-
tion booths at the airport and bus station as well. Information and permits for Aconcagua
Provincial P ark ar e av ailable at the
Centro de I nformes del P arques,
in M endoza's
265
10
Safety in Mendoza: Not What It Used to Be
Mendoza has been the sc ene of some pr etty intense thefts and r obberies of
late, and more than a f ew have specifically targeted the upscale inns and r es-
taurants frequented by foreign travelers. Snatch-and-run grabs have also been
reported. There is no r eal reason to be alarmed sinc e few have been injur ed.
There is little one can do except keep only small amounts of cash on you, leave
your passport at your hotel, avoid walking in the city late at night, and keep an
eye out for pickpockets. Most wineries and hotels now have very strict security
measures mainly because the local police aren't effective.
