The city of Salta sits quietly in the mountains waiting to charm visitors with its unique fusion of European and South American sights. Humble Argentinian streets with tin-roof houses have somehow found harmony with towering majestic cathedrals that are more likely to be found in Seville. The tantalizing scents of BBQ and fried empanadas dance in the air through the grid of streets and lush parks of the central city. There are plenty of day tours outside of town – from hiking the rainbow mountains of Jujuy to the north, sampling wine in neighbouring Cafayate or riding possibly the world’s priciest train into the clouds (unverified). But be sure to allow some time to discover the city itself. Our ultimate city guide will help you make the most of your trip, including how to get there, where to stay and what to do while you’re in Salta.
Essential Salta Travel Guide
Top things to do in Salta: The best experiences to have in the city proper
Where to stay in Salta: Two tried and tested options
Getting to Salta: How to get to Salta from Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Chile or Bolivia
Getting Around: Navigate Salta city centre with ease
Where to go after Salta: Ideas for where to travel next
Top 5 Things To Do in Salta City
1 // Watch the sunset over the city from Cerro San Bernardo
The best place to get your bearings and take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains is Cerro San Bernardo. You can take the cable car or get a little workout in with the hour hike to the top. Either way the view back over the city is stunning. Especially at sunset.
The Deets – Cerro San Bernardo
Getting There – By cable car or half hour walk up from Parque San Martin
Cost – 200 ARS per person each way on the cable car // FREE to walk
Hours – Cable car runs 9am-4:30pm every day
2 // Have a street food picnic in Parque San Martin
Sitting at the base of Cerro San Bernardo is Parque San Martin. The lush green lawn and palms circle a small pond and fountain in the center. But the best part has to be the plethora of street vendors around the perimeter. Grab some empanadas, humitas or grilled meats and find a bench to have a late afternoon or early evening picnic.
Getting to Parque San Martin – Southeast from the city centre near the bus station
3 // Learn to make traditional empanadas
As the self-proclaimed birthplace of the empanada, you can’t visit Salta without indulging in a few (dozen). The most popular place in town is Doña Salta, a large eatery just off the main square where the waiters wear kitschy uniforms. They do make a mean humita but not our favourite empanadas in town. For those head to El Buen Gusto. Order a round of the daily special with a bottle of Salta Cerveza.
However, the ultimate empanada experience in Salta is on AirBnB where you can book a lesson on how to make Salteña style empanadas. Sylvia and her Aunt Cecilia will welcome you into their home (or backyard on a nice day) and teach you how to make the small, fried half-moon empanadas Salta is famous for. From scratch. And it’s the perfect place to brush up on your Spanish at the same time. Did we mention they also serve unlimited local wine? Seriously the best afternoon you can have in Salta, and our (totally unbiased) favourite empanadas in all of South America.
The Deets – Learn how to make empanadas in Salta
Cost – 1,000 ARS ($17 USD)
Hours – 11am-1pm Monday-Friday
Booking – Through AirBNB
4 // Stroll Around Plaza 9 de Julio
Salta’s lively central square is the hub of the city where everyone seems to gravitate at some point during the day. Walkways circle the block and spool into the middle joining at the fountain that mostly serves as a bath (and bathroom) to the local pigeons. If feeding the birds isn’t your thing stick to the perimeter where you can enjoy a morning coffee in one of the many cafes, or a happy hour cocktail on a sunny patio. The square makes it easy to feel like you’ve slipped into a European city with cobblestone below your feet, lemon trees along the street and colourful cathedrals poking up from surrounding blocks.
Getting to Plaza 9 de Julio – The central location makes it walkable from most of the city.
5 // Have dinner + drinks at a local peña
We’re always slightly skeptical of ‘dinner experiences’ because they tend to be fabricated money grabs. But when we heard about Northern Argentina’s peñas we were intrigued. These lively celebrations are a staple of Salteña culture. Traditional folk music is enjoyed alongside delectable grilled meats and copious wine. Everyone gets involved – singing, clapping, stomping. It’s a guaranteed good time.
While some peñas do focus more on stage shows and costumes, we much preferred the authentic vibe at La Casona Del Molino. Rather than sitting with tourists we spent an evening eating, drinking and attempting to sing along to the Spanish tunes with encouragement from locals. The place was packed before music kicked off around midnight when performers –who previously appeared to be dinner guests – busted our their instruments to alternate serenading the crowd into the wee hours. Highly recommended for a truly Argentine evening.
Hot Tip: Sit in one of the many attached indoor rooms for a more local experience. The central garden tends to be where tourists gather. And be sure to arrive early, even though the music doesn’t start until late it will be hard to get a seat if you don’t arrive at 9pm when they open.
The Deets – La Casona Del Molino
Getting there – This peña is a bit of a hike from the centre of town so we’d recommend a taxi.
Hours – Noon-3pm + 9pm-4am Daily. Closed Mondays.
Where to stay in Salta
There’s no shortage of quality accommodations in Salta. If you are staying more than a few days we recommend booking one of the many beautiful apartments around town on AirBNB. Use this link to get a discount. Or if you’re on a budget here are two tried and tested hostels.
Hostal Prisamata – Prismata Hostel is all about the vibe. Hammocks swinging under an open roof, an outdoor patio, a large communal table and kitchen and a very chill music playlist. The 24-hour reception and free breakfast are run by rotating work-awayers on holiday, making it easy to meet and chat. If you’re traveling solo, or a couple looking to make friends and soak up the Salta nightlife, this is your new home.
The Deets – Hostal Prisamata Salta
Getting there – Just North of town centre and easy walkable. A taxi from the bus station will run you less than $2 USD.
Cost – Dorms start at 700 ARS ($12 USD) // Privates at 1300 ARS for a single ($22 USD)
Hours – 24/7 reception
All Norte Hostel – A few blocks farther out of the city is the quaint family-run All Norte Hostel. While they do have a dorm there are several private rooms available as well. And the vibe is much more guesthouse than hostel. The hosts are a genuine, warm couple who live on-site and are happy to help you in any way possible (even if that’s switching the TV to English to watch Game of Thrones). The spacious backyard quickly became our favourite place to relax.
The Deets – All Norte Hostel
Getting there – Slightly further North from the city centre.
Cost – Dorms start at 1300 ARS ($22 USD) / Privates at 1800 ARS for a double ($31 USD)
Getting to Salta
Buenos Aires to Salta | If you’re coming from the country’s capital you can catch a domestic flight or bus. There are many direct flights daily and it only takes a couple hours. If you can’t find a cheap flight the bus is your best bet. Bus travel in Argentina is quite luxurious compared to the rest of the world so the 18+ hour trip shouldn’t scare you. Plus it can be as cheap as $40 USD.
We found the best prices for domestic flights in Argentina on FlyBondi. Check back often as the rates change almost daily and often dip below the cost of bus travel.
Mendoza to Salta | Coming from Argentina’s famous wine region you have similar options as Buenos Aires. However, direct flights only run once a day and cost more than the popular route from the capital. The bus is also a less popular route so though it’s roughly the same length (just under 20 hours) it will cost almost double at around $75 USD.
San Pedro de Atacama to Salta | If you’re coming from Chile your crossing point will likely be from San Pedro. The 11-12 hour bus runs a few times a week so best to plan in advance. It will run you roughly $70 USD.
Uyuni, Bolivia to Salta | This route is the toughest as there isn’t a direct bus and schedules don’t line up so well. From Uyuni, look for signs that say Villazon in the storefronts (or ask around) near the Uyuni Bus Terminal. Get tickets for the earliest possible bus (for us that was 6am). The ride isn’t as leisurely as most Argentinian buses but it was still quite comfortable. Lots of vendors will hop on to sell you empanadas, soda and other treats along the way.
Once you get to Villazon, walk or taxi to the border and cross over to La Quiaca. The walk to the bus station on the other side is fairly short but there are taxis waiting if you’re in a hurry. From there, most buses will be headed to the town of Jujuy, a couple hours North of Salta, where you can catch a transfer the rest of the way. Or you can wait for a direct bus to avoid having to transfer. Be sure to check bus times on Busbud before your journey to give you an idea of what’s available. And book a hostel with 24-hour reception in case you end up travelling into the night.
Our Experience: Did you know that Bolivia and Argentina don’t observe the same daylight savings time? Neither did we! So after our bus arrived in Villazon two hours late, we rushed across the border to make the 3:30pm bus to Salta only to find that it was already after 4pm. We were stuck taking a 5pm to Jujuy where we waited three hours to catch a 1:30am bus. Arriving in Salta at 4am. That was a long night.
Getting Around Salta
One of our favourite things to do in Salta was walk the streets. The center is a flat grid layout which is ideal for meandering whether you have a destination in mind or not.
That said, the outskirts aren’t as easily accessible. We stuck to taxis for anything that was out of walking distance but the city bus system is robust. Ask at your hostel for help planning your route.
Where to Next?
Salta is a great stop on the way to one of our favourite places in South America: Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni.
You’ll also find epic adventures hopping across the border to the Chilean desert and San Pedro de Atacama.
Either way, you’ll probably fly in or out of Buenos Aires so be sure to check out our perfect 4-day itinerary. And if you love eating as much as us, don’t miss these 10 ultimate food experiences.
Dianne Stinnissen
October 21, 2019 at 4:30 pmGreat blog. I see Empanada making in our future!
Arni Stinnissen
October 21, 2019 at 11:56 pmYou are amazing me with all of your research before and during each stop!