What To Do in Salta Argentina

This post might contain affiliate links. That means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you buy through my site. I appreciate your support of my site.

Most countries in South America are known for their adventures and natural beauty outside of the cities. While this is true for the Salta and Jujuy provinces in Northwest Argentina, I was impressed with Salta’s capital city, also called Salta. I wasn’t expecting much from Argentina’s fifth largest city, but it has a unique feel. It is a colonial city that is reminiscent of the North American southwest. There are several things to do in Salta and it is the most convenient place to base yourself to explore the Jujuy and Salta regions. 

In this Salta guide find out what to do in Salta, where to stay in Salta, what to eat in Salta and everything else you need to know to make the most of your time exploring the city.

What to Do in Salta Argentina

Plaza 9 de Julio

If you haven’t been to many places in South America, you will soon find out that every town and city has a Plaza de Armas or main square. Throughout all my travels in Argentina and Chile, I have had some of my favorite moments enjoying a snack and people watching in one of the plazas. The plaza in Salta called Plaza 9 de Julio is named after the day Argentina gained its independence. It is the best spot in the city for people watching! Go in the early evening and you will see children chasing and feeding birds, couples walking hand in hand, dogs running free and people of all ages relaxing on the benches. You might even get to see a traditional folk dance performance. 

The plaza also borders many restaurants and some of the other best places to visit in Salta.

Free Tour of Salta

I have done my share of free city tours around the world and I can say the free walking tour in Salta was one of my favorites. Our guide Homer, like most guides said he was open to questions. Unlike some guides you could tell he actually was happy to answer all the questions! The random little facts about a city and the people who live there are usually the most interesting to me. I had a small group of people that asked several questions. There was also another guide on the tour that was learning this particular route. While walking from stop to stop, I was able to sneak in several more questions, learn about the city and practice my Spanish with the 2nd guide. 

We learned a lot more about the local places. For example the San Bernardo Convent, pictured above, houses nuns that are not allowed to have any contact with people outside the convent. We went inside the door of the convent where the nuns had baked goods and crafts they made for sale. To purchase something you ring a bell and put your money on a spinning table that the nuns collect. There is no visual contact with them at all!

One of the funniest parts of the tour was that two street dogs come on the tour every day. It is pretty common in Argentina, Chile and possibly other South American countries to have cities full of street dogs. Although they aren’t owned by anyone, locals know the dogs and often help take care of them. We all found it amusing that these two dogs always arrive at the start of the tour on time everyday!

The Salta free tour runs every morning at 10am from Monday to Saturday. It begins at la Plaza 9 de Julio in front of the Cathedral and covers the historical center of the city. There is also a 5pm tour Mondays – Saturdays that goes in the south part of the city. You don’t need to make reservations for either tour.

Museo Histórico del Norte

The History Museum of the North is a good museum in Salta to visit to get an overview of the history of the region. The exhibits focus on Argentina’s colonial and revolutionary history. There are several rooms with religious items, money and ceramics. The museum is housed in a restored government building from the 1700s. The courtyard is nice and there is a balcony over-looking la Plaza 9 de Julio.

The museum is free and has free toilets.

Centro Cultural America

Another place to visit along the Plaza is the American Cultural Center. The cultural center is in a beautiful, historic building. It is worth it to go inside to see the impressive interior and to visit some of the art or fashion exhibits. The exhibits change all the time so you never know what you may see. There was a Barbie exhibit when I was in Salta. Growing up I was a big fan of Barbies, so although the exhibit really had nothing to do with Argentina it was still interesting to me.

Make sure to check the board outside the building to find out about classes that may be open to the public. They typically have weekly Tango classes (which you must try in Argentina!).

The cultural center is free and has free toilets.

Punto Artesanal

Right next to the cultural center is an artisan craft market. You will see signs from the sidewalk that lead you to the staircase that takes you to the 2nd floor market. You can also enter by elevator in the Azafran Restobar restaurant. It is the perfect place to buy any souvenirs or gifts.

The market has free toilets near the elevators.

Catedral Basílica de Salta

There are a lot of cathedrals in Salta. The 19th century Cathedral of Salta along the Plaza will quickly get your attention due to its pink facade. As you walk inside the cathedral you will find the interior just as eye-catching.

Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana de Salta

One more place to visit along the plaza is the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology (MAAM). The museum focuses on the Inca empire. The main attraction of the museum is the Llullaillaco Children. These children were discovered at the peak of a volcano. It is believed they were left there as sacrifices to the gods. They are now perfectly preserved mummies that are displayed in the museum.

Cerro San Bernardo

Not every attraction in Salta surrounds the Plaza. The base of San Bernardo hill is about a 15 – 20 minute walk from the plaza. At the top of the hill there is a couple of restaurants, a craft market, some waterfalls and great views of the city.

You can reach the top of the hill on foot or by cable car. To walk up the hill find the Monument General Martin Miguel de Guemes. The stairs are located behind the monument. Let me tell you, there are a lot of stairs! I decided to walk to the top. Did I tell you that there are a lot of stairs?? The entire way up is one staircase after another. It really depends on your level of fitness, but I needed to take several breaks. Personally I find stairs really challenging, but then there were the locals that were running up and down.

Although the cable car doesn’t run 24/7, you can use the stairs at all times. My walking tour guide said it is safe at all times of day. I wouldn’t go after dark by myself, but I felt safe during the daytime. After only a couple minutes or so I would see other people. Do be aware that there is no-where else to go on the stairs but up or down. If you get tired you are kind of stuck!

At this point you are either excited by the prospect of getting some exercise climbing to the top or you are crossing this off your list. Don’t forget, you can take the cable car! The cable car station, Teleférico San Bernardo, can be found at the bottom of the hill in San Martín Park. After eating at the top and enjoying the views, I paid to take the cable car back down the hill. It is a fun ride with great city views.

There are free toilets at the top of the hill and at the cable car station at the bottom.

Parque San Martín

San Martín Park, like la Plaza 9 de Julio, is another nice place to spend some time in Salta. It is much bigger than the plaza and there is a lot more to do there other than people watching. La Feria de Artesanias, another artisan market is located within the park. This one is larger than the one described earlier in the post. There is also the National University of Salta Museum of Natural Sciences.

A lake where you can rent paddle boats takes up some of the park. Throughout the park you will usually find families enjoying time together. Generally people have little food stands set up too.

El Museo de la Ciudad – Casa de Hernández

The City Museum- Casa Hernandez is a donation based museum. It is a small museum with speciality collections that showcase past life in Salta. As someone who likes to take pictures, I found the old-time cameras intriguing.

Mercado San Miguel

Wherever you go in the world, markets are one of the best places to visit to get a sense of what the local life is like. The San Miguel market in Salta will give you that experience. There are not a lot of tourists wandering throughout the market. Whether you merely want to browse or you want to buy some produce, spices or lunch, you can do so at this market.

Day Trips from Salta

Even though there is so much to do in Salta, you will want to take some day trips out of the city.

• Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca: I choose to go on this tour because it takes you to one of the most unique areas in the Salta and Jujuy provinces. On this tour you will see the beautiful scenery of the provinces, local wildlife and the adobe housed line village of Purmamarca. The highlight for me was las salinas grandes, the salt flats. It is so much fun to take pictures there.
• Cachi: This day tour to the small town of Cachi is perfect for anyone who wants to take in the scenery of the Salta province. You will see some of the most beautiful landscapes on the drive to and from Cachi. Within Cachi you can buy local crafts at the market and try traditional food at one of the restaurants.
• Cafayate: Any wine lovers? Well Cafayate will be at the top of your list. You will love visiting wineries in the Calchaquí Valley.
• Rafting & Canopy (zip-lining): This is a great day tour for adrenaline junkies. I loved this adventurous day that began with a rafting trip down the scenic Juramento River and ended with a zip-lining experience back and forth over the same river. In between we were served a delicious traditional Argentinean Asado (BBQ).
• Rainforest Hiking: Did you know there is a rainforest near Salta? Taking a rainforest hike is another great activity for anyone who wants to see the scenery, while staying active.

Where To Stay in Salta

Let me tell you the pros and cons of accommodation in Salta. The main con is that I can’t personally recommend either of the two places I stayed. One was an AirBnB and one was a hostel. The hosts of both were friendly, like most people in Argentina, but the cleanliness just wasn’t up to par. At my hostel I bought my own towels because the hostel ones smelled so bad. The room was so musty smelling that I developed a cold that went away as soon as I left the hostel. The pro is that hotels in Salta are relatively cheap.

What I love about using booking.com for accommodation reservations is the review feature. I recommend reading the reviews carefully for how clean the place is, if that is a concern for you. Choose somewhere within 3 – 4 blocks in any direction of la Plaza 9 de Julio.

Booking.com

What to Eat in Salta

Alfajores

Alfajores are a cookie type treat that are very common throughout Argentina and even the rest of South America. They come in different varieties, but the most common one is dulce de leche, coated in coconut and sandwiched between two butter cookies.

Empanadas

Empanadas are a baked or fried pastry usually filled with meat, veggies and/or cheese. They are another common food throughout Argentina, but Salta claims to have the best empanadas in Argentina. I would have to agree with that. My favorites were from Tacita Café across from the Church of Saint Francis.

Milanesa

Milanesa is the South American version of the European breaded meat. El Cafe del tiempo had several varieties available and offered a menu del día at lunchtime. 

Steak

You are in Argentina, you are going to want to eat steak! Honestly I didn’t eat too much steak in Salta because I had more than my fill in Buenos Aires. It is pretty easy to find a good steak in Salta. What is a little more challenging is finding a salad. Azafran Restobar had main course salads that I enjoyed. If you are going on some of the high altitude day trips you will want to be careful about eating too much meat.

Things to Know about Salta

La Siesta 

The siesta is alive and well in Salta. Most businesses shut down in the afternoon anytime between 1 – 5pm. Before you head out to a museum or plan to visit a tour agency, check their hours! The good news is that places stay open later than you might expect.

Meal Times

Don’t come back from a shorter day tour at 5pm and think all the restaurants will be open for dinner. Most places begin serving dinner between 7 – 8pm. They stay open until at least 12pm. Tourists typically eat the evening meal right away when restaurants open, but locals generally do not eat until at least 9 or 10pm. If you are looking to eat a little earlier there are a couple of places around the main plaza that are open all day.

More About Argentina

• 13 Things to Know About Argentina
• Buenos Aires: Where to Stay
• Buenos Aires: Tango – where to dance Tango and where to watch Tango
• Buenos Aires: Fútbol – how to get tickets to a Boca Juniors game
• Buenos Aires: Steak – the best places to eat steak in Palermo
• Buenos Aires: Restaurants – where to eat in Palermo
• Buenos Aires: MALBA – The Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires
• Buenos Aires: Evita Museum – museum dedicated to the life of Eva Perón
• Buenos Aires: Medical Care – where to go in Buenos Aires for medical care (plus pharmacies!)
• Tigre: A Day trip to Tigre from Buenos Aires
• Salta Day Trips: Salinas Grandes and la Quebrada de Humahuaca, Rafting & Zip-lining, Cachi

I hope this Salta guide convinced you of the many places to visit in Salta. Spend at least a full day or two within the city. 

---

Pin It!!