Mendoza Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour

Mendoza’s best wine regions spread far beyond the city, and this hop-on hop-off bus gives you a practical way to reach them without renting a car or appointing a sober driver. You choose a route, get off at the wineries assigned to that service, and spend the day tasting Malbec, sparkling wine, olive oil, and other local products.

I like the choice of regions and schedules, since you can target Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, El Sol, or the Uco Valley. I also like the safety and value of leaving the driving to someone else, especially when a full day includes four wineries and sometimes an olive-oil stop or lunch opportunity.

The main catch is that this is not a completely free-form bus. Winery choices may be controlled by the operator, and pickup timing has caused problems at times. You must be ready at your stop early, and you should budget extra for every tasting and winery entrance.

Key points to know before booking

• Four wine regions on different days: Maipú, El Sol, Luján de Cuyo, and Uco Valley routes follow different schedules, so check the weekday carefully.
• Two or four wineries: Half-day tickets generally cover two wineries, while a full day can include four, depending on the route.
• Tastings cost extra: Your $40 fare covers transport, a guide, water, and selected hotel pickup, but not winery admissions, tastings, lunch, or drinks.
• Confirmed winery times: The operator arranges visit and tasting slots, so you do not need to make separate reservations.
• Hugo and Gabriela receive warm marks: Service can be attentive and friendly, though the quality of English information may vary by guide.
• Punctuality matters: The bus uses many city pickup points, and delays have sometimes led to long waits between wineries.

What the $40 fare really buys you

At first glance, $40 for roughly 12 hours looks like a strong deal for Mendoza wine country. The fare covers an air-conditioned minibus, a professional driver and guide, bottled water, and pickup and return at selected hotels or meeting points.

The value is clearest if you would otherwise need a private driver, taxi transfers, or a rental car. Wine tasting and driving are a poor match, and the routes take you well beyond the central streets of Mendoza. You can focus on the cellar visit and the glass in front of you instead of watching the road.

Still, $40 is only the transport cost. Winery entrance fees and tastings are paid separately, by cash or credit card at each stop. Food and drinks are also extra, as are tips. A full day can therefore cost much more than the advertised fare once you add four tastings and lunch.

That is not unusual for Mendoza wine tours, but you should know it before you book. If you want a low-cost way to reach several bodegas and choose your own spending level at each one, this works well. If you want an all-inclusive package with tastings and meals, it will feel less attractive.

Picking between Maipú, El Sol, Luján, and Uco Valley

The route matters more than the generic tour name. Each wine area has a different feel, and the service does not run every route every day.

Maipú: wine, olive oil, and an easy first choice

The Camino del Vino y Olivos de Maipú route runs as a full-day or morning half-day option on Monday, with an afternoon half-day option listed for Thursday. Maipú is also the route most clearly tied to both wine and olive oil, making it a good pick if you want more than cellar visits.

A full day can include four wineries and an olive-oil producer. One stop specifically praised in the tour feedback is Laur, an olive-oil destination. That gives the day a useful change of pace: after several tastings, you get a different look at local agriculture and production.

Maipú may suit you best if you want variety and a route that is relatively easy to combine with several stops. The tradeoff is a long morning of city pickups before the bus reaches the wine area. The schedule lists as many as 25 pickup points, from central hotels to Viamonte and Larrea and QuickPoint.

El Sol: a Tuesday route with half-day flexibility

The Camino del Vino El Sol route runs on Tuesday, with full-day and half-day morning options, plus a listed half-day afternoon service. The published schedule for the morning route uses the same broad city pickup network, beginning around 7:55 a.m. and continuing through central hotels and transport points.

This route may be useful if your time in Mendoza is short and Tuesday is open. The half-day option lets you spend less time on the road and still visit two wineries. Choose the full-day ticket if you want four winery visits and a slower day in the wine country.

The information supplied does not name fixed wineries for every departure, so you should not assume that a particular bodega will be included. The operator confirms the winery times for your departure, but the available choices may be narrower than the route description suggests.

Uco Valley: the longest commitment

The Camino del Vino Valle de Uco Sur is listed as a full-day-only route on Wednesday. It has a much simpler pickup schedule in the supplied information, with an early pickup at Edificio Recoleta Colon on Avenida Colón.

That simpler listing does not mean a short day. Uco Valley is the route that requires the biggest time commitment, and a full-day ticket is the only option shown. If the region is your priority, this is the most direct choice. If you mainly want a quick taste of Mendoza wine country, choose a half-day route in another area instead.

The schedule does not provide a full list of Uco Valley wineries or exact stop times. You should treat the route as a regional option rather than a promise of one specific bodega. The benefit is access to a major wine area without arranging long-distance transport yourself.

Luján de Cuyo: several versions, so read the day closely

Luján de Cuyo appears in more than one format. The Tierra Malbec route offers full-day and half-day service on Thursday, including a half-day afternoon option. The Luján Sur route is also listed with Thursday full-day and half-day service, plus a Friday half-day afternoon option.

The afternoon Luján Sur schedule includes Esplendor by Wyndham Mendoza at 1:50 p.m. and Quick Point Araoz at 2:40 p.m. Another Friday afternoon departure lists Amérian Mendoza at 7:58 a.m., so the schedule requires careful checking before you set your plans.

Luján de Cuyo is a sensible pick if Malbec is your main reason for coming to Mendoza. Just confirm the exact route name, date, and pickup point. Several similarly named options can be confusing, and the wrong assumption could leave you waiting at the wrong hotel.

How a full day unfolds

A full-day service starts early. The general meeting time is 7:30 a.m., while the listed city pickups begin around 7:55 a.m. at Edificio Recoleta Colon and continue through a long chain of hotels and central stops.

The bus may collect people at Chill Inn Hostel, A16 Civit, Soltigua Apart Hotel, the Carlos Alonso Museum, Diplomatic Hotel, Park Hyatt Mendoza, Hotel Argentino, NH Mendoza Cordillera, and many others. It also stops at CATA Turismo, the main bus terminal area on Reconquista 52, Hilton Mendoza, Hathor Hotels, Esplendor by Wyndham, Club Tapiz, Viamonte and Larrea, and QuickPoint.

That network is convenient if you are staying near one of the listed stops. It also explains why the first part of the day can feel slow. The bus may stop repeatedly for people who are not there, and past service problems included waits of around 30 minutes.

Once you reach the wine region, the operator gives you confirmed times for winery visits and tastings. You do not need to arrange each appointment yourself. On a full-day ticket, expect up to four winery visits, though the actual selection depends on the route and the operator’s available schedule.

A full day can include a lunch stop. One account describes visiting four wineries and eating lunch at one of them. Do not assume lunch is included in the fare. Food and drinks are explicitly extra, and you may need to choose your lunch location after boarding.

The best approach is to treat the day as a guided transport plan, not as a bus you can catch at any minute. Get off where your itinerary allows, enjoy the tasting, and be ready for the next departure. If the bus is late, you may gain an unscheduled extra glass, but you should not plan on it.

What a half-day ticket changes

The half-day option is useful when you have limited time, want a lighter tasting schedule, or prefer to leave room for lunch in Mendoza. Morning and afternoon departures are available on selected routes, not every day.

A half-day normally means two winery visits rather than four. That is enough to compare producers without turning the day into a long sequence of tastings. It also lowers the number of separate entrance fees you will pay.

The afternoon departures are especially practical for a late start. Listed pickup times include 1:50 p.m. at Esplendor by Wyndham Mendoza, 2:40 p.m. at Quick Point Araoz, and 2:15 p.m. at the Tourist Information Centre II on Garibaldi 10 for one Luján de Cuyo route.

The drawback is less flexibility. A half-day route has fewer stops, and the schedule may not match the winery you most want to see. If you have one specific bodega in mind, confirm it before counting on the bus.

Winery choices are not always yours alone

The tour is presented as a way to hop off at the wineries of your choice, but the practical setup is more structured. The operator confirms visits and tasting times in advance, and the available wineries can depend on the day’s route.

This matters if you have your heart set on a particular name. Some people found that the offered wineries did not include their preferred choices, including a desire to visit Susana Balbo or have lunch at Chandon. You may be offered a solid group of wineries, but not necessarily the exact ones you would select independently.

On the other hand, several types of winery can appear in one full day: large producers, smaller family bodegas, sparkling-wine makers, and olive-oil operations. That variety is one of the strongest reasons to choose the full-day service.

A useful tactic is to ask about the confirmed winery lineup before departure, if possible. If the answer does not include your must-see bodega, a private tour or independently arranged appointment may suit you better.

Guides, language, and the level of information

A professional guide and driver travel with the bus, and the service may use a multilingual guide. Hugo is specifically praised for being kind, attentive, and ready to help, while Gabriela is also noted for good service.

The amount of explanation can vary. Some departures provide only basic information about Mendoza and the wine region, and English ability may be limited. If you want a detailed lesson in grape varieties, winemaking, or local history, you should not assume the bus commentary will provide it.

The winery staff may give more specific information during the cellar visits and tastings. At Andeluna, for example, the cellar tour was singled out as a strong part of the day. The bus guide is more important for coordination, timing, and general orientation than for a full wine course.

The real issue is timing

The service is described as very punctual, and you are told to be at your preferred stop on time. Take that seriously. Pickup times can be only a few minutes apart, and the bus may not wait.

At the same time, the service has had uneven timing between stops. Some departures ran without delay, while others involved a 30-minute wait. There was also a serious report of a broken-down bus that caused an additional long delay.

I would build some spare room into your Mendoza schedule after the tour. Do not book a flight, long-distance bus, or fixed evening appointment immediately after the return time. Transfer times are approximate and depend on traffic, so the 12-hour description should not be treated as a precise arrival guarantee.

Who will get the most from this tour

This service suits you if you want to taste wine without driving, prefer a lower-cost group option, and like having winery appointments arranged for you. It also works well if you want to compare several types of producer in one day.

A full-day ticket is best for wine enthusiasts who want four stops and can handle a long day. The Maipú route is especially appealing if olive oil interests you, while Uco Valley makes sense if that region is a priority and you can spare a full Wednesday.

A half-day ticket fits you better if you have only a morning or afternoon free, want to limit tasting costs, or do not want an exhausting schedule. It is also the safer choice if you have other plans later.

I would hesitate if you need a specific winery, expect detailed English commentary throughout, or dislike waiting for a large pickup circuit. A private driver gives you more control, but usually at a much higher cost.

Practical details before you go

A current valid passport is required on the day of travel, and the minimum drinking age is 18. Confirmation is provided at booking, and departures are guaranteed without a minimum passenger count.

Hotel pickup and drop-off apply only to selected hotels. If your hotel is not on the list, use one of the stated meeting points, such as Garibaldi 10, Reconquista 52 at the main bus terminal entrance, or another listed stop.

Carry a payment method for winery fees and tastings. Cash or credit card is accepted on site, but the exact cost is not given in the tour information. Bottled water is supplied, though you should arrange your own food budget.

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not refunded.

Should you book the Mendoza Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour?

Book it if your main goal is safe, affordable access to several Mendoza wine areas and you are willing to accept a set winery lineup. The $40 fare is fair for transport, a driver, bottled water, and arranged tasting times, especially compared with hiring a private car.

Choose the full day for the broadest range of wineries, and consider Maipú if you want olive oil included in the mix. Choose a half-day route if you want two visits without spending the whole day on the bus.

I would not book it blindly if one particular winery is essential. Confirm the route and actual bodega choices first, arrive early at the pickup point, and keep your schedule flexible at the end of the day. With those limits understood, this is a useful way to sample Mendoza wine country without putting anyone behind the wheel.

FAQ

How much does the Mendoza Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour cost?

The listed price is $40. Winery entrance fees, tastings, food, drinks, and tips are not included.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately 12 hours for a full-day service. Half-day options are also available on selected routes and dates.

Which wine regions can I visit?

Routes are available in Maipú, El Sol, Luján de Cuyo, and the Uco Valley. The available region depends on the weekday and ticket option.

How many wineries can I visit?

A full-day ticket can include four wineries, while a half-day ticket generally includes two winery visits. The exact selection depends on the route and confirmed schedule.

Are wine tastings included?

No. Winery entrance fees and tastings are paid separately at each location by cash or credit card.

Is lunch included?

No. Food and drinks are not included. A full-day itinerary may include the opportunity to eat lunch at a winery.

Does the bus pick me up at my hotel?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are available only at selected hotels. Other listed meeting points include central hotels, Garibaldi 10, Reconquista 52 at the main bus terminal, and QuickPoint.

What days do the wine routes operate?

Maipú has listed Monday full-day and morning half-day service, with a Thursday afternoon option. El Sol operates on Tuesday. Uco Valley is listed for Wednesday. Luján de Cuyo routes operate on Thursday, with some Friday afternoon service also listed.

What happens if I need to cancel?

You receive a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before departure are not refunded.