Salta walking tour & city guide

The city

Plaza 9 de Julio is surrounded by the pink cathedral and the Cabildo. The red and gold San Francisco Church has a tall bell tower. A cable car climbs Cerro San Bernardo for views.

Around Salta

The Quebrada de Humahuaca and the Hill of Seven Colors have striking landscapes, and Cafayate is known for its high-altitude wines.

A day in Salta

Salta has the best-preserved colonial center in Argentina. The pink-and-gold Church of San Francisco and the cathedral face elegant squares. Take the cable car up Cerro San Bernardo for views over the city.

The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology displays Inca mummies found on a volcano peak, preserved for 500 years.

Good to know

Salta is the base for exploring the Quebrada de Humahuaca, with its seven-colored hill at Purmamarca, and the wine region of Cafayate, with its red rock canyons.

Try the empanadas salteñas, smaller and juicier than elsewhere, and listen to folk music in a peña.

Why it is called Salta la Linda

Salta's nickname, 'Salta the Beautiful', comes from its setting in the green Lerma Valley and its colonial architecture with wooden balconies and inner courtyards. The northwest of Argentina feels very different from Buenos Aires: Andean traditions, indigenous culture and folk music are strong, and the food is spicier. Road trips from Salta pass through some of the most dramatic landscapes in South America, with red canyons, cactus forests and high-altitude salt flats at Salinas Grandes.