Salta
The elegant colonial capital of the Andean northwest, known as Salta la Linda, with fine churches, a strong folk culture and the dramatic Train to the Clouds.
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Salta, called Salta la Linda, the beautiful, is the graceful colonial city at the heart of Argentina's Andean northwest, and it preserves more of its Spanish colonial character than almost any other Argentine city. Its centre gathers around a leafy main square lined with arcades, the pink-and-cream church of San Francisco with its tall bell tower, and the ornate cathedral, while a cable car rises to a hill with views over the whole valley. The region's indigenous and gaucho heritage is strong here, felt in the peñas, the folk-music taverns where empanadas and northern song fill the evenings, and in the MAAM museum, which displays the extraordinarily preserved Inca child mummies found on a nearby volcano summit. Salta is also the base for the northwest's great journeys, among them the Tren a las Nubes, the Train to the Clouds, which climbs to a spectacular high viaduct on the altiplano.
What you actually see
- Plaza 9 de Julio - the arcaded main square with the cathedral and San Francisco church.
- MAAM (Museum of High Altitude Archaeology) - the preserved Inca mountain-summit mummies.
- The peñas - the folk-music taverns with empanadas and northern song.
- Tren a las Nubes - the Train to the Clouds up to the high altiplano viaduct.
When to go
April to November is drier and pleasant; the summer months are hot with afternoon storms. The Train to the Clouds runs on a schedule and books out, so plan ahead. Evenings in the peñas are a year-round highlight. The city is a comfortable base for exploring the wider northwest.
Honest expectations
Salta itself is a relaxed colonial city you can see in a day or two; its real value is as the springboard for the northwest's landscapes, which take days of driving to reach. The MAAM mummies are moving to some and unsettling to others, displayed one at a time. The Train to the Clouds is long, expensive and reaches high altitude, so it suits some travellers more than others.
Nearby
Cafayate's wine country and the Quebrada de las Conchas lie south; Purmamarca and the coloured valleys are north.
What to pack for Salta
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
